Chapter 4
Eva
Athump had my eyes flying open as I searched the darkness for any threats.
My heart thrummed in my chest. The prospect of being alone in my new home for a few hours had been exhilarating, at first. Now, in the dark of night, I started to doubt my decision to live here without anyone around to protect me.
A giggle made me relax a fraction. I was pretty sure ax murderers didn't giggle. Getting out of the bed, I crossed the room and flicked my light on. Opening my door, I smiled when I saw Jo. She and Brittney were creeping through the dark hall and had bumped into a hutch that was sitting there.
"Sorry!" Jo gasped, covering her mouth again to smother the laughter. "We were trying to be quiet."
"That's okay," I told them, moving forward to help steady them. They both smelled of alcohol. "Where's Brad and Paul?"
"They wanted to stay longer," Brittney told me with a twist to her lips, "but we were tired. We caught a ride home."
I nodded as I led them to Brittney's room first. Moving efficiently, I pulled off her high heels as she flopped backward onto the bed.
I tugged the covers out from under her and then tucked her in.
By the time I was done, Jo had curled up on the end of the bed and was fast asleep.
Shaking my head, I took another blanket off the nearby chair and draped it over her.
Going back to my room, I got back into bed and settled in. When the sound of shattering glass woke me next I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep. "Are you okay?" I called out to the girls. There was no response. Blinking hard to clear the grogginess, I slipped back out of bed once more.
Peeking my head through Brittney's door, I frowned when I saw both women where I'd left them. What had woken me up then? I went through the house systematically and stopped when I found the little window above the kitchen sink broken. There was a rock lying on the counter amongst the broken glass.
I looked through the now open window and searched the darkness, but didn't see anything moving out on the street under the lights.
The window frame itself was still secure, And the hole was the size of my hand, way too small for someone to come in.
Shrugging, I grabbed a broom and dustpan from one of the closets and swept up the mess.
I wasn't sure if this was normal for America or not, but it wasn't something that happened often in Luxembourg.
I didn't know what to think, but no one appeared to be lurking around, so I didn't bother to wake the girls.
Checking the front door to make sure it was locked, I went back to bed once more.
I thought about calling Thomas, but everything seemed fine and I didn't want to wake him up for nothing.
I was awake and gone long before my roommates the next morning, but I sent them both a text about what happened last night so they weren't wondering about the broken window when they dragged themselves out of bed.
Sliding into my seat near the middle of the large classroom, I waited for the professor to come in and class to start.
"Is this seat taken?" A deep voice asked from beside me.
My head jerked up and I met the eyes of a very handsome man. He was tall, his light hair a little longer in front so it hung over his forehead, and he was wearing a charming smile. "No. Go ahead," I told him.
He sat down and I tried to ignore the way my heart skipped a beat in my chest. He was staring at me and perhaps if he wasn't gorgeous it would be creepy, but I offered him a smile.
This was what I was here for. Not necessarily to find a man, but to meet new people.
To have experiences. I'd been on a total of two dates in my life and both times my family tagged along, as they believed in a kind of courtship where the man and woman didn't date solo.
It was constrictive and awkward and had brought me to the point where I'd been so utterly tired of my life I'd contemplated just running away.
Mom recognized the signs in me. It was why she'd pushed so hard for Father to allow me to come here.
To spend a few years getting my doctorate and just being free.
As though thinking about them summoned my parents, my phone vibrated in my hand. I looked down at the screen, then turned the phone off.
"Mad at your boyfriend?"
I blinked over at the man who was sitting next to me.
He wasn't a boy. It was obvious he was in, at least, his late twenties, like me.
"Oh. No." I didn't explain further even though he was watching me with curious brown eyes.
Flirting wasn't something I was adept at just yet.
"I don't have a boyfriend," I finally offered, then winced when I realized the pause had been too long and he'd already started to turn away.
The grin he bestowed upon me made an answering smile spread over my face. "I'm Alex."
"Eva." I shook the hand he held out. The professor came in at that point, so I straightened my shoulders and dutifully paid attention as he began speaking.
He was only about ten minutes into the lesson when Alex shifted, and whispered, "Maybe you want to get coffee with me?"
I cut him a glance, weighing the pros and cons, but ultimately, I nodded.
"Great. When?"
"Let's talk about it afterward," I said as quietly as I could. I didn't want to be rude and cause a scene. Too many years of etiquette lessons had ingrained that into me.
He nodded, then winked. My heart fluttered in response. This was exactly what I needed. A handsome man who wanted to take me on a date. One who wasn't afraid of my father. Or my family's money. One who didn't even know anything about me.
I couldn't wait for this class to be over.
* * *
"Here."
I thanked Alex as he pulled the chair out for me at the coffee shop. My next class wasn't for a few hours, so I had plenty of time. "Thank you." I set my bag and purse down next to me while he ran up to order our drinks.
Studying him, I watched as he spoke with those waiting in line.
He was relaxed as he laughed about something one of the other guys in line said.
He was wearing jeans and a sweater. Some of the kids had on bigger coats and woolen caps covering their heads.
Back home the weather was mostly mild. The summers stayed relatively cool, but the winters were much like it was here.
A light sweater was plenty, but these kids were dressed as though it was freezing outside.
When I researched coming to Tucson, I found out the summers were incredibly warm, so I was glad to be getting here during their mild winter so I had a hope of acclimating as the year went on.
We were in the second week of December and I knew with Christmas right around the corner it was going to be difficult to be alone for the holidays.
I was going to miss seeing my brother, the youngest of us, opening his presents this year.
He was only seven, so the wonder of Christmas still existed for him.
And his excitement was a joy to the rest of us.
"There you go."
"Thank you," I told Alex as I took the drink he was handing me.
He sat down across from me, kicking one leg out into the walkway as he sprawled back in his chair. "Where are you from?"
"Europe," I told him. Luxembourg wasn't a very big country and I wasn't sure I wanted to let others in just yet. I hadn't hesitated to tell my roommates where I was from and if I got closer with Alex, then I'd tell him as well.
"That's hot."
My brows shot up. "Excuse me?"
"Sorry. It's just your accent. It's really sexy."
"Thank you," I murmured and took a sip of my drink.
That should have been flattering, but something about the way he was watching me didn't make me feel giddy.
Unease spread through me and I really didn't know why.
Part of it was that I wasn't used to being alone with men.
Not that we were alone in the coffee shop, but usually my father's intense personality was there to take pressure off me as he grilled any potential suitors. "Where are you from?"
"Here," he said with a shrug. "It sucks but one day I'll leave Tucson."
"Why does it...suck?" It was going to take time to get used to Americans' slang. Jo had already explained this one to me, so I knew he was displeased with the city.
"It's small for a city so there's not a lot to do unless you go to Phoenix."
The whole reason I had come here was for the Poly Sci department, but I'd been charmed by photos of the Sonoran Desert.
Everything I read said there were a plethora of activities here, if you liked the outdoors and could withstand the heat.
I hadn't ever gotten the chance to do many outdoor activities and was looking forward to trying some hiking and sightseeing.
"What's your favorite thing to do here?" I asked him.
He shrugged again. "I don't know. Drink, mostly."
I nodded, unsure of what else to say. This wasn't going exactly the way I'd hoped when he'd first asked me out. I wasn't much of a drinker. The few times I'd tried the consequences hadn't been worth the momentary feeling.
"You're really pretty," he told me, leaning forward. "I like your hair."
"Thank you," I murmured again, taking another sip of my coffee.
I didn't know what to say to his compliment, but I was starting to feel uncomfortable with the way he was watching me.
For some reason, I felt like prey. When he reached out to touch my black wavy hair, I eased back, giving him an apologetic smile. "Sorry."
"It's okay." He grinned at me and it was so charming I forced myself to relax a little. "I'm not trying to scare you away." He leaned back in his seat and gave me a wink.
It was probably just my lack of one on one social skills, but I really didn't want to be here with him anymore. I couldn't put my finger on why. "I have a class I need to get to."
He frowned, looking down at the watch on his wrist. "Why don't you skip it?"
"I can't," I told him as I gathered all my things. "Thank you for the coffee."
"Wait, Eva!" He stood up when I did and reached out for me, but I stepped back before he could touch me.
"Sorry, Alex." I smiled, hoping he'd understand.
He didn't look like he understood anything. His face twisted up in anger and he took a step toward me, making me take another step back.
"I have to go." I turned and hurried out of the coffee shop, calling myself a fool.
I wasn't a timid little mouse. But I was on edge and didn't know why, and without my family and my father's guards around, I was feeling a little vulnerable.
Since I didn't actually have class for another few hours, I headed back to my house to check on the girls.
"Hey," Jo called out when I came through the door. She gave me an apologetic smile. I could see the misery of a hangover there in her eyes. "Thanks for last night."
"Anytime." I set my bag and purse down and sat on the couch next to Brittney. "How are you feeling?" I asked them both.
They both groaned, making me laugh.
"I'm sorry we woke you up," Jo said, wincing as she rubbed at her head.
"It's okay." I looked over toward the kitchen. "Is something like that normal?" I asked.
They looked at each other and shrugged. "It was probably some drunk frat guy," she grumbled. "The landlord is going to be pissed though."
"He's kind of a dick," Jo said in agreement. "I'll deal with him."
"Let me know if you need any help," I offered.
We sat and chatted on the couch until it was time for me to leave for class again.
As we parted ways, I couldn't help but feel a little excited despite the disastrous first date.
This was the first time I was making all decisions on my own and it was so much better than I'd ever imagined.
I just hoped I didn't screw it up by doing something stupid.