Ten
Kallie
Leaving the gym, I feel invigorated. There were a few new faces today, and strangely, they were open to sparring with me. Initially, I planned to take it easy, but when they walked up with smug looks plastered on their faces, I thought better of it. And it was fantastic watching their smugness morph into astonishment. Unfortunately, this most likely means I won’t have a partner for the foreseeable future.
Hauling my duffel over my shoulder, I pop in an earbud, and as I’m about to put the other in, a hand lightly grips my shoulder. Pure adrenaline and instinct take over. I grab a hold of my assailant’s arm, and in one motion twist and throw them over my right shoulder. With their arm still in my grasp, I pull taut and stomp the sole of my foot into the cove of their neck.
“What the fuck?” I question when realization sets in. One of the guys I fought earlier is lying beneath me, face tomato red and struggling to breathe. Quickly releasing him, I go to help him up, but he rolls over on his hands and knees, coughing up a lung.
Whoops.
“I knew you were good, but damn, you really know how to put a guy on his ass,” he comments between coughs. Rubbing the bottom of his throat, he accepts my outstretched hand.
Standing to his full height, his shaggy blond hair falls in front of his deep blues. He’s very lean but muscular—something I must have missed earlier, but I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more of it.
Gods, I’m practically drooling.
Refocusing my attention, he takes a deep inhale, probably double-checking that the coughing has subsided. When he finally looks at me, I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks as the embarrassment begins to sink in.
“Look, that was my bad. I should’ve said something before grabbing you. You would think, after the last time, I would’ve learned my lesson.” He chuckles, but my concerned look must tell him the joke didn’t land, because he quickly clarifies, “I’m kidding.”
Letting out a halfhearted laugh, I remark, “Sucks at sparring and bad at jokes? It’s a good thing you’re going to school, pretty boy.”
“I saw your earbud in and thought you wouldn’t hear me,” he chides, tone nervous, but the small quirk of his lip tells me he knew exactly what he was doing.
And fuck. The little nervous tick gave me a tiny glimpse of a dimple.
“Yeah, well, I only had the one in,” I snark back, looking at the ground. “And it seems that the other one got lost in our little tussle,” I huff, gesturing to the unkempt grass.
The guy—whose name I still don’t know—crouches down, shuffling the green blades. “Let me help you look, as an apology.”
Eyebrow raised, I give him a once-over. “Well, if you think I’m going to apologize, you’re going to be sadly mistaken.”
Shaking his head, the soft chuckle he releases puts me at ease, like the start of rainfall against glass panes. “I wasn’t expecting you to. Honestly, I should’ve known better after our first encounter.” He’s not wrong. Squatting down to help with the search, the bustling of students and bystanders has my hopes slowly dwindling.
“I’m Stephan, by the way. When I saw you leaving, I realized I never got your name, and that seemed like a disservice to myself.” This guy really is full of himself. And suddenly, this whole situation doesn’t seem worth it. Apparently, my lack of response is an invitation for him to keep going. “This was my first time here. I’m new, if you haven’t figured that out yet. I figured it would be a bunch of burly dudes, and when I saw you standing in the ring, in full transparency, I thought you would be an easy target.” His admission doesn’t catch me off guard. In fact, it’s expected. “Turns out, you’re the one to beat.”
“That’s the first time I’ve had someone say that to me. Thank you.” We stare at each other for a moment, and before either of us says something stupid, I look away. “I don’t think I’m going to find it. A tiny earbud in the midst of this…”—my hands fling over the ground—“jungle…is close to hopeless.” Right before I stand, the light must hit just right, a nearly iridescent shimmer lining the way. Following it at a reasonable distance—rightfully so—I’m shocked when I reach the end of the line.
“I stand corrected.” Still amazed and oddly confused, I try to disregard what I saw. Stranger things have happened. “I’m Kallie, by the way.” A stretch of awkward silence passes, and I find myself grabbing my bag and turning around to head back to the dorm. After a few paces, he calls out, “Do you want to grab a coffee?”
I look back so fast I nearly snap my neck. “Uh. Right now?”
“If you don’t have anything else going on.” He flashes me those damn dimples again, and I’ve quickly fallen under the spell.
“Coffee sounds great.” I return the smile, and he lightly jogs to meet up with me.
“So,” he starts, “you think I’m pretty?” Rolling my eyes, I give him a playful shove, and we fall into surprisingly easy conversation.
Man, this guy likes to talk. Not that it’s a bad thing. It saves me from having to figure out how to make small talk. I learned he has one sibling—an older brother—he’s studying kinesiology to become a physical therapist, and his favorite hobbies include reading, video games, and movies.
Entering the cafe, I feel just a tad embarrassed. Having not made many friends—okay, no friends—and being on a date? Is this a date? I probably should’ve clarified. But I’m all sweaty in my workout clothes, and I probably smell like a gym locker. It takes great restraint to not sniff myself right now. I should’ve suggested another time or maybe after I was able to grab a shower.
No going back now, I guess.
Adjusting the strap on my duffel, I try to distract myself from the lingering gazes. We place our orders: Stephan gets a regular black drip, and I order an iced vanilla latte.
Standing off to the side while they make our drinks, I continue our previous conversation. “I read a lot and binge watch anything with any sort of romantic plot line, but I’m not much of a gamer,” I admit.
“What kinds of books do you like to read?” he asks curiously. I never know how to answer this question.
Should’ve kept your damn mouth shut.
He’s staring at me, waiting, while I try to think of something—anything—to say. “Um, I normally stick to, uh…romance novels.” My cheeks redden, and from the raise of his eyebrows, I know he knows what is in said romance novels.
“What about movies?” he chuckles.
“Oh, I’m a total need for speed type of girl. But other than that, really any cheesy romance movies, scary, or action.” I turn my body more toward him while my enthusiasm takes over. Movies are my thing. “Oh! I can’t believe I forgot. GRIMM is one of my top five favorite shows. I’m on my third rewatch this year.”
“You’re telling me you fight like you do, looking like that I might add,” he says while eyeing me up and down, “and you like GRIMM? ” His eyes widen in disbelief. “Where have you been all my life?” he finishes, his mouth partially gaped open. Before I’m able to reply, the barista calls our names, and after grabbing our drinks, we both scan for an empty table but come up short. Standing there awkwardly, I’m not sure what the next move is. Obviously we can’t sit and chat—if that’s even what he wanted to do— in reality he just asked to grab coffee. Which we did. I assumed he wanted to hang out for a bit, but maybe I shouldn’t have.
This is too much. This was a mistake, I never should’ve agreed to this. But he’s really cute, and I wanted to, but why is it so hard?
In the middle of my internal warfare, our eyes meet and he offers me one of those smiles that causes his dimples to appear, and nods his head towards the door. I let out a soft chuckle and follow him out.
“Do you want me to walk you back to your dorm?” Seems a bit forward, but I can admit when I’m having a good time. Truthfully, something about him seems so familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it.
Nodding my head shyly, I look down at the ground when I reply, “Uh. Yeah, that would be great.” Heading toward my dorm, we talk about everything and anything GRIMM. Favorite characters, what creatures we would want to be and the big plot twist at the end of season three. The discussion feels effortless, and much to my surprise, there wasn’t any of those awkward pauses, the conversation just flows. However, in the middle of the discussion, I find out some very disturbing information.
“How have you never seen ANY Fast and Furious movie?” The shock is evident in my tone, and he throws his head back with a laugh. “The opportunity has never presented itself.”
“If you’re not busy, we can watch the first one back at my place? I have them all on DVD. The first one is arguably the best.” I look at him out of the corner of my eye, realizing that I just asked him out—while still on our current date. Is this a date? Before I can take it back, he says, “That sounds like a great way to spend the rest of my evening.”
“I should probably shower before we watch it, though. My roommate might actually murder me in my sleep if I sit on the couch without taking one.”
“Right, I could use a shower too. If you’re okay walking the rest of the way back, I can head back to my place, get cleaned up, and I’ll pick up some food on the way over?” He stops a few paces back before I realize he isn’t next to me anymore. Turning to look at him, those dimples give me their full effect.
He has to know what he’s doing. There’s no way around it. Of course he does. That’s why he’s been flashing them every time you look at him. “Perfect. Food sounds great, showering sounds great. I mean, showering separately, obviously, in our own showers. Not that you implied that we weren’t going to. You actually specified that we were going to do that…separately.” Gods, I’m a blubbering idiot, and he is just staring at me with those dimples on full display, clearly trying to keep his laughter from breaching the surface. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. “Yes, food sounds perfect. I also have popcorn and other movie-worthy snacks back at my dorm. Uh, just text me when you’re on your way, and I’ll let you know where to go.” I cut myself off before I can make a bigger fool of myself. Normally, the banter and the sarcasm is a good distraction, keeps people at arm’s length. But once they get through the barrier, I lock up, like I’m sailing in uncharted waters, and could go overboard any second.
He holds his hand out, and like an idiot, I put my hand in his and give it a good ol’ handshake.
A fucking handshake! I want to run and hide in a ball of embarrassment and never see the light of day ever again.
Laughing, he doesn’t let go and reaches into my waistband with his other hand. I’m momentarily stunned that he would be so forward so fast, and before I have any clue what’s actually happening, he pulls my phone out.
Oh. I forgot I tucked it into my waistband. Still holding firm on my hand, he quickly makes himself a contact then hands me his phone to do the same. When we’re done, he finally lets go, and my hands are all sweaty. We say our goodbyes—a bit dramatic, if you ask me—and we both go our separate ways. But not long after, I hear him call out, “I’m glad you threw me in the dirt and lost that earbud.” With that, he saunters off in the opposite direction, and I can’t help the smile that slithers across my face.
Entering my dorm, I see Kate standing in the kitchen, looking through the cabinets. “Fucking finally.” She sighs, slamming the cabinet shut. “I mean, for heaven’s sake, you don’t call or even send me a text. Your class ended hours ago, but even with you going to the gym, you’re never gone this long. Don’t think that calling the police didn’t cross my mind, because it did. Then I had to think of what I would tell your dad if you didn’t come home tonight. And another thing—”
“Kate,” I interrupt her because I know she’s right, but clearly I’m fine. “I was on a date…I think.” She stares at me, her mouth in a firm line. Then, out of nowhere, she starts screaming, and my hands fly over my ears to keep them from bleeding.
“OHMYGOD. OHMYGOD. Why didn’t you tell me? Who is he? What did you do? Where did you go? And what are you wearing? I swear, Kallie, you really need to tell me these things in advance so I can help you. I know you haven’t had much experience in that department, but this is just shameful.” Eyeing me up and down, she stops with the questioning.
“It just sort of…happened. I’m wearing this because I went to the gym after class, and he just so happened to start going today. We had an…incident when I was leaving. One thing led to another, and here we are.”
“Absolutely not. I need details. You always get my stories, and now you have one, and I want to know everything.” She punctuates the last few words and emphasizes them with finger points.
“I know. I promise that I will let you know everything, but right now, I need to shower, and if you could possibly find something to do…because Stephan is coming here,” I say, frantically trying to get my shit together. Kate stares at me blankly, like I’m speaking another language.
“He’s coming here?” she clarifies.
“Yes.”
Screaming. So much screaming and jumping. “Why didn’t you just lead with that?! You shower, and I will put some clothes out for you and make myself scarce.” She adds a wink at the end and skips to my room. Dear goddess, she’s skipping. It’s gonna be fine. A hot shower is just what I need.
When I return to my dorm, Kate is gone, and I head to my room. Laying on my bed is the one set of jammies I own that I even consider too revealing. She expects me to wear jammies? Is that normal? Granted, we are watching movies, but I should at least wear leggings, right?
I opt for leggings and a graphic t-shirt with my favorite fuzzy socks. My nerves start to set in when it hits that he hasn’t texted me. It’s been a little over an hour, and I have no idea if that’s a normal amount of time and start to panic.
Should I text him? I told him to let me know when he’s on his way. Oh my goodness, I scared him off with all my blabbering. I throw my head in my hands as I sit on the edge of my bed. I’m humiliated and embarrassed. Now, I have to find a new gym, which isn’t even fair because that was my gym first. Before my downward spiral gets too far, my phone dings. Throwing myself over my bed, I grab my phone and read my newest text message.
Hey, it’s Stephan. Sorry it took me so long. The pizza guy took forever to get here. I’m headed there now. Would you mind telling me where I’m headed? :)
Butterflies swarm in the pit of my stomach. Pizza is the best movie food, and he didn’t ask what type I prefer. It piqued my curiosity.
Depends. What kind of pizza?
The little dots appear then disappear. The anticipation is eating me up inside.
I start to sweat and realize that if he’s still coming over, I need to finish getting ready. Scooting off the bed, my phone dings again, and I thank the goddess above.
Well, I didn’t know what you preferred. So, in natural gentleman fashion, I got a little of everything. Cheese, pepperoni, meat lovers, and Hawaiian. I’m not picky, so I’ll eat whatever you don’t.
Before I can reply, another text comes in.
Did I pass?
Smiling, I type back.
Indeed, you did. I’m in Cedar Hall, Room 318
I’ll be there in 5 :)
Five minutes? Shit, shit, shit. I can’t get ready in five minutes! Frantically, I sit in front of my vanity and wipe some mascara on my eyelashes and swipe blush on my cheeks. Deciding that’s good enough, I French braid my hair, since it’s the fastest way to tame my mane. Once that’s done, I give myself a look in the mirror and decide that’s all I can do since there’s a knock on the door.
Making my way over to the door, I try to calm my breathing and slow down my heart rate, but it’s no use once I see him standing on the other side of the door. He’s dressed casually in a loose white t-shirt and the infamous gray sweatpants. His hair is still damp from his shower, and the smell of cedar hits my nostrils. Smiling up at him, he takes me in, and my body starts to heat over his sweeping gaze.
“Come in, my roommate, Kate, is out right now, so we can take the living room.” Stepping to the side, he walks over the threshold, and I quickly shut the door behind him, letting my forehead rest against the frame for a split second before mustering up enough courage to turn around. And when I do, I watch him analyze the entirety of my dorm. To the right is the eat-in kitchen, housing the island framed with barstools. Straight ahead is the living area, with arguably the comfiest gray sectional, decorated with throw pillows and a few blankets thrown over the back. Our coffee table sits on a cream-colored shag rug, and the entertainment stand is paired with a decent-sized flat screen. Finally, to the left, are the doors for both my bedroom and Kate’s.
“You can just set those on the island. I’ll grab us some plates. Do you want something to drink?” I ask over my shoulder, opening up the cabinet.
Setting the pizza boxes down, he responds, “I’ll take a glass of water if it’s not any trouble.”
“I think I can manage that.” I grab two plates, a glass of water for Stephan, and an energy drink out of the fridge for myself.
“An energy drink this late in the day?” he asks with an amused tone.
Letting out a breathy laugh, I say, “I have some studying and homework to catch up on later.” It’s not a total lie. Technically, there is homework and studying to be done.
“Oh, if you have other things to do, we can reschedule,” he says with uncertainty, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Please, you just got here and brought food. There is nothing I would rather be doing,” I reassure him with a smile as I grab one piece of each, except the Hawaiian. “Do you need anything else before your life is changed forever?” I muse, while getting the ranch out of the fridge for myself.
“No, I’m good. And it’s noted that you don’t like Hawaiian.”
“There’s just something about warm pineapple that makes me uneasy.”
“But the ranch on your pizza doesn’t?” he inquires. I’m struck silent because the only way to eat pizza is with ranch. Before he reads too much into it, I let out a throaty laugh. “Touche.”
Stephan carries both of our plates into the living room while I set our drinks on the coffee table and put in the movie. “I just need you to not take offense when I start swooning over Paul Walker. It’s inevitable.” He chuckles as we each take a bite of pizza.
After Vin hands Paul a beer, Stephan leans into my ear and whispers, “So am I not supposed to feel threatened when these are the guys I’m being compared to?” When I look at him, he’s smiling. He’s so close, and my eyes move from his eyes to his lips and back up again. “Maybe just a little bit.” My cheeks hurt from how hard I’ve been smiling. He just laughs and turns back toward the screen. I keep my gaze on him for a few more seconds before I follow suit.
As the movie goes on, he ends up scooting closer to me periodically. He did the classic yawn-to-put-his-arm-around-me move, and I chuckled. At some point, I got chilly, and he tossed one of the blankets over us. My phone dings a couple times with messages from Kate.
Are you still alive?
Is he cute?
How’s it going?
Is it safe to come back?
I’m giving you another 30 min before I storm back in there to make sure you’re not dead. I love you!
After the last message, I reply back.
Yes, Yes, Good, Not yet, We’re watching a movie, I’ll let you know when the coast is clear.
I got a string of eggplant and peach emojis back in response. When I laugh, Stephan looks at me with an inquisitive look, and when I show him my screen, he says, “So you think I’m cute.” More of a statement than a question, but I shove him lightly in response.
I feel the weight of his gaze on me, and when I look up, I’m greeted with his piercing blue eyes and those wicked, evil dimples. “What?” I laugh breathlessly.
“I was just thinking that I never told you how cute you look tonight. I’m really digging this whole look.” He uses his finger to gesture toward my clothes.
“You’re not looking too bad yourself, dimples. The gray sweatpants were an excellent touch,” I respond with my eyebrow raised.
“I knew they would be a hit, just like the dimples.” He winks. He probably can sense me faltering, because he takes his hand and rests it against my left cheek. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
“Then do it.”
With the hand that’s resting on my cheek, he brings my face up to meet him. His lips slowly graze over mine, and I think I might die of need if he doesn’t speed this up. As if he can hear my thoughts, he brings his lips down onto mine. His tongue sweeps the seam of my mouth, asking for permission. I gladly grant him access, and our tongues dance together. I match his eagerness, and a soft moan releases from my throat. I start to climb him, my hands gripping the back of the couch. He helps me by holding onto my waist while I move to straddle his lap. My hands find their way to his hair as I deepen the kiss. I have this nagging tug in the back of my head, but I ignore it as I lower myself and feel him grow beneath me.
His hands that are resting on my waist start to slide their way up, going underneath the hem of my shirt. As soon as his fingertips make contact with my skin, heat blisters at his touch, and at the same moment, my door bursts open. I jolt up and let out a scream as my head whips toward the front door. Before I’m able to get a good look, everything goes black.