The Backup Plan (Back in the Game)

by McLaughlin, Jen

  “We could fix that.” Cheeks red, he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Will you go out to dinner with me tonight? My treat.”

  I blinked at him. “Why?”

  “Because I like you, and you’re pretty,” he said, his cheeks getting even redder.

  Man, I really sucked at this whole flirting business. No wonder why I was still single. Some dude was asking me out, and I asked him why. “And you’re…cute…?” I stammered. Oh God. Had I just ended that on a question?

  If it was possible to die of embarrassment, I’d do it.

  Right here. Right now. Please.

  “Then go out with me,” he said, not skipping a beat despite my awkwardness.

  Free dinner with a cute guy from my class? There was no reason to say no, really. And yet, I wanted to. I readjusted my bag on my shoulder. “I don’t know…”

  He laughed and ran a hand down his face. “I don’t normally need to beg a girl to go out with me, you know.”

  I fought the urge to eye roll. Maybe he needed to ask girls with brains more often, then.

  “Come on.” He nudged me with his leg. “Let’s go enjoy some non-campus food.”

  “Well, when you put it that way…”

  He laughed. I eyed him skeptically. He really was very hot. I shouldn’t feel as if I was making a mistake by saying yes…right? Just because Chase had almost kissed me to teach me a lesson didn’t mean I couldn’t go out with other boys. Just because he’d shown me a side of himself that he didn’t usually show didn’t mean we were an item. It’s not like he wanted to date me or something. And even if he did…who cared?

  It was never gonna happen.

  Besides, I liked free dinners.

  “I’ll pick you up at six?” he asked.

  “Deal.”

  “Good.” He gave me a charming smile. “I can’t wait.”

  I gripped my bag tight, wanting to change my mind already. “Yeah. Me, either.”

  “Maybe we can go see a—” He broke off. “Oh. Hi, Chase.”

  I whirled around. Completely ignoring Ryan, he eyed me and raised a brow. I cleared my throat. “Chase, this is Ryan. Ryan, this is Chase.”

  Chase didn’t say a word. Didn’t even look at the other guy.

  Just frowned at me.

  “I’ll talk to you later,” Ryan said, backing up a step. “See you at six.”

  Chase turned that haughty gaze on me. I could sense his disapproval from three feet away as Ryan retreated to a safer distance. I kind of wished I could follow him. “Six?”

  “Yeah.”

  Chase narrowed his eyes. “For what exactly?”

  “A date.” I tilted my chin up when his eyes narrowed even more. He looked pissed, but he didn’t have a reason to be. “We’re going out to eat.”

  Chase’s jaw squared. “So you’re just going to ignore your job to go out with the first dickhead that asks?”

  I stiffened. “I’m not ignoring my job.”

  “Actually, you are. You’re supposed to be with me every night, helping me pass. Next time, maybe you should check with me and make sure it’s okay before you just cut out without letting me know.”

  I stiffened. Partly because his tone of voice infuriated me, and partially because he was right. I kind of did need his permission to skip out on a night of studying. But the way he said it—like he owned me—didn’t sit well. “I’m so sorry I disappointed you, milord. Maybe we could trade an ox or two to make this fair for you?”

  Chase smirked. “Two? That’s ambitious of you.”

  Ah. So, guess the truce was off, huh? How disappointing and so very predictable of him. I curled my hands into fists. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go sit down now before I punch you. If that’s permitted, of course, milord?”

  Chase shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “I’ll allow it.”

  I stomped off and slid into my seat. The second my butt hit the chair, some girl I’d never spoken to leaned in. She had blond bimbo written all over her. “What’s the deal with you and Chase Maxwell, anyway?”

  “There is no deal,” I said, not even looking at her.

  “But he talks to you,” she said, her voice as vacant as her eyes. “He doesn’t talk to anyone. We used to…well…you know.”

  I looked at her with renewed interest. She had money written all over her, from her Tiffany bracelets, to her Louis Vuitton purse. She was perfect, pretty, and rich. Totally his type. It reminded me, more so than ever, that I totally wasn’t.

  What had I been thinking, almost kissing him Friday night?

  I could have lost everything.

  “Well, I’m not, well, you know-ing him,” I said sarcastically. “I’m just his—”

  “Shh, he’s coming. He can’t know I was asking about him.” The girl turned her back on me as if I wasn’t even there anymore.

  Yep. Totally Chase’s type.

  He sat down next to me, and the girl shot one last longing look at Chase over her shoulder. He didn’t even notice. I wanted to hit him, yell at him, but I wasn’t really sure why. He’d been a bit of a jerk, sure, but on the chart of Chase-asshole-ness, today hadn’t ranked all that high. He’d basically just said he didn’t want me ignoring my job to go out on dates—which was kind of fair, in a way. He didn’t care that I was going out with another guy or anything. He just didn’t want it interfering with his grades.

  Maybe that explained my anger.

  Because he didn’t care.

  As he set his stuff out in front of him, I watched him from under lowered lids. His muscles flexed and moved, making me itch to reach out and touch him again. Over the course of the last month, I’d often wondered if he was as hard as he looked. He was, but I couldn’t touch him because he wasn’t mine.

  I was just the tutor that he didn’t want to share.

  Not knowing was easier by far than knowing and not having.

  He slammed his pen down on his desk. “So…Ryan, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  He shook his head. “Bad choice.”

  “If you say so.” I picked up my own pen. “Why do you care?”

  “I don’t.” He snorted. “But he’s a dick. Guess you like that in a guy.”

  “I don’t like dicks,” I said a little too loudly.

  He burst into laughter. “Oh really?”

  My cheeks heated. Every female head turned our way at the sound of his laughter. “You know what I meant. I meant I don’t date dicks. Or…I mean…oh, just forget it.”

  He laughed even harder.

  I swear it made the blond next to me shiver.

  A brown-haired guy turned around and glared at Chase for daring to laugh. I glared right back at him. Jerk.

  “So, you’re batting for the other team? That’s hot. Now that’s a date I’d like to go on with you.”

  “Shut. Up.” I looked away, my cheeks burning hot. “I don’t date women. I like penis.”

  That killed the laughter. His eyes darkened, and he leaned in. “Is that so?”

  My cheeks went even hotter. The asshole from the front row was now looking at both of us. What was his problem, anyway? “Yeah.”

  “Good to know.” He shrugged and pulled the rest of his things out. “Then I guess you’re set, because like I said, Ryan’s a dick, and he’ll try his best to show you his.”

  Yeah, that wasn’t gonna happen. “Is that a problem for you?”

  “Why would it be?” He white-knuckled his notebook. “I just wanted to study.”

  “We can still study after I’m back.”

  He shot me a look. “I’m not going to cock block you.”

  “You wouldn’t be ‘cock-blocking’ me.” I stiffened and looked away. “I don’t sleep with a guy on the first date.”

  He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me if you do or don’t. It’s not like I give a damn who you fuck, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my grades.”

  “Oh. So you’re this Chase today.” I pointed at him with my finger, encompassing his whole
frame. “The ass that couldn’t care less about me. Good to know.”

  He opened his notebook without replying.

  It said more than enough.

  The teacher started talking. By the time the hour was up, I didn’t know if I was more pissed at or disappointed in him. I’d thought we made some strides in getting along, but now he was back to being a prick.

  How frustrating.

  Before class had fully ended, I shoved my stuff into my bag, heading for the door without waiting for him like I usually did. I was halfway to my dorm before he caught up to me, not even slightly out of breath. “Hey, wait up. We need to go over the next class’s assignment. Can we—?”

  “No.”

  He stopped walking and blinked at me. “No?”

  I stopped, too. “Yes. It’s a word that is the opposite of yes. It means you aren’t going to get what you want.”

  “But—”

  I patted his arm condescendingly. “I know, I know. It’s a foreign concept. But, you see, in the real world, people don’t always get what they want. In the real word, people are aware what the word no means.”

  He straightened to his full height, his nostrils flaring. I wondered fleetingly if I should tell him how much he looked like his father, all pissed and righteous and rich. “What the hell is your problem today?”

  “Gee, I don’t know. Maybe I’m sick of playing Russian roulette with the many moods of Chase Maxwell.” I crossed my arms. “I never know what the hell I’m going to get from you. A smile, a truce, or the cold shoulder.”

  “I told you that we’re not—”

  “Friends.” I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. I don’t need to hear that speech again. But, FYI, friends don’t get jealous when their friends make dates.”

  “Why would I be jealous? You want to date an asshole, be my guest. I’m not going to try to save you from yourself or from him.” He pressed his lips together. “But that doesn’t make me jealous.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” I marched past him. “And I’m really a princess.”

  He followed me, not letting me make my clean escape. “Are you actually mad at me right now?”

  I stopped and stomped my foot. “Yes! I’m actually mad at you!”

  “Why?” He held his arms out to his sides. “Because I’m not jealous?”

  “No, because you are jealous, and you’re too much of a chickenshit to do anything about it.”

  He stiffened. “I am not.”

  I covered my face, not sure if I was angrier at him for acting like he didn’t care, or madder at myself for wanting him to care when he so clearly didn’t. “Just…just leave me alone. I’m not in the mood for you today.”

  I walked away from him again…

  And this time he let me.

  …

  Later that night, I was really regretting my little outburst with Chase. I shouldn’t have acted like an angry child. Really, what had I been thinking? He’d insisted he wasn’t jealous, and really hadn’t said anything to make me think he was—and yet I’d flipped out at him—on my employer—anyway. I totally had to apologize. Ugh.

  It could wait until tomorrow.

  Tonight, I was going to try to be a normal college kid and go on a date with someone I barely knew, and not try to talk myself out of it for the millionth time.

  Eyeballing myself in the mirror, I checked out the light-blue dress I’d put on. I had no idea where this Ryan dude was taking me, but I figured a casual dress was a safe bet. I checked my phone. It was time. We’d run into each other after my last class today, and he’d mentioned picking me up on the bottom level of my dorm.

  I walked out of my room and headed down the hallways, squeezing past a bunch of girls chatting in the middle of the walkway. I’d never be like them. So happy and giggly and oh-my-gawd-ey.

  Someone grabbed my arm. “Hey, I know you, right?”

  I sighed. I’d almost made it. Turning around, I smiled and studied the girl who’d spoken. She was one of the ones who Chase had slept with and forgotten about. According to him, anyway. “Oh. Yeah. Hi. We have a few classes together.”

  “Right. You’re the girl Chase Maxwell talks to. You know who he is, right? I mean, like, he’s great in bed and all, but I’d be too afraid to sleep with a murderer.”

  You didn’t think he was so scary when you slept with him, I said silently in my head. I crossed my arms. “You screwed him?”

  She smirked. “Yeah, and so did every other hot girl on campus. You’re not the first, though you might be the last. You better watch it. You’ve got more to worry about now than him not returning your calls the next day.”

  “Is that why you’re angry with him? Because he didn’t call you back?”

  “I didn’t even try.” She shrugged. “There was no point. Chase never comes back for more. Once he’s done, he’s done. Trust me on that.”

  The girl to her left snickered.

  Okay, enough was enough. I didn’t want to hear another word out of this girl’s mouth. I rose on tiptoe and searched for Ryan. He wasn’t there yet.

  But Chase was.

  “Hey,” Chase said. He met my eyes. He wore a pair of black slacks, a light-blue button-up shirt that ironically matched my dress, and a lightweight jacket. He looked so casually cool it almost hurt. His outfit probably cost more than my entire closet combined. “You ready for our date?”

  “Wh-What?” I tugged at my ancient Old Navy dress, my heart racing. As he rubbed his shoulder, his green eyes skimmed down my body. “What’s going on?”

  “Hi, Chase,” the girl from earlier called, simpering.

  I barely refrained from going at her.

  “Let’s go,” the blond whispered to her friends.

  None of them moved, however.

  Chase looked at them for all of two seconds before turning back to me. He offered his arm. “You ready, babe?”

  “Uh…” I swallowed hard, looking at the girls one last time. They still watched us, probably so they could give everyone a full report about how Chase Maxwell went on a date. Big news there. “Yeah, sure.”

  I slid my hand into the crook of his arm, nodded at the nasty group who watched us with their mouths hanging open, and followed Chase’s lead.

  Once we were gone, I turned on him. “What’s going on?”

  “N-Nothing.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “You look pretty,” he said softly. “I like the dress. It’s a good color on you. It makes your eyes look even brighter than they usually are. And it brings out the highlights in your hair, too.”

  The highlights in my… “Who are you, and what did you do with Chase?”

  He laughed. “I deserve that, I guess.”

  I crossed my arms.

  “You really do look pretty, though.”

  My heart did a weird pitter-patter. “Um. Thanks. But what are you doing? I can’t go out with you tonight. I’m going out with Ryan, remember?”

  Chase avoided my eyes. “He’s, uh, he’s not coming.”

  “What?” My hand tightened on him. “Why not?”

  “I don’t know, but I saw him leaving and getting into his car with another girl.” His jaw flexed, and he finally looked at me again. “He’s a fucking idiot. You’re the better choice.”

  “I got stood up on my first date here?” I laughed a little, pressing a hand to my stomach. I felt sick. “Wow. Fabulous.”

  “He doesn’t know what he’s missing,” Chase said, his voice low. “He’s a dick.”

  “Like you said, right?” I stepped back, needing to distance myself from him. Sure, he was being nice now, but who knew what he’d say next? “You warned me.”

  He shrugged, his hands opening and closing at his sides. “Yeah. But—”

  “And I thought you were being jealous.” I covered my face. If the world was going to crack into two pieces and swallow me whole at any point in time in my life…now would be a good time. “He’s not the idiot, I am.”

  “That’s not true,” he said.

&nb
sp; “Yes, it is.” I laughed, tears burning my eyes but I refused to let them fall. I covered my face. “I’m sorry. I never should have gone off on you like that. You weren’t jealous. Why would you be? I’m nothing to you. Nobody—”

  “Taylor. Stop talking.” He grasped my hands, lowering them with a gentle touch. I couldn’t take this kind, softer side of him. “You were right.”

  My heart lurched into my throat. He didn’t mean—no. He couldn’t. Could he? “Chase…”

  “I was jealous, and too chickenshit to do something about it.” He stepped in, cradling my face with his hands, and tilted my head up toward his. “So I’m doing something about it. Right here. Right now.”

  No. I couldn’t. We couldn’t. If I let him, he’d destroy me. There was no way we would work. None. I had to tell him that we couldn’t—

  He kissed me, his lips brushing across mine once, twice, a third time. The fourth time, he latched on, his tongue slipping inside my lips with a soft groan. I closed my fingers around his wrists, holding on tight because despite all the reasons we shouldn’t be doing this, I was so freaking lost in his arms, and I loved every second of it.

  Maybe just one kiss…

  He buried his hands in my hair, slanting his head just enough to deepen the kiss. I dug my nails into his wrists, afraid if I let go, this would just be another dream.

  Sighing, he rested his forehead on mine. “We need another truce. A permanent one. I’ve been pushing you away, pretending not to give a shit about you, and I can’t do it anymore. I don’t want to. I’m not that guy, Taylor.”

  I didn’t say anything.

  To be honest, I was speechless.

  He filled the silence. “Will you go on a date with me tonight?” He paused. “Please.”

  I laughed a little and entwined my fingers with his. It felt…right. Destined. Meant to be—which was so weird. I should say no. Should run in the opposite direction and never cross that line we’d both drawn in the sand from the very beginning. But then I pictured him out on that field, laughing with the children he coached, his eyes shining with happiness. I wanted to get to know that version of Chase—the real one. “Yes.”

  “Good.” He grinned and kissed me one last time. “I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.”

  “I’m shocked,” I drawled. “You, wanting things your way all the time.”