Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Between classes, I sat at a table outside, wanting to get some sun since it was supposed to rain for the next couple of days. Rowan and Danny were walking by, so I gave a little wave and smiled. Danny glanced at me but quickly looked away. Rowan didn’t meet my eyes.
Unease filled me. Rowan had told me he wanted us to be friends. After the time we’d spent together on top of the library, I thought we were good.
Trying not to be offended, I opened my lab book and started reading about what we’d be doing today in my organic chemistry lab.
“Hey,” a guy said as he approached my table. “Can I sit here?”
“Go ahead. There’s plenty of room.” I went back to reading the lab.
“I’ve been wanting to introduce myself,” he said.
“What?” I asked, peering up at the guy. He looked vaguely familiar.
“I’m in molecular biology with you,” he said. “You sit toward the back and are always the first to leave after the lecture, so I’m never able to talk to you.”
“Oh,” I said lamely, realizing he was here not for the table but for me.
“You’re Laney, right?” he asked.
I nodded.
“I’m Clayton.”
I literally had no idea what to say to him.
He had a nice, kind smile. His brown hair was cut short, making him seem neat and tidy.
He had on khakis and a collared polo shirt, reminding me too much of my dad, who always looked and behaved in an organized, precise way.
This guy wasn’t my type at all, and I definitely wasn’t interested in him.
It dawned on me that physically, he was the opposite of Rowan.
“I was hoping to get to know you better,” Clayton said. “Do you want to grab coffee this afternoon?”
Thankfully, I had a legitimate excuse to say no. “Sorry, I can’t. I have an organic chem lab.”
“Oh.” He pursed his lips, looking down at the table as if it could help him. “What about dinner tomorrow night?” He looked up at me, hope shining in his eager eyes.
Persistent, this one. Well, he did seem nice. Even though I wasn’t interested in him and wanted to tell him no, I knew I had to say yes because of that stupid pact I made with myself. Honestly, I should at least give him a chance. I just might come out of it with another friend.
Even though Rowan and I had an intense physical attraction, it didn’t look like anything would be happening between us. There was no use pining over a guy who wasn’t interested in me.
“I can do dinner,” I finally replied.
A smile lit up his face. “Great.”
We exchanged numbers before he left.
I went back to prepping for my lab.
Heat and desire flooded into me. I knew, without looking, that Rowan was right behind me.
I refused to turn around and acknowledge him. Not after the way he’d ignored me earlier.
His hands slid onto the arms of my chair, and he leaned down, his head right next to mine, his lips at my ear. I shivered.
“You can’t tell me you’re interested in Clayton,” he said, his voice deep and low. He reached up, pushing my hair behind my ear in an intimate gesture.
His lips were so close I could almost feel him. I wanted him to bite my earlobe.
“Are you going out with him?” he asked.
“What?” With Rowan so close, intoxicating me, all common sense fled as I drowned in the nearness of him.
“Clayton.” His breath caressed my ear. “Why were you talking to him?”
I needed to focus. I couldn’t lose myself every time Rowan came near me. “That’s none of your business.”
“Tell me.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
I scooted forward in my chair, putting distance between us, before twisting to look at him. “It has nothing to do with you.”
He let go of my chair and stood upright. “Are you mad at me?”
“No.” Sometimes I wanted to punch him, although if I did, I’m sure I’d get hurt. His large body probably wouldn’t even feel my fist. I wondered what his large body would feel like beneath my hands. Focus, I scolded myself.
“Are you going out with him?” Rowan demanded.
“Why do you care what I do?”
He came around and sat in the chair next to me. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just trying to be your friend.” Amusement danced in his sparkling blue eyes.
“It doesn’t feel like it.” The other night he’d been friendly. This didn’t feel like that. This seemed more possessive. Territorial.
Rowan’s head turned. “I gotta go.” He quickly stood and strode away.
I wasn’t sure what the hell just happened, but one thing was clear: I needed to stay away from Rowan. He did things to my body that I enjoyed far too much and didn’t understand, which made him dangerous. I couldn’t afford to be with someone like him.
Clayton texted that he was here. I took one last look in the mirror.
I had on my wide jeans and a tight tank top.
I’d left my hair down and kept the makeup light.
While I wanted to look nice, I didn’t want it to appear that I was trying too hard and get Clayton’s hopes up.
Since Sarah had already left for her date with George, I couldn’t get her opinion on my outfit.
She was usually great at this sort of thing.
I left my room and headed outside to the front of my dorm building, where Clayton was standing with his phone in hand. He had on jeans and a polo, a definite improvement from the khakis. Less stuffy. Still, I wanted to mess up his hair because it was too neat and tidy.
“You look nice,” he said as a way of greeting. “Is it okay if we walk?”
“Of course.” It was a good thing I had on my sneakers. “Where are we headed?” The clouds were thick overhead, promising rain. I hoped we weren’t going too far.
“There’s an excellent pho place over by the bookstore.”
We headed to the main road that cut through campus. The bookstore was about a mile away.
“That sounds really good,” I said, finding myself more nervous than the situation warranted. I had no idea what to say to Clayton since I didn’t know him that well.
“That quiz we took this week was hard,” Clayton said.
I’d forgotten we had a class together. “It was.” I’d actually thought it was pretty easy and had gotten a hundred percent on it. “What’s your major?”
“Business. I plan on going into law.”
“Then why are you taking a microbiology class?”
“I plan to go into medical malpractice.”
I pursed my lips. Since my dad was a well-respected surgeon with a niche speciality, he’d dealt with his fair share of attorneys over the years.
“What’s that look for?” Clayton asked. “Most girls are impressed when I tell them I’m going to be an attorney.”
“My dad’s a pediatric surgeon for infants with severe genetic disorders.” I didn’t want to get into a debate or argument with Clayton, so I hoped he’d leave it alone.
“Ah,” he said, as if he understood. I highly doubt he did. He was probably going into the profession to make money, not to help people. However, I needed to not be judgmental because I didn’t know his background. He could have warranted, legitimate reasons for choosing that profession.
We reached the pho restaurant, and he opened the door for me. After we ordered, he paid. At least he seemed to be a gentleman. The type of guy my mom would want me to date.
We sat across from one another as we ate. While the food was good, the conversation was kind of boring. Clayton asked generic questions about where I was from and what I wanted to do after graduation. I learned he was an only child and that his father owned a tech company.
When we finished eating, we started walking back toward my dorm.
“I’ve had a nice time,” Clayton said.
“Me too. Thanks for dinner.” I couldn’t wait for this date to be over. Clayton just wasn’t my flavor of ice cream.
“The frat next to mine is having an open party,” Clayton said. “Do you want to stop by?”
It had been a long-ass week, and I was exhausted.
However, this was my first official college date, and I’d made that promise to myself to try new things.
While I didn’t think a frat party was my scene, I wouldn’t really know until I tried.
“Sure,” I replied. “That sounds fun.” Now I’d be able to check this off my list of things that a college student should experience.
I’d only been at Stonemore a month, and I’d already done a lot of things out of my comfort zone.
Things my mother would never approve of.
As we headed over to fraternity row, located on the north side of campus, Clayton talked about his frat and some of the guys he lived with. I sort of tuned him out, enjoying the crisp air that promised rain.
We rounded the corner and cut across the lawn toward the row of frat houses. When we got closer, I spotted the corner house swarming with people out front.
“That’s my house over there.” Clayton pointed to the second house on the right. “If you want to check it out or see my room, just let me know.” He placed his hand on my lower back as he led me into the party house, music pounding from within.
I didn’t want to see Clayton’s house, since there wouldn’t be another date with him after tonight. This was a one and done deal.
The house was crammed with students. The room on the left had been turned into a dance area, complete with a DJ and strobe lights.
To the right, there was a small room with a pool table.
Two guys were in the middle of a game, a group of people watching.
Toward the back, the kitchen counter was covered with alcohol, and several people stood around with cups in hand, drinking.
Leaning down, close to my ear, Clayton asked, “Do you want to dance?”
Knowing he’d never hear me over the music, I just nodded.
He took my hand, pulling me into the room, to the very center.
A fast tune was playing, so I started moving, Clayton at my side.
There were so many people, I kept getting jostled.
Clayton was a surprisingly good dancer. A lot of the guys nearby said hi to him.
I was thankful he stayed with me since I didn’t know anyone here.
With the music being so loud, it eliminated the possibility of conversation.
After a few songs, the DJ changed it up and put on a slow tune. Clayton slid his hands to my hips, so I wrapped my arms around his neck. It suddenly felt warm in here. After this song, I needed to go outside to cool off.
As we danced, we turned slightly, shifting my view.
Across the room, I immediately spotted Rowan dancing with a tall brunette.
Shock rolled through me. I didn’t expect him to be here.
I realized the heat I felt was from him and our connection.
I’d never seen the girl he was dancing with before and had no idea who she was.
His large hands rested on her ass while her fingers were under his shirt, touching his chest.
The sight made me want to vomit and claw the girl’s eyes out. I had no idea why I was reacting this way. It wasn’t like Rowan and I were dating. Hell, we weren’t even friends. Yet, seeing him with someone else felt like a betrayal.
I realized I was there with another guy and had no right to feel that way when I was doing the same thing myself.
“Is everything okay?” Clayton asked in my ear, startling me.
“Yes. Why do you ask?” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Rowan. He stood a head taller than everyone else in the room.
Clayton pinched my chin, forcing me to look at him.
Relief filled me. As long as I didn’t see Rowan, I felt normal. While I could still sense him across the room, at least I was no longer contemplating that girl’s painful death.
“You just seem tense and distracted,” he answered. “Do you want to get something to drink?”
“I could use some water.”
He took my hand, holding it tightly as he led me to the kitchen.
There, I spotted Danny and Emily, each with a cup in hand.
I grabbed a bottle of water and went over to say hi. I hadn’t talked to Emily at all this past week. “Hey guys.”
Both of them smiled politely at me.
Danny whispered something in Emily’s ear, then he left. Given him ignoring me the other day and him leaving now, I was beginning to think he didn’t want to be around me. I wasn’t sure how I went from the rugby guys never leaving me alone to them avoiding me like the plague.
“Who are you here with?” Emily asked.
I pointed to Clayton who was off to the side, talking to a couple of guys.
“I’ve been super busy with field hockey this week,” Emily said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. It’s hard when we’re in season.”
“I’ve been busy catching up from being sick.” I twisted the cap off and chugged the water.
Rowan chose that exact moment to saunter into the kitchen. He grabbed a beer while a blonde chick hung on his free arm. He laughed at something, then turned to leave. The girl shoved him up against the wall, pressing her body to his as she kissed his neck, her tongue trailing over his skin.
I jerked back, appalled by her behavior. Someone needed to take a knife and slice the slut’s tongue off. I re-capped my water, not understanding where these violent thoughts were coming from, but knowing with all my being that I hated that girl for touching my Rowan.
The brunette I’d seen him with earlier entered, taking his beer and pulling him toward her. He laughed and took each of their hands, leading them upstairs.
I started shaking, unable to look away from their retreating backs.
“Rowan was like that before we got together,” Emily said.
I hadn’t even considered how she must feel seeing her ex with two women. At once.
“That’s just how he is,” Emily said. “Everyone loves him. I think that’s one of the reasons we didn’t work out. He’s larger than life, the center of everything, and I’m not.”
I looked at her, wanting to say something encouraging to her. “At least you found Danny.” I’d seen them together a few times this week, and they both seemed happy.
“Yes.” She smiled. “Speaking of which, I’m going to find him. See you later.” She turned and left.
Clayton joined me. “Do you want to dance again?” he asked.
“I’m actually ready to leave,” I admitted. “You can stay if you want.” I didn’t want to ruin his night on my account.
“I’ll walk you home,” he said, placing his hand on my lower back and guiding me out of the house.
We didn’t talk much on the way back to my dorm. The night had turned chilly, a light mist falling. Clayton reached down, lacing his fingers through mine. That seemed rather presumptuous on his end. This was only our first date.
At my dorm, I pulled my hand free and faced him, wanting to make it clear I wasn’t inviting him up. “Thanks for tonight.”
He leaned in, so I tilted my head to the side. He kissed my cheek. “Goodnight, Laney.”
I tried not to look at him as I said, “Night, Clayton.” I didn’t want to see the disappointment on his face.
I headed inside. I was glad I’d gone tonight. However, I wouldn’t be seeing Clayton again because there wasn’t anything romantic between us. While I didn’t expect to find a raging inferno like I felt around Rowan, I at least wanted a spark.
And with Clayton, there was zero spark.