The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return

by Vanessa Wester

‘I’ll walk you back. I insist.’

  She blinked, confused at his chivalry and politeness after Adam’s onslaught, and said, ‘If you’re sure.’ She could not understand how someone as nice as Steven could be friends with an idiot like Adam.

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  Chapter 13

  Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

  The cool night air made her shiver. The temperature had dropped significantly.

  ‘Are you cold?’

  It was sweet that he sounded concerned. The goose pimples on her bare arm gave her away. ‘It’s chilly tonight.’

  ‘Here, have my jacket.’ He removed it and held it ready for her to slip into, before she had a chance to refuse.

  Caitlin shrugged, embarrassed by the fact he was being so nice. ‘It’s okay. It’s only a few minutes away.’

  He held it ready, ‘I insist.’

  So as not to appear ungrateful she slipped her arms through the sleeves and resisted the urge to dig her nose into it. The jacket had a tinge of musty cinnamon and spice, his smell. Their arms brushed as they walked side by side. Once in the building, they got to the juncture where they would go their separate ways.

  ‘You can have your jacket back now,’ she said, as she eased out of it. ‘It was very nice of you.’

  ‘My pleasure,’ he said, as he put it back on. ‘Maybe, we could go out again sometime.’

  Something about his manner gave her the impression he was nervous. She had no idea why he would be.

  He mumbled a reply, eyes to the floor, ‘If you don’t want to go out with me, then that’s okay, you don’t have to.’

  Her reply was abrupt. ‘I’d like to go out with you again.’ He looked up and she stared into his eyes of lovely amber.

  ‘You would?’ He staggered back in disbelief.

  ‘Shocking as it seems, yes, I would like to go out with you,’ she repeated.

  With a slight bow, he added, ‘I am honoured to be worthy of you.’

  She bit her lower lip, and then replied, ‘Don’t make it sound so formal.’

  ‘It is serious. I really want to go out with you again.’

  Unable to find words to counter with, she changed tack. ‘Thanks for coming to get me. It was nice and you’ve cheered me up.’

  ‘Nice. Well, I can work on nice.’ He ran his hands through his hair. She sensed he did this when he was nervous.

  ‘Okay,’ she laughed. ‘It was more than nice.’

  ‘Now that sounds a lot better.’

  She could not believe he was taking a step towards her. Their faces were inches apart. She remained frozen on the spot, as the gap between them narrowed. She could practically hear him breathe. Her eyes started to close as she eased towards him and they kissed. It was gentle, careful – just lips.

  He pulled back and apologised, ‘Sorry, I…’

  Caitlin took the plunge, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him with more force. Not just lips anymore. When they finally took a breath, he held her against him and leant his head on hers. She could hear his heart. It was beating rapidly, out of control. And she could feel him. He was attracted to her. It was unbelievable.

  His next words astounded her further. ‘I have wanted to do that since I met you.’

  Caitlin pulled away and blurted out, ‘So, what on earth stopped you?’

  ‘I didn’t think you were interested. I still don’t know if you are to be honest,’ he joked.

  ‘You make it sound like I’m an enigma.’ She was puzzled. ‘Truthfully, am I that hard to read? Isn’t it obvious…?’

  ‘No, it isn’t. You’re extremely hard to read. Every single time I attempted to flirt with you, I seemed to fall flat on my face. Well, until now that is. I’m pretty sure you returned that kiss.’ Steven held her hand.

  She teased him playfully, ‘Well, how was I supposed to know why you wanted to hang out with me? I just thought you were being friendly.’

  ‘Do you have many other friendly guys that want to just hang around with you?’

  ‘No, I guess not,’ she laughed.

  ‘It’s great to hear you laugh. I promised not to say anything, but I’ve been worried about you. I thought you’d never come back.’

  ‘I’m glad you came to see me.’

  Steven nodded and moved his face closer to hers. ‘I’ve wanted to get to know you from the first moment I set eyes on you. It was my cunning plan to accidentally bump into you.’

  ‘You did it on purpose?’ She pulled back, in feigned outrage.

  ‘Just kidding. Fate brought us together,’ he added, and tapped his nose.

  She relaxed her shoulders, and added, ‘If we’re being honest, I knew I liked you from the moment I saw you too.’

  ‘Well that’s promising then, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Their hands entwined and she made herself comfortable, as her head leant against his chest. His heartbeat resonated in her ear.

  A minute later she pulled back, ‘I should go.’

  ‘Do you have to?’

  ‘Yes, I do. But, I’m not going far.’

  ‘Well, that’s alright then. Now, I’d just like to check if you really did want to kiss me just then.

  His kiss was tender, but short – a parting kiss that brushed his lips lightly against hers.

  She resisted the urge to grab him and kiss him harder. Instead, she waved goodbye and made her way into her room in a dream-like state.

  *

  Caitlin woke up the next morning with a huge grin spread across her face. A vivid dream, which featured Steven, had woken her. She put her finger to her lips and leant into her hand, a satisfied smile pasted on her face. There was no way the previous day had been a dream. In her en suite bathroom, she turned on the shower and brushed her teeth. Once under the hot water, she calmed down and enjoyed the warmth.

  Wrapped in a towel, she perused her wardrobe. As she was about to grab her favourite pair of black jeans her phone bleeped; a text message. She rushed across and grabbed the phone to read it.

  As she suspected, it was from Steven. It read, ‘Good Morning, fancy having breakfast together? I’ll be there in twenty minutes. If you’re not awake yet, sorry if I woke you up! S xx.’

  Eagerly she wrote back, ‘I’ve been awake for ages and have even showered. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria. C xxx.’

  Almost instantly, he replied, ‘Good to know, S xxxxxx.’

  She laughed aloud, and texted back, ‘Too many kisses… xxx is enough.’

  He replied with, ‘I can send as many as I like, S xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.’

  She raised her eyes to the sky, as she created another text, ‘That’s far too many, now let me get dressed. C xxx.’

  She could not resist a quick peek at his reply, ‘Anything you say, S xxx.’

  The text had left her with a huge dilemma. What on earth was she going to wear? The next ten minutes proved turbulent. Clothes were put on, disregarded, put back on and disregarded again.

  Finally, the right outfit was assembled.

  Caitlin selected her black fitted jeans, black t–shirt and purple zip up, hooded top. She looked in the small mirror above the sink and gave an audible sigh. She grimaced at her hair. Even though her effort in selecting an outfit would be wasted by the fact she’d have to wear a coat, there was nothing she could do to hide her hair. In the minutes that followed she tied it up, then pulled out the hair band and made it loose again, until she settled on a French plait.

  The finishing touch involved the application of some subtle makeup; she had never been one to overdo it, but she hoped he’d appreciate it. After thirty minutes, she was ready to go. On the short walk to the cafeteria, her stomach tensed. The anticipation of seeing him again proved too much. She nearly turned back and bailed out. She didn’t.

  The cafeteria bustled with bleary-eyed students suffering from the effects of an overindulgent weekend. Monday morning thrust them back to the reality of having to attend lectures and take pa
rt in academic work. Some students failed to realise they actually attended university to further their education, not their social life. Caitlin looked around discreetly and spotted Steven sitting at a long table with a few friends. A vacant spot next to him made her smile. He had reserved a seat.

  As soon as he saw her, he got up and made his way over. ‘Finally, I thought you’d drowned in the shower. Then I remembered what a good swimmer you are.’

  ‘I was getting ready. I like to take my time,’ she pouted.

  ‘So, shall we get breakfast then?’

  ‘I thought you’d had yours. When I saw you with your friends,’ she faltered.

  ‘Nope, I waited, I told you I would.’ He closed the distance between them, eased up alongside her and slipped his hand into hers, ‘Do you mind?’

  She squeezed her hand gently against his, ‘Not at all.’

  Hand in hand, they walked up to the food counter and then let go as they perused the range on offer. Caitlin headed straight for the cereal, poured some muesli in a bowl, and covered it in yoghurt, before helping herself to an orange juice.

  ‘That’s very healthy – unlike mine,’ Steven noted, as he glanced at his plate of greasy bacon, sausages and fried egg.

  ‘I’m not a huge breakfast eater. My appetite picks up as the day goes on.’

  ‘Glad to hear it. Can I get you a tea or coffee?’

  ‘Tea please.’ She could not believe how civilised things had got.

  ‘Coming right up,’ he raised his eyebrows.

  Trays in hand, they made their way to the table, and sat down to prying eyes.

  ‘Hi there, I’m Charles. Are you settling into your new room okay?’ he asked, his tone mellow. He wore small rectangular glasses, which he pushed up his nose with his finger. He was the perfect picture of an intellectual. His neatly combed hair only added to the effect.

  Caitlin swallowed her mouthful, and replied, ‘Yes, it’s fine.’

  ‘Good to hear it,’ he added, before he turned to Steven. ‘So, as I was saying earlier, how did you get on with your Contract Law essay? Do you know when we get the results?’

  ‘It was fine, did most of it on my laptop in the library. I think we don’t get it back until after Christmas.’

  ‘Really, that long?’ Charles paused and frowned, ‘I was hoping to tell my parents some of my results so far.’

  ‘I’m not bothered, I’ll just tell my parents that everything’s going fine.’ Steven shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘Oh, they always want to know. It’s a trifle habit, but they mean well,’ Charles raised his nose in the air in a superior manner to complement his accent.

  ‘I can imagine,’ Steven added, with a hint of sarcasm.

  ‘Anyway, must go, I like to be punctual,’ Charles stated. In what looked like a well-practiced manoeuvre, he took his tray and marched off.

  ‘He’s a bit stiff,’ Caitlin giggled.

  ‘You can’t help your upbringing. He’s alright. Obsessed with doing well, but he’s okay.’

  ‘I bet you don’t think badly of anyone do you?’ she challenged.

  ‘Well,’ he mused, before breaking out into a laugh, ‘no, not usually.’

  ‘Is there anything about you that’s not to like?’

  Steven gulped down his mouthful, and kinked his head to the side. ‘I’ll have to get back to you on that one, but I’m sure I’ve got lots and lots of faults. Just wait till you get to know me better.’

  ‘I look forward to it.’ As Caitlin stared, she became suspended in space – unable to look away from his eyes, caught in his world of unique amber. She blinked and forced herself to look away as the heat from her cheeks would give her away.

  ‘Do you have a lot of lectures today?’ he asked casually, as he popped a mouthful of sausage and bacon into his mouth.

  ‘Today is one of my busiest days, and I have loads of catching up to do, so I think it’s going to be a late one for me in the library.’

  He wiped his mouth with a napkin. ‘Poor you, maybe I’ll hang around to check that you’re keeping sane.’

  ‘I think you would drive me to distraction, I need to concentrate.’

  ‘Awww, are you saying I’m a bad influence?’

  ‘No, well, oh, you know what I mean.’ Caitlin put her hands on her face.

  Steven took hold of one of her hands, and she tried to relax.

  ‘Just kidding, I’ll let you work. But, I hope I can see you tonight? I don’t mind meeting you at the library later. We could go for a drink in the union.’

  ‘That’d be great,’ she smiled, ‘shall I text you when I’m close to finishing?’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ he said. ‘I guess we’d better get going or we’ll be late.’

  She glanced at her watch, hastily got up and spilt her remaining juice on the table. ‘I am such a klutz,’ she huffed.

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ he reassured, as he placed a few napkins on it. ‘Shall we go?’

  Caitlin nodded and got her rucksack. After a few strides, he slipped his hand into hers again. It made her shiver involuntarily. She had it bad.

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  Chapter 14

  Dancing

  Steven watched Caitlin from a distance. A part of him would have enjoyed staying there for a while to observe. He loved the way she moved her lips as she wrote and fussed with her hair as it fell over her face. All of her little mannerisms were completely engrossing, addictive. He wanted more. This was the reason he had to get closer to her; watching was not enough.

  He decided to take her by surprise and placed his hands over her eyes, ‘Time’s up.’

  She jumped in her seat, went for his hands, and squealed, ‘Steven, is that you?’

  ‘Who else are you expecting?’

  Conscious of the other people around, she lowered her eyes and gestured for him to sit down next to her.

  Once he had sat down, she whispered, ‘I’m still working, you’re early.’

  ‘I’ll read next to you until you finish.’ He picked up one of her books and feigned interest. When he saw it was a book on algebra, he tossed it back on the table. ‘Then again, maybe not this one.’

  ‘Something wrong with algebra?’

  ‘Nope, nothing at all. It’s just I’m allergic to maths.’

  ‘Allergic?’ she challenged, with the pout he was beginning to love.

  ‘I come out in a rash if anything number related gets close to me. Trust me; you don’t want to see it. It’s really disgusting.’

  She rolled her eyes, ‘I’m not allergic.’ She nudged her shoulder against his, ‘In fact, it seems to take to me very well. Sooo let me get on with it.’

  ‘Really? Are you still working? Come on, you know you want to take a break,’ he pleaded, doing his best impression of a puppy dog face.

  ‘I told you you’d be a bad influence,’ she accused, with a wry grin.

  ‘Not a bad influence, just ensuring your sanity,’ he argued and used his most diplomatic voice.

  ‘Tell you what, let me finish this up and I’ll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.’

  ‘Deal,’ he cheered.

  Success.

  He got up and glanced at her for a few seconds longer.

  ‘Need to finish,’ she hissed, without looking up.

  ‘Okay, I’m going. Can’t a guy look?’ He laughed as he walked away.

  Steven resumed his original vantage point and stole another glance. Her lips were moving again. This time, however, she knew he was there. She glared and waved him away with her hands. Head slanted, he apologised via a sad pout. A part of him enjoyed getting a rise out of her.

  The library entrance was near enough deserted. It was Monday, there were no exams looming and the weather was foul. Most students had, wisely, called it a day. Caitlin had some catching up to do so she had no choice. The last thing Steven wanted was for her to fail and leave. He just wanted to be with her. It was that simple. He found a seat at the entrance and waited, th
en picked up one of the student flyers, another advert for a student social. Or better said, piss up. He had attended quite a few of those and he was already bored.

  He was not interested in the ‘getting drunk or high to be cool’ routine. Perhaps he was pretentious. He just did not need alcohol or drugs to have a good time. He enjoyed a drink just as much as the next person; he just did not understand the point of dousing himself in it.

  ‘Penny for your thoughts,’ Caitlin chirped, coming up alongside him.

  ‘Hey there, done already?’

  ‘Yeah, I needed a break. You were right. What’s that then?’ She pointed at the flyer.

  ‘Nothing much, another social,’ he replied, and then flung it back on the table.

  ‘I have not had the chance to go to many of those. Are they any good?’

  ‘Depends.’

  ‘On what?’

  Steven hesitated for a second. Should he be completely open with her? ‘Well, I don’t know you well enough yet. This may be your thing. I just don’t drink a lot. So being in an environment where the challenge is to get as drunk as possible is not my idea of fun. But, if it’s your thing – fair enough.’

  Caitlin chuckled, ‘It’s not my thing either. But, if I’m honest, I do like to dance. Nothing wrong with that.’

  ‘What kind of dancing do you like to do?’ He had actually learnt ballroom dancing at his school.

  ‘Are you an expert on dance?’ She seemed impressed by the question, yet amused.

  Embarrassed, he replied too quickly, ‘No, not at all. Just didn’t know if you were like a professional dancer or something. You could do synchronised swimming for all I know.’

  ‘Oh, okay. Well in that case, no I’m not a professional. I just like to dance socially, you know going to discos and concerts.’

  ‘Right.’ He could teach her in time.

  ‘Do you like dancing? Or, is that below you?’ She batted her eyelids. It was cute.

  His teasing the previous night, in relation to singing, had not gone unnoticed. ‘Oh, I’m a pro. I can dance anything,’ he smirked. Then he relaxed his features and mellowed, as he decided to open up, ‘I was forced to learn ballroom dancing at my old school. Don’t tell anyone or I’ll have to kill you.’