Chapter 7
Seven
Harper
I’ve been stewing since the moment I left the arena, angry at Luca for embarrassing me and even more perturbed at Quinn for trying to steal Luca’s attention.
Practically wearing a hole through the rug in the dorm, I’ve been waiting for Quinn to come home. There’s no way that she got her wish and hooked up with Luca.
It’s obvious she wants him, and Quinn gets everything she wants. Every single time.
It’s nauseating.
I hear her key in the lock, but when she doesn’t open the door, I yank it open, wondering what the hell is taking her so long. I shouldn’t want her to come home, but now that I know she’s outside, it’s like a ticking time bomb and I’m waiting to explode.
I’ve never hated anyone more in my life.
Scratch that.
My eyes burn as I catch sight of Quinn locking lips with someone in the hallway. They break apart, probably coming up to catch air, and my heart shatters into a million pieces and I slam the door shut.
“Harper!” Luca shouts to me, and tears threaten my eyes.
I refuse to cry.
There’s nowhere to run. The bathroom is in the hallway, and I grab my headphones and shove them over my ears. It’s what Quinn wants, isn’t it?
I close my eyes, crank up the volume as I listen to my angry metal playlist and shove a pillow over my head, trying to suffocate myself.
Why do I always have to catch feelings for the wrong guy?
There are muffled voices, my bed dips and I’m about to scream at Quinn and Luca when I pull the pillow from my face and open my eyes, staring up at Luca.
He gestures to the headphones I’m wearing, and I reluctantly remove them. I inhale sharply, praying my face isn’t red from the few tears that threatened to fall.
“What?” My question is sharp and filled with torment.
“I came over hoping we could talk.”
I laugh darkly, feeling a twisted knot inside my stomach. “Talk?” I repeat. “It’s hard to imagine us doing that with you shoving your tongue down Quinn’s throat.”
He sighs and glares at Quinn before returning his stare to me. “That’s not what happened.”
“You came up to her room with her. Let me guess, you gave her a ride after the game too?”
Silence falls between us.
“You’re jealous,” he says, a realization seeming to dawn on him, and all it does is make me feel even more uncomfortable.
“I’m not. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I sit up in bed, toss my legs over the side of the mattress. “There’s no reason for me to be jealous,” I say, stating the obvious.
I pretend to be miffed by his accusation, although he might be on to something. However, I refuse to confess as much to him.
“You’re crazy, and why did you come over to talk?” I ask as I try turning the line of questioning onto him.
He should be the one being interrogated for having a lip-lock session with my roommate.
“How long have the two of you—” I gesture between them, hoping this isn’t an actual thing, because I could not deal with knowing they were hooking up in our dorm room.
“I’ve been pining over him for weeks,” Quinn says, her voice dripping like honey, sweet, sugary, and full of desire.
“There’s nothing between her and me,” Luca states, pointing at Quinn. He doesn’t say her name. I’m not sure he even knows it, but that wouldn’t be a terrible surprise. Quinn does like to bed any guy with a pulse, and I doubt she knows the names of all the men she’s hooked up with, either.
“Except for tonight,” Quinn coos, and my stomach somersaults. I shuffle on my feet, waiting for someone to elaborate and hoping that it comes from Luca.
“I gave you a ride home, not my first regret of the evening,” Luca says. His phone starts buzzing in his pocket, and he curses under his breath. “I left Ashton waiting in the car.”
Quinn smiles, but the sweet, coy act she had going falls away. “Invite him up. We could make it a real party.”
Luca scoffs. “That’s not happening. Harper, can we talk?”
“You should go downstairs; you can’t make Ashton wait forever,” I say. I don’t want him to leave, but I also don’t want to have a conversation with Quinn in the room, either.
He reaches toward me, brushing a strand of hair out of my face and behind my ear. His touch is warm and sends tingles coursing through me. I lean into his touch, staring up at him. I want to kiss him and scream at him, both simultaneously.
Is it normal to get this worked up over a guy?
“You’re probably right,” he whispers, but he doesn’t move. “This weekend, you, me, a quiet night someplace romantic. An actual date,” he says, making his intentions crystal clear.
His fingers are like a warm current, offering my body a taste of what’s to come. The back of his fingers graze my cheek, and I exhale softly, grateful that I’m seated, or I would most certainly have wobbly knees.
How does he exert this type of power over me?
It’s just a crush. The words bounce around in my head, but he’s too easy to fall for, and I’m trying not to get swept off my feet.
“I like you, Harper, in case you haven’t noticed.” He’s laying his cards out there, in case him telling me he wants an actual date isn’t enough. “I want the opportunity to get to know you better.”
I lean into his touch as his fingers caress down my jaw.
I want to kiss him so badly, but I’m holding back. He just kissed Quinn.
And maybe if I’m being honest with myself, I’m a little worried I’ll taste her if I kiss him. And if I don’t taste her cherry lip gloss, then what happens if I fall for him even faster?
That can’t happen.
I have to keep things slow, cautious.
Because it’s Luca Ricci.
He’s hot.
Smart.
Athletic.
And, more importantly, has all the girls fawning over him. I don’t want to be another number on his roll call.
It’s more than that—so much more that I can’t even deal with again.
“So, how about that weekend date, just the two of us? Or we could make it the entire weekend,” Luca says and grins.
I give him credit for his persistence. “Do you mean our first date with your little sister hanging around doesn’t count?” I’m teasing him about Nova because maybe it’ll break the thick sexual tension hanging in the air.
“Definitely doesn’t count.” He offers a wry smile. “So, Saturday or Sunday? Pick your poison,” he jokes.
Can I trust him with my heart?
I can’t erase the image of her lips on his, but I believe Luca, that she threw herself at him. That sounds exactly like Quinn.
I like Luca, a lot, but trusting him is something that doesn’t come naturally for me. I’ve been burned before, with my high school boyfriend. He swore he loved me, that we’d go to Evergreen University together, and that he only had eyes for me. That I was the center of his world.
It was all a line of absolute crap. I caught him in bed with two cheerleaders, and then he had the audacity to invite me to join them!
That memory boils my blood and haunts me to this day.
Yes, I have trust issues. That jackass was the reason for them, and while I know not every guy is a complete douchebag, he was on the football team. Which makes me want to steer clear of jocks.
And Luca plays hockey. It’s hard not to see the similarities. He has girls throwing themselves at him constantly. It’s a lot to compete against, and well, I worry that, in the end, I won’t win. I’ll end up with my heart crushed again.
Luca will inevitably find someone else who doesn’t have trust issues, who is more fun to be around and who actually likes sports.
We have nothing in common. That hasn’t changed, and it never will.
My heart flutters as I stare into those cool gray eyes that give me swarms of butterflies in my stomach.
What’s the harm in one date?
“Sunday,” I say. We had talked about going out on Sunday earlier in the week; the plan still stands.
“I’m seeing Nova for her birthday party this weekend, but I’ll be home Sunday for a date.
I might be home late Saturday since the party is Friday night, but I’m not sure what time.
” I stand, gently pushing him toward the door, an errant smile forming at the corners of my lips.
Just thinking about a date with him has put me in a better mood.
I’m feeling cautiously optimistic.
“You’re going over to my house?” he asks, his voice catching in his throat as I practically push him out the door.
“Yeah, Nova’s birthday. Remember?” I smile faintly as I gesture for him to get going. “Ashton is waiting for you.”
His phone buzzes again, as if on cue.
“Right,” Luca says and sighs. He looks perplexed. I’m not sure why.
“Goodnight, Luca,” I say and close the door behind him. I spin around on my heels, glaring at Quinn. If looks could kill, I’d be cleaning up a dead body right now.