Kara took a sip and hated the taste.
“Why do you drink this crap,” she asked.
“Because being sober on a weeknight is for losers,” Henry responded confidently.
Kara set her drink on a table where it was immediately snatched up by another guest.
“Okay, I came. Now tell me where you got my number,” said Kara hastily.
“I’ll give you a choice, I’ll either stop bothering you in person, or you can find out who gave me your number. But, you can’t have both,” Henry said with a cockish smile.
Kara’s frustration was palpable.
“Fine, you can keep the stupid phone number. At least, I can block you on my phone.”
“Aww, now why would you want to do that, Kara? I thought our love was written in the stars,” Henry said dramatically.
He threw his arm around Kara, and oddly to her, she didn’t mind. It had been a long time since she’d been held in any manner.
She looked around and caught more than a few envious glares and began to feel uncomfortable. She pried herself from his grasp and stepped back.
“Okay, I’ve made an appearance at your stupid party, I’m going home.”
“Kara, what are you going to do at home,” Henry asked, “shall I take a guess? I think you’ll lie down in bed, pull out a book and read for a few minutes while missing me.”
“Nothing of the sort,” she replied, “I’m going to go home and sleep. I have a lot to do tomorrow. I’m taking on some new students that need tutoring, and I’ll need to decide who will be on that list. Thus, I have to sleep tonight.”
Henry finished his drink and casually tossed the plastic cup aside.
“Alright, alright, I won’t bother you anymore. Get out of here.”
Henry waved Kara away in an overt gesture, and she actually felt a bit down that he was pushing her away already. She, at least, expected him to put up more of a fight.
“Have a good evening,” Kara replied curtly before walking towards the front door.
Henry watched her leave; his chest was wracked with a tightness he hadn’t really felt before. He felt that the first time he saw her, as well. It seemed to be lessened every time he had the chance to talk to her, so he enjoyed every second they spent together; even though their time was spent arguing with each other.
He wanted to do something more about it; then he saw George.
3.
George was in the middle of a conversation with a couple of other girls. He was a good guy, even though he was a little slow. Still, he had the opening that Henry needed, and he’d even been so kind as to share Kara’s number. Perhaps there was one more thing he’d be willing to do.
“George, my man,” started Henry, “you’re being tutored by Kara, right?”
George turned to speak, and the girls walked away.
“Yeah, what’s up?” he asked.
“Listen, how did you get her as a tutor,” Henry asked.
“It was easy, there’s a website on the campus that you use to apply for tutelage, and they match you up with people that best suit your needs,” replied George.
“It’s that easy?”
“Yep, just like that. It costs a bit, but it’s worth it. Kara’s helped me bump my grade up a couple of points in the last couple months; it’s helped keep me on the team,” George said.
Henry scratched his chin.
“Do you still have your application somewhere,” Henry asked.
“Yeah, probably, why?”
“I want to apply for a tutor, just give me your information,” Henry prodded.
“I think I have it in my room, I’ll email it to you,” George replied, and then went back to filling his glass.
Henry stood there a moment watching him drink, wishing that he’d take the hint.
“Now, please,” Henry said, taking the glass from George’s hand and setting it on the table.
George raised an eyebrow at him and left for his room in the house. Henry followed close by.
“How about you just bring up the application, and I’ll fill out the rest before sending it in,” Henry said.
George nodded.
“You’ll probably end up with the girl that ditched you tonight,” George said.
“You don’t say, wouldn’t that be something,” Henry said.
With a few taps on his laptop, George pulled up his old application. Henry pushed George from his chair and started changing a few of the fields.
“Hmm, maybe Albert Conrad,” Henry said.
“Albert, Who?” George asked.
“Nothing, George, can you answer me a question, what does Kara like?”
George looked at Henry with drunken eyes and tried to understand what he was being asked.
“Reading, I guess,” George replied.
“You’re no help, George,” said Henry.
“I know.”
“I’ll turn off your computer when I’m done, just get back to the party for me.”
“Okay, Henry.”
George stumbled out of his room, slamming the door behind him unexpectedly.
Henry continued to fill in the fields of the application. Some of the details he made up on the fly, while others he used from his own record to help his case. When he thought the application was perfect, he submitted it.
Henry felt butterflies in his stomach. He wanted to spend more time with Kara, and this seemed the only way to do it.
4.
The usual people were on the list, and Kara didn’t mind who she had to tutor, so long as they were willing to learn and able to pay.
Living on campus was becoming more expensive every quarter that passed, and she had to take on even more students to handle the load.
One applicant stood out to her on the list. Albert Conrad. He needed help in areas that she was quite proficient in; though he did sound like he might be a little slow to learn. It didn’t really matter, though; everyone deserved a fair shot at good grades.
Kara signed the waiver and took on two more students; the first she decided to call was Albert.
“Hello?” replied the speaker.
“Albert Conrad,” she asked.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“This is Kara, and I’ve decided to take you on as a student that I’ll be tutoring. Do you have time to meet me later today?”
“Of course; the library at 2 pm would be perfect,” he replied.
“Excellent, I will see you then,” Kara said before hanging up the phone.
Something seemed very familiar about the voice on the other line, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
Time passed, and the clock eventually read 2 pm. It was raining again outside, and Kara sat and watched out the window again with a book in hand.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and swiveled to see Henry standing there.
“Why are you here,” she asked.
“Albert said he couldn’t make it, and I should take his spot,” he replied while plopping down in the overstuffed chair nearby.
“How do you know Albert,” Kara wondered.
“Well, funny story, that,” Henry said, “I made him up.”
Kara wasn’t laughing.
“Henry, why are you torturing me like this,” she asked.
“I really don’t know,” he replied.
There was sincerity in his reply that Kara hadn’t heard before. Henry appeared genuine for the first time since Kara had met him.
“Okay, Henry, you’ve had your fun, I need to get back to real work now.”
Henry didn’t budge from his seat.
“Kara, why do we constantly fight?” he asked.
Kara knew what she wanted to say, but wondered if she was just parroting what she had said in the past. The only reason she could honestly come up with is that she didn’t want to feel like she was just another face. She wanted to be more than just another passing fancy.
“We fight because you’re super annoying,” she said.
Hen
ry smirked.
“I guess you’ll never let down your guard,” Henry said while standing up to leave.
Kara stood as well.
“Is this some kind of joke,” she asked, “you make someone up so that you can come see me after you said that you wouldn’t bother me anymore. Now you’re walking away with your tail between your legs.”
Henry paused and lingered for a moment before answer, trying to think of a reply. Nothing really came to him, so he just said what was on his mind.
“Kara, I don’t like many people, but I like you,” he said.
Kara let out a brash laugh that left Henry feeling a little silly.
“Henry, I don’t think you know what it means to like someone.”
“Kara, I mean it when I ask you out, I really do want to try to take you out for a date and see if we could be something more than acquaintances.”
She was feeling incredibly frustrated. This was a new tactic, for sure, and Kara couldn’t figure it out.
“Okay Henry, let’s try it,” she said, surprising herself.
She hadn’t meant to accept, but the words escaped her mouth before she’d really thought about them.
Henry’s eyes lit up, his usual serious gaze disappeared.
“I don’t suppose you’d want to go out right now, would you?”
Kara shook her head.
“No, I’m busy today,” she couldn’t backpedal this time. “Just call me, maybe we can get together later or tomorrow. I’m usually free on Sunday’s.”
“It’s a date,” he said, bouncing out from the library.
The rain let up, and small jets of sunlight streamed in through the glass. Kara already missed the rain, but the rainbow was a welcome change.
“Great,” she said to herself with an exhausted sigh.
5.
Sunday began with a phone call.
“Hello,” Kara said, answering the call with her eyes full of sleep
“I think I have an idea of what we can do today, dress warm and meet me downstairs,” Henry replied then ended the call.
Kara wanted to stay in bed for another hour or two. She rarely had the chance to sleep in, and this was the first day in more than a few months that she’d had the time.
Still, she found herself interested in seeing what he meant by ‘dress warm.'
Kara raided her closet and put on the warmest things she could find. Sadly they didn’t look that great together. Kara was a curvier girl, and it was always hard to find things that fit just right. Her large bosom barely fit into regular bras from the store, and her curvier hips made buying jeans a nightmare.
She usually ended up in comfy leggings and a knee length dress. Today, she put on a pair of ill-fitting jeans and a sweater than made her look just a little bit wider than usual. Kara hated it but went with it anyway.
Downstairs, in the walkway leading up to her apartment, stood Henry. A small bundle of wildflowers perched in his hand and his hair was combed just a little bit to one side. Kara suppressed a giggle at his new hairdo.
“Alright, what’s the plan then,” she said.
“Today is a special day,” Henry replied.
“Oh yeah, and what’s that mean,” questioned Kara.
“It means that you’re in for quite a treat.”
Then he thrust the small band of flowers towards her.
“These are for you,” he said.
She took the mangy flowers from him.
“Thanks,” she said unenthusiastically.
Henry offered an arm, and Kara reluctantly took it.
Although, now that she was there, she liked it. She knew that she’d get a lot of looks from any other girl that walked along the sidewalk.
Kara’s curiosity was going a bit wild. She wondered what it was that he’d planned for the day. He made no mention nor did he have anything that gave away his plan. Henry just continued to walk with purpose down the lane.
A small band of people was gathered up ahead. Kara recognized the area but didn’t understand why people were gathering in the space.
“What are we doing here,” Kara asked.
“You’ll see in about five more minutes,” Henry replied after checking his phone.
Kara started trying to guess, but she hadn’t a clue. More people started gathering until there must have been more than fifty people that had congregated. It must be something important, but there wasn’t anything around except for people.
Then a single person came running through the middle of the crowd with a spray paint can. They continued to fire a steady stream in a line along the ground through the middle of the crowd.
Once the line was finished, Kara started to realize what was happening. Each side of the line faced the other and dodgeballs started appearing out of nowhere.
“Don’t tell me this is a-”
“Dodgeball Flash mob!” shouted Henry.
The two sides clashed with ferocity. Small rubber balls flew this way, and that, and Kara did her best to avoid them. Henry went on the attack, catching a few balls that would have hit Kara and throwing them back in the chaos.
At first, Kara felt incredibly out of place, but after five minutes she couldn’t stop laughing. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had as much fun in a crowd. Even when they were tagged by the balls they calmly walked out of the crowd and waited for another chance to get back in. For almost half an hour the crowd played before they started dispersing.
Out of breath and ready to leave, Kara and Henry parted ways with the action and made for the shops nearby. Kara led Henry to her favorite coffee shop just down the road and ordered them both a hot chocolate to warm back up. Together, they sat in the overstuffed chairs by the fireplace in the middle of the room.
“Okay, I’ll admit,” Kara started, “I had fun. Thank you for the invite.”
Henry nodded with a mustache of whipped cream covering his smile.
“I thought you might enjoy it. The best things in life are free,” he replied.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Kara added.
“So tell me, has your opinion of me improved a bit,” Henry asked.
“Perhaps a small bit,” she replied.
“Progress is progress,” he quipped, “I was thinking I could cook you lunch at my place.”
“How about you make me lunch at my apartment so that I can change out of these ridiculous clothes,” Kara said.
“So eager to invite me in, I see where this is going,” he said with a laugh.
“We could just call it a day right now if you keep up that attitude,” she replied.
“Okay, okay. Old habits die hard. I think your place is probably cleaner anyway,” he said.
Together they finished their drinks and sauntered off, back down the road. They continued to talk as though meeting for the first time. A certain level of maturity was exuding from Henry that Kara hadn’t seen before.
They stopped at a grocery store and gathered a few things they might like for lunch, and Henry promised that she wouldn’t have to lift a finger.
Once they returned to the tiny apartment, Henry wasted no time getting acquainted with the kitchen. He showed a lot of talent at cooking that Kara didn’t know he had.
“I cook a lot, actually,” he said, “I just grew up as the head chef of the family since my mom was always working.”
“And your dad?”
“He wasn’t in the picture at all. Guess he just figured he had better places to be.”
Kara felt a little sorry for him, and she made it apparent with her face.
“It’s nothing to be sorry about,” he said, “I actually never minded taking care of my younger siblings. We’re a close family and always will be.”
He smiled, but this time, it was honest and heartfelt.
The food he made was quite good, the two of them sat on her bed in the small studio apartment as there wasn’t much other seating.
“Do you know why I always shoved you away?” Kara asked.
/> Henry shook his head no.
“You have this air about you, like everything in life is easy. I’ve never had friends like you do, nor have I had such an easy time getting into college. I might have a scholarship too, but I had to spend hours studying to get it. You just had to play a sport.”
“I spent hours practicing,” he replied, “probably spent more hours on skates than you did with your nose in a book.”
She really didn’t know what else to say. But, then he leaned in and stole a kiss.
Kara couldn’t believe it when it happened, but didn’t pull away. When Henry stopped, she felt sad that it was over so soon.
Kara moved back in for another kiss, and Henry was happy to oblige her. She gracefully put her hands around him, and he hugged her and pulled her in closer.
A rush of emotion and excitement came to her. She knew she wanted this and Henry surged with passion, laying her down on the bed gingerly.
Kara stripped off her top, revealing her large buxom chest, exciting her mate even more. He followed suit and tore off his raggedy white shirt.
She calmed herself momentarily as he unhooked her bra. Kara felt a little embarrassed, not knowing what he would think about her, now that he’d seen her like this.
Henry looked ravenous, rubbing and pinching her nipples with his hand. Kara caressed down along his tight abs, running her hand along each ridge. Then she found her hand resting on his jeans, wanting to free his manhood.
She dexterously undid his jeans and tugged them down, along with his underwear. He stopped for a moment to stand up and finish taking off his garments, and while he did, Kara saw the perfect chance to remove what little she had left.
Henry stood at the end of the bed, surveying his prize. Kara let go of her inhibitions and opened her legs just a little further so he could get a better view.
Like a wild animal, he collapsed on the bed. She felt warmth in the pit of her stomach and felt her chest get more flush as she lie there with him kissing every inch of her.
Henry kissed further and further down her stomach until his mouth met her wet sex, and with a flick of his tongue she felt ignited. Tiny sparks shot through every little nerve in her body, making her fingers tingle and her head light up with excitement.
Every circular lick with his tongue excited her more until she could take no more. She wanted him now.
Romance: Young Adult Romance: The Perfect Game (A Highschool Football Romance) (Bad Boy Nerd New Adult Romance) Page 59
