“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow, Thalia.”
“Bye.” He leaves, and I close the door behind him. Then I carry my precious pizza into my room and place it on the bed. I fetch my notes from my desk, so I can have another look at them while I eat. I just have to pass this damn test. I’m not a total idiot, so I should definitely be able to do this.
I bite into the first piece of pepperoni pizza and sigh with satisfaction. That reminds me that I haven’t eaten much all day, and I finish the whole thing quickly. The textbook is open in my lap, and I try to focus on a few passages that sound like gobbledygook to me. So boring, and so confusing at the same time!
But after the pizza’s gone, my focus returns, and I suddenly seem to understand the difficult parts. I hope that’s enough. I’m so engrossed, I completely lose track of time.
***
“Oh, crap!” I swear when I happen to look at my alarm clock. It’s already eleven p.m., and I should really try to get some sleep if I want to feel half rested tomorrow.
I rise from the bed and pack my backpack for the next day so I don’t get stressed in the morning. When I finally switch off the light and lie down, my damn phone rings again. “Yes?” I say.
“Hello. Thalia?”
“Who is this?” I ask warily, because I don’t recognize the number.
“This is Linden Priest. Did I wake you up?”
“No, but I was just about to go to sleep. I have a test tomorrow morning. Why did you call?”
“I just wanted to make sure Friday evening is really okay with you,” he explains. “You didn’t seem all that thrilled when your friend said you would have dinner with me.”
I sigh. “Yeah. Well, I want to have dinner with you, but on one condition.”
I can hear him swallow. “What’s that?” he asks, sounding wary as hell.
“We stop addressing each other sometimes as ‘miss’ and ‘mister.’ I’m twenty-one, and I’ll feel awfully old if we go on like that,” I say with a smirk.
He breathes in. “I’m Linden.” I hear him chuckle.
I have to smile, because he sounds so damn unsure of himself. Not at all like a rock star. “And I’m Thalia, or Thally.”
“I’m looking forward to Friday night, Thalia. Is it okay if we eat at my place? Alexis told me my hospital stay is already all over the tabloids, and I’d rather not run into any paparazzi, you know?”
I’m puzzled. “At your place? But I thought you live in New York City.”
He chuckles again. “No. I have a house right here in Miami. I can send someone to pick you up so you can have a glass of wine … and also because I’d like to keep my address secret.”
One of my eyebrows shoots up at that. “Could we talk about this tomorrow? I really need to get some sleep.” I’d rather cut him short than say anything wrong now, because I don’t want to risk spending Friday night on my own after all.
“Okay. When can I call you tomorrow?”
“I’m in class until two, so I’d say after four? By then I’ll be home and done with everything.”
“Great. Sleep well, Thalia.”
“You, too, Linden.”
I hang up and set my alarm for seven a.m. I also set the alarm on my phone to make sure I don’t sleep in again. Then I switch off the light and close my eyes.
***
“Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,” I whimper softly to myself, because the very worst has happened. I’m having a blackout. This test is going to be the end of me. Things were fine up until I reached the second to last question. My eyes flit back and forth between the last two questions, but I can’t hold a single thought anymore. There is nothing but mush in my head. Crap!
I really hoped I might pass this test with sort-of flying colors, but no. Jim is sitting next to me, and he seems to sense what’s going on, because he leans back and gives me a meaningful look. I can clearly see what he has written and hasten to read what he put on the bottom of his page. His grades are always good, so it can’t be all wrong. As I copy them, I quickly reformulate his words to make it less obvious.
“Thank you,” I mouth, after writing down something quite similar to what he has on the last two questions. Copying is really low, but I don’t see how else I could pass this test now.
“You’re welcome. Pay for my coffee later,” he answers under his breath and winks at me.
“Black?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll meet you on the front stairs. I’ll get the coffee,” I whisper as I rustle my sheets of paper, straightening them for one last check.
Professor Salters comes over to the back and gives me a piercing look. “Are you done, Miss Leroux?”
“Yes,” I say, and she takes the test papers from me, pointing at the door. “You can go home then.”
“Thanks, Professor.” I hasten to put all my stuff in my backpack, trying to be quiet so I don’t disturb my fellow students. Then I shoulder the backpack and sneak out. I hope Jim follows soon so I don’t have to wait outside for too long.
I walk outside and search for Darren, the guy who mans the cute little coffee shop-on-wheels. His coffee is the best on the entire campus. “Hey, handsome,” I greet him with a smile.
“Oh, hi, Thalia.” He grins. “The usual?”
“Yes, and another large one, please,” I say, handing him my insulated mug.
He fills it and then adds a paper cup. “So how did the test go?”
“Don’t ask. At first it seemed to be going just fine, but then I suddenly had a blackout,” I confide. “If Jim hadn’t helped me, I couldn’t have answered the final two questions.”
“Oh. Well, I hope you answered the rest of it correctly. How do you know Jim’s answers were correct?” Darren asks.
“I don’t, but he’s good at this stuff, and I mean, as long as I wrote down something, it shows I tried, right? Even if my answer is only half correct.” I shrug.
“True. Always stay positive, right?”
I shrug again. “What’s done is done. I can’t go back and change anything anyway.”
Darren hands me the two cups. “I admire that, I really do. I used to just bang my head against my desk, and I ended up being a barista. I didn’t even finish college.”
“Yeah, but you own the damn thing,” I remind him with a chuckle.
“I could have achieved more,” he insists.
“Darren, you sell the best coffee on campus and you own three stores in Miami. I would say you achieved a whole lot.” I shake my head. I admire people who are their own bosses and don’t have their heads in the clouds.
He sighs. “I know. You’re right.”
“Yep. And now I gotta get back, because Jim’s waiting for his coffee.”
“Something going on between the two of you?”
I shake my head. “No. I just promised I’d pay for his coffee because he saved my ass in there.” I can’t help but smile at the thought of Jim and me. We’re completely different, and we’re on friendly terms; that’s all.
“I see. Well, see you tomorrow then,” Darren says.
“Yes. Bye.” I drop my small change into his tip jar.
When I reach the building, Jim is already sitting on the stairs. He’s scanning the paths and breaks into a smile when he sees me.
I sit down next to him and hand him the paper cup. “Thanks for helping me out.”
“Don’t mention it,” he says. “I bet you would have done the same for me.”
“I would, but I know a lot of people wouldn’t have done it for me.” I smile at him and take a sip of my coffee.
“I was reluctant to ask you, because I didn’t get the feeling you were that interested in striking up a friendship,” he hedges, “but … ”
“But what?” I probe, curious.
“But would you consider going out with me this weekend?” he asks shyly.
I didn’t see that coming at all. Let alone from Jim. There are some other guys in my classes … but Jim? “Uh … Yeah,
why not? When did you think—”
“Friday night?” he interrupts, as if in a rush to solidify plans.
“I already have plans for Friday and Saturday, but maybe we could do something on Sunday, if that’s okay with you,” I offer.
“Would you like to go out to a nice restaurant or maybe the movies?”
“How about a movie? There’s one I’m dying to see.”
“Cool. I’ll pick you up at seven? Is that okay?”
“Perfect.”
As we finish our coffee, we talk about the test. I’m becoming more and more convinced I failed it, but I don’t want to linger on it, because I can’t repeat it anyway. The damage is done.
“Do you have any siblings?” Jim asks, abruptly changing the subject.
“Yes. I have two older brothers. They live in Austin and have been out of college for a while,” I tell him. “What about you?”
“I have a younger sister. She’s a sophomore studying science.”
“Then I bet she knows my best friend.”
“Who’s your best friend?”
“Camille Brooks.”
“Delsin Rough’s girlfriend?” Jim asks incredulously.
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t think you two were friends,” he says.
I laugh. “You know we lived together in that apartment until last year, so why would it be surprising that we’re friends?”
“Camille seems very … different. So well-behaved and very reserved.”
“Oh, don’t let her fool you. She’s rather tough, really. And she’s only reserved with people she doesn’t know. But I’m like that, too.”
“I don’t really know her,” Jim admits. “Nor do I know Delsin Rough, but he’s got a reputation.”
“What for?” I ask. His former reputation as an incorrigible womanizer should be old hat by now.
“For screwing everything that moves,” Jim says.
“That used to be true, but not anymore. I guess it takes a while for people to realize when someone has changed. I don’t even want to know what they say about me,” I add pensively.
“I haven’t heard anything bad about you, Thalia.”
“But even if you did, I don’t care. People who know me also know most of the gossip is untrue anyway.”
“As long as you feel comfortable with who you are, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says,” Jim declares.
“Very true.” My coffee mug is empty, and when I glance at my watch, I see that I’ve spent almost an hour talking to him. I take a piece of paper from my backpack and write down my number. “Will you call me before you pick me up on Sunday?”
He takes my number and smiles. “Sure.”
“Okay, but now I really have to go. I’ll see you on Sunday.” I get up and shoulder my backpack.
“Bye, Thalia.”
“Bye.” I walk back to where my car is parked, and as I start to get in, my phone rings. It’s Linden. “Yes?” I say.
“Hi, Thalia. I know I’m a little early, but I just hate waiting,” he admits.
“No problem, but can I call you back in two minutes? I was just about to get in the car.”
“Okay.” He hangs up.
I get in, put the phone in its holder, and shove my backpack in the backseat. After I’ve maneuvered out of the parking lot, I hit redial.
“That was less than two minutes.” He chuckles.
“I think it was more like three, but anyway. What’s up?”
He clears his throat. “I was discharged today, so I was wondering if we could have dinner tonight, instead of Friday. What do you think?”
“I have classes tomorrow, so I’d have less time tonight,” I answer. “I’d rather stick with tomorrow night, to be honest.”
Linden sighs. “Do you have to study again?”
“Yeah.”
“Too bad. I would have loved to see you tonight,” he murmurs.
“I’m sorry, but I have all of these important exams coming up, and I can’t afford to fail any of them if I want to be able to go here next semester,” I explain patiently. “Is it so hard to see college is super important to me? Sure, I could start working in my dad’s company any time, but that’s not what I want.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to accept that,” Linden says. “But we’re still on for tomorrow night, aren’t we?”
“Yeah, sure. When did you want to pick me up?”
“Around eight, if that’s okay with you.”
“That’s fine.” I’m not too thrilled with this conversation, but I no longer balk at the thought of our date. I’ll just take it for what it is, and maybe then I’ll be rid of that haunting groupie dream I keep having recently.
“Great, then I’ll send Grayston to fetch you.”
“Wait a minute, what?” I ask, puzzled. “You’re not picking me up yourself?”. But then I remember that he said that already.
“No. I’m sending a chauffeur.”
“I’d prefer if you came to pick me up,” I admit sheepishly.
“I’m not allowed to drive again just yet.”
My turn to sigh. “Okay, tomorrow at eight then. I just reached my apartment, so let’s call it a day. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Sure. I look forward to it, Thalia.”
“Bye, Linden.” I hang up, and as I climb the stairs to my apartment, I decide to switch off my phone for the rest of the day. Hopefully I won’t upset anyone with this move, but I just want to be left alone tonight. I did tell Cami I would call her, but just this once she can wait.
“Hey,” Nate calls from the kitchen as I enter the apartment. He comes out into the hallway.
“Hi, Nate. How are you?”
“I’m fine, and you? You look a little too happy for your own good.” He grins.
“I’m okay, thank you,” I say with a smirk. “But why do you think I look too happy?”
“Well, for the last two weeks, you’ve been walking around with a frown like this,” he says, mimicking my pout in an exaggerated fashion. “And now you’re practically beaming with joy. What or who is the reason for that?”
“It’s probably just relief that the damn test is over and done with.” I giggle.
“Maybe.” He nods, not completely convinced.
The dead phone makes me nervous, so I decide to switch it on again. “Are you cooking something? What’s that smell?” It’s not really a smell, more of a gag-worthy odor of burnt … something.
“Oh, fuck!” Nate’s eyes widen in shock, and then he turns on his heel and runs back into the kitchen. “Oh, no!”
I follow him, coughing as the smoke hits my nostrils. “Are you trying to burn down the building?”
“That’s certainly what it looks like, but I was just trying to make a pizza,” he admits meekly.
I can’t help laughing. “I didn’t think there was a worse cook than me, but now I’ve found him.”
The dish towel comes flying at me. “Twerp.”
I laugh even louder. “I know, but you still love me.” Then I send the towel flying back at him. “And now I’ll retreat to my room and open the window.”
“And I’m going to throw this away and hunt down some new dinner.”
As soon as I close the door behind me, I call Camille. I promised, after all.
“Finally. I thought you’d forgotten me,” she says by way of a greeting.
“I said I would call, didn’t I?”
“You did, but with the way you were feeling this morning, I wasn’t sure,” she says calmly. “So what is wrong with you? Normally you don’t seem to have a problem with me and Delsin kissing. Or Dale and Ave.”
“Normally I don’t have a broken heart, either.”
She snorts, and then the sound turns into a sigh. “You know you’re way too good for a guy like Colton anyway. Look at the cheap slut he replaced you with. Ever since Ave broke up with Pearl, she’s been sleeping around like crazy.”
“That doesn’t mean she had to sleep with Colton, too,”
I complain. “It bothers me to no end.”
“Are you in love with Colton?” Cami asks, sounding exactly like my mother.
“I don’t know… Maybe,” I admit meekly. “I miss him, and I miss going out with him. It just happened so suddenly. Boom, and there she was.”
“But why didn’t you say anything?”
“Cami, y’all are so head-over-heels lovey-dovey, I didn’t want to spoil the mood with my heartache.”
“Oh, you wouldn’t spoil anyone’s mood. It would have been a sign that you trust us,” she says softly. “I’m sorry it took me so long to catch on. I really didn’t see that you were feeling this bad.”
“It’s okay. You have other things on your mind, and the others do as well. And it’s not just about Colton really. There’s all these exams coming up, and I’m just generally frustrated.”
“Still, you could have talked to me. I mean, that’s what friends are for, right?”
I giggle. “And here I thought they were for getting on my nerves until I agree to go out with Linden Priest.”
“He invited you, and you’re going to go have dinner with him. Maybe it’ll be lame and annoying, but maybe it’ll be nice and exciting,” Cami says with conviction. “You never know.”
“I said I was going, so chill. He’s having a chauffeur pick me up tomorrow evening, and then we’re having dinner at his place. Which is a little weird. I mean, what if he’s a psycho after all?”
“You were the one who insisted he isn’t.” Cami laughs.
Yet she was the one who raised a big fuss over me picking him up in the middle of the night. “I did,” I say, “but maybe he just wanted me to feel safe with him first so that he can now show his true colors. Raping, torturing, and strangling.” I giggle, unable to keep a straight face.
“I don’t think that’s what he’s planning,” Cami says. “And if he’s a total bore, you can always call me. I’ll find your phone with GPS and send a taxi.”
“I can do that myself, if necessary. I sure hope it isn’t. But I’ll try and go there without any expectations, and then we’ll see how it goes,” I say cheerfully. “In my experience, the nights you don’t even really want to go out end up becoming the best ones.”
“That’s true. And on Saturday I want a thorough report of how it went.”
“Only if you promise me something.”
Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) Page 7
