Chapter 7
Logan
Last night, Becca came to my room to ask about all of us meeting up before classes.
She knew I’d wanted to see Lanie and Xander, so she arranged for us to get together.
I appreciated her doing it, but then the regret set in.
My concern was seeing Lanie and Xander for the first time in front of everyone.
Maybe it would have been smarter to do it privately.
Sleep was hard to come by since my anxiety made me toss and turn all night.
Throw in the issues with Ava, and I was a ball of nerves.
Thankfully, it was mostly for nothing.
Xander was amazing. He spent the time we talked asking me about my recovery, my time home, and how I was adjusting. I didn’t have much time to talk to Lanie, but her warm smile and hug told me nothing had changed between us.
The only thing that hadn’t improved was Ava. I watched her as she spoke with Lanie, trying to discern if there was anything she said to her that could give me a clue what her problem with me was.
All I got out of it was that I liked how her eyes sparkled in the light coming from the ceiling windows. And I never thought a lip ring would be a turn on.
But it looked like I was wrong.
Whenever Ava listened to someone speaking to her, she pulled the circular ring into her mouth and her tongue played with it.
It was cute.
And hot.
And I fucking hated that anything Ava Kennedy did made me feel that way.
“So, there you have it, folks,” Professor Lynch proclaimed. He was pointing to a slide up on the screen. I missed a lot of what he’d said as I thought back on my morning. “Your first group assignment. Due in two weeks. Have a good day.”
Fuck. Quickly, I snapped a photo of the slide with my phone so I’d have the assignment guidelines.
“Shit,” the kid next to me said, grabbing my attention. “That assignment is a lot for only two weeks. That should almost be a project for the entire semester.”
He was half muttering to himself, half talking to anyone that would listen.
It made me stop and take a closer look at the slide up on the screen.
20-30 minute presentation
Choose a company and get it approved
Develop a basic social media marketing plan
Create multiple content ideas to market the company
Bonus points if you choose an angle that the company has never used before on their own
DRESS PROFESSIONALLY!
Shit. He was right, this assignment was no joke. Plus having to do it with Ava was going to make it even worse.
“Hey, partner.” She crept up and startled me. “Looks like fun, doesn’t it?”
I couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not.
“You know I have another class after this, right? I can’t give you a ride home today.”
Brushing past her, I made my way up the stairs of the large lecture hall. If I hurried, I’d have just enough time to grab something to eat first. I heard tiny feet working to keep up with me.
“Will you be around tonight? I’d love to get started on this if we could,” she said.
She struggled to keep time with my strides. As I was about to exit the building, she gripped my arm. Turning toward her, I wanted to be mad. I wanted to spew harsh words in her direction, because she still hadn’t once apologized for how she’s treated me since moving in.
But when I looked down, she had the slightest bit of fear in those sparkling green eyes. And I didn’t like that. I didn’t like that she’d grown to expect the worst of me in the short time we’d known each other. This wasn’t who I was.
I came here to prove that I’d changed.
Instead, to this girl, someone who had let me into her home, I’d been a total asshole.
She had to be more than a foot shorter than me. Looking down at her in a coat that engulfed her tiny frame and the pom-pom hat that covered most of her short dark locks, I noticed a few things I hadn’t before.
Like the fullness of her strawberry-pink lips. And how, even when she wasn’t talking, she kept them open the slightest bit. Sometimes her tongue slid out and licked her bottom lip while she listened to people she talked to.
It was sexier than I wanted it to be, her lip all glistening and shit.
Because she was doing it now as she waited for me to answer her.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll be around. I think it would be good to get a head start, too. Looks like this will be a kickass first project.”
I smiled down at her.
“How are you getting home?” I asked.
She looked dumbstruck. As if she couldn’t believe I’d strung several sentences together without calling her Tink.
I was stunned, too.
“I, uh…” she stammered. “I’m meeting Macie and we’re taking the bus. We decided that last night, once we knew we were all coming to campus together. Her and I are getting lunch first.”
Solid plan, neither of them would be alone.
“OK, good. See you at home.”
Spinning on my heels, I took off. Because I think both Ava and I knew we wouldn’t survive any more niceties.
Today was a lot. A lot of school was thrown at me. Aside from the marketing project, there’s an exam coming up in my business law class. Christ, an exam in the third week of the semester. And then there’s the amount of anxiety I dealt with this morning.
Let’s not forget the damn feelings that swarmed my insides about the tiny vixen I’m living with. That took me by surprise.
It warranted a trip to the gym. My workout was intense and long, but it helped. I wasn’t one to use the showers there, and I didn’t pack a bag, anyway. So I was a sweaty, smelly mess when I finally arrived home, which was hours later than I anticipated. It was nearing eight o’clock already.
Downstairs was quiet, but I heard voices and footsteps from above. I wasn’t alone, which was good. I didn’t want to be alone. Torn between eating or showering first, my grumbling stomach won the fight. Regardless of the time, I needed to eat.
Grilled chicken, rosemary potatoes, and roasted carrots.
My diet would not suffer simply because I was away at school. Sliding open the back door, I headed out to light the grill. It took a few attempts, most likely since it was so cold out, but I finally saw the red and orange glow of flames.
Upon returning inside, I was stunned to find a strange guy digging around in our refrigerator.
“Can I help you?” I asked, more than ready to kick this intruder out if needed. I was fairly certain neither Macie nor Ava were seeing anyone, and it most certainly wasn’t Ty.
The guy stood back, two bottles of beer in his hands as he turned around.
“Oh, hey man, I didn’t know anyone else was here.”
“And you are…?” My tone was firm, my stance firmer as I folded my arms across my chest. I wasn’t letting this guy think he could rummage through my fridge.
“Oh, yeah, I’m here with Ava.” He tilted his head to the ceiling, to upstairs.
And he still hadn’t answered my question.
That was when I came to the realization that he was shirtless and sockless. Barefoot in his sweats in my kitchen.
He was with Ava.
Why did that fucking piss me off? I wanted to punch the smug look off this guy’s face. He was cocky as he stood in my kitchen, almost taunting me with his stare. Soaking wet, he was lucky if he weighed 160. But as I approached him, he didn’t back down.
“I could ask you the same question, dude?”
The guy had the audacity to ask me who I was? In my own house?
“Well, I’m Logan, and I live here.”
“Oh, cool, man. Nice to meet you, I’m Devon.” His attitude changed immediately, as if he really thought I was the intruder. He balanced both bottles in the crook of his arm and reached the other hand in my direction.
Of course, I was the asshole if I didn’t shake his hand.
“Yeah, nice to meet ya,” I said. His handshake was lame, which I expected.
“I better get back upstairs,” he said. Then he smiled as he rolled his eyes.
He fucking smiled, like I was in on his little joke.
It didn’t warrant a response. I went about my business, taking out the pans I needed to continue cooking my meal.
He stood in the middle of the kitchen, as if needing permission to be dismissed.
When he didn’t get it from me, he eventually took off for the stairs.
She told me we were working on our project tonight. And I was nice to her when she asked. Because she fucking looked cute, and I thought I was being too much of an asshole.
But now I was made to look like the asshole.
And the kicker was…it all bothered me way too fucking much.