Matchplay

by Dakota Madison

  “Wow. I’m impressed. You really have given it a lot of thought.”

  I glanced over at the keg and saw that Aaron and his two groupies were still standing there drinking and laughing. The girls were practically throwing themselves at him and he seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. When he caught me looking at him and our eyes met, I saw a flash of something dark behind his rock star façade. Was it pain? Was he not really enjoying all of the attention from the beautiful blondes as it appeared? The look was only there for a moment and then it disappeared when the blonde at his left whispered something in his ear, which made him grin, but Aaron was still staring at me. The scene both disgusted and confused me. When he winked at me and gave me a sly smile, I felt sick to my stomach. Did he actually think he could flirt with me while two girls were hanging off him? I revolted.

  “Can we go into the other room?” I asked. “It’s getting stuffy in here.”

  “Sure.” Josh looked around. “Or do you want to go outside? You can see the stars in the backyard and it’s a beautiful night?’

  The stars sounded really good. The only problem was that we had to walk past Aaron and his girls to get out the back door.

  “Let’s go outside,” I said. “If you don’t mind leading the way.”

  “My pleasure,” Josh said as he placed his empty beer cup on the counter.

  I made sure that Josh was on the side that would be closest to Aaron as we passed. It didn’t stop Aaron from staring at me as we walked by him. The blondes seemed oblivious to the attention he was giving me and I made sure I had the most vile and disgusted look on my face as we passed. For a moment, he looked like I had slapped him but he quickly covered it up.

  When we got outside, Josh asked. “Do you know that guy?”

  “What guy?” I replied even though I knew exactly, who he meant.

  “The guy from The Clubhouse with the blondes hanging all over him.”

  I shrugged. “Sort of.”

  Josh looked very concerned. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”

  I gave a chuckle as if it was the most absurd question in the world. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Just the way he looked at you. Even though he had two girls on his arms, it was like he didn’t even care. He was just staring at you.”

  I tried to minimize what Josh was saying. “We’re just partners in my art history class. We were assigned to work on a project together. That’s all.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course,” I said but I wasn’t sure at all.

  Olivia and Marney were deeply involved in a game of beer pong when I was ready to leave, so Josh agreed to walk me back to the dorm.

  He was a perfect gentleman and as we approached the door to the building he said, “I’d like to see you again.”

  “Okay,” I agreed and he smiled.

  “Would you like to go to dinner and a movie?” he asked.

  “That sounds great. Do you want my number?”

  He nodded and we exchanged cell phone numbers.

  “Good night.” He watched as I unlocked the door with my key card. When he saw that I was safely inside, he turned and walked away.

  When I got into my room, I thought about how the events of the evening had played out. Josh was so kind and sweet but I still couldn’t get my mind off of Aaron. What kind of game was he playing? And why was it so obvious to Josh that something was going on between us? If there was something going on, I wanted to know what it was.

  When I got notification of a text message, I expected it to be from Josh. Imagine my surprise when I saw it was from Aaron.

  Aaron: Can we talk?

  Me: How did you get my number?

  Aaron: I have my ways.

  Me: What do you want to talk about?

  Aaron: Us.

  Me: Us? There is no us. What about the girls you were with?

  Aaron: That’s not who I am.

  Me: Really? That’s not what I saw. You are what you do.

  Aaron: What about the guy you were with?

  Me: We were just talking. He didn’t even touch me. Those TWO girls were hanging all over you.

  Aaron: Did he walk you home?

  Me: That’s none of our business.

  Aaron: Did he kiss you???

  Me: Again, none of your business. But for the record, I just don’t let anyone kiss me.

  Aaron: Good…See you in class?

  Me: You better be working on our project.

  Aaron: Of course, Sunshine.

  When Olivia stumbled into our room a few hours later, I was still looking at the texts from Aaron. I’m not sure why. Maybe I was trying to read between the lines. I was definitely confused. I had so many more questions than answers and it was starting to eat at me. Part of me hoped Aaron was sincere and maybe really liked me while another part of me ridiculed that as an absurd and naïve notion.

  “Good. You’re still up,” Olivia said as she plopped down on my bed next to me. She leaned in very close, as if she was going to tell me something very intimate. “So? How did it go with Josh?”

  I breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t mentioned Aaron. Maybe Josh was the only one who had witnessed the—well— whatever it was that went on between us.

  “Josh seems like a very sweet guy.”

  She moaned and fell onto my pillow. “Sweet guy sounds like a death knell. Girls don’t want to get down and dirty with sweet guys. They want sweet guys to be their friends.”

  She had a point. As much as I hated to admit it, I was lusting after Aaron. I didn’t have those same feelings for Josh. I didn’t mention those details, though. Instead, I said, “Josh asked me to go out with him on a date and I said I would.”

  Olivia lifted herself from the pillow and gave a quick fist pump. “There you go, Girl!”

  “Can I ask you a question?” I was curious about her brother but I wanted to tread lightly because I knew they were close.

  “Shoot.”

  “I don’t want this to sound weird but why did Lucas introduce me to his friend if he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

  Olivia laughed. “Because you’re a little hottie and he thinks you’re way out of his league. Josh is like the king of the nerds. He’s the most popular guy in The Geek Patrol because he’s had a few girlfriends. Most of the other guys haven’t had that much experience.”

  Josh was an attractive guy but I didn’t think he was that much more attractive than Lucas. Josh definitely did have more confidence in himself than Lucas, though.

  “For the record, I don’t think I’m out of anyone’s league. Whatever that even means.”

  Olivia stared at me. “Come on. Give me a break. You know you’ve got it going on. Even creepy Aaron, who could have any girl on campus, has it bad for you.”

  I could feel my face heating up with embarrassment. “I’m more like your brother than you probably think. I don’t have a lot of experience in the dating department.”

  “Then Josh is the perfect person for you. He’ll be a perfect gentleman and take things slow.”

  I nodded. Maybe she was right. Maybe I did need someone like Josh. Maybe Aaron was just too much for me to handle. Or maybe I truly believed he was out of my league.

  Five

  The Sweet Spot

  After class on Thursday, Aaron was waiting outside the building for me. He was wearing a sly grin on his face.

  “What’s up?” I said as I approached him.

  “Let’s get to the library. I’m stoked about picking an artist for our final project.”

  I furrowed a brow only half believing his claim. “You’re actually getting excited about the project?”

  “Come on,” he said and headed toward the library. I shrugged and followed.

  “So what about Andy Warhol,” Aaron said as he held up a small reproduction of a Warhol self-portrait. “He’s definitely got the wow factor. It’s cool that he was a visual artist but was also into making films and music.”
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br />   “I like Andy Warhol but there’s already an Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,” I said. “Who else did you come up with?”

  “Georgia O’Keefe. How can you not like a woman, who paints flowers that look like vaginas?”

  I stifled a laugh. “Vagina flowers? Really? That’s what you got from looking at her work?”

  He nodded. “Who wouldn’t?”

  I quickly scanned through our text book until I got to a photo of one of her ram’s head paintings. I held it up. “You think this one looks like a vagina?”

  Aaron considered the work. “Well, maybe not that one. But there are plenty of others.”

  “As much as I like the idea of honoring a female artist and as much as I like her work, there’s already a Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico.”

  Aaron crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, I’ve come up with two ideas. I’d like to hear some ideas from you.”

  I gulped. I wasn’t sure if he’d like my idea, or if he’d even know much about her, but she was one of my favorite artists. Before I could even speak, Aaron held up a finger.

  “Wait. Let me guess who you’re going to select.”

  I narrowed my eyes and stared at him. He wasn’t the only one, who enjoyed a challenge. “Is this a bet?”

  He grinned. “I like the sound of that.”

  I didn’t think there was any way he would be able to guess my first choice artist. She certainly wasn’t as familiar as Georgia O’Keeffe or as famous as Andy Warhol. “What do I win if you don’t guess correctly?” I said.

  “But I will,” he said confidently. “And when I win the bet, I want you to go out to dinner with me tonight.”

  I gulped. I didn’t think there was any way he could win but what if he did? The thought of going out with him scared the hell out of me. “Okay,” I said finally. “And if I win, I want you to tell me about The Tournament.”

  Now he was the one who gulped. A look of panic crossed his face and just as quickly he covered it up with his Mr. Calm and Collected façade. “What Tournament?’ he said.

  I gave one sharp laugh. “Oh, please. Don’t play dumb. I know about the game you guys in The Clubhouse are playing.”

  His face turned serious. He leaned in close to me and whispered through clenched teeth. “I’m not sure what you think you know but I’m sure you’re wrong.”

  I rolled my eyes. “So you’re not trying to get into my pants so you can score points. I hear virgins are worth a lot these days.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I immediately regretted saying them.

  Aaron looked into my eyes with such intensity, I thought I could burn up in the heat of his gaze. I swallowed hard because I knew I was in trouble.

  “I would never do something like that to you—ever.”

  I looked into his eyes with what I hoped was equal intensity. “But you would do it to other girls?”

  His nonresponse to my question seemed to be the answer.

  I slammed my book shut. “I think we’ve done enough on the project for today.”

  When I rose to leave, Aaron hopped right up with me. “I don’t.”

  “You don’t what?” I challenged.

  “I don’t think we’ve done enough for today.”

  I sighed. “What do you want from me, Aaron?”

  “Mary Cassatt,” he said.

  My breath caught. “What?”

  “The artist you selected is Mary Cassatt.”

  He met my gaze with pure desire in his eyes. Shivers ran through my entire body. “How did you know that?” I barely managed to squeak out.

  “Because I know you,” he said simply.

  I shook my head. It didn’t make any sense. How could he have possibly known? How could he know me that well in just a few short weeks? The idea that there was some deeper connection between us chilled me to the core. I slumped back down into my chair. Aaron sat back down, too, but he didn’t take his eyes off of me.

  “I knew as soon as I saw her paintings,” he said. “The girls she paints, especially the ones in the big hats. They look just like you.”

  “They do not,” I protested.

  “True story.” .

  He continued to stare at me. “I think you look most like Ellen Mary Cassatt with a Large Bow in her Hair.”

  I could no longer contain a grin. “You seem to have done quite a bit of research on Mary Cassatt’s work.”

  “And you seem to have lost a bet,” he said and grinned.

  I still wasn’t sure what to make of Aaron. I didn’t like the answers he gave me about The Tournament but he seemed to be so sincere about his feelings towards me. How could he be both a womanizing asshole, and a guy, who seemed to truly care about me at the same time?

  ***

  Aaron suggested a small Chinese place a few blocks from campus. I had never really noticed it. Not that I didn’t like Chinese but the place was so tiny and nondescript, it didn’t register on my radar.

  “They have dim sum,” Aaron said as we entered the restaurant.

  “That sounds really good. I’m starving.”

  Aaron laughed.

  “What’s so funny,” I asked.

  “You’re so tiny. It’s hard to image you ever starving.”

  I grinned. “I think you’ll be surprised how much I can pack away.”

  “Bring it on. I’m buying.”

  The place only had about eight tables. Since it was Thursday and it was still fairly early, we had the whole place to ourselves. The hostess led us to a secluded corner table and we both sat down. She handed us menus and excused herself.

  “I really like the shrimp dumplings and the ones with shiitake mushrooms,” Aaron suggested.

  “You come here a lot?” I asked over my menu.

  “I love Chinese food.”

  “In that case, I’ll take your sage advice and go with the shrimp and the shiitake mushroom.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  After the waitress came to take our orders, Aaron looked at me with a serious expression. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

  “Okay,” I said without really thinking about it. I immediately felt like I was headed down a road with him that I wasn’t 100 percent sure I wanted to travel.

  “Why are you so sensitive about being touched?”

  The question took me aback. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I actually didn’t know what I expected but that wasn’t it. Aaron waited patiently, watching me, as I carefully considered how much I wanted to reveal to him. The look in his eyes was so earnest, it put me at ease.

  “I have personal boundaries,” I said. “People have to earn the right to touch me.”

  He studied my face. Without taking his eyes from mine, he said, “Were you abused?”

  I shook my head. “I wasn’t but my best friend was.”

  He was still looking at me intently. He didn’t say anything, just waited for me to continue.

  “Jill was my best friend all through elementary and junior high school. Because we were both only children, we became as close as sisters. We were inseparable. When we were freshman in high school, Jill’s mom got remarried and not too long after her step-dad moved in he started molesting her. At first, he was touching her inappropriately. I begged Jill to talk to her mom. And when she did her mom didn’t believe her. Then Jill said her step-dad asked her to do things to him. Sexual things. She got scared but she didn’t know what to do. She felt like her relationship with her mom had been completely destroyed. By the time we started our sophomore year, Jill told me that her step-dad would sneak into her bedroom at night and force himself on her. I was finally able to convince Jill to tell our guidance counselor. Within 24 hours, she was placed in a foster home. Jill’s mom still refused to believe that her husband would do all of the things Jill said he did to her. Even when they presented her mom with physical evidence, she still didn’t believe Jill. Jill’s mom chose her husband over her daughter.

&nb
sp; While Jill was in foster care, she was assigned to a psychoeducational group for kids, who had been molested. She was scared to death to go, so she asked the counselor if I could go with her. I attended the group every week for almost a year. I learned a lot about setting personal boundaries and having respect for myself and my body. I don’t just share myself with anybody.”

  Aaron nodded but he didn’t say anything. Then the waitress came with our food.

  Aaron was right in his assessment of the dim sum. It was delicious.

  “Good choice,” I said as I stuffed my fourth dumpling into my mouth.

  Aaron grinned. “Okay, I take back what I said about you being too tiny to eat very much. You can pack it away. I hope you don’t bankrupt me.”

  “Very funny.” I smiled. I liked seeing the playful side of him.

  After the waitress removed the few remains of uneaten dumplings, Aaron looked at me with a serious expression. “Can I ask you another question?”

  “Sure.”

  He looked down at my right hand then back up at me. “Can I touch your hand?”

  I looked at his face and he had an odd expression. Was he nervous? I found it hard to believe that super smooth Aaron could ever be nervous when it came to women.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Why what?”

  “Tell me why you want to touch my hand,” I said matter-of-factly.

  Aaron leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Then he gave me a grin that was the sexiest I had ever seen. I swallowed.

  “No one has ever asked me that question before.”

  “I’m not like other girls,” I said as I leaned back in my chair and stared into his eyes.

  He grinned. “You are definitely not like other girls.”

  I wondered if he thought that was good or bad.

  “You challenge me,” he continued. “And I like to be challenged.”

  We continued to stare at each other. After a few moments, Aaron uncrossed his arms and moved toward me. “There are a few reasons,” he said quietly, in almost a whisper.