Contemporary Nights Volume One

by C. J. Ellisson

  “I didn’t answer.”

  “I know.” He moves to the counter and sits at the desk. “So, now what?”

  “You reset my password and leave me the fuck alone.”

  “I don’t see why you’re mad at me.”

  “You don’t see that? Really? Maybe you should switch back to your glasses.”

  He jumps to his feet and glares at me as he growls, “I only did what you taught me to do. Jesus Christ. Everything I did was for you. Everything I’m doing now is for you. When is it going to be enough?”

  I cross my arms and refuse to meet his eyes. If I so much as look at him, I’ll break down. I’ve already cried enough over him. “When you leave me alone.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Don’t you fucking get it?” My vicious tongue is in full swing and I can’t stop the words. I know even before I say them that I’m going to regret them, but that doesn’t so much as slow me down as I spit words at him for no other reason than to hurt him. “I don’t want you. I only did what I did with you as part of our deal. Now that it’s over, so are we.”

  “Even the sex?”

  I shrug and feign disinterest even though memories of our first time together tugs at my heart. He looked so scared, worried he’d do it wrong. Oh, but he did it so very right. And then our last night together. I’ve never felt that close to anyone. Ever.

  I can’t think about that now. It hurts too much. “Like I said.”

  He pauses for too long and works his jaw. After a while, he asks in a voice barely above a whisper, “Are we still friends?”

  “We never were.” I know my words are crushing him and I feel like a piece of shit. I’ll never let another guy in again. It’s just too painful. I can’t stop myself from delivering the final blow, making sure he’s hurting as much as I am. “Anything else you need clarified before you stop holding my password hostage, HP?”

  He sinks into the chair and stares at the computer. “No. Thanks for clearing things up. Your account has been unlocked. I won’t bother you again.”

  I finally meet his eyes. They’re pleading with me. God, I want to give into that look. Desperately. We could still fix this.

  Instead, I let my pride take over. “Thank you.” I spin to disappear back into the rows of computers and spot Britt, and hurry over to our corner. She glances at me as I sit. She doesn’t say anything, just stares at me. I hate it when she does this. Finally I turn to her. “What?”

  “We need a girls’ night out.”

  Now I feel bad and pull in some of my anger. “I don’t feel like going out.”

  “All the more reason we need one. Tonight.”

  “It’s a Monday.”

  “I don’t care. I’ll call and cancel my plans with Joe.”

  “Who’s Joe?”

  “The guy I met at the party. I swear, Em. You never listen to me.”

  That does it. Something snaps inside me and I jump to my feet. I’m devastated. I’ve been betrayed by a guy I thought was my friend. Possibly my best friend. I don’t need this from Britt, too.

  “I’m so sick and tired of everyone blaming me for everything. I can’t keep up with all your boyfriends because you change them more than you change your underwear—at least when you aren’t leaving them at some random guy’s place so he’ll have a reason to call you.”

  Britt gasps as she drops her jaw. I’m panting as I stand there, stunned into silence, shocked that I completely went off in front of everyone, and to my best friend of all people. Her eyes fill with tears and my stomach twists that I’m the cause of them.

  She stands and grabs her book bag. “That’s it. You win. You are going to end up alone, Emma Rae, if you don’t stop pushing everyone away. The instant a person gets close, you do something or say something to get them to hate you so you can blame them for your loneliness. I’m done. I refuse to stick around and watch you self-destruct.” She storms off.

  I glance around at all the people staring at me. Nancy silently applauds me. Shaking my head, I grab my things and leave the lab. I’m never going to pass the class anyway, not without Ryan’s help, which I’m definitely not going to get now that I’ve alienated him along with everyone else.

  As soon as I leave the building, I hesitate. I can’t go back to the dorm, knowing Britt is probably there, crying her eyes out over what a shitty best friend I am. I can’t go to the mod. The Deltas have banned me from stepping foot anywhere near their house.

  I head to one of the plethora of coffee shops in the CUB, find a table in the back, and set all my stuff on a chair. Once I have my headphones in and my laptop fired up, I stare at the screen, my hands on the keys. I draw a blank about what I should be working on. I get like this whenever I’m pissed. My mind completely shuts down and I run on pure instinct. Well, in today’s case, pure insanity.

  As I sit there doing absolutely nothing but watching my laptop do absolutely nothing, I decide I need caffeine. That should help. I jump up and use my last spare change to get a coffee, dump the gazillion sugars and creamers into it that makes it palatable, and then rejoin my laptop.

  The screensaver kicks on and as I stir the contents of my cup, I watch it. My mouth falls open. Chills wash across my skin. Tears fill my eyes. My heart squeezes to the point that I suck in a breath as I watch slide after slide appear.

  When did he do this?

  It starts with me on his couch, watching Easy A, a warm smile dancing in my eyes. He has a caption on it: Why my life is better than a John Hughes film.

  The next slide is me the first day of my life at BU. I was scared to death and it definitely showed in my wide eyes. How in the hell did he get his hands on this? I read the caption: I’m never afraid to try new things and refuse to accept things the way they are.

  I recognize the next one. It’s me on the quad, sitting against a tree, lost in thought. BU used this pic in one of their banners on their website. The caption read: I challenge myself to be more than who I am today. There’s something bigger out there and I’m going to find it.

  Oh, my God. Where did he find this one? It’s night and I’m staring up at the sky, as are several hundred of other BU students, as we watch the August meteor showers. Britt is right there next to me, texting instead of watching the show. I know the universe doesn’t revolve around me, but that’s not going to stop me from being the center of someone’s universe.

  Me back at the mod, the remnants of the hoagies and wrappers on the coffee table, my martini in hand. I laugh as I remember where that night led: I don’t have to go out every Friday night. I’m perfectly happy staying in, watching my favorite show, and sipping on a maraschino martini. I’m living the dream.

  I laugh, recalling saying that to him.

  I lose my smile at the next one as shock plunges through me. How in the hell did he get this one? It’s him and me on the Vespa on the way back from the mall, me holding the bags full of our purchases. I’m grinning ear-to-ear and so is Ryan. I can’t help but smile as I read the caption: My noble steed is a powder blue Vespa.

  The next one seals the deal. I’m speechless as I stare at it. It’s Ryan and me when we sat in that stupid photo booth at the mall, a series of pictures as a result rest on the screen. We weren’t ready for the first one. The second one we are both laughing. The third, he’s kissing me on the cheek and my mouth is open in mock shock. But the last one has me. Our cheeks together, we are grinning wide, so ridiculously happy it hurts to look at it. When I read the caption, the tears stream down my cheeks: I am the center of someone’s universe.

  “You are.”

  I jerk my attention up and the weight on my chest forces me to suck in a sudden intake of breath. Ryan is standing there, his hands in his pockets, his head down, though he’s watching me through his lashes. He shrugs and drops his gaze to his shoes.

  Should I say something? Let him speak again? I’ve never been good at this sort of stuff. “What are you doing here?”

  He pulls his gaze to m
e and another sharp intake of breath surprises me. I blink and wipe at the tears. “Did you like the slideshow?”

  “How’d you do all this?”

  “There’s nothing a nerd can’t do if he puts his mind to it. Security feeds are kid’s play. So is stealing shots while I pretend to check my phone.”

  “I don’t know whether to kiss you or kick your ass.”

  “I’m hoping for the first one, but I’ll understand if it’s the second one.”

  I laugh through my tears. “Players are not allowed to do romantic shit like this.”

  He tosses that cute, lopsided grin my way. “I guess I’m just not cut out to be a player.”

  “The Deltas won’t let you in if you’re not.”

  “It’s already done,” he tells me. “I sort of got in a fight with Brad after you left the party.”

  My mouth runs dry. That would explain the bruises. “Did you win?”

  “No.” He shakes his head and points at the remnants of his wounds on his face. “Not even close. He kicked my ass and then kicked me out of the house. Britt took my back to the mod before something worse happened.”

  I stiffen. Shit. Shit! Britt got to him. “And?”

  “Nothing happened.”

  “Really?” I want so desperately to believe him. But this is reality and she’s, well, Britt.

  “She’s not you.”

  I suck in a breath at his compliment. He actually chose me over Britt?

  He chuckles and God what the sound does to me. “She threatened to slather Brad with peanut butter and leave him for the rats.”

  I laugh through my tears. “She saw that in a movie once. It scared the shit out of her.”

  “It scared the shit out of everyone at the party just to have her say that.” He sighs and runs his hand through his hand. “Listen, I’ve spent the entire spring break moving out of my mod and into an apartment off-campus. I’m never going to be a Delta. And you know what? I’m okay with that.”

  I drop my jaw and stand, stepping toward him. “Why would you do that? You knew better than to antagonize Brad. He’s been looking for a reason to kick you out. You gave it to him and after everything we worked for.”

  “He touched my girl.”

  I love the sound of him calling me his girl. Maybe it isn’t as over as I originally thought. “You knew you’d be kicked out of the house if you went after him.”

  When he chuckles, I both love and hate that the sound lands in my ears, warming me. “There are some things more important than being a Delta.”

  “Such as?”

  He inches toward me. “You.”

  “Me?” My voice comes out an octave higher. This makes no sense. Why would he think I’m more important? I’ve done nothing but treat him like shit. And I’ve done everything to push him away. He should hate me. “I don’t understand.”

  He takes my hand in his and lifts his other to cover my cheek. I want to lean into the warmth of his touch, but I’m still too stunned to move. “You’re the most important thing to me, Emma. It’s you. It’s always been you. Not being a player. Not being a Delta. Being with you is exponentially better than any of that. You’re the center of my universe. I love you.”

  Sweet Jesus on a pogo stick. My heart is bouncing around like water on a hot griddle. He just dropped the L-bomb. I don’t know what to say, so I just go with it. “What does exponentially mean?”

  He pulls me to him and blows my mind with his kiss. He nips at my bottom lip and I return the favor. I only break our contact when I can’t breathe.

  “Exponential growth is when something expands at a constant rate equal to the factors feeding it.” He rocks his hips and I know exactly what that means.

  “I love it when you geek out on me.” I squeeze his hand. His cock presses against me and has me ready to take him back to my dorm.

  Dorm!

  Britt!

  I drop his hand and slam my laptop closed then shove it in my bag. “I have to go.”

  “Right now? But we just made up. Isn’t it, you know, customary to ride off on a lawnmower or something?”

  “You said so yourself,” I point out and throw my bag over my shoulder before grabbing my coffee. “Our life is better than a John Hughes movie. I have to go talk to Britt.” He grins and steps back. I don’t trust that wicked glimmer in his eyes. “What?”

  “You said ‘our’ life. As in you and me.”

  I did. And I like the sound of it, but I can’t let him off that easy. “Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. I’m not ready to say I do.”

  “I already did.” He wiggles his brow.

  “That’s the quickest way to get a girl to stop seeing you, dude.” I slap his back.

  “Always grooming me.” He winks and I smile as I walk backward away from him.

  “What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t challenge you? You said so yourself. I refuse to accept things the way they are.”

  “Did I just create a monster?”

  “No more than I did.” I blow him a kiss and run out of the CUB, across the quad, and over to my building. I’m shocked that I’m not even winded. The running every morning has definitely paid off. I take the stairs, knowing how ridiculously slow the elevators are. Once I throw the door open to my floor, I run down the hall and rush into my dorm.

  Britt is there on her bed. Her eyes are red, swollen, and I freeze. I’m the reason she’s so miserable. I set my book bag on my bed and hurry to her. Without a word I pull her into my arms. She stiffens at first but then sobs as I hold her. I burst into tears and we sit there, crying on each other’s shoulders. After several minutes of blubbering and snotting all over each other, we push back.

  “I’m still mad at you,” she says as she wipes at the mascara on her cheek. “You don’t get to get off that easy.”

  “I’m a bitch.”

  She laughs. “I’ve been telling you that for years.”

  “I’m so sorry, Britt. You’re my best friend and I love you.”

  More tears melt down her face. “Dirty trick.”

  “I’ll buy all the drinks tonight.” I have no money, but I’ll find a way.

  She blinks. “Are we still on for a girl’s night out?”

  “I think we both need it.”

  “What about Ryan?”

  “He’ll understand.”

  “Are you two together?”

  “We are and I don’t care,” I declare. “I love him, Britt. I do, and I don’t care what anyone thinks about it. I don’t know how it happened, but somewhere in the middle of this game, I fell in love with a nerd.”

  She smiles wide. “It’s about time you find out what your type really is.” With a quick sniff, she gives me a nod. “Now we just have to figure out what my type is.”

  “What about Joe?”

  “He’s a Delta. We both know what that means.”

  “He’s a player,” I conclude, ecstatic that Ryan no longer falls into that category.

  “And that means I’m just playing with him.” Britt wiggles her eyebrows.

  “You’re terrible.” I stand up from the bed. Despite our own personal drama, we still have classes to pass. “Are we good? I have chem.”

  She nods. “I’ll see you at happy hour. And Em? Ryan is one of the good guys.”

  “Yeah, he is.” I smile and nod.

  “See if he has any friends.”

  I laugh as I think of all the horny online gamers I met. Maybe Britt’s type is more like Ryan and less like guys like Brad. Only time will tell.

  I run out of the room and down the stairs out of the building, across the quad, and make it to chem just in time. I’m not even panting as I take my seat next to Ryan.

  He smiles at me. “Everything good?”

  “It is now.” I grab his hand and hold it in mine. He brings my hand up to his lips and brushes my knuckles. I melt and stare at him, lost in the moment.

  “About what happened with Nancy…”

  “Yeah, what about
it?” I’m not about to let him out of that. The sight of them together can’t be unseen. I’m still pissed about it.

  “She found out that I did your midterm and you did mine. She threatened to go to the Dean. She was trying to get us kicked out of school unless I did, well, exactly what I did.”

  “That bitch.” The relief that he didn’t play me washes over my senses. It’s like a warm bath and I smile.

  “I met with the Dean over break and told him that you and I were study partners, and that’s why we’re both doing better in our classes. He bought it, but to be safe, let’s just stick to our own schoolwork from here on out.”

  I smile and squeeze his hand. “Deal.”

  His grin widens as he watches me watching him. “I want to take you to dinner Friday.”

  “Another two-for-one coupon for hoagies at the CUB?”

  “What kind of boyfriend do you take me for?” He tries to sound offended but I see right through him. “This one is for pizza.”

  I laugh and slap his shoulder. “Are you splurging for the makings for maraschino martinis again?”

  “If vodka and cherry syrup is what my girl wants, then that’s what she gets.” He kisses me and my toes curl.

  This entire experience has taught me more than I ever expected. I can find love despite my many attempts to fuck it up. My happiness depends on me and only me, not me making everyone else happy. It certainly doesn’t revolve around making a guy happy… unless he’s a cool nerd with steely gray eyes.

  And, above all else…

  All it takes is a little grooming to discover the real person hidden inside us all.

  The End

  About the Author

  Allie K. Adams is the bestselling author of several award-winning stories. An active member of the search and rescue, as well as previously served as a reserve deputy, Allie has firsthand experience in most of the dangers she writes about. Known for her highly erotic, deeply intense suspense romances, she can be found most days in front of her computer, saving the world one sizzling story at a time. She grew up in Seattle and now currently lives in southwest Montana with her husband, two kids, and two fluff ball dogs.