“Matt said you would be ready.”
I closed the door and turned to him. I waved a hand down my front – I was wearing cut off jean shorts and a somewhat sweaty old t-shirt.
“I’m clearly not dressed to go out. I was cleaning,” I bit out. I folded my arms and looked at Theo. He was in simple dark jeans and a t-shirt. Men had it so easy when it came to dressing.
“You look good to me,” Theo said scanning me up and down. “Anyway, it’ll only be us and maybe a few others, we’ve seen you in worse.” I flinched. Theo immediately took a step towards me.
“I meant that horrific unicorn onesy thing you used to wear,” he said softly. I laughed, I had loved that onesy, but unfortunately it had been left behind when we left.
“Come on, get ready, I’ll wait.” Theo then wandered off onto my balcony which would have been fine if it wasn’t attached to my bedroom. They genuinely didn’t think sometimes. I think both him and Matt completely forgot I was a girl. I was just Ari. I grabbed clothes and headed for the bathroom. A quick shower later and I was ready. I’d put the shorts back on and replaced the t-shirt with a simple peasant blouse. I brushed my hair back into a ponytail and applied a quick sweep of mascara and some tinted lip balm.
I went to get Theo who was sitting back with his eyes closed soaking up the late sunshine. He glanced at me when I entered the bedroom, nodded and then was up and heading for the door.
“One thing I have always loved about you Lil Bit, is your no-nonsense approach to getting ready.”
I knew he meant well but I still looked down at myself wondering if maybe I should have put more effort in. I shrugged, this was me, they knew me, this was what they were used to. I grabbed my wallet and housekeys and was out the door after Theo.
I hadn’t realised the house they were in was off campus too nor that it was so big. It looked huge and imposing, it had Jake Dawson stamped all over it. I immediately hated it. Then I instantly resented the fact that he still riled me up when he wasn’t even here. The house was all glass and shiny and I was so glad in that moment I didn’t have to clean the windows.
Theo led me round the back of the building, I could hear music and the sounds of laughter, I reached out and snagged Theo’s arm. He turned to look at me and stopped.
“There are more than a few people here,” I commented sternly. Theo shrugged and yanked me forward again. It was them, so there were always people hanging around them, I should have expected it. Matt and Theo made friends with everyone, I think they had some form of social disease personally. I frowned thinking that Theo was going to let me come in the shirt I had been cleaning in!Asshat.
We rounded to the back of the house and I took in the trees, the sparkling pool and the number of people just milling about. The house was more glass to the back, honestly it looked ridiculous – there was just glass, glass and more glass. There were what appeared to be two decks, the lower one ran around the pool and then the other was set up a level and ran only around half the lower deck.
Still, it was like a flashback in time. It drew me up short. I looked around, trying to see signs of Matt. He was at a table with a group of guys laughing uproariously, he caught sight of Theo and I saw him look behind Theo to find me. His smile grew and then he was off his feet and on his way towards me.
I couldn’t help the answering smile, which quickly vanished when I was lifted and flung over his shoulder and carried off into the house. I heard Theo laughing behind me as he followed with me insisting that Matt put me down. This was getting beyond ridiculous. Bags of potatoes didn’t get lifted and hauled about as much as I did.
I was placed abruptly down in a kitchen. I turned to march away from Matt, so I had better space to scold him. When I turned, I was greeted with the sight of Colton sitting at the end of a breakfast bar drinking a coffee. His left eyebrow lifted in question. I immediately couldn’t think of one thing to say. Theo was still laughing as I turned back to them and saw Theo reach out to grab Matt’s arm.
“Best way to avoid Lil Bit shouting at you, throw her down in front of Colton and then...” My jaw dropped in disbelief to glare at Theo and then watched him and mybest friendMatt run back out of the kitchen. I took one faltering step after them but was brought up short with Colton’s low laugh. I turned around to him and with whatever dignity I could salvage – which I am pretty sure wasn’t much – I walked to the breakfast bar and pulled out a stool. I hopped up onto it and looked at him.
He was assessing me and when I dared look him the eye, he was laughing at me, which immediately made me scowl again. Colton grinned.
“Hi,” I mumbled.
The grin grew. I decided then and there I would do my utmost to make Theo and Matt’s social life very,veryuncomfortable from now on and I was no longer feeding them. Ever. Food privileges were going to be revoked.
“Ari, how nice to see you.” He tipped his coffee cup in my direction and took a drink. He looked at me. I looked back. I looked away. I looked back. I fidgeted, panicking slightly, whilst trying to think of something to say. I glanced away again.
His laughter made me snap my eyes back to him. Colton got up from the stool, took his cup to the sink and then walked towards me. I didn’t move as I watched him approach me, as my insides vibrated, whilst hoping and praying I looked perfectly normal. He stopped beside me, I could smell his cologne. God, he smelled delicious. He always had I realised.
Colton leaned in close enough that I could feel his breath on the side of my face. I daren’t move, if I turned, I would be so close, too close.
“Breathe Ari,” he whispered softly into my ear and then with a low chuckle, he left.
Complete Asshat.
When the patio door closed, I leapt off the seat. My blood was racing, and my heart was pounding.Holy shit what the hell was that?I paced the kitchen and then flung the fridge door open, I needed a drink. My hand reached for a bottle of water, my eye caught sight of a bottle of beer. With my mum being such a complete mess on alcohol I had always avoided it – I wasn’t a complete prude, I had no problem with others drinking it. I just had always avoided it. However, in that moment, I was so flustered, I made the choice and grabbed the beer. It tasted vile. It was a weird taste of bitter and nothing at all. I finished the bottle and screwed my face up. I genuinely had no idea what the fuss was about.
A male laugh made me turn. There was a blonde guy staring at me, assessing me. He was handsome, chin length hair, clear blue eyes and blonde stubble, not quite a beard and definitely more than a five o’clock shadow. He smiled at me, I smiled back. He was leaning over the breakfast bar, he straightened up and I noticed he was tall. He filled out the black button-down shirt he was wearing nicely too I noticed.
“Beer no good?” He had a soft southern lilt to his voice. He did look like a country music star, made sense he sounded like one.
“It tasted weird. I think it may have been off?” I tossed the empty bottle into the sink.
Blondie laughed out loud. “Yeah, you’re not the first one to have a ‘bad bottle of beer’ darling.” The beer was bad? Is that why it tasted so weird? I frowned at the offending empty bottle.