“What happened?”
Amanda’s eyes scanned the room. Frowning, she turned back to Nathan.
“Nothing. I thought…never mind.”
They kept on dancing. When the song ended, Nathan excused himself to go to the restroom. Amanda watched him leave, and then she looked around. Ashton and Grecia were still dancing. Oswald and Claire were going back to the table. Amanda made to follow them.
At that moment, a guy walked up to her. Amanda stopped to look at him.
“Excuse me. Let’s dance the next piece together.”
Amanda looked the guy up and down. She wasn’t impressed. He seemed like the too-many-beers type.
“Thanks, but I’m with someone.”
Amanda made to return back to the table. Before she could take a few steps, the guy grabbed her wrist.
“I wasn’t asking, sweetie. I want a dance with you.”
“Let go of me.”
The guy ran one hand down Amanda’s arm. A finger brushed along her chest.
“Just this one song, sugar. Please.”
“Don’t call me that!”
“Come on, don’t be—”
The grip on Amanda’s wrist was released. She blinked and saw Nathan pushing the guy off her.
“This is my girl, you bastard. Back off.”
The guy’s lips turned down. He then aimed a right hook at Nathan. The latter ducked to avoid it, and then he retaliated with a punch of his own.
“Nathan, no!” Amanda said.
The rude guy fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Nathan leaned down and grabbed him up by the collar. He then punched him on the face. Blood began to pour from the guy’s nose.
Amanda thanked Nathan after he opened her door. He was still angry about what happened at the club. They’d just returned to Ithaca. Nathan’s brawl cut short their trip to Rochester. The drunken guy got kicked out, but so were Amanda and her group. She was at least thankful that Nathan wasn’t a violent type. He lashed out only if provoked.
After Nathan opened Emmy’s door, he locked the car. The three of them walked in silence to their building. At the top of the stairs, Nathan grabbed Amanda’s wrist. She looked back at him.
“Can we talk?”
Amanda looked at Emmy. She smiled in sympathy and nodded. When she walked away, Amanda turned back to Nathan.
“What is it?”
Nathan looked down at a spot behind Amanda. He swallowed, and then looked at her.
“I’m sorry for ruining our night. That shouldn’t have happened. I just lost it.”
Amanda placed a finger on his lips.
“It’s okay. I can’t blame you for defending me. What happened wasn’t your fault.”
“I should have controlled myself better. It’s not like me to get so violent. It just drove me nuts to see that guy try to take advantage of you.”
“You’re a good guy, Nathan. I’d probably have beat up that guy myself if you hadn’t stepped in.”
A laugh escaped Nathan’s lips.
“That would have been worth seeing. I’ll try to act less like a caveman next time.”
The corners of Amanda’s lips rose.
“You can act like a caveman whenever you want. I like feeling protected.”
“Missing your bodyguard?”
Amanda shook her head. She took Nathan’s hand and led him to the corridor that led to her apartment.
“You’re the best bodyguard I could have, baby. I love you so much.”
Amanda stopped to kiss Nathan. She reached around and grasped his hair. Nathan placed his hands on her arms. Just then, Amanda’s phone rang.
“Let me see who it is,” Amanda said. “Open my door for me.”
Amanda handed Nathan her keys. He opened the door to her apartment while she answered her phone. The two of them entered.
“…was your trip? Did you like the Belmont?” Nathan heard Amanda say. She walked to her sofa and sat down. “No, I haven’t been there. Sounds cool. Yeah. You’ve got to send me some photos. Ha! I can imagine. Maybe one day. Yes, I did say maybe. I can’t plan that far ahead in the future.”
Amanda smiled while she spoke to whoever was on the other line. Meanwhile, Nathan went to Amanda’s kitchen. He grabbed two bottles of water for themselves. Then he returned to the living room.
“Just send me an e-mail. Or ask Ryan to handle it. He can help you add attachments. I’ve been fine. Nathan and I were just out with our friends. We said goodbye to our break before we return to classes next week.”
Nathan handed Amanda her bottle of water. She gave a smile in thanks.
“You know how I feel. No, he’s not going anywhere. Grandpa, if you trust me, you have to trust him. I get where you’re coming from, but I’m fine. I can assure you that’s not the case. Okay. Yeah. Tell Mom and Dad I said hi. And Ryan too. Good. Bye.”
Amanda hung up.
“My grandparents. They just returned from a trip to Nashville.”
Nathan nodded. He’d met Harold and Mildred Tilley during the Christmas holidays. Amanda’s parents threw a big, but laid-back party on the twenty-fourth. They were kind enough to invite Nathan and his father. Harold, though, didn’t approve of him. He thought Nathan wasn’t enough for his “sweet, beloved granddaughter.”
Amanda caught Nathan’s expression.
“Don’t worry about my grandpa, Nathan. He’ll come around. You’ll see.”
“I hope so, sweetheart. He wasn’t exactly welcoming during Christmas.”
“Grandpa’s always been highly protective of me. It won’t take him long to warm up to you.”
“I’ll try not to take it personal. It’s just that no one’s ever looked at me like I’m from the ghetto or something.”
Amanda scoffed.
“That’s absurd, Nathan. I really don’t think Grandpa thinks that of you. For a guy of your upbringing, you’re rather…refined.”
Nathan chuckled.
“At least your Grandma approves of me.”
“Yes. She’s the most open-minded in our family. I think Ryan takes after her.”
Mildred told Nathan that she used to be a renowned psychologist in their hometown, Joliet.
“Let’s move on to other stuff, okay?” Amanda said. She leaned toward Nathan, touching his shoulders.
“Sure, sweetheart,” Nathan said. He moved forward, meeting Amanda’s lips with his.
Classes resumed the following Monday. Amanda woke up early to get ready. After she and Emmy finished eating breakfast, Amanda’s phone beeped. She pulled it out of her purse and saw that there was a new text.
Meet me in the parking lot when you’re ready.
Amanda smiled to herself.
“It’s Nathan, right?” Emmy asked her.
“Yes. He’ll be waiting for me outside.”
“You made a great choice. The way your eyes shine when you think of him, it’s obvious you’re in love.”
Amanda blushed, walking toward the bathroom.
“Would you like us to give you a ride?”
“No, thanks,” Emmy replied. “I’m driving to school right now. Just so you don’t go looking for me when you come out.”
“All right. See you there.”
Amanda went to the bathroom to double-check that she was ready. After that, she walked back to the living room. Amanda grabbed her messenger bag from the sofa and headed outside.
Nathan was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He looked up when Amanda approached.
“Hi, love,” he said when she reached him. Nathan gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
“If that’s the way you’re going to greet me every morning, I will be one happy girl.”
A smile broke across Nathan’s lips. He took hold of Amanda’s hand.
“I can think of other ways to make you happier.”
The two started walking to the parking lot.
“Do tell me what you have in mind.”
“I’d rather surprise you.”
A breeze cam
e in from the west. Amanda shivered.
“Brr. It’s pretty cold out here.”
Nathan put an arm around Amanda as she adjusted her scarf.
“You’re not used to winters in this state, right?”
“I should be, but I come from Illinois, after all. Winters there weren’t much different.”
Nathan and Amanda drove to Cornell together. When they got there, they once again walked hand in hand. There was nothing like the feeling of dating the girl of your life. At least, that was what Nathan thought.
As they walked across the campus, Nathan noticed that they were drawing stares. His eyebrows furrowed.
“Why is everyone looking at us?” he asked, looking at Amanda. She scanned the faces of people nearby.
“I have no idea. Did you make the front page without letting me know?”
Nathan laughed.
“Maybe they’re just jealous that I’m dating such a bombshell.”
Amanda looked at him with wide eyes.
“So I’m a bombshell now?”
“Please. You have ‘smoldering’ written all over you.”
Amanda blushed. She and Nathan continued walking to the student cafeteria. They weren’t having more breakfast, but they’d agreed to meet their friends.
When they got to the cafeteria, Amanda scanned the tables. She spotted Oswald, Claire, Ashton, Grecia, Emmy, and Kayla sitting together.
“Hi, guys!” Amanda said when she and Nathan reached the table. Their friends greeted them back. Then they sat down.
“Any of you glad to be back?” Emmy asked.
“To see our friends, yeah,” Oswald said. “But I’m not really looking forward to homework again.”
“You’re a junior, baby,” Claire told him. “There are only a couple of semesters left to go.”
Grecia chuckled.
Nathan turned to Kayla.
“How was your holiday break?”
“It was great. I got to see my best friends. We had a blast together.”
Nathan already knew that Kayla had spent her holidays in Tulsa. That was the hometown of her family and friends.
“Did you tell them about your new book?” Oswald asked.
“Yes. My friends are always the first to know.” Kayla looked at them all in a way that let them know they had been included.
“Remind us when you’ll publish it,” asked Claire.
“March 12, on the week before spring break.”
Nathan felt glad to see that Kayla still looked happy. He looked at Amanda. She didn’t seem the least bit jealous that Nathan still talked to his ex-girlfriend.
Nathan and Amanda had tried to take as many classes together as possible. That was hard, as they had different majors and were in different years. They were only able to manage a couple, but it was enough for Nathan. All he was glad about was that they were together now.
When Nathan got to his second class of the day,—which he didn’t share with Amanda—he saw Kayla there. She visibly reacted when she noticed him. Nathan saw her cheeks go red.
Just like old times, Nathan thought. He remembered that he often made Kayla blush. Much like he made Amanda blush now.
Nathan took a seat near the front. Kayla sat down not far from the spot he’d picked. He looked over at her.
“Hi, Kayla,” he said, trying to sound friendly. She looked at him.
“Hi.”
The instructor walked in. Nathan turned back to the front. Kayla didn’t take her gaze off him. She bit her bottom lip, and sighed.
Meanwhile, Amanda took her seat in a different classroom. There were only a few students when she got there, and she didn’t know any of them. By the looks on a few of their faces, they recognized her. A couple of guys were clearly checking her out. It didn’t matter that Amanda wasn’t showing anything under three layers of clothing. They still ogled.
Smiling to herself, Amanda opened her messenger bag and pulled out a notebook. She waited for the instructor to arrive.
Amanda looked toward the entrance when someone entered. It was a young guy dressed a bit preppy. When he lifted his gaze from the floor, his eyes met Amanda’s. She recognized him beneath the black square-rimmed glasses.
“My home girl,” Christopher said, smiling. Amanda returned the smile. He took the seat next to her.
“Hi,” she said. Christopher removed his glasses.
“It’s great to see you. Now I can die happy.”
Amanda curved an eyebrow.
“I’m in the same classroom as the legendary Amanda Tilley. It’s just like being in class with a celeb crush.”
Amanda curved an eyebrow.
“Are you saying you have a crush on me?”
“I didn’t mean it that way, but if it doesn’t bother you, yeah. No point lying when every other guy who knows you also has a crush on you.”
Is he hitting on me? Amanda thought.
“I’m truly sorry, but I’m already seeing someone.”
Christopher’s expression didn’t change.
“No worries, beautiful. Heck, even being your pizza delivery guy would be enough to brag about.”
“You don’t deliver pizzas, I assume?”
Christopher stifled a laugh.
“I like you, home girl.”
Amanda turned back to the front. The corner of her lip twitched. She found Christopher a little amusing, but he had his charm.
Back in his apartment that afternoon, Nathan switched on his laptop. When he got to the desktop, he smiled. Recently, he’d changed his background to a photo of Amanda. It was one that he found on Tumblr. Amanda was leaning against a large café window, smiling.
Nathan opened his browser. Now that he didn’t have a job anymore, he needed to find a new one. This time, Nathan wanted a job that was closer to what he wanted to work as after graduation. He wasn’t sure there were many law-related jobs in a town as small as Ithaca. Still, it didn’t hurt to make sure.
While he was reading some job requirements, a beep sounded from Nathan’s laptop. There was a notification from his social network. He switched to that tab. Nathan saw a friend request from Erika.
Thinking it harmless, Nathan accepted the request. He then continued job seeking.
After a half hour of searching, Nathan heard his door bell ring. He left his bedroom to answer.
“Hi, love!” Amanda said. Nathan saw that she was carrying a large envelope under one arm.
“Hi,” he replied, moving to let her in. When Nathan turned back to Amanda, she handed him the envelope. He caught it before it could fall.
“Here’s what you’ve been begging for,” she said in a teasing tone.
Curious, Nathan opened the envelope. He used one hand to spill its contents into the other. At first, Nathan thought it was a booklet. Then he saw that it was a calendar. And it had Amanda on the cover.
“No way,” Nathan said. “You have a calendar?”
“My first one,” Amanda replied proudly. “The photos are from various photographers I’ve worked with before. One of them is Rachel Edwards.”
“Marissa’s friend?”
Amanda nodded. Nathan peeled the clear plastic from the calendar. He then flipped through it. The calendar had a girl-next-door meets pinup girl theme without being overly sexy. Nathan wasn’t too happy that Amanda was topless from the back in the May photo. At least she didn’t show too much skin besides that. She wore a purple wetsuit in a pool for the June photo, and a bikini at the beach in the photo for July.
“You look gorgeous, baby. I wish you’d kept your skin to ourselves, but it’s okay. It’s just…even those shoulder blades look like they should be covered.”
Amanda snorted.
“Love, don’t be that guy!”
“I’m just saying.”
“Did you like my calendar?”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
Amanda kissed Nathan in the cheek.
“Thanks. I thought it would be a nice surprise.”
“It
is. As I’ve neglected to buy a calendar this year, I might as well hang this one.”
Nathan went to his bedroom, and Amanda followed him. There, he checked the walls. Then Nathan went to his desk and grabbed a tack from a small tray. When he hung up the calendar, he stood back to admire it.
“Looks great,” Amanda thought.
“Yeah. Now I’ll get to see you every day.”
Amanda bumped Nathan’s shoulder.
“You still see me every day.”
“I know. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Nathan pulled Amanda closer. She turned to him, and he brought his lips toward hers. Amanda closed her eyes, bringing her arms around Nathan as they kissed.
“You are the best thing that ever happened to me, my love,” he said to her. “You’re my everything.”
“And you mine,” Amanda replied.
The two walked back to the living room. Nathan poured a cup of decaf coffee for both of them.
“Thanks,” Amanda said when she got hers. Nathan sat down next to her.
“How did you work out that calendar?”
Amanda answered after taking a sip of her drink.
“It was a special project I worked on by myself. Hilbert didn’t know about it. I kept it from him.”
“You had other help?”
“Yes. I had some contacts, and we worked out the development of the calendar over a few months.”
“Who gave you the idea?”
“Leslie. She’s a model friend of mine. We’ve done a couple of shoots together. I’ll introduce you sometime.”
Amanda’s smartphone rang. She excused herself and answered, standing up.
“Hi. This is Amanda Tilley.”
“Hi, Amanda. It’s Kellan. How are you?”
Amanda’s expression brightened.
“Kellan? Hi! It’s great to hear from you.”
“Did you miss me?”
“Why say no, if yes?”
Kellan chuckled.
“I gather today was your first day back at school. How was it?”
“Same as always, yet better. Much better.”
“Have you made any new friends?”
“Only a few. I hang out with the same crowd.”
“That’s good. You still see Emmy and Judith, right?”
“Definitely. Those girls are my life.”
Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) Page 5
