by H K Christie
Selena had a fierce look in her eyes. “I don’t know, but I think maybe there’s something we could do to stop them—once and for all. The next group session isn’t until after Thanksgiving break, but maybe we can come up with a plan and then present it to the support group?”
Dee didn’t think she had the energy for a crusade. She said, “I don’t know.” There was one thing she was sure of, and that was that she would avoid the Delta Kappa Alpha house for the rest of her life and warn any other woman to do the same.
11
Sunday morning a week and a half later, Selena glanced up from her laptop at the sound of the door opening. “Dee?”
A voice called out. “It’s me.”
Selena shut the lid and hopped off her bed. She greeted Dee with a hug before they plopped themselves down on the sofa. “How was Thanksgiving?”
Dee shrugged. “It was fine. I didn’t tell my family. It was kind of tricky to pretend like I’m loving school. Oh, well. It’s kind of nice to be back in the dorm so I don’t have to fake it so much. How was your Thanksgiving?”
Selena nodded. “It was good. It was nice to be home with Dad, Martina, and Zoey. My dad’s a great cook. I think I ate my body weight in mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. It was fun, but I’m glad to be back too.” She also had a good strategy session with Martina about how to get evidence against the predators at DKA and, hopefully, get the fraternity shut down. Well, when they discussed it, it had been all hypothetical, but Selena sensed Martina knew she was up to something based on Martina’s overstating of all the dangers one could face and all the precautions one should take. Selena felt up to the challenge. There was no way it was coincidence all of those women had been assaulted at the same frat house. She would get to the bottom of it, not only to get justice for Dee and the others, but to prevent other women from falling prey to them.
“I bet. Have you run into any one special since you’ve been back?” Dee wiggled her eyebrows.
Selena scrunched up her face. “Not yet. I was going to head down there a little later and talk to him.”
Dee’s eyes opened wide, and she swallowed. “What are you going to say? Do you really think you’re ready?”
She’d discussed Brendon with her therapist last week, and they agreed she was ready to go on a date. It excited her but terrified her at the same time. She’d grown to really care for Brendon, but that was what scared her most of all. “Something like, ‘I like you and I want to go on a date with you.’ Is that lame?” It was true, she did like him and wanted to go on a date with him, but she also needed him to escort her to a DKA party so she could initiate surveillance. Two birds, one stone.
Dee beamed at her. “It’s direct. It’s perfect. He’d be a fool to turn you down.”
“Thanks.” Selena could feel the swarm of butterflies already.
Selena stood in front of Brendon’s door and took a deep breath. And another. And another. C’mon, Selena, you can do this. She raised her hand to knock and the door swung open. Brendon appeared wearing nothing but a pair of dark wash denim and a bright smile. Damn. He was fit. Selena’s heart thudded in her chest and she momentarily forgot how to use her words.
“Hi, Selena, this is a nice surprise.”
Words escaped her, and she blurted, “Hi.” Oh jeez, girl, you sound like an idiot. It was not her finest moment.
He cocked his head with a knowing smile. “Did you want to come in?”
“Yeah, I was thinking if you have a few minutes, maybe we could talk?” It was so much harder than she’d practiced. Was it his shirtless body or his killer smile? He made her far more flustered than she was comfortable with.
“Come on in.”
She could do this. She could. She walked to the living room and sat on the sofa. He continued to the bedroom and hollered out, “I’m gonna throw a shirt on, I’ll be right back.”
Thank goodness. She didn’t think she could pull off the mission with him shirtless. He needed a shirt. She hadn’t anticipated him without a shirt. Here Selena had thought she would never have feelings for another man again, now she could barely speak at the sight of a six pack. He returned and sat next to her on the sofa. “Okay, so what’s this about?”
She turned to look at him, her breath caught once again. Oh boy. She really liked this guy. But she had to be smart. “I wanted to apologize for the last time I was over. It’s been a long time since I’ve dated anyone, and the last breakup didn’t go very well. It left me a little trigger shy.” Understatement of the century.
“So, what you’re saying is you’ve been hurt before and that’s why you don’t want to date me?”
“But the thing is, I do like you, and I thought maybe if you’re okay with taking things slow, then maybe we could go out?” She stared at him as her heart raced.
A crooked smile crept up the side of his face. “I would very much like to go on a date with you. When would you like to go out?”
“How about Friday?” That way they could go out on a real date before she subtly suggested the two of them attend a Delta Kappa Alpha party.
He nodded. “I’m free on Friday. How about I pick you up at your dorm room and we can go to dinner?”
“Okay, great. Sounds good.” She was about to push off the couch and leave when he stopped her by putting his hand gently on her arm. Her cheeks flushed.
“Do you have to leave right now?”
She really did not plan this as well as she thought she did. “No. Not really.”
His eyes sparkled. “Do you want to hang out for a little bit?”
Was she really ready for this? She had her baton. “I can hang out for a bit.”
“Great. Uh, do you want to watch a movie or …” His eyes locked on hers, and he leaned toward her, placing his hand on her thigh. She didn’t push him away. He continued until his lips met hers. The warmth of his mouth on hers sent heat down her body. It had been so long since she’d kissed someone, she had forgotten how wonderfully intoxicating it could be. She didn’t want to stop. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck, feeling his hair with her fingers.
Fifteen minutes later, she was about ready to rip off his shirt and return him to his topless state when she froze. It was too much too fast. She had to stop. She pushed him back gently. Out of breath, she said, “I think I should go.”
His eyes pleaded with hers. “Are you sure?”
She was sure. She leaned over to give him a warm soft kiss and then lifted herself off the sofa. “I’ll see you on Friday.” She hurried out of his dorm and prayed her need for a swift departure was due to nerves—and not echoes of her ex-boyfriend, Zeek, warning her to stay away.
12
Selena blotted her red lips with a tissue and then tossed the item into the trash. She flipped her head over and swung it back to give her long, wavy brown hair some body. Staring at her reflection, she still couldn’t believe she was going on her first date since—well, since she thought she would never go on another date again. And then there was Brendon. The guy that made her tingly all over. She wanted to be with him, but she also needed to put an end to Delta Kappa Alpha’s violence against women. She needed Brendon to help her, but she wasn’t ready to let him in on her investigative plans. She only hoped that he wouldn’t be mad if he ever found out. A tinge of guilt sparked inside of her. She kept telling herself she wasn’t using him—because she wasn’t, not really.
A knock on the door shook her out of her thoughts. Dee called out, “I’m pretty sure that’s for you.”
Selena exited the bathroom and eyed her roommate, who was sitting upright on her bed zoned in on the screen of her laptop. She was glad Dee had finally decided to go back to class and focus on her studies. Lucky for Dee, and thanks to her counselor, her professors had let her make up what she’d missed.
“I suppose it is. Don’t wait up.”
Dee chuckled. “As if I ever go to sleep.”
It was sad, but true. She could hear her roommate tossing and turni
ng all night. Her heart broke for Dee, but she knew that it would get better eventually. Selena herself wasn’t a great sleeper, but compared to Dee she was practically a bear during hibernation season.
Selena waved and hurried toward the door, with butterflies in tow. She grabbed the handle, turned, and pulled. An involuntary smile took over at the sight of Brendon’s sparkling light brown eyes and nervous grin.
“Hi.”
“Hi. You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” Her body went rigid as a flashback of Zeek infiltrated her thoughts. She liked compliments, but Zeek had love bombed her hard. Constant compliments and a steady stream of texts day and night. At the time, she’d thought it was flattering and sweet. She didn’t realize it was just the early steps of what they call coercive control. She knew better now but, unfortunately, she’d had to learn the hard way. For her, compliments were complicated. She stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind her. She turned around to face him. “All set. Are you ready?”
“Yes, I thought we’d go to an Italian place. Do you like Italian food?”
“I love Italian. I’m Italian, you know.” She said with a coy smile.
“No, I didn’t know that. You don’t have a very Italian last name.”
“My mother’s Italian. My dad isn’t.” Her mother had been Italian.
“That makes sense.”
They made small talk as they exited the dorm and entered the parking structure where he had parked his car. Conversation was easy and casual as they drove into downtown San Francisco.
After finally finding a parking spot, Brendon parked and ran over to open the door for her. A year ago, she would’ve thought he was a gentleman. Now she wondered if he was a misogynist who wanted to keep her barefoot and pregnant. I swear, you date one homicidal maniac and it changes your perspective on everything.
She stepped out of the car, forcing a smile. “Thank you.” Her nerves rattled as they walked down the sidewalk passing groups of people out for a good time. He opened the door to the restaurant and held it for her. She gave another apprehensive smile at the chivalrous gesture. She stepped in and immediately went up to the podium to put in their name. He came up behind her and said, “Oh, I have a reservation.”
So much for trying to show that she didn’t need him to lead the entire evening. She knew she was being overly sensitive, but that was her reality now.
The hostess sat them at a small table in the packed restaurant with twinkle lights above the bar that was situated in the middle of the restaurant. The hostess handed them large hard-bound menus. Fancy. It was sweet that he had gone to the trouble. He peeked over the menu and said, “I’m glad I made a reservation, I just heard someone say that there was an hour wait. Also, they supposedly have the best gnocchi in town. Do you like gnocchi? It’s one of my favorites.”
He seemed so sweet and sincere. “I love all pasta, especially fettuccine.”
“Me too. Looks like they have a pesto fettuccine.”
Selena’s stomach grumbled at the thought. “Yum.”
After devouring the bread and olive oil dipping sauce, their entrées were presented to them on large white plates. Selena stared down at her order of half gnocchi and half pesto fettuccine. It smelled A.Maze.Ing. She couldn’t wait to dig in. She glanced up at Brendon and met his gaze.
His eyes shined into hers. “Bon appétit.”
“Bon appétit.” She grabbed her fork and took a bite of the pesto fettuccine. She chewed with her mouth closed but couldn’t help but moan. It was so good. Realizing she was making a spectacle of herself she looked over at Brendon, who had a wide smile.
Her cheeks burned. She obviously had lost the ability to act civilized on a date. Mouth still full of fettuccine, she mumbled, “Sorry. It’s so good.”
“Oh no, please don’t apologize. I’m very much enjoying the show.”
She swallowed. “Thanks. I feel so stupid now.”
“Oh, no, no, don’t feel silly. Here. This will make you feel better.” He picked up his fork, stabbed a plump gnocchi, and popped it in his mouth. He began to chew and then he rubbed his belly in circles and started moaning rather loudly.
Selena almost fell over in laughter. “Stop that or they’ll kick us out!”
“Feel better?” he asked.
A smile crept up her face. “Yes.” He was sweet and silly and funny. It was as if he wasn’t so much trying to impress her as he was trying to be a good date. She liked it and was enjoying every minute of their time together.
After they finished off their Spumoni and tiramisu, they exited the restaurant and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Brendon gently placed his hand in hers. She didn’t pull away. She liked the warmth of his soft fingers. The strength of his hands.
When they approach the car, he turned her around to face him. He looked down at her. “I’m having a great time tonight. Is it dorky if I ask you if you’ll go out with me again?”
Yes, it was kind of dorky, but it was welcome too. Everything seemed so easy with him, it was almost effortless. “I had a good time too. So, yes, I’d go out with you again.”
He smiled and bent down and kissed her softly. He stood back up and unlocked the door and opened it for her. She slid into the passenger seat and untangled her hand from his. He shut the door and headed over to the driver side. He seemed normal. She didn’t feel afraid of him. That was a good sign, right?
They continued to chatter on the way back to their dorms. They talked about their classes and the upcoming holidays. Throughout the night he’d made her laugh so hard she thought she’d crack a rib.
As they walked back to their building, she secretly prayed that it wasn’t a façade, that this was who Brendon really was. They held hands as they made their way back up to the third floor. They stopped at her door and Selena hesitated. She didn’t want the night to be over, but she didn’t want to invite him in with Dee inside. He must have sensed her hesitation. He said, “Did you want to turn in for the night, or maybe hang out at my place? My roommate went home for the weekend.”
Selena looked up at him. “I’d like that.”
A few hours later, Selena entered her dorm. As expected, Dee was still up, exactly where she had been when Selena left. Dee peered above the screen of the laptop and smiled. “Someone had a late night.”
Selena kicked off her heels and sat crossed legged on her bed. “We decided to hang out after dinner.”
“Hang out? Is that code for getting down?”
Selena could feel her face turning bright red.
“Dang, girl! Now I really want the details.”
“We went to dinner downtown, it was amazing. The food was so good. And then we hung out his dorm room for a little bit.”
“Hang out in his dorm for a little bit? Girl, it’s almost two in the morning,” Dee said with innuendo in her voice, looking at the time on her phone.
Yes, it was. She hadn’t planned to be over his place for that long, but she had a hard time tearing herself away from him. “Nothing too salacious to report back.”
“Really?”
“Just over-the-clothes stuff. I told him I wanted to take it slow.”
Dee’s expression turned serious. “So how was it, your first date since—everything?”
“It was good. It was fun and he makes me laugh. It was nice.”
“I’m glad you had a nice night.”
“Me too.”
Was it possible she could actually have a relationship with Brendon? She certainly wasn’t ready for anything more than the physical stuff they had done that night. He was understanding, but she could tell that he was having a difficult time. Her therapist had told her that only time would tell what she would be ready for and when.
She looked back at Dee and remembered her mission. She should be able to easily persuade Brendon to take her to the Delta Kappa Alpha house. She felt a tiny bit guilty not telling him her intentions, but she really did like him. So she wasn’t deceiving him—not really. Even i
f she didn’t need to get into the DKA house, she would still want to go on another date with him. So, it wasn’t wrong, right?
13
Hand-in-hand, Brendon and Selena made their way up the steps to the massive, two-story Delta Kappa Alpha house. Music was blaring and dozens were milling about with drinks in hand. A typical Saturday night at a frat house.
Earlier in the week, Selena had suggested to Brendon that they go to the DKA house for a party. He’d agreed without any kind of hesitation or wondering why she wanted to go. She hadn’t needed to give the excuse she’d prepared. She’d planned to say she’d never been to a frat party before and wanted to see what it was like. She was glad she hadn’t had to lie because truth be told, she could have gone her entire life without visiting a fraternity—especially one known for assaulting women.
She and Brendon had seen each other a few times over the last week. Her feelings increased the more time they spent together. He didn’t compliment her constantly or text her non-stop. She didn’t think he was a Zeek 2.0. However, she’d asked her therapist for an opinion, still not fully trusting her own instincts. Her therapist listened as she described the date and Brendon. Her therapist had said that so far Brendon didn’t seem to exhibit any red flags, but that she couldn’t be sure because she hadn’t met him in person. Selena wished Martina could give him the once-over. She’d be able to assess him no problem, but it was far too early for her to be introducing Brendon to her parents.
Brendon gave the bouncer their name. The burly man in a black t-shirt scanned a list and then said, “Alrighty, you’re good to go.”
“Thanks.”
He led Selena into the house. It was loud, and people were dancing and drinking. It was as if the house was pulsating with its own life force. Each room was jam-packed with people clutching plastic cups. The air smelled of marijuana and cigarettes. Clearly an anything goes kinda place.
