Here With Me

by Alla Kar

  “Well, I have some homework to do. I’ll come over before the party and help you get ready.” Bethany jumps up and heads toward the door. She turns once the door is partially opened. “Thank you for doing this for me. I appreciate it.” She smiles, then shuts the door behind her.

  Pressing my feet into the mattress, I grab my phone. I text Aiden quickly before I lose my nerve.

  Me: Can’t wait. Pick me up at nine.

  I glance down at my phone and look at his text.

  Aiden: I’ll be there.

  I scoff. “I just wish I wasn’t going to be there.”

  Chapter Seven

  Lachlan

  “I never meant to start a war,

  I just wanted you to let me in” — Miley Cyrus

  I touched her again. God, it’d felt so good. I don’t know how I controlled myself. I wanted to pry her lips open with my fingers and force my tongue inside her mouth. Shit, I’ve got to stop thinking about it, my dick is getting hard.

  “Is this a Baked Alaska?”

  A balding guy with a clipboard and name tag that reads “Dr. Phillips” leans over my dish, tasting it. He seems to be concentrating, so I almost don’t answer him.

  “Yes, sir, it is.”

  He lifts an eyebrow and glances up at me. “This is extraordinary. Are you Australian?”

  I give him a clipped nod “Yes.”

  “Hmm,” he mumbles, taking another bite. He slips a blue ribbon onto my table and pushes his glasses up his nose. “I’ll see you Tuesday.” He glances at the clipboard. “Oh, you didn’t sign the sheet. Those damn kids, they were supposed to make sure everyone signs.”

  Pressing my lips together, I take the sheet and sign it. “Thank you, Dr. Phillips. I’ll see you Tuesday.” He walks off, mumbling underneath his breath.

  He has to be talking about Laney. Her and that guy were making sure everyone signed the bloody sheet. Everyone but me, at least. She saw my name and took off. She ran, just like before.

  I knew I shouldn’t have gone after her, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to touch her, talk to her, be near her. She is just as beautiful as the first time I saw her in tenth grade. That ass…goddamn that ass. She was leaning over the career fair table, not paying me any attention. I’d asked her if she was aware her knickers were showing. She slugged me in the face. Yep, right in the face.

  I thought it would be funny. She didn’t get the joke. After slugging me, she got down on her knees and apologized thirty times. For someone so tiny, she packs a mean punch. It was all over from there. She accepted my apology and my invite to the movies that weekend. That was all it took.

  Pushing back my memories, I pack up my bag and head toward the door.

  ***

  Lucas and Savannah are both sitting on the couch when I get home. Both of their heads pop up and look at me. “So, did you make it? Are you going to the finals?” Savannah asks.

  I almost laugh. She seems so excited, considering she just met me. “Yeah, I made it.”

  “Damn, bro, I knew you could do it,” Lucas says, offering me a fist pump.

  “I’ve got skills. I just finished my Baked Alaska and it was all over with.”

  Savannah claps her hands and stands up. “I’m going to get in the shower really quick. You guys should pick out a movie. I’ll be back in a bit.” She scurries off to the bathroom and Lucas automatically glances up at me.

  “You saw her.”

  It’s more of a statement than a question. Is it that bloody obvious? Jesus, I’m such a pussy. “Yes, she was there…with some guy.”

  Lucas shakes his head. “Ouch, bro. Are you okay? Did you talk to her?”

  Sitting down on the loveseat, I swipe my fingers through my hair. “Yes, after I caught her. She ran. Just like old times.” I scoff. “I caught her in the alley. She wouldn’t look at me…Jesus, she felt so good. I barely touched her and I wanted to rip her bloody clothes off.”

  “Why didn’t you? You’ve never had a problem with girls, Lachlan. Make her want you. Use your magical panty-dropping accent. Make her give you another chance.” He grins, like he does when he gets a bullshit idea. “How about we crash a party tomorrow night. They’re having a fraternity party for the TKE’s at the school. Her date at the rehearsal dinner is part of the fraternity. She’ll definitely be there.”

  The thought of seeing her again gives me hope. “I don’t know—”

  “Come on. Win her back. Make her drop that asswipe Aiden.”

  “Isn’t he going to be family in a few days, Lucas? Maybe you should keep it down before Savannah hears. I’m not trying to force her to be with me, I want her to want me.”

  Lucas stands and slaps my shoulder. “She will want you, I promise. Just go in there and be yourself; she’ll have her panties down to her ankles in two minutes.”

  One can only dream.

  ***

  Laney

  “Just make sure you keep an eye on your drink. Do not take a drink from anyone. Do you hear me, Laney?”

  Pressing my fingers to my temple, I nod. “Yes, mother hen. I’ve got it. Do not drink anything anyone gives me, unless I see them pour it. I promise, I won’t.”

  Heather nods, reaching over and straightening my boobs in my dress. I’m wearing a Band-Aid dress, it’s obviously Heather’s. She finally decided she would let me wear it, if I promised no rips this time.

  The yellow makes my black hipster glasses pop, and these heels make my calves look amazing. “You look smoking, baby doll. I don’t think he’ll be able to keep his hands off of you.”

  I pull my hair to the side and lift an eyebrow. “You do know this is a pretend date, don’t you? I don’t want his hands on me.”

  Heather rolls her eyes. “It’s just an expression.”

  I’m pretty sure it’s not, but I nod anyway. Bethany slings the door open a few minutes later. She is carrying a bunch of snacks and a small video camera. “How are we doing? You look hot, when will he be here?”

  “Five minutes,” I say.

  She nods, unloading her armful of candy onto Heather’s bed. I poke my lip out. “Why don’t I get any candy? I’m the one doing all of the work.”

  Bethany tosses me a Snickers and continues to get her gear set up. Heather pulls my hair to the side in a long ponytail. “Be sure to speak into your necklace, make sure it’s on at all times. We’re going to get this sucker.”

  “Should we be worried about her?” I whisper to Heather.

  She shakes her head. “Nah, she is just a woman scorned. You know what they say about that.”

  Isn’t that the truth.

  Aiden is right on time. A few knuckle raps against the door tell me he is here. I open the door. Aiden is holding a bouquet of pink roses. He grins, gaze rolling from head to toe. “You look amazing. I guess I’ll be with the prettiest girl at the party tonight.”

  Lame, we all know that’s not true. I fake a smile. Heather reaches around and grabs the flowers. “I’ll take those, you two have a great night.” She shuts the door, leaving me alone in the hallway with him.

  “You ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  The party is loud. I can hear the music from three blocks away. It’s only a short distance from our dorm room to the TKE fraternity house, so Aiden decides it would be nice to walk. I, on the other hand, wouldn’t have minded a ride in the BMW. These heels are killing my poor feet.

  “So, about the other night. I—I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions about that guy and you. I’m sorry…it’s just…” he trails off, pulling at the neck of his shirt. “I was jealous.”

  I’m sure Bethany is having a heart attack right now. I clear my throat and push my hair behind my ear. “We’ve only been on one date, Aiden.”

  He nods, squeezing his arm around my waist. “I know that. I—I feel like a girl. I just don’t want anyone else to have you.”

  I fight the urge to roll my eyes, and give him a small smirk. “Well, let’s just see how tonight goes.
No need to rush into anything.”

  Aiden nods, even though I swear I see him frown.

  ***

  I don’t know how many drinks have been thrown in my direction. Aiden doesn’t seem to notice that I’ve been dumping them into the plant standing right beside me. I am not about to become that girl.

  Aiden has claimed a small corner, close to the kitchen. Easy for him, since he’s been slipping away to bring more drinks back for me. He thinks I haven’t noticed but I know he has only had one drink. A couple of other guys stand around us.

  I’m on my fourth pretend drink, when Aiden leans down to rest his lips just below my ear. It’s the first physical contact we’ve had. It startles me, causing me to dump my drink onto the floor, splattering all up my legs.

  “Shit,” I mumble.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you. You want me to go to the bathroom with you to get cleaned up?”

  Yeah, like that’s a good idea, I’ve seen How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. I press my hand to his chest. He misreads me and pulls me close to him, his lips a whisper away. I knew this would happen, I mean, I am bringing this upon myself. Think, Laney. Think.

  Instead of kissing Aiden, I wrap my hand around his neck and grab a hold of his hair. “Save my spot,” I whisper, before withdrawing and climbing the stairs. I see an excitement in Aiden’s eyes. He doesn’t even move.

  Maneuvering my way through the crowded staircase, I try to calm down. The beer is sliding down to my toes, and my heart is jackhammering in my chest from the physical contact. I haven’t had any in years.

  A few people are in line at the bathroom. After five minutes of waiting, I push the door open and lock it behind me.

  “Gross,” I pinch my nose and flush the toilet. Damn alcoholics.

  Stripping my shoes off, I grab a washcloth from underneath the sink and run it under the cold water. Sliding onto the sink, I start to wipe the beer from my skin.

  Chill bumps climb up my leg and I shiver. A small knock on the door startles me, and I drop my washcloth.

  “Someone is in here,” I say.

  Three more knocks. Thud. Thud. Thud.

  “I said, someone is in here!” I yell, jumping down to find the cloth. I’m in the process of picking up the cloth when I hear the door click and it slides open.

  Jumping up, I press my hands against the back of the sink and stare at my intruder. I wish I hadn’t.

  Lachlan is standing in front of me, and dammit if his gaze hasn’t moved from the low drop in the front of my dress. I clear my throat and his eyes rise to mine, not one indication he is sorry for staring. Damn him and his lock-picking abilities. He used to pick every lock in the damned school so we could have a room to ourselves. We weren’t very academically motivated back then; our hormones ran everything.

  I’m so anxious and it is eating me alive. I have no idea why he is standing in front of me, breathing hard, eyes glued to me. Swallowing, he reaches over and locks the bathroom door.

  That anxious feeling just turned into torment. I won’t—no, I can’t. “What are you doing in here?” I finally choke out.

  He doesn’t answer at first, only gazes over me, head to toe. “I—I saw you come in here. I was following you.”

  Following me? Why? Had he seen Aiden try to kiss me? Had he seen me dumping my drinks? “Why?”

  His powerful chest is rising and falling hard. The fabric of his dark gray T-shirt is pressed as tightly as possible to his chest. Jesus. “I—” he steps closer, the woodsy smell of his soap nearly brings me to my knees, “—we need to talk, Lane. I—we haven’t talked since it happened. I want—I need you to talk to me, please.”

  “I can’t. Not here. Not now. I have—I have to get back out there.” I try to move past him but he doesn’t budge. “Move, Lachlan. Now.”

  He shakes his head slowly, not taking his eyes off of me. I feel dizzy, my senses not allowing me to think clearly. They’re focused on him…on Lachlan.

  I’m trembling from his closeness, yet I can’t make myself turn away. He had always been there for me. Through it all. I tore him into pieces and he is still standing in front of me…wanting to work it out…wanting to talk to me.

  Startling me, his arms come out, tangling rough fingers into my hair. He pulls, yanking my head back, to look up at him. The spot in-between my legs is burning for him. His touch…there is nothing like it. He knows exactly where to touch to drive me to my knees. Inhaling, he presses his mouth to my ear, a small growl erupting from his throat.

  A strong arm wraps around my waist, and his tongue slides out to kiss my neck. I moan, not able to control myself.

  “Luv, I can almost see your knickers in that dress.” God, if his accent didn’t light me on fire, his fingers brushing the edge of my dress does.

  Arching my back, I press my chest against his, feeling how hard he is against my stomach. “Can I kiss you, luv? You know you want me to,” he whispers, touching his lips to my jaw.

  I don’t answer, just keep my head pressed against his chest. I don’t trust myself to look at him. I’m sure I’d be beneath him breathing hard in two point five seconds. A hungry groan leaves his throat, and he swings me around until my back presses against the bathroom wall. Grabbing my face with his hardened hands, he drags his tongue from my neck to the corner of my mouth.

  I ache. Everywhere. He dampens my lips before opening me with his tongue, grazing my bottom lip with his teeth. A helpless sigh escapes my lips, which causes him to crash his tongue into me.

  And I talk about Heather and Bethany and their lack of self-control. I can’t help but let myself go with him. After four years of being separated in torment, I feel him against me. It’s so perfectly wrong. I feel like I’m drowning in his warmth, in his want for me.

  It’s all happening again…that night. The day I did it. I broke his heart. I broke my own. Trying to pull my mouth away, Lachlan grips my hair tighter, keeping me in place so I can’t move. “Please, luv. Just a bit longer. I want to remember your taste. Let me taste you.”

  Frustration is building in my chest, I want him too badly to describe, but I know I can’t. I can’t do this to him. I can’t do this to me. I’m here with someone else, pretend or not. Pressing against his chest, he stops cold. No more.

  He steps back away from me, eyes wide with hunger. “Lane, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”

  I shake my head, trying to calm myself down. My entire body is still flaming. “You can’t just come in here and kiss me, Lachlan. I’m here with someone else.”

  It feels foreign on my tongue. I hadn’t been with anyone else since him. It had always been him. Always.

  Anger runs over his face, and he clenches his fists tight at his sides. Part of his dark hair has fallen into his eye. “That fucking twit downstairs? You’re better than him, Laney. You fucking know it. He hasn’t stopped staring at your chest since you walked through the bloody door.”

  I scoff. “As opposed to you, who stares at it in the bathroom?”

  Lachlan growls, pushing his fingers through his hair. “You’re mine! I had you first. I deserve to have you now. You’re being ridiculous…” he walks toward me, glaring. “And you fucking liked it, luv.”

  Half of my body is cowering in a lustful fear, and the other half, the logical half, is mad as hell. “Get out of the way.”

  He sidesteps me and holds his hands up. “Gladly.”

  Slinging the door open, I slam into a few people scattered through the hallway. I’m raging and I can’t wait to get out of here. I make it to the bottom of the stairs and run right into Aiden.

  He grabs my shoulders and bends his knees to get a better look at me. “Wow, Laney. Are you okay? You’re pale…” He gazes over me and it makes me nervous. I hope I don’t look as hot as I feel.

  “Yeah,” I scratch my forehead. “Actually, can we head out of here? I’m feeling a little sick to my stomach.”

  “Sure, let me get our coats.”

  Aiden doesn’t say much on the way
home. He holds my hands between his, rubbing over my fingers lightly. The gesture surprises me but I don’t stop him.

  When we get to my dorm, he opens the double doors for me and walks me up the stairs. My hormones are just now calming down, and the thought of him kissing me goodnight is alive on my mind. I listen when we get to our door, just in case Heather and Bethany are listening on the other side. I’m sure they are.

  Aiden clears his throat and tugs on his sleeve. “I’m sorry you weren’t feeling too great. Are you feeling better?” he asks, pushing his blond hair from his eyes.

  I nod. “Yeah, I think the smoke and alcohol started to get to me.”

  Aiden licks his lips, eyes darting over my face. I haven’t given him any reason not to kiss me, so it shocks me when he asks. “Laney, I really like you. I don’t want to push you away, so I’m asking, can I kiss you goodnight?”

  I hear a loud gasp from the other side of the door. Aiden’s brows pull together and he jabs a thumb toward my room. Panicking, I grip his face between my hands, holding him an inch away until he is really nervous. Leaning forward, I press my lips to his. He takes a long breath in, then reaches for my waist and pulls me toward him. He is solid, his lips soft, and Bethany wasn’t lying. He is a pretty good kisser. But, not Lachlan great.

  Pulling back, he groans and presses his forehead to mine. “God…I think that’s the best first kiss I’ve ever had.”

  Smiling, I reach for the door and slide it open. “See you later, Aiden.”

  He is smirking when I close the door.

  “Holy shit, Laney. Get your ass over here. Why aren’t you melted into a puddle right now?” Heather screeches.

  I lift an eyebrow, then it comes to me. They saw and heard everything in the bathroom too. Blood rushes to my cheeks, and I feel warm. Bethany is sitting on her shins, her hands pressed underneath her chin as if in prayer.