by Delisa Lynn
“When I was singing, I thought I saw a tear roll down your cheek. If you don’t want to explain, you don’t have to.”
“Ahh, you saw that? Well, the lyrics touched my heart, and to have you singing directly to me…it was all happy tears, Evan. I’m really glad we met. As much as I would like to sit here and talk all night, I’m not a morning person, so I better get going. Thank you for everything! I enjoyed your performance.”
“Thanks, darlin’. I really wish we could sit here all night too. I have an early morning class, then work. I work at the law firm around the corner from campus. Will I see you tomorrow?” I pray to God she’ll say yes.
“I’m sure we will be seeing a lot of each other,” she says with a wink, flashing those dimples. I walk her to her car and notice Nikki is with Brody, dancing. He hasn’t come home all weekend.
Nikki and Lila seem like total opposites. Lila seems more reserved and shy, and Nikki is loud. I get in my car and head home. As I lie in my bed, all I can think about is Lila. I took a picture of us when we walked around Central Park. I lie there, staring at it, until I fall asleep.
***
While walking through the campus yard, I pray I’ll see Lila today and hope I have a couple classes with her. I enter through the east door, the one closest to the bookstore, and there she stands. She’s wearing a white sweater with black leggings and a pair of boots with fur around the top. Her long blonde hair is in ringlets down her back.
The closer I get to where she’s standing, the more flips my stomach does. Hell yeah, we’re in the same class! I take the seat right next to her. Damn, she looks so pretty today. I’ve known this girl less than a week and she already has my heart, and the bulge in my pants, doing jumping jacks.
“Well, good morning, sweetheart. It’s good to see you first thing in the morning. This is going to be a great day,” I say with a wink.
“Good morning, Evan. I also hoped I would see you today. I’ve heard this class is really hard and the professor is well, umm, a prick.”
“You heard correctly, dear.” I laugh. He is a prick. I had him in another class last year. He is very strict. When I saw him on my schedule this year, I cringed. I considered taking another section of the class so I could get another professor, but now I’m glad I didn’t. He hands us our syllabi and says that where we are sitting will be our assigned seats for the semester.
After class, Lila and I walk out together. We’re laughing and talking, having a good time, then boom, Alyssa comes around the fucking corner. I knew she was going to ruin this for me.
“Hey, Evan. Who is your friend?”Alyssa rolls her eyes and drags out the word friend. Fuck, I guess I need to introduce them.
“Lila, this is my ex, Alyssa. Alyssa, this is my friend, Lila.”
Lila reaches her hand out to Alyssa, but she doesn’t take it. She walks her skanky self away with her friends.
“I’m sorry about that. Will you meet me at the deli for lunch? I have to leave for work after that, but I would love to have lunch with you.” I hate the tone in my voice. I sound like I’m begging.
“Yes, I’ll have lunch with you.” She pats my arm and walks away.
I can’t wait to see her at lunch. There is something about her that makes my heart flutter. Damn, I sound like a woman.
I go to my last two classes of the day, collect my syllabi, and listen to the professors, but I think about Lila the entire time.
***
I walk into the deli and see Lila sitting at a table in the corner. Some of her hair is now pulled up on top of her head. She notices me right away and walks over to me. That smile of hers would make any guy fall to her feet. I’m screwed.
“Hey, darlin’.” I pull Lila in for a quick hug. “You ready for lunch?”
She’s blushing. I just can’t help myself. I’ve been wanting to touch all of her since I woke up this morning, since I met her. Every time she bites her lip, it drives me bonkers. I want to kiss her neck and get lost in her wonderful scent.
“Evan? Evan, is everything okay? You seem a little lost,” Lila says.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I got lost in thought for a second. Let’s grab some lunch, shall we?”
Lunch is great. I hate that I have to leave to go to work. I would love to spend the day with her. I feel like she hasn’t told me everything about her, that she has secrets. Oh hell, who am I kidding? It’s not like she has another life or something, and surely she would have mentioned a boyfriend by now.
The rest of the day at work, she is all I think about. I have a meeting and can’t even think straight. Brody and I are going out for a drink after work. He’s been with Nikki every day. I hope he isn’t moving too fast with her. He’s like me. He falls hard, especially for beautiful women.
I meet Brody at Zeb’s. I’m not singing tonight, although Zeb and my friends probably wish I would. I normally only sing here on Sundays, and today I just want to have a few drinks with my friends.
“Hey, bro. I feel like I haven’t seen you in months,” Brody says as he sits next to me at the bar. I ordered him a drink before he got here. I slide it over to him.
“Yeah, your punk ass is always at Nikki and Lila’s! So, how is that going? I really like Lila. She hasn’t mentioned a boyfriend yet. Should I ask her? Or just continue doing what we have been doing?”
Brody runs his hands through his hair quickly. He sips on his beer.
“I’m not sure. Nikki said something about an army dude, but when I asked if he was Lila’s steady boyfriend, she changed the subject.”
On my way home, my phone beeps. It’s a text.
Lila: Hey, would you like to grab dinner tonight? Nikki will be out with Brody and I’m lonely.
Me: Of course, I will pick you up!
Hell yeah, I would love to have dinner with her. I pick her up and ask if she has anything special in mind. She wants Chipotle again. I’m not really a fan of spicy food. She seems to love it.
We eat, and then I show her around a little. I don’t want to take her home, but we both have early classes. I also have a case I need to work on for my job.
“Lila, can I come in? I’m not ready for the evening to be over.”
“Sure. Nikki is at your place with Brody anyway. How about we watch a movie?”
“Okay, that sounds great! We won’t be watching a chick flick, right?” I chuckle. The biggest smile graces her face.
“I know exactly what we are going to watch, but it’s a secret.” She tilts her head back and giggles.
I wait on the couch while she goes to change and get the movie ready. She makes popcorn and pours us a glass of wine. A few minutes ago, she changed into a pair of cotton boy shorts and a NYU tee. Her legs are gorgeous. Hell, every inch of her is breathtaking. She sits down next to me and smiles as she starts the movie. It’s Bridesmaids.
I laugh. “So, this is what you wanted to watch? Great choice.”
“What? You don’t want to watch it?” She scrunches her nose and starts to get up. I grab her hips and pull her back down. I hadn’t realized I’d pulled her so close to me. She doesn’t move, though. She snuggles in my arm.
“This movie is fine. Don’t tell anyone, but I have a secret crush on Rebel Wilson.” She looks at me with a shocked expression and laughs.
“It’s our secret.” She sits back, sipping her wine.
About a half hour into the movie, I realize Lila has yawned a number of times. “Lila, are you getting tired, sweetheart? You are yawning an awful lot.” Then I yawn. “I think I should get going. I’ll see you in the morning. How about breakfast before class?”
“Okay, sounds great. I will meet you at Corner Café around seven-ish.”
She walks me to the door and gives me a quick hug. I nuzzle my head in her hair and hug her as tight as I can without hurting her.
Chapter Nine
Evan
Tatum called me a few days ago to let me know that she and Thayer called off the engagement. I don’t think it will be off for too l
ong. She always ends up back with him. I can never be with her because she’s never going to stay away from that asswipe, so I need to put her in the past.
I’m going to move things forward with Lila. I’m taking her sightseeing and then we’re having a small party at the loft tonight. All of us guys and a few of our friends are coming. I’m looking forward to dancing with Lila.
“What would you like to do today, pretty lady?”
She smiles and places a finger on her chin as if she has to really think about it. Then she grins. “How about we go to Central Park and get one of those hotdogs?”
“I think we can do that.”
The weather’s starting to get colder. I’m wearing my leather jacket. I rarely wear it, but now is a great time to start. Lila has on a white peacoat with a bright pink scarf and those Ugg boots she likes. I bet she couldn’t wait to get to New York so she could wear winter clothes.
“Evan, you aren’t originally from Utah, are you?” Lila asks as she scrunches her nose at me. I smile. I know exactly where this is going.
“No, love. I’m originally from Alabama, but I moved to Utah when I was a child. I go back to Birmingham every summer, though.” I laugh. “It’s my damn accent, isn’t it?”
“Umm, Evan, you have the strongest twang I have ever heard! I like it, though, especially when you sing. Will you sing to me tonight?”
“Of course. I’ll sing to you whenever you want, darlin’. Now, let’s grab those hotdogs.”
***
Brody and Zander already had the party started when Lila and I arrive. Alyssa is also here. Who the fuck invited her? I hope she doesn’t try to pull anything with Lila. I see her eyeing me and licking her lips like I’m a goddamn steak.
I grab a beer. I start heading toward Lila so we can dance, but then Godseala grabs my arm and pulls me to the patio.
“What the fuck do you want, Alyssa?” I ask as I pull the door closed. “I don’t want to play any of your games tonight.”
“Oh, come on, Evan. Don’t you miss us? That girl can’t give you what I can. I need you so much. We are good together, you and I. We always were. Then you let Mal ruin it. Oh, wait, where is Mal? Oh, that’s right. She dumped your ass, fast. She must not have liked the sex as much as I do.” Alyssa runs her finger up my arm. “Or wait…she was just with you because of me.”
“Just stop. We are nothing! We never were, Alyssa! How many damn times do I have to tell you this? We can be friends, but nothing more. Understand?” I whisper-yell. I don’t want Lila to hear me. I see her looking our way.
“Yep!” She bats her fake lashes at me. “Just know this, Evan. You will never find anyone that will love you the way I do.”
Much to my relief, she walks away.
I walk back into the loft and see Lila and Nikki dancing. I take a swig of my beer and tell Zander to change the music. I grab Lila’s waist and pull her close to me just as ‘Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts comes on. I pull her closer to me and whisper how great she looks in her ear. Then I start singing the lyrics of the song. I can feel my arousal through my pants. Fuck, I’ve had more erections around Lila than I have ever had around any other girl. I back up a little. I know she can tell what’s going on.
She keeps her distance as she lays her head on my chest. I pull her back in and imagine kissing her and holding her in my arms all night. God, I would love to know what she feels like inside and out. The music stops and I realize I’m still holding her. I pull away, smile, and ask her if she wants to get a drink.
“Evan, I think I should go. I’ve had a few drinks and my stomach feels a little upset. I’ve had a really great day. Thank you, for everything.”
She walks away to tell Nikki she is leaving. I take her home. She’s quiet all the way there. I hope the dance didn’t upset her.
I walk her to her door and ask if I can see her tomorrow, after class. She says yes. I lean in for a hug and I kiss her nose. Yeah, real nice, dude. I just needed to put my lips on her body. At this point, I wouldn’t care if it was her fucking toes.
“I really enjoy spending time with you. I can’t wait ‘til tomorrow,” she says as she gives me another quick hug.
“Goodnight, darlin’. Sleep tight.”
I get in my car and lay my head on my steering wheel. What the fuck is going on with us? I think she likes me, but I still think there is so much she isn’t telling me. I sit for a few minutes, thinking about everything. My mind is so fucked up right now. This girl is driving me crazy. I want her so bad, I can’t fucking stand it.
I go back to the loft. Brody and Nikki are in his room. Some girl is on Zander’s couch. I’ve never seen her before. I go to my room, lie in my bed, and stare at the ceiling for what seems like hours. Then I start thinking about the last month that I spent with Bryn, how I was looking forward to being a father.
“Evan, I need you to sit down. What I’m about to tell you may shock the crap out of you. I know it shocked me, anyway. I thought about this for weeks. I know I should have told you when I first found out, but I was scared and I’m still scared. I-I’m um…Evan, I’m eight weeks pregnant. I don’t know what to do. I haven’t told anyone yet. Well, except for Kay, but I don’t know how to tell my parents. Please say something.”
“You’re right, I am in shock. We were careful…the condom must have broken or something. Baby, I love you and I will always take care of you and our child. We are in this together. I will go with you to tell your parents. I know my parents or my grandparents will help us. They won’t let us or our child go without.”
“That’s just it. My parents are going to freak! They’ll make me get rid of it. I know them. Duwayne is my nephew, not my brother. They hid my sister until she had him so no one would know she was pregnant. This will ruin their reputations. I can’t tell them.”
“Bryn, we will get through this. I promise, baby. I will never let them hurt our family.”
The more I think about everything that happened, the more I hate her parents. Bryn and I waited for a week. Then we told them. They were both disgusted and, of course, wanted no part of us being a family. Her mother’s exact words were, “No child of mine is having a baby at the age of seventeen, even if I have to give you the abortion myself.”
Those words haunt me every day. A week later, they took her for an abortion. I never saw Bryn again. I know she didn’t have much control over her parents, but I feel she could have done something. It killed me, knowing the perfect little life we had created out of love was being sucked out of the woman I loved.
I need to move on. It’s been four years and it’s still giving me nightmares.
***
I’m so tired, I skip class. I text Lila and ask her to just meet me for dinner. That’ll give me time to take a quick nap. Just as I doze off, my phone beeps. It’s Tatum.
“Hello, Ta. Is everything okay?” From previous conversations I’ve had with Ta, I know that jerk has been hitting her.
“Yes. I’m giving him another chance. Please don’t be mad. I know he loves me and he won’t hurt me anymore. I just wanted you to know. Thank you for always lending an ear for me. I got to go.” She pauses. “Evan, I love you.”
“I love you too, Ta. Please be safe.”
I try to go back to sleep. Again, I just keep tossing and turning.
Damn, I can’t sleep now, so I shower and call Lila. She says to pick her up anytime. Well, I’m ready to see her now. Maybe she can take my mind off of Tatum.
“How was your day, darlin’?” I ask Lila as she gets in the car.
“It was wonderful. I slept in a little and then went to class. How was yours?”
Her face is glowing and she seems really happy. I wonder if her happiness has anything to do with the army guy Brody mentioned. I still haven’t asked her about him. I hope she’ll be honest with me when she’s ready to talk about him, if there is someone. Sometimes Brody just talks to hear himself talk.
We go to a small Mexican restaurant. Lila loves Mexi
can food.
“I hope this is fine. I know how much you like spicy food.”
I open her door. She looks beautiful, as usual. She’s wearing a pair of jeans and her hair is pulled to the side with her curls flowing.
“This is fine, Evan. How is it that, in the short time we have known each other, you know me so well?” She laughs as we walk into the restaurant.
Just as we find a table and sit down, my phone starts ringing. It’s Zander. I excuse myself and take the call.
“What’s up, dude? This better be important. I’m with Lila.”
“Evan, that fucker is beating on Tatum. Did you know? If you did, I’m going to break your fucking neck!”
“Zan, I knew, but I promised I wouldn’t say anything. Is she okay? What the fuck did he do?” My anger is rising by the second. I want to stomp the shit out of Thayer.
“Yeah, she is fine now. He broke her arm. Audrey called me. I’m going there now. I will be back in a few days.”
Fuck, Thayer must have found out she was talking to me. I kick the wall and immediately realize I kicked a little too hard. I probably broke my fucking foot. I limp back into the restaurant. Lila looks concerned.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes, just a friend that had a little trouble, is all,” I say as if it’s no big deal. Who the fuck am I kidding? I’m so pissed off, I could beat the shit out of that fucker.
“Ready to order, darlin’? I need a glass of wine. How about you?”
Hell, right now I need a fucking keg and my guitar. I still can’t believe Tatum went back to him.
“I would love a glass of wine. It has been such a long month. I never imagined college would be this hard. Also, being away from my family and friends is driving me insane. I’m excited about going home for the holidays. What are you doing over break?” she asks. She takes a swig of her wine.
