Eminent Love (2 page)

And now I was caught between a rock and a hard place. If I suddenly showed interest in hanging out with them after being informed it was Drea’s
twin
sister, my attraction to my roommate’s girlfriend would be obvious. However, if I declined the invitation, I’d do nothing with my free time. There was no way in hell I’d be able to focus while knowing there were
two
of them out there. And only one Colin.

“What are you guys planning on doing?” I fell further into the couch and crossed my arms behind my head, hoping to give off the impression I wasn’t ready to jump up and agree. I didn’t want my eagerness to be too obvious. Truth was, had Drea mentioned the twin part at the very beginning, I would’ve already been out the door.

“Just hanging out,” Drea answered before Colin could, which told me a lot. She wanted me to commit to going before telling me what I’d actually agreed to. It was a smart move, really. “My sister is finishing up her shift at work, so we were going to pick her up and then decide what to do later.”

“Let me get this straight…you have no plans other than picking up your sister to go hang out—the three of you—with absolutely no agenda. Who does that?” My gaze bounced back and forth between the two faces in front of me, waiting it out. Eventually, one would crack and give me the truth. It more than likely would be Colin.

Honestly, I didn’t care what the plans were. I’d already swallowed the hook and knew I’d go with them no matter what we did, but their secretive behavior had awakened my curiosity. What had started out as a way to postpone my eagerness had ended up turning into a game of cat and mouse. It was yet another reason I’d one day make a great attorney—as long as I kept my shit together and maintained perfect grades so I would be accepted into law school.

“There’s a drive-in set up downtown. We’re heading over there to watch a movie after picking Layne up.” Colin never could go long without spilling the details, which clearly irritated Drea. Her annoyance made me laugh. Almost as much as the image of her laying into him later did.

“You’re going on a date with your girlfriend
and
her sister? Are you taking up polygamy…or this some sort of sister-wives shit?”

Drea’s shoulders dropped more and her eyes became so soft, I worried she’d cry. Only, I didn’t understand where it had come from. “Layne—my sister—hasn’t been out in a while…kinda been in a funk. The drive-in is playing her favorite movie, and she’s mentioned wanting to see it. So Colin and I talked about it today and decided to take her there after picking her up from the restaurant. It may not make much sense to you, but it does to us.” She dropped her attention to the table between us. “Never mind. Stay here. You’ll probably end up boring her to death, anyway.”

Without glancing at Colin, she grabbed his forearm and began to lead him toward the front door. Even if I hadn’t already made up my mind about going long before now, the despondency in her eyes would’ve been enough to change my mind. It left me with a deep yearning to know more. It appealed to the attorney part of my brain, the part always needing all the facts and information, so that expression of hers forced me off the couch. It was no longer about this girl being Drea’s twin sister, no longer about the temptation of going out instead of studying. My decision to go came down to an unexplained pull toward Layne, to find out why she made Drea so sad and Colin so quiet.

I grabbed my keys from the small kitchen bar and met them at the door. “Fine, I’ll go. But I’m driving myself. I’m not sitting in the back seat while you two make out the entire time. I’m not into this whole sharing shit you seem to have going on.” I slapped Colin on the shoulder and offered him a smirk.

Drea’s face lit up with genuine joy, adding a spark to her eyes. Her utter happiness became indisputable as she bounced on the balls of her feet. “Good. Then you can drive Layne.”

I followed Colin’s car, not having a clue as to where we were headed. I never once asked a single question. I didn’t know where Drea’s sister worked, where this drive-in theater was, nor what movie we were watching. All I could think about was how I’d managed to get myself into this situation in the first place.

I hadn’t dated anyone seriously in years, not since high school, nor did I have any desire to. I’d spent my first three semesters in college meeting new people and having fun—pretty much being a typical nineteen- and twenty-year-old guy on his own for the first time in his life. I’d hung out with a lot of girls, hooked up with a few, but never dated any of them. I’d wanted my freedom.

Not only had Colin been my roommate, but he’d wanted to be a lawyer, too. Sticking together seemed like a good idea since we both had the same goals. Although, by the time we’d entered sophomore year, I’d started to notice my grades slipping. Freshman year had been easy, and it quickly became evident how much harder school would get if I didn’t start to get serious about it. I’d slowed down, though not as much as I should’ve because Colin had a way of convincing me to go out, even when I knew I needed to hit the books. By the end of fall semester, my low As had turned to low Bs, and I knew it’d only get worse if I didn’t stop what I was doing. Once I came back from winter break, I’d made the conscious decision to put my future first. And while Colin continued to enjoy the college experience, I chose to stay in and focus on my future.

The partying had eventually caught up with him, though. At the end of our sophomore year, his grades had suffered so much, law school was no longer an option. I wasn’t willing to risk the same fate. I’d always dreamt of going to law school at Duke and becoming an attorney like my grandfather, even though it wasn’t an easy program to get into. I needed unbeatable grades, and I’d never get them if I continued to follow Colin’s lead. Girls and parties were a distraction. Colin was proof of that.

I still hung out with a few friends, but they weren’t the same ones as before. I’d surrounded myself with likeminded people, other students who had also been focused on excelling in college. They had been a positive influence, pushing me to be better. Although, it didn’t mean I’d suddenly turned into a monk. By the middle of spring semester last year, I’d found someone to help with my needs. She had the same mentality I did when it came to dating—it was off the table. She used me, and I used her. It was mutually understood and beneficial.

I knew how that worked.

But
this
felt different.

This felt like a
date
.

Even though Colin and Drea had mentioned a movie and I had suggested I’d drive—knowing full well it would mean being alone for hours in a car with Drea’s sister—not once did I realize how it might be perceived. Nor had the thought ever crossed my mind how doing this could possibly put me in an uncomfortable position with Drea. From my experience, girls had a way of latching on to false hope. I had no interest in seeing Drea’s sister after tonight, but if she got the wrong impression and ended up feeling rejected, there was a good chance my life would be hell for as long as Colin and Drea stayed together.

By the time we pulled up to the small Italian restaurant close to the campus, I began to contemplate driving away. The nervousness invading my system convinced me I should’ve been home studying, not out on a non-date with someone I’d never met before, or ever cared to see again. I mentally cursed at myself for having such an unhealthy need to know everything. I wished I could’ve been okay without the knowledge of why Drea’s sister had been in a funk. It was more than likely guy problems anyway.

I parked and watched through the windshield as Drea jogged inside. As soon as she disappeared through the door, Colin casually strolled over to my window. I rolled it down, ready to tell him I’d changed my mind. But then he spoke, and what he said made me forget about running away. It fed into my inquisitiveness more. “Whatever you do, don’t say anything about her hair.”

“Her hair? Why?”

He glanced beyond me in the direction Drea had taken off and rigidly shook his head. “She’s a nice girl. I don’t expect you to be an ass, considering I’ve never known you to be one, but can you please remember this is my girl’s sister?”

“You really need to give me more than that, Colin. You know I’m not looking to date—”

“I know.” He smirked after cutting me off. “She just needs to have a little fun. I don’t care if you never see her again, or if you fall head over heels in love with her. All I care about is her having a good time tonight. She deserves it.”

“This secrecy is really starting to piss me off. Tell me what I need to know.”

“Always the lawyer, never the citizen.” He hung his head and swayed it from side to side as his rumbling laugh billowed though the open window and settled in the car around me, ratcheting my irritation. When he finally lifted his head, he glanced to the front of the restaurant and straightened his spine. With a quick rap on my door, he said, “Here she comes. She doesn’t have to ride with you if you don’t want her to. Just let me know now so I can get her in my car.”

“Just fucking tell me already.” My tone was tense as each desperate word squeezed out through my clamped teeth. I hated it when he knew something I didn’t know and then refused to tell me, leaving me to figure it out on my own. Every time he did, it left me with extreme apprehension, like I was about to stagger into a landmine and had to make it to the other side all on my own.

His gaze locked with mine, his expression sullen. “It’s not my story to share, man. Let her tell you. Don’t pry.”

I conceded and turned my attention to where the two girls walked across the parking lot toward us. I made up my mind right then and there—I would drive her. It didn’t make any sense. Even from twenty feet away, she captured my attention. I was enamored. It could’ve been her hesitant steps, or the way she twisted her fingers in front of her as she steadily placed one foot in front of the other. Whatever it was, something about her enthralled me.

Made me notice her.

Made me
want to know more
.

While Colin made his way over to them, I slowly pulled myself from the car and strode around the front to the passenger side. I never once took my eyes off her. Although, she didn’t look at me. If her attention wasn’t glued to the concrete beneath her feet, she studied Colin’s face as he spoke—probably explaining the situation to her. Then, she briefly glanced my way, my heart immediately ceasing to pump life into me.

I couldn’t seem to pull myself together long enough to decipher her features. I became too mesmerized by her shy and quiet demeanor to notice much else. I’d been around plenty of girls before, but never had any of them captured me the way this one did. Her discrete shyness wasn’t what captivated me—I’d known lots of demure girls before—but the confidence she kept hidden like a treasured secret. Almost as if she knew what a rare gem she was, and refused to waste it on those who wouldn’t value it.

I wanted to value it. Guard it. Keep it for myself.

Although I knew nothing about her.

“Creed, this is Layne.” As Colin made the introductions, unease settled over the four of us like a heavy, early morning fog, making the simple act of breathing difficult. “He wanted to see the movie, too, so we invited him along. I hope you don’t mind. You can either follow us in his car, or you can ride in mine. It doesn’t matter to us, and no one’s feelings will be hurt with whatever you decide.” Colin regarded me with watchful eyes the entire time he spoke.

It was so unlike him. He wasn’t an asshole by any means, but I’d never seen him so wary, either. Colin was the type of guy who laughed and joked all the time. He never worried about what he said in front of others—a true “take me as I am” kind of guy. Although with Layne, he seemed to watch everything he said, how he said it, sounding as though he were reassuring a child.

I hated knowing something was up and not having a clue as to what.

“I can ride with Creed. It’s not a big deal.” Layne smiled pensively, although her sights never strayed from her sister or Colin.

I opened the passenger side door and waited for her sit down before closing it. Colin and Drea hadn’t moved from where they stood in front of the car, both of them staring at me as if they expected something to happen.

“What?” I asked, becoming annoyed with their sudden change in attitude.

Drea shook her head and waved me off. “Nothing. I’m just surprised it was so easy to get her to ride with you. It’s not a big deal. We’ll meet you over there and find two spots next to each other. Just follow us and pull in beside us, please.”

It was the “please” that left me uneasy, though I didn’t say anything about it. I could only ask for information so many times before giving up. Not to mention, I had Layne in the car. If I really wanted to know, it wasn’t like I couldn’t get the answers from her. Colin had asked me not to pry, but I had a talent for getting information without needing to.

The moment the car door was closed and I had my seatbelt on, I watched her carefully, wanting to memorize every aspect. However, the low light inside the car made it difficult to depict her features accurately. I noticed her small nose and pouty lips, her hair wrapped in a tight bun against the back of her neck. My gaze narrowed on the light-colored locks, wondering what Colin could’ve possibly meant by it. I couldn’t figure it out, her hair looked fine. It wasn’t the same brown as her sister’s, but that didn’t mean anything. My intense scrutiny probably made her uncomfortable, and I didn’t want that, so I decided to strike up a conversation as I pulled out of the parking lot.

“You make me hungry.”

Layne stiffened in her seat, and I suddenly realized what I’d said.

I twisted slightly in my seat so I could see her better in the dim lighting of my dashboard and quietly laughed. “I only meant you smell good—like food. It makes me hungry.”

Her lips pulled into a sincere grin, and I couldn’t look away. Then she laughed with me, soft and airy like mine had been, but it filtered over me like a song I wanted to put on repeat. I wanted to hear it again. I wanted to hear all the different ways she expressed humor. It made no sense. However, it taught me two things.