Best Friends Forever (5 page)

Nine

We play carnival games for hours, Destiny and I laughing at the effort Roman and Nolan put forth. They try to one-up the other all night and when the fireworks start, we all stand together to watch them. As the colors flood the darkened sky, I notice the rest of our group near us. They move closer and we all greet them, asking where they’ve been all night. The four of them seem to be extremely cozy, especially Audric and Cheyanne.

As much as I despise Cheyanne, I’m glad she seems to be moving on from Roman. He’s pretty much mine now, and I don’t want her causing any problems between us. Audric is so cute with how awkward he is, barely touching Cheyanne, even though I can tell he wants to. At one point, Cheyanne grabs his hand and holds it in hers. So adorable. Not!

The park doesn’t close until midnight, but at eleven, I’m so exhausted, I nearly collapse. Roman agree to take me back to the dorms while everyone else stays at the park.

“Sorry you had to leave early,” I say, although I’ve been looking for an excuse to get him alone all night.

“That’s okay. I’m more used to early nights and even earlier mornings. You ready for classes to start tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I guess. I kind of wish it was still summertime for us, though,” I say, reaching for his hand. His fingers intertwine with mine and I lean back against the plush leather of the seat. His car is really nice.

“Me too. Fall means football for me,” he says. “I’ve got practice almost every night this week, so chances are, I won’t get to see you much,” he explains.

My heart falls. I want to spend every night with him. But, it’s not like I have a choice. “Oh, sure,” I say with more enthusiasm than I feel. “That just means I’ll get to point you out to everyone at all the games.”

“Yeah. You’ll say, ‘that’s my boyfriend, number sixty-nine.’”

Whoa. Did he just refer to himself as my boyfriend? My heart soars but I manage not to make too much of a big deal about it.

“Exactly.” His hand squeezes mine in agreement.

At my dorm room, I’m surprised he doesn’t invite himself in, or invite me to his room. “Good night, Hazel.” He kisses me gently, something that melts my heart and further. When he lifts his head, he smiles at me and then walks away.

In my room, I close the door and lean against it, thoroughly infatuated with Roman. Not only does he have a rockin’ body and a great personality, but he likes me. Me! I take off my makeup, then strip out of my clothes and crawl into bed wearing just my panties and a tank top. Looks like this is going to be the best year of my life.

* * * * *

The next morning, I’m up fairly early, desperate for coffee. Cheyanne, I notice, is still sound asleep, the covers pulled up over her head. I get dressed, run a brush through my hair, and apply my usual makeup, then run to the bathroom to brush my teeth and grab my bag for class. I sling the strap over my shoulder, moving the bulk of the bag to my back and head out.

I check my cell. I have half an hour before class starts and coffee is first on the list. I stop at the student lounge to grab a cup. As I’m adding my sugar and cream, Miranda comes up next to me.

“Hey! Early class, huh?”

I nod, still not fully awake. I lift my cup to check the sweetness and it’s perfect. I moan into my cup.

“Yeah, me too. I’ve got Intro to Lit.”

“Oh? Me too,” I say, still uncertain how I feel about her. Miranda and Cheyanne were acting pretty chummy last night, so I don’t want to trust her too much, in case something I say gets back to Cheyanne.

“Awesome! Want to walk to class together?” This girl is way too peppy. Even if she weren’t friends with my new enemy, I still wouldn’t like her.

But I don’t want to be rude. “Sure.”

We walk and Miranda has no trouble filling the silence with words. It seems as though she never shuts up. I hide my frustration at her incessant chatter and once we’re in class, I ignore her completely so I can focus on the lecture. She writes me a few notes and although I read them, I’m appalled. Are we still in high school? It’s so sad. Maybe she and Cheyanne are made to be best friends.

She finally gets the picture when I refuse to write back and she stops dropping the paper in front of my notes. I jot down as much as I can while our instructor goes through the syllabus. It’s not going to be a heavy load, which makes me grateful, because my next class is General Calculus, since I tested out of the basic math courses. I’m looking forward to the class, but I know it’ll push me, academically. And with only ten minutes to spare between Lit and Calculus, I’ll have to hustle across campus to get there on time.

When Lit finally ends, Miranda picks up right where she left off, talking away while I pack up my stuff. Once I have everything, I turn to her.

“I’m not trying to be rude, but I have to go. My next class starts in a few minutes on the other side of campus,” I say. I don’t give her a chance to reply. I just walk away. Hopefully she doesn’t think I’m rude, but honestly, I don’t care. She still acts like a kid, and I doubt we’ll ever be friends.

I make it to Calculus with ninety seconds to spare. The only seat available is one next to Nolan. He grins as I sit down and I’m thankful for a friendly face.

“How did you get in this class? I thought it was upperclassmen only,” he whispers as the professor begins his lesson.

There is no introduction to the class or going over the syllabus. Professor James is a no-nonsense guy who starts us off with some hard equations. He doesn’t explain how to do them, either. He just puts the equations on the board and says we have until the end of the class to turn in our answers.

“Anyone who finishes early can leave my class early,” he explains, sitting down at the desk and pulling out his laptop.

If he weren’t hot, I’d think he was a total douche. But he’s so much younger than most college professors, so much more attractive. I guess he’s in his late twenties, with sandy blond hair and jade-colored eyes. He’s built, too, a sure sign that his muscles are firm underneath his suit coat.

A note slides in front of me. Seriously? I sigh audibly but unfold the paper and read Nolan’s note.

Stop staring at the professor or I’ll tell Rome. Do you know the answer to #2? I got the first one, but the second one is a pain in the ass.

Holy shit! He’s already finished with the first equation… I need to get to work. I scribble a quick no in reply and shove the paper back at him, getting my thoughts together so I can actually keep up. When Nolan tries to put the note in front of me again, I block him and shake my head. I spend the rest of class trying to figure out the equations, making sure to check my textbook for what I don’t already know.

Ten

After my first day of classes, I’m beat. Nolan invites me to his and Roman’s football practice, but I decline, texting Destiny to find out if she wants to meet up for dinner.

Yes! I need to get the hell away from my roommate!
she replies. I laugh and send her a text to meet me at my dorm room.

I just want to lay down on my bed and sleep when I get to my room, but instead, I toss my bag on my bed and flip open my laptop. I check all my social media sites while I wait for Destiny. Lucky for me, Cheyanne is nowhere to be found. To my surprise, I have an instant message from Roman waiting for me on Facebook.

H – Somehow, I ended up without your number. Not sure how that’s even possible, but I checked my phone and I don’t have it. Audric is off somewhere, so I can’t ask him. Call me when you get this. 843-857-1234 – R

I realize that we’ve never actually exchanged numbers. Odd. Without waiting, I punch his number into my phone and press send. I wait through four rings and figure I’ll have to leave him a message when he picks up.

“Hello?” He’s out of breath, like he was running to answer.

“Hey, it’s Hazel,” I say.

“Hey, gorgeous. Listen, I’m about to start practice, and this coach is a pain in the ass. I’ll text you later tonight, okay?”

Before I even have a second to reply, he hangs up, just as a knock lands on my door. I laugh, tossing my phone on my bed before answering. Destiny stands there, a pissy look on her face.

“What’s up?” I ask, letting her in.

“Oh my God! My roommate is the biggest idiot on the planet!” She throws her hands up as she enters.

“What happened?” I ask, trying to hold in my laughter.

“Well, first she set her alarm this morning for five a.m., so she could ‘go for a run,’” she says, putting up air quotes. “Then she proceeds to hit the snooze button eight times, and when she finally gets out of bed, she complains she doesn’t have enough time to run before her first class. Then she gets back from her class, which is some basics for dummies class that most of us test out of, and she complains that it’s too hard and she goes on and on about how much she misses her high school boyfriend. I can’t stand her!”

I raise my brow. “Is that all?”

“It’s not funny,” she moans, dropping on to my bed. “I need a new roommate like right now. Do you think Nolan could get me switched to this building?” She looks hopeful.

I doubt it. “Maybe. He does have some pull. I’d like to get rid of my roommate, too.” Of course, I’d like my roommate to drop off the face of the earth, but I don’t say that.

“Ugh. Where are we eating? I have a car, so if you want to go off campus, I’m down with that.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you had a car!” I’m excited to get off campus. I really want some pizza.

“It’s a beater, but it runs, and I haven’t had any trouble with it. My brother fixes it up whenever I need him to. Are you ready? Let’s go,” she demands, more than ready to leave campus in the dust.

I am too. “Let’s do it.”

We discover in the car that we have very similar tastes in music and we spend the ride blaring the radio as loud as it will go. We drive along Ocean Boulevard, and when we have to get back on the highway, Destiny turns the music down.

“So, what do you want to eat?”

“I was thinking about pizza,” I say. “I heard from Audric that the cafeteria pizza sucks.” It’s too bad Audric has a thing for Cheyanne, because I would totally hang out with him more often, especially since Roman is going to be busy this week.

“I’ve heard that, too. What about Little Amici’s, over at Broadway at the Beach?”

“Someone has done they’re research,” I say, teasing her a little.

“Yeah, my brother comes to Myrtle for Spring Break every year, and he gave me some tips on where to eat.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Luckily for us, there’s no wait at the restaurant and we get right in, ordering way too much food for the two of us, but we’re starved. And our eyes are definitely bigger than our stomachs.

Forty minutes later, we have to ask for a couple of to-go boxes. “I love leftover pizza,” Destiny says as she stacks several slices into her box.

“I’m not a huge fan, but maybe Roman will come by my room later and want a piece.” It’s not likely, but a girl can dream.

Eleven

The next few days pass in a flurry of excitement. Roman is far too busy to hang out; he has practice every night the whole week. He texts me regularly, though, so I’m not worried. Once the season starts, he assures me that practices will be fewer, so we’ll have more time together. He complains about his coach all the time, and although I’ve never met the guy, I don’t like him either. He’s keeping Roman from me, after all.

Late on Wednesday night, I get a text from Roman.

Hey babe. You awake?

I worry he just wants a booty call, and I definitely don’t want to be that, so I ignore the text. Several minutes later, he texts again.

I need a cuddle buddy.

He’s so cute. Instead of answering, I get out of bed, determined not to let things go too far tonight, pull on some sleep shorts, and make my way to his room. I only know which room is his because Audric and I had dinner together tonight. We ordered in from Domino’s while Roman was at practice. It’s the second time I’ve had pizza this week, and I’m so sick of it. I need a freaking cheeseburger or something soon.

I knock lightly on Roman’s door and when he answers, I smile. He’s completely disheveled, his hair is mussed and he’s only wearing his boxers. Adorable. He grins at me.

“I figured you were ignoring me,” he says, letting me into the room.

“It occurred to me,” I reply, glancing around the room. “Where’s Audric?”

“He’s got a hot date,” Roman chuckles.

“Shut up! With who?”

“It’s a secret. I don’t even know,” Roman admits.

“Funny, I kind of thought he and Cheyanne had a thing going,” I tell him.

“Me too. Was she still in your room?”

“Yep. Sound asleep.”

He pulls me close once the door closes. “I’ve missed you this week.”

“Me too.”

“Will you crash in my bed with me? No sex, I swear,” he promises. He’s so cute when he grins at me like that.

I nod and climb into his bed. He shuts off the light and jumps over me, his lean body pressing firmly against my back. He yanks the covers over us and I feel warm and loved. We haven’t said the words yet, but I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him. And if he’s willing to wait for sex with me, I can only assume he loves me too, though I doubt he’ll say it.

His arm wraps protectively around me, his hand splayed against my stomach. My tank top has ridden up and his hand is hot against my skin. I find myself wanting to do more than just lay here with him. I roll over, bite my lip, and look up at him in the darkness. I can just make out the contours of his face, and he’s smiling.

“You’re so beautiful,” he says before I can say anything.

Without thinking, I pull his lips to mine, swallowing whatever it was I’d been about to say. Forget waiting. I want him. Now. I roll onto my back and pull him above me, letting his weight sink us into the mattress.

“Hazel? Are you sure?” he asks, totally sweet and loving.

I sigh. “Oh, I’m sure.”

With that, he quickly gets me out of my tank top and shorts. I’m naked except for my panties, but I don’t feel exposed. His fingers graze my breasts, sending goose bumps up and down my spine. I shiver.

“Don’t be afraid, baby. I won’t hurt you,” he says soothingly.

Does he think I’m a virgin? Time to squash that.

I turn demanding, rolling him over onto his back and straddling him. His look of surprise is priceless, but I barely have time to admire it as I strip him of his boxers. I’m impressed. He’s larger than anyone I’ve ever been with, but that’s a short list. I kick off my own panties and straddle him again, rubbing myself against him.

“Condom,” he gasps at my movement, afraid I’ll try to trap him like Cheyanne. His hand reaches for his nightstand and I stop him, opening the drawer and grabbing the latex myself.

I rip open the package, move off him, and roll the condom on him with my mouth, causing him to groan and fist his hands in the sheets. I love the way he moans, his voice deep and rumbly, sending twinges of pleasure straight to my clit. I give him a blowjob for several minutes before I climb back on him, sliding him inside me.

We both moan at the contact, the pleasure. I feel fuller than ever, and then he lifts his hips to thrust into me and I gasp. There’s a little pain from being stretched, but mostly, all I feel is pleasure, incredible pleasure. Pleasure I’ve never felt before. I move against him and the sensation intensifies, building into what I know will be an epic orgasm. I don’t want it to happen too quickly, but Roman grabs my hips and forces me down on him. Hard. I shatter above him, tingly bursts of heaven flooding my entire body.

I barely register that he’s thrusting into me harder and faster to reach his own release. I collapse on his chest and his hips buck up at me.

“Fuck,” I hear him whisper just seconds before he stills.

The sound of our heavy breathing is the only thing that fills the room. My chest heaves against him. Finally, I move off him, laying back on his bed in complete and utter satisfaction. As I catch my breath, Roman takes care of the condom and then comes back to his bed.

“Hey there, sexy girl,” he says, pushing my bangs out of my eyes.

“Holy shit, Roman,” is all I can say, I’m so sated.

He laughs. “Guess we’ll both sleep a little better now, huh?”

“I guess so. I’m sleepy now,” I admit.

He pulls me into his arms and we fall asleep almost immediately.

An hour later, I have to pee. I debate for a minute about whether or not I can hold it until morning, but my bladder wins. Carefully, I disentangle myself from Roman’s arms and pull on my shorts and tank top. I can’t find my panties in the dark, so I go out to the bathrooms without them.

The halls are empty when I go into the bathroom, but when I come out, there’s a commotion at the end of the hall.

“Room two-oh-seven! Room check!” Room check! I didn’t even know colleges did that! Nolan’s voice is loud, giving rooms farther along time to get any extra people out of their rooms.

Shit. I turn left instead of right, ready to go back to my own room and hope Roman doesn’t come looking for me. But going to my room means walking right by Nolan.

“Hey, Hazel. Your room is next,” he says with a nod of his head.

I get the impression he knows I wasn’t in my own room, and he’s giving me the heads up. I smile at him with gratitude and open up my own dorm door. I flip on the light, expecting Cheyanne to grumble. When there’s no response from under the covers, I walk over and tap her shoulder. The blanket falls in. I yank it back and realize she’s not in our room.

A knock on the door jerks me back to reality. I place the covers back over the stack of pillows she’s set up and go to answer the door. Nolan stands there, checklist in hand.

“Good evening, Hazel,” he says. “Room check.”

I put my finger to my lips. “Cheyanne is sleeping.” Why am I covering for her? I know she deserves to get caught not being in her room after lights out, but I hope this will make her hate me less. Maybe she’ll see I’m not all bad.

“Got it. Anyone else in here?” Nolan asks.

“No one.”

“Great.” He checks our room number off his list. “Good night, Hazel.”

“Night.”

Talk about a close call.