No Regrets (2 page)

“That I'm sexy?” His smile grew wider while he waited for me to respond.

“That's
not
what I said.”

He shrugged and I did my best not to let his adorable smile hypnotize me. “It was implied.”

“I'm sure you're used to American girls falling all over you, but I'm not so easily fooled. Strip away the accent and you're just a guy with freckles who needs to get a tan. I mean, have you ever heard of the sun?”

Liam pushed himself off the wall and took a step closer until there were only a few inches of space between us. His blue eyes held mine, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a very sexy half-smile. If his charms had been lost on me before—which they hadn't—they would have been screamingly obvious at that point. He leaned closer and my heart pounded. The air around us sizzled with sexual tension. He flicked the hair off my shoulder and my skin tingled when his fingertips brushed against my neck.

“I'm not so easily fooled.” His eyes trailed over my face to my lips, then back up to my eyes.

I swear, my thighs clenched together on their own. It was like he had some kind of magical sex powers to go along with that sex hair of his.

I smiled sweetly. “Wishful thinking?”

Liam didn't respond. He just stood there staring at me for a few seconds as I waited for some witty comeback. I could tell he had one by the way his blue eyes sparkled.

“Were you done?” he finally said.

That wasn't what I was expecting. “Yes?”

“Just checking. I know how you love to hear yourself talk.”

Oh, he had me pegged. “Probably just as much as you like staring at yourself in the mirror.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Because I'm conceited? Is that what you mean?”

“Of course. I didn't think I was being subtle.”

“Not at all.” He cocked his head to the side and studied me for a few seconds. “So you just say whatever bloody comes into your mind then, is that it?”

“I don't really see the point in holding back. Like I said, I have fascinating things to say.” I batted my eyelashes at him innocently.

“Who's conceited now?”

I laughed and it hit me for the first time that I was smiling so much my cheeks actually ached. Not only that, but I wanted to keep Liam in the hallway with me so we could continue our playful conversation. Talking to him was fun, and it didn't have a whole lot to do with his looks. I mean, sure, he was super-hot, but he was charming too. A deadly combination.

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Conceited, no. Confident, yes.”

Liam nodded slowly and looked me over. I was dressed more casually than usual, wearing only a pair of super-short jean shorts and an emerald green tank. It was fitted, though, and showed off my curves perfectly. Which Liam seemed to really appreciate.

“With good reason,” he finally said. “I suppose we're going to be seeing a lot of each other this year. Since Ryan and I are flatmates and all.”

A thrill shot through me at the expression on his face. Yes, we would be seeing a lot of each other. I had big plans for college, and most of them involved being wild and crazy and making sure I had no regrets when I was old and gray. I had a promise to live up to, after all. One I'd made to Julie when we were only fifteen years old and I thought we both had our whole lives ahead of us.

“I'd love for you to see more of me,” I said with a smile.

“W
hy aren't you bigger?” I put my hands on my hips and glared at the closet like I could somehow force the thing to grow.

It didn't.

I shoved a few strands of damp hair out of my face while I considered my options. It was entirely possible my cousin had been right, although I'd die before I admitted it. If I did, he'd never let me hear the end of it. Ryan had bitched the entire time he and Dad moved me in, but I swore to him I'd only packed the essentials. The College of Charleston and I definitely had different ideas about what was necessary. Unpacking was starting to feel like a game of Tetris.

Someone stepped into the room behind me, but I didn't pull my eyes away from the problem at hand long enough to glance their way. It was probably just my new roommate. Making all my stuff fit was priority number one. The roommate and I had all year to get to know each other.

“This is ridiculous!” It came out sounding like a grunt as I forced a few more hangers onto the bar. “I picked this dorm because it's supposed to have bigger rooms than the others. I thought that would mean more storage!”

Another chunk of hair fell across my eyes, and I swept it aside. It was getting hot in the room. Maybe now that my roommate had arrived, we could shut the frickin' door! Ugh. Most of the time I loved living in Charleston—beaches, hello—but the humidity was a pain in my left ass cheek. It's almost impossible to feel sexy with sweat dripping down your crack.

With a hanger held in each hand, I glared at the closet again.
Now, you are going to cooperate, you suitcase disguised as a closet!
I forced the hangers between the row of clothes. I had to jimmy them in, but I managed to make it work. Somehow.

“That's all I can do.” I huffed and stood back, eyeing it with my hands on my hips. “I'm going to have to buy something to put under the bed that I can store clothes in. Thank God there's room!”

As soon as the current crisis had been put aside, I spun around to face my roommate, giving her the biggest smile I could manage. Picture the Cheshire Cat in
Alice in Wonderland
. “You must be Annie!”

She didn't move and she didn't talk, and it took me about two seconds to size her up. Tomboy. She stood across the room yanking on the hem of a San Francisco 49ers t-shirt like she didn't know what to do with herself. The thing was too big. By
a lot
. So were the jean shorts she had on. Plus, they were both ugly. She looked like she'd raided some sports fanatic's dresser, which was just sad, because she was pretty. Really pretty, actually.

Annie's skin was pale and smooth like butter. She honestly looked like she hadn't set foot outside a day in her life, unlike me who sported that I-just-stepped-out-of-a-tanning-bed look all year long. Somehow, though, it worked for her. Her blond hair was long and shiny, and her eyes were the color of honey. She had a kind of innocence about her that made me feel both a little jealous and like I wanted to be the one to help her shed it.

We were going to have an awesome year!

I rushed forward and threw my arms around her, and she stumbled back. Her body slammed against the wall and her suitcase flopped over. I swear, Annie would have fallen right on her ass if I hadn't been there.

“Oh!” I grabbed her elbow and jerked her upright, and I couldn't help laughing.
Real smooth, Cami.
“Sorry, I get carried away sometimes. I'm Cami!”

“Hi.” Her cheeks turned pink and she kind of looked like she wanted to run for cover.

No way was I intimidating. Shy, I guess?

My smile stretched so wide while I waited for her to say more that I started to feel a little insane—like the Joker. Nothing happened, though.

“So you're from California? You must be tired and dying to unpack,” I said as I motioned toward her luggage. “I hope you have better luck than I did. I couldn't fit even half of my stuff.”

“I'll probably have some extra room,” she said, giving me a shaky smile. “I don't have a lot.”

My own smile faltered when I looked down at her suitcases. Two. And they weren't big. Were her parents mailing the rest of her stuff? No way had a college-age chick come all the way from California with only two small suitcases!

“Is that all you have?” She nodded and a giggle forced its way out of me. Maybe Ryan had a point . . . No. That would be ridiculous. I could picture each and every item in my wardrobe and I was
positive
I needed it all. “Wow! I guess Ryan's right. I
am
high-maintenance. He bitched the whole time he and Dad moved me in, like I can help that I need a lot of stuff!”

“Is Ryan your brother?” Annie asked with a hint of laughter in her voice.

The question caught me totally off guard. I wasn't used to explaining my connection to Ryan. We'd always lived in the same place, and people at home just knew.

I shook my head and shrugged at the same time. That won't confuse her!
Geez, Cami.
“Yes and no. We're cousins, but he's like a brother. He lived with us growing up. He's a sophomore here.”

It hit me then that Annie probably needed to get through the room, which was covered in clothes. Honestly, it looked like someone had dropped a Forever 21 bomb on the dorm and we were at ground zero. I started scooping clothes up off the floor, and the whole time my mind swam with what I was going to do that night.

Annie unpacked while I filled the silence with a constant stream of chatter. I went on and on about my parents and Ryan, as if they were anything exciting. Honestly, I didn't even know what I was saying. In my head I was counting down the minutes and thinking about what I was going to wear. Our first night as college students was going to be epic. It never even occurred to me that Annie wouldn't want to go. Who wouldn't?

She zipped up her empty suitcase and put it aside, and it hit me then that Annie hadn't said more than two words since she'd started unpacking.

I frowned in her general direction and said, “You haven't told me a thing about yourself!”

“Um . . . what do you want to know?” She yanked on the hem of her t-shirt again. She acted like she was trying to make it longer, which was just ridiculous. Throw a belt on her and that thing could have been a dress. An ugly one, but still! “I, um . . . I played volleyball in high school. I got enough academic scholarships to cover tuition, so I don't have to work. I have four older brothers. Two are in college, one is at the Air Force Academy. The other is married and lives in Georgia.”

That was all she had to say. I crossed my arms over my chest and did my best to convey how disappointed I was in her. Even if it killed us both, I was going to get her to open up!

“Boyfriend?” I asked.

She shook her head and I pursed my lips. No surprise there. She seemed too shy to snag a guy. I bet she turned bright red when one tried to even talk to her.

I decided to try again. “What do you do for fun?”

“I told you: volleyball.”

She shifted from foot to foot and I studied her with narrowed eyes. I needed to find a way to get her to come out of her shell. I had some serious expectations to live up to, and college was the perfect place to get started. Annie was coming with me on all the crazy adventures I had planned. Every hero needed a sidekick, after all. Of course, with the things I had on my to-do list, it was more like she'd be my partner in crime. I just needed to figure out how I was going to get her to agree to it.

“What else?” I asked. “I like to go shopping and to the beach, hang out with friends.”

“That sounds like fun.” She gave a little shrug that for some strange reason made me think of Winnie the Pooh, although I had a feeling even Pooh Bear had lived more than this girl. He and that honey pot seemed to get into a lot of trouble.

Annie
needed
to have some fun. Probably even get laid a time or two. She had to be a virgin. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her, but I knew a question like that would most likely send her running for the hills.

I decided to go with a less invasive question. “Are you shy?”

She shrugged,
again
! Oh, I was going to drag some information out of her if it was the last thing I did.

“We'll work on that,” I said, like it was no big deal. “I plan on having an awesome time in college, and I'm taking you with me. Got it?”

Before she could answer, I went back to organizing my things. I had a feeling she'd come up with an argument or some way to get out of it, but I wasn't going to let that happen. You're only young for a short time, and we needed to enjoy it. Party, flirt, date, get in a little trouble. I didn't want to wake up at the age of forty and wish I'd been wilder. I knew firsthand how quickly things could come to an end.

No regrets. That was my motto. And probably the motto of most of the students currently moving into their dorms, but whatever. You can't always be original.

“I think I'm going to take a shower,” Annie said from behind me.

I didn't look up from digging through my pile of earrings. I was looking for the perfect pair, something that would say, “I'm sophisticated but ready for a party.” I
knew
I had them.

“Just be ready in two hours. We're going out.”

I braced myself for an argument, but it never happened. The bathroom door clicked behind me.

When I'd found the right earrings—they were gold dangly things that swayed every time I moved—I went to work on my outfit. A jean skirt with a frayed hem was the obvious choice. Not too fancy and not too casual, but short enough to show off my tan and make my legs look longer than they actually were. I dressed it up with my favorite red halter. It had a built-in bra and gave me killer cleavage. I knew the gold heels I grabbed would be a challenge on the sidewalks downtown, but they were strappy, so at least I wouldn't fall
out
of them. Maybe I'd stumble a little and fall on my ass . . . or just maybe I'd fall into the perfect guy.

Yes! I could picture it perfectly. My heel caught in a crack, making me stumble. I would reach out for Ryan, but he'd be too far away to save me. The end was right there, flying toward me in the form of the cement sidewalk. I had a flashback to a rerun of
The Brady Bunch
and a football slamming into Marcia's nose right before the prom. I could picture myself throwing my hands out to brace my fall, but just before I slammed into the ground someone would swoop in.

My cheeks warmed as I imagined him catching me, pulling me close. The sun setting behind him like in every Nicholas Sparks movie I'd ever seen—minus the death and Alzheimer's. In my head, my savior was perfect-looking. Like Chris Hemsworth or Ian Somerhalder—I didn't even care which one as long as he looked like one of them. He smiled and music played as drunk college students stumbled down the road around us, and we realized we'd found our destiny.

I sighed as I pulled my shoes on. Yup. That was definitely going to happen.

My phone dinged and I jumped about two feet off the ground. I was so excited I could hardly stand still. I felt like a toddler on a sugar high. The text was from my cousin, which only made me jump around even more.

 

R
YAN: HEADING OUT EARLIER
. C U
IN
45
MINUTES
.

 

Yes! There were few things in life I enjoyed more than a night out in Charleston. The beach? Probably. But only because I loved the feeling of having guys drool over me. Shopping? Only if it wasn't my money. Sex? No contest! Sex won every time.

I caught my reflection in the mirror and frowned. Ugh. The humidity had done a number on my makeup and I was in desperate need of a touch-up. But first, I had business to take care of.

I took a seat at my desk and pulled out my pink spiral notebook. The pages were starting to look worn, but more than half of them were still blank. I flipped to the first unused page, and neatly printed the date at the top, then started writing.

I shut the notebook and sucked in a deep breath, trying to ease the pressure in my chest that always came when I wrote to Julie. Writing to her was supposed to be good for me, but it didn't feel that way. When I talked to Julie I could pretend she was here with me, listening. Writing it all down didn't have the same effect. It felt too final. Too much like a farewell. It made the ache inside me intensify.