Romance: The Campus Player: A College Romance

by Caroline Lake

  She hated the idea of moving the hotel somewhere else. Mostly it was because she had already spent half of the money she had saved over the years on the construction that was already halfway through. She knew that none of her friends could afford to give her the missing amount if she agreed to find another place and start from anew. Well, she didn’t blame them. It was difficult to afford much money. And she was going to do it all by herself. The paperwork and the organizing stuff that they were helping her with were enough: she didn’t want to engage them in the money issues.

  “Amanda, it’s your project, your hotel. We’re only here to help you,” Luisa said. “Of course you know better.”

  Not wanting to tense the atmosphere, the boys suggested that they went and saw how the construction was going.

  “The workers are already there,” Andy said. “Let’s go check what’s up there. Afterwards we can have breakfast.”

  Everybody agreed, but Amanda preferred to stay in the cabin alone, to think about the bear and her hotel. She wanted to rethink and understand if she had made the right decision.

  “Guys, I guess I’ll stay here and look through some documents,” she said. “You go; I’ll join you a bit later.”

  “Okay, Amanda, we’ll be at the construction site. It’s over there, not far from here,” George said, heading towards the exit of the cabin. The others nodded and followed him, but Luisa stayed a second longer to ask:

  “Mandy, aren’t you afraid to stay in the cabin alone?”

  “No, dear, I’m all right. I am not afraid,” Amanda shook her head, smiling. “Thanks for asking, Luis, don’t worry. Go with them.”

  ***

  Staying in the cabin all alone was calming. It helped Amanda sit and concentrate on her thoughts. She took some documentation out of her bag and started examining its contents. Some contracts, some plans, a business plan, some calculations. She started to look through them, re-reading everything. She needed to make sure that everything was correct. Suddenly her eyes caught movement, so she glanced out of the window. She was surprised to see a man standing right in front of the cabin window and looking inside.

  Quickly getting up, Amanda unlocked the door and got outside to see who the man was. “It may be some worker,” she thought as she closed the door behind her and stood face to face with the stranger. The moment Amanda looked at the man, only one word crossed her mind: handsome. His naked upper body revealed strong, muscular chest and abs, big muscular arms and hands. His chest was covered in black frizzy hair, and his hands were rough. His grey shorts reached his knees, and he was barefoot. All his body and face was sun-tanned, having a pleasant shade of light brown. And his face! Amanda hadn’t seen a manlier or more handsome face in her life. His dark eyes, shadowed by bushy eyelashes and brows, seemed menacing at first, changing into a softer gaze seconds later. Amanda’s eyes lingered a second longer on his full lips, sending shivers up her spine. His enticing eyes pierced through Amanda, as if hypnotizing her. His hair was dark brown, a bit curly and a bit longer than shorter, but clean and shiny. The man was tall, handsome, rough, strong, seductive and hypnotizing. At least that’s how Amanda saw him. Realizing that almost a minute had passed since they were staring at each other, Amanda resumed breathing and somehow managed to find her voice.

  “Hello,” she noticed with embarrassment, how shaky her voice was. Sunshine was getting into her eyes, so she had shielded her eyes with her hand.

  After a few seconds’ pause he said: “Hello.” His voice was deep, sexy, and self-confident.

  “I… I…” Amanda stammered. She wondered who the man was. Was he a worker from the site? If yes, then she was pleasantly surprised. Maybe he was the one who had looked at her the day before, as Stacey had noticed. “I am Amanda. Amanda Jones.”

  She noticed the man still watching her intently: his stare focused and fixed on her, sometimes slowly wandering up and down her body, making Amanda uneasy.

  “Roger Black,” he said, managing a small hot smile on his lips. Amanda smiled back.

  “Nice to meet you,” she mumbled through her smile. She didn’t know why she was smiling. She even scolded herself for it. She didn’t need to smile at strange men. She had to find out who he was at first. “Excuse me, who are you?”

  “I’m Roger Black,” he said again, making Amanda embarrassed for her stupid question. Of course he had said his name already: there wasn’t any need for that stupid question.

  “Yes, I know,” she forced herself to chuckle. “I just wanted to know if you are a worker from the construction site.”

  A frown appeared on his wide forehead. He shook his head. Then who was he? A chill ran down Amanda’s spine. ‘Mandy, aren’t you afraid to stay in the cabin alone?’ she remembered Luisa’s words.

  Seeing her face change, Roger said: “I live nearby, and just wanted to check what all this construction was about.”

  “Oh,” Amanda said, letting out the breath she was holding, “yes, it’s a construction. I mean it’s a hotel. It’s my hotel being constructed here. And where exactly do you live?” she knew it was another stupid question to ask, but she desperately needed to know if there was any chance to meet that handsome stranger again.

  “Not far from here,” he repeated. “But I am in the woods very often, so it doesn’t really matter.”

  “Yes, of course,” Amanda said, managing a smile again.

  “So, this is your hotel, you said?” he asked. She nodded. “I see,” he said. “And when will this be ready?”

  “In a couple of weeks,” Amanda said hastily. “It won’t take much time now that they’ve started the process.”

  “That’s good,” he said, flashing a smile at her. “So, it means that we’ll bump into each other more and more often, I guess.”

  She didn’t know what he meant by bumping into each other. Whatever he meant, she was eager to agree, as the force of his warm and pleasant gaze and sexy smile was already driving her crazy.

  “See you,” Roger said, turning to go and looking at her over his bare shoulder. Smiling seductively, he went, leaving Amanda glued to the ground, her body pleasantly hot and burning. After watching him go and disappear into the forest, Amanda walked back into the cabin and locked the door from the inside. Sitting on her bed, she took the papers back into her hands, trying to read them, but couldn’t. She wasn’t able to concentrate. His intense stare, his seductive smile, his deep sexy voice, his strong body and rough manners were too much for her to consume within a few minutes. She put the papers aside and closed her eyes. She was taking pleasure in remembering each and every detail of their encounter. The way he was looking at her… the way he was moving his lips when talking. The way he smiled at her… she felt that she wanted those hands on her body. The thought sent butterflies into her stomach and she looked around hastily, as if making sure that nobody noticed it. She let herself to fully enjoy the fantasies of him touching her. She took great pleasure in the thoughts, even though the thoughts involved only touching. It was a great progress, given the fact that she used to cringe at such thoughts rather often before.

  Looking at her mobile phone, Amanda checked the time and decided to go and join her friends, to have breakfast with them and to get her attention to something else than the enticing memories of the handsome stranger. Otherwise her fantasies were going to take her to a new level, new world, where she was scared to set foot.

  Chapter 4: Sudden Sparks

  Turning into a human form and going to meet the people who were creating all the construction mess had had only one mission: to make them stop it. Roger shook his head, as he sat down by the river, his favorite place in the forest. He closed his eyes and remembered the encounter. The moment he had laid eyes on her, his inner world had changed. Initially angry and annoyed, Roger had gone out only to meet the most beautiful and innocent creature in the world. To his own surprise. Things didn’t turn out the way he had planned. Her sweet smell, gentle and arousing, was so enticing that he could still feel it
in his nostrils. Her eyes, blue like the sea, bright and sparkling, looking at him with astonishment. Roger smiled at the memory of her. Such a beautiful creature, in the middle of the forest, in his territory. Roger started breathing deeply, as if trying to calm himself. But it didn’t help, as the memories of her innocent smile brought a new wave of tingling emotions to him, making him sweat and flare his nostrils. He remembered her petite body, so feminine and small, and probably soft to touch. He felt hot and confused, as he couldn’t get rid of the intense memories of the beautiful girl, Amanda, as she had called herself. He had to have her, he thought, as he took a small stone and tossed into the river. Of course he didn’t want to scare her, as he had already sensed her fright sometime during their conversation. He felt he wanted to protect her from everyone, to make sure she was safe and sound. He had to have her.

  ***

  “Mandy, what took you so long?” Luisa asked when Amanda joined them near the boys’ cabin.

  “Nothing,” she said, trying to hide the brand new spark her eyes had acquired after meeting Roger. She had decided to keep it a secret from everyone, as it was such a sensitive feeling that she was new to and wanted to feel it all alone, without sharing with anyone. She needed to understand what it was about, why it was making her feel on fire. She felt she needed to realize what was going on with her.

  “Okay, so we can have breakfast now,” Andy said, smiling, preparing the plastic dishes and cups, while Maggie got the food ready.

  “Picnic again?” Amanda asked, looking around the place there were going to have their picnic in, hoping to see Roger again.

  “Yes, it’s the best thing we can do here,” Stacey said. “Fresh air and all,” she added, taking an apple.

  “Amanda,” George said, “did you rethink our suggestion?”

  Amanda’s face tightened. She knew what he meant: transferring the hotel construction to another location, far from that place. Far from Roger, she thought. Now more than ever she wanted to stay there and build a hotel. She wanted to make sure that she had a chance to meet him again. No bear, no wolf or any other animal could make her move away from the place where she could see him, the wild and strong, gentle and fiery handsome man. He who managed to make her stomach flutter with strange feelings. She realized that her choice was based mostly on emotions, because the potential tourists could get scared and leave the hotel, but she reassured herself that not only emotions, but also the scarcity of money was the reason for her firm decision of staying there.

  “George,” she said gently, “I did rethink.”

  Everybody grew silent. She continued: “I want to continue the construction here.”

  The silence continued.

  “I understand everything,” Amanda said, seeing that everyone was looking at one another. “I know the dangers and stuff. But, I can’t afford stopping the construction and starting from scratch. It costs money, which I don’t have. I have what I have and not more. My savings are enough for carrying out the project till the end, including the hotel facilities and furniture. I can’t spend any more money as I don’t have it. And I’m sure you all know that.”

  Luisa nodded. The others also started to nod.

  “We understand,” George said. “Of course we can’t interfere, as we can’t give you money. Our financial situations are also tight.”

  “George, I’m not asking for money,” Amanda said, looking surprised and annoyed at the same time. “Did I say anything concerning any of you giving me money? I understand that you want the hotel to be the best, and I truly appreciate your help that you’ve given me and are still giving me. It’s just the money thing.”

  “Amanda,” Stacey said, “I guess this topic is settled. I personally am not going to say a word regarding this. If we can’t help you out financially, then none of us has a right to tell you what to do.”

  It was settled. Any other suggestion was out of question. Amanda was glad that she didn’t have an argument with her friends. After all, they all wanted what was best for her and her business.

  “Are we staying here tonight?” Luisa asked, trying to change the subject.

  “Yes, please, let’s stay,” the words escaped Amanda’s mouth against her will. She was surprised at herself. Could her longing for Roger be so intense that she needed to be as close to him as possible?

  “Oh, Amanda, you’ve grown so fond of this place,” Andy said, laughing. “I agree to stay one more night. Why not?”

  The others also agreed, although Luisa was a bit hesitant.

  ***

  The afternoon sun was so hot, that the men who were working under the sunshine had taken off their shirts and were topless. Their bare shoulders were dark brown, from being exposed to the direct sunlight for a long time. Amanda and her friends had decided to watch the construction, so they were sitting on the ground, under the trees, watching. Stacey was sitting next to Amanda, and she nudged Amanda with her elbow, winking and pointing to the side of the half-done hotel with her head. Amanda looked where Stacey was pointing to. There, in his black dirty shorts, there was a day-shift worker, who was preparing some cement material. He was looking at Amanda every now and then. Amanda looked at him, totally clueless. The worker noticed her looking at him, and winked. Startled, Amanda turned to look at Stacey, who was smiling at her meaningfully.

  “What?!” Amanda said in a low voice, starting to realize what it all meant. Stacey shrugged, still smiling playfully. Amanda turned her gaze towards the worker again, only to see that he was working again, turning around from time to time to look at her.

  “Stacey, so that’s the guy who you mentioned before, looking at me, I see,” Amanda said, still in a low voice. She didn’t want to draw the others’ attention to that matter. It didn’t mean a thing to her, as there was a more pleasant, stronger and better emotion she was dealing with at the moment: missing Roger. Of course there was nothing good about missing somebody, she thought, especially when that somebody had woken in you strange and intense feelings. She shrugged, rolling her eyes at Stacey.

  “Mandy, I think that guy would like to get acquainted with you,” Stacey whispered.

  “I don’t share his wishes,” Amanda said, as she and Stacey shared a secret chuckle.

  “Hey guys,” Maggie said. “What about a nice walk in the forest?”

  “I guess no,” Luisa said immediately.

  “Luis, aren’t you afraid to stay in the cabin alone?” Stacey said. “Well, in case everyone comes to have a walk.”

  “I think it’s safer to stay inside a cabin, than to walk through a forest,” Luisa said tentatively. “Especially when there are wild animals,” she added.

  “No, Luis, there aren’t many wild animals here,” George said. “We only heard one bear. It doesn’t mean there are lots of wild animals, okay?”

  “I’d better stay in the cabin,” Luisa repeated.

  The others got ready to walk through the forest, making sure not to go too far away.

  “There’s a stream a bit far from here,” Andy said. “Let’s go and see if we can find a waterfall there, too.”

  “Of course we can!” George said at once. “I have seen the waterfall, too. I will show you the way.”

  “George, but what if the bear shows up?” Amanda asked.

  “We’ll not go too deep in the forest,” George answered. “And the bear won’t come near the construction site, I’m sure.”

  ***

  The walk was pleasant and calming. Amanda was deep in her memories of Roger, walking absent-mindedly with her friends and nodding her head occasionally, when asked a question by one friend or another. The stream was starting from a not too high waterfall, noisily rushing down from the lower side of the mountain, crashing onto a big black rock, resulting in watery mist. Amanda closed her eyes, sitting on a nearby rock by the stream. Where was Roger? She wished he would accidentally bump into her.

  “Let’s get under the waterfall!” Stacey suggested, almost yelling, so that her voice could be
heard through the waterfall noise. “We haven’t taken a shower for two days!”

  “What an awesome idea!” Maggie said, jumping right under the waterfall. “Oh, it’s so cold!”

  Amanda smiled at Maggie’s reaction to the cold shower. She went and stood on one of the rocks, right beside Maggie, where the cold water was splashing down with mild thunder. It felt the same as her cold shower at home she used to take every day, except for the fact that she was dressed under the waterfall.

  After having fun under the water, the friends sat down on the nearby rocks to get dry under the afternoon sun that was already starting to go towards the horizon.

  Amanda was dreaming about meeting Roger, the mysterious hot man, who refused to come out of her mind.

  “Amanda, are you all right?” Maggie asked, coming closer and sitting next to her on the rock.

  “Yes, I’m perfect,” Amanda answered; her eyes still dreamy.

  Maggie eyed her suspiciously.

  “Mag, I’m fine. It’s just the waterfall, it’s making me sleepy.”

  “We’ll return soon,” George said.

  The sun was already starting to set. The sky, a mixture of red and orange colors, made the surroundings look magical. The friends were already near their cabins, tired and ready to sink into their beds.

  “Goodnight,” Amanda said, lying down on her bed, grateful that her pillow was so soft and inviting.

  “Goodnight,” her friends said, each getting under the covers.

  Amanda closed her eyes. Her day had been full of lots of things going on, and her mind needed to switch off. But she couldn’t sleep. Her mind was as awake as it would be after several cups of strong coffee. Roger, she remembered his name, Roger Black. His name was created for him. So strong and brutal-looking, yet having such gentle smile. Amanda got the familiar tingling feeling in her stomach again, smiling at her reaction upon remembering him. She felt the urge to start fantasizing about him. She wanted to imagine what it would feel like if he touched her. Then Amanda tried to imagine how she would feel if he came closer to her, so that she felt his breathing. The thought got her all hot and wet, and she stopped the fantasy, looking around hastily. Not that the others were asleep.