5. Alana
ALANA
“Alana, wait.” Eden wrapped his hand around my arm, holding me back as I tried to dip right into the women’s restroom.
Turning around, I was startled when I noticed just how close he’d been. Our bodies almost touched. He must’ve been about a foot taller than me, forcing me to lean my head back to really look right into his eyes.
Last Friday, I didn’t even realize how tall he was.
“What do you want?” I asked, sounding snappier than I intended.
“I want to be friends,” he replied, and I almost burst into laughter. I had to stop myself because I knew it would’ve drawn attention to us. People were already staring more than I liked. “What’s so funny about that?”
“I’m not good at making friends, Eden. Especially with guys like you.” I finally pulled my arm away from his grasp. He looked at his hand with a questioning look, as if he hadn’t even realized he was still holding me.
Or perhaps he just realized he had to wash his hands because I was poison or something like that. It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time someone did that.
“Guys like me? What’s that even supposed to mean?”
My eyes rolled. “Guys who hold everyone’s attention. Guys with pretty faces and charming smiles that make a girl melt on the spot, or so they believe. Guys who elevate a person’s status. Guys who just want to fuck and leave.”
Eden took a tiny step back, offense etched in his face. “I’m not the type to fuck and leave. And even if I were, I asked for friendship, hadn’t I?”
“Look, if this is about what Asiya said at that party…” Damn her for making my life more complicated.
The last thing I needed was a hockey player with a god-complex thinking he could be the hero in my life story.
“Asiya was kidding. I don’t want any elevated status on campus.
She wants that for me. She thinks if I learn how to be less shy in crowds, it would help me become more confident and finally talk to thi—”
“I can teach you,” he cut me off. “To be less shy, I mean. I’m a lot of things, but shy isn’t one of them. I can take you to places where nobody knows you, and you can learn to overcome your fear of people.”
“I don’t have a fear of people.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“You made it sound like you do.”
“Well, I don’t.” I turned around, opening the door to the women’s restroom. “Now, if you’d excuse me.” I walked inside, not waiting for any sort of reply from him.
For just a moment after the door closed behind me, I felt like I’d gotten rid of Eden. That feeling didn’t last long because when I looked into one of the mirrors, ready to give myself a little pep talk, the door opened back up and he came walking inside.
“Uh, excuse you?” I waved around the room. “Unless you’re a woman, you’re not allowed in here.”
“Tug your claws back in, Ally-Bear, I’m not going to watch you while you pee.”
“Ally-Bear?” I let out an ironic chuckle. “Well, no one has ever called me that before, that’s for sure.”
Eden walked deeper into the restroom, now standing right in front of me… again. My pulse picked up, but I tried to stay calm.
“Given that you don’t seem to have many friends, that doesn’t surprise me,” he said.
“Oh, wow. Quite the charmer, I see.”
His mouth opened, but it wasn’t his voice coming through.
“Oh my God!” the girl who just exited one of the stalls screamed. “Eden!”
I could watch as Eden rolled his eyes, annoyed by one of many of his… fans.
Surely he was just pretending to hate this, right?
Every time I heard something about Eden—against my will—it was always about how awesome he was and how he’d make it big one day.
He never appeared to mind the comments, mind the tons of college students surrounding him in the cafeteria when he was just trying to get something to eat.
In fact, he always talked to them, gave them his blinding smile, and handed out his phone number as if it were a tissue.
Someone who actively played into that role couldn’t have been annoyed by the attention they were attracting.
“I saw your last game. You looked pretty hot in your uniform,” she said, giggling as she twirled her hair around her index finger.
God, someone call Cupid and tell him to tone it down a notch, because he was definitely exaggerating with that reaction to one semi-good-looking guy.
“You mean my gear,” Eden corrected, his voice stoic.
Stoic? That was new. I think?
“That’s what I said, silly.”
He nodded slowly. “Sure. Thanks.”
Little Miss Pinkie Pie reached her hand out to Eden’s arm, feeling him up without even asking for permission. “Wow, you’re so strong.”
I burst into laughter, not able to watch this for another second. If I had a fork in my hand right now, I would’ve stabbed my eyes with it just so I didn’t have to see this.
Eden looked at me, frustration and fury in his eyes. He really looked as if he was so over the attention he was receiving.
“What are you doing here anyway, sugar?” she asked after throwing a contemptuous look my way. It was probably to ensure I wasn’t going to interrupt any more of the time she had with her precious Eden King with more laughter.
“Talking to my girlfriend, Brittany,” he replied. “Now let go of me.”
Girlfriend?
One word?
My eyes widened in surprise as I processed the word. There was no way Eden superstar King just used me as a way out of whatever situation this was.
How dare he? I didn’t want to be involved in his stupid games.
I glanced between Eden and the fluttery girl with blonde hair, unsure if he had misspoken or if I’d misheard.
Brittany’s face twisted in disbelief, her hand frozen mid-air as she retracted it from Eden’s arm.
“Your girlfriend?” she asked, her tone holding disgust. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”
Eden’s gaze shifted over to me, a flicker of mischief in his eyes before settling on a more composed expression. “It’s fairly new. We just started seeing each other, isn’t that right, Ally-Bear?” He slipped an arm around my waist, pulling me right against his body.
I stiffened immediately at the unexpected contact but managed to force a smile.
Eden’s girlfriend? Me?
I felt a surge of conflicting emotions. Part of me was furious at being pulled into his web of lies, while another part couldn’t help but notice the warmth that seeped through his touch.
His grip was so firm, so possessive, it made me question my own feelings, my own thoughts.
For a second, I imagine he was Austin. Only Austin could’ve touched me and I wouldn’t have jumped away immediately.
The only reason his hand on my waist felt nice was because nobody had ever touched me like this before, or so I told myself. Even if someone had held me like this before, it wasn’t like me to stand in place. Any form of physical touch usually made me uncomfortable.
I shot Eden a sharp look, silently warning him that this charade was starting and ending in this room. Today.
I could feel Brittany’s eyes burning on my skin, her disbelief palpable.
There was a huge chance that I was going to regret this sooner rather than later, but despite knowing better, I played along. “Oh, uh, yes. We’re… seeing each other.”
“See?” He turned to look at me, cupping my face in both of his hands.
He looked right at my lips and for just a second, I thought he was going to kiss me to prove a point, but then he spoke up again.
“Aren’t my Ally-Bear and I just so cute?” Eden asked without expecting an answer, confidence accompanying his every word, making it hard for Brittany to suspect he was lying. On top of his confidence as he spoke, his gaze dared anyone to question the authenticity of our relationship.
“I can’t believe this…” Brittany muttered under her breath as she slowly backed off. “You always announce your relationships right away, and—”
“I never do,” Eden replied before she even finished her sentence. “Whoever I date usually takes the chance to have a private relationship away from me without consulting me about it first. Just like you did.”
They were dating once upon a time? Now that certainly explained how he knew her name.
But why would she still be so hung up on Eden if they clearly broke up?
Brittany’s face scrunched up with revulsion before she turned around and stormed out of the restroom, leaving Eden and me alone.
As soon as the door slammed shut behind her, I brought a few steps of distance between Eden and me, glaring at him with a mixture of anger and confusion.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, trying my best not to yell at him. After all, I didn’t want people out in the hall hearing our entire conversation.
Eden just grinned at me, completely unfazed by my obvious irritation. “Seemed like the best way to get rid of her. She’s been hounding me for weeks.”
“So you thought pretending I’m your girlfriend was the solution?
” I crossed my arms tightly over my chest. Part of me wanted to flee the room and hide from Eden for the rest of my college years, another part wanted answers.
“Are you aware of what you just did? Brittany, or whatever her name is, looks like the type of girl who knows people. She’ll talk!
Once everyone finds out that we’re not, in fact, together, they’ll probably attack me for it! ”
And once everyone believed Eden was dating me, my chances of ever dating Austin were even lower than before.
“Relax, Ally-Bear,” he said with a chuckle, stepping forward and reaching out to try to touch me again, but when he noticed me backing up, he froze in place.
“It’s not a big deal, Alana, honestly. We’ll just play along for a bit.
Nobody’s going to attack you for it. If anything, you’ll turn into someone quite popular. ”
Popular? “See, that’s what I don’t want!”
I could use some friends, sure, but the people Eden would throw my way would’ve been far from ones I’d call friend-worthy. They were probably all superficial rich kids with both mommy and daddy issues. Little snitches who were there for you one second and then stabbed you in the back the next.
“I’m not playing along with anything,” I snapped, my patience wearing thin. “You can’t just decide to make me part of your little games without even asking me first. I’m a complete stranger to you, Eden. Who does that?”
Eden raised his eyebrows at me, his playful demeanor not faltering in the slightest.
How was he so chill about all of this?
“Come on, Ally-Bear, it’s all in good fun. Plus, you have to admit, my lie did help me get rid of Brittany.”
My head shook in disbelief at his audacity. “That doesn’t make it okay. I won’t be used as a pawn in your schemes, Eden. Find someone else to drag into your bullshit.” My voice came out firm, leaving barely any room for argument.
He seemed taken aback by my seriousness for a moment before a hint of something unreadable flickered across his features. Of course he was going to find a way to argue. After all, he was one of those superficial rich kids.
“I need your help, okay?” he said, surprising me with the softness of his voice. All devious tones were gone. “It’s not to get rid of girls, but…” Eden raked a hand through his hair, appearing almost nervous now. “Look, Kaan said you’re a great baker.”
“So?” How was all this connected in the slightest?
“I need someone to teach me how to bake.”