A strange uneasy feeling builds in my stomach as I remember that just earlier today, I was watching Kassy and that black-eyed man standing in this exact spot in my vision. I must have done something to change what had happened, simply by making a few small steps toward looking out for her tonight. I am always so amazed at how pliable the future is when you want it to be.
I suppress a small giggle at one of the frat boys singing loudly and very off-key around the campfire. He will most likely be regretting that, come Monday morning. Why am I always watching people? I take a deep breath of the fresh air before I turn to go back into the house and check on Kassy, but just as my foot passes the threshold into the house, I am grabbed forcefully from behind and thrown up against the stone wall around a dark corner of the balcony.
Shocked at how quickly I ended up in this spot, I almost forget to react. I recover fast and immediately start to yell for help when a large, gloved hand covers my mouth. I look up into the eyes boring down on me and gasp at the striking gold color that fills their irises. It is so unreal and beautiful that I get lost in them for a moment.
The man pressing me against the hard wall uncovers my mouth tentatively and puts a finger to his cloth-covered mouth, gesturing for me to stay silent and then points back to where I came out of the house a few minutes ago. I peek one eye around the corner just as a familiar well-dressed man comes out of the bedroom. I instantly recognize him as the black-eyed man from my vision this morning and my heart races wildly out of fear.
He scans the party happening on the lawn for a moment as a hunter searches for the easiest prey. He actually sniffs the air around him slowly before he grabs the balcony ledge and in the blink of an eye, he swings his legs up and pitches himself over the edge just as I saw him do before.
I suck in a sharp breath and snap myself back to the man still pinning me to the side of the house. I take in the sight of him. He is dressed from head to toe in all black, like some sort of dark ninja. A black hoodie is pulled over his hair and he even has a piece of black cloth draped around the front of his face, leaving just those hypnotizing eyes visible behind it all.
I also notice, from my perusing, that he is significantly taller than I am, with both of his large arms resting against the wall on either side of my head, keeping me caged in against his chest.
He studies me as well, looking almost confused from what I can tell. His eyes scan my face and land on my parted lips. His breathing is heavy as if he just finished a long run but there isn’t a drop of sweat on him, anywhere that I can see.
I lick my lips and clear my throat while I shift uncomfortably against the hard wall pressing against the bones in my back. He notices my discomfort and abruptly jerks away from me, likely just realizing he still had my body pinned beneath his.
“You need to get your friend and go home now. It’s not safe here for either of you.” he says in a deep, almost whisper as he turns to leave.
“Wait!” I reach out and grab his arm before he disappears too. “Who, or what, in the world was that thing? And how did you know he was coming out here?” I ask with panic lining my voice. I do not want him to leave and that thought confuses me. I don’t even know who he is.
He speaks in a deep whisper again, his golden eyes locked onto where my hand is gripping his forearm. “All you need to know is that he is something you should stay far away from. Just get your friend and leave.”
He makes eye contact with me before adding, “Please.” He shrugs out of my grasp and turns the corner into the house. I hurry after him into the bedroom and he is already gone. Did he just say something?
I head back downstairs a little shaken up and bothered by the experience in more ways than one. When I find Kassy, thankfully she is still dancing with the same guy, although they are dancing a little closer than they were when I left them. She notices me watching and I quickly wave her over. She says something to her dance partner before leaving him behind to come my way.
“Having fun with Mr. Muscles out there?” I whisper to her with my eyebrows wiggling.
She actually blushes at me. “So. Much. Fun. Max is so stinkin’ cuuute!” She draws out the word cute, making me want to roll my eyes at her.
“I’m sorry to have to ruin your fun with Max but I am not feeling well all of a sudden, and you are my ride home,” I say, scrunching up my face and putting a hand to my stomach for good measure.
“No, it’s okay, really. I’ll go tell him I am leaving and then we can head out.” She runs back to Max and he hands her his phone, probably for her to put her number in it. She wiggles her little fingers at him on our way out, leaving him with a dopey smirk on his face.
“Did you give him your real number?” I ask.
“Of course, I did! I’m not letting that one get away. Hopefully, we will be seeing him again very soon.”
I just chuckle at her bubbly demeanor, hoping we can get away before anything more exciting happens tonight.
Chapter 3
“Get your little behind out of bed, Kassy! You have to be in your Spanish class in less than an hour and you can’t be late on the first day!” I shout through the crack of her bedroom door. She is seriously the hardest person in the universe to wake up. “Do you want to lose your perfect attendance reputation?”
“I’m coming, Mom!” she yells back, agitated.
I don’t mind having to act like a mom from time to time. “Breakfast is on the table, dear.
You’ll never become an exotic lover at this pace.” I tease quieter, receiving a growl in response.
I’ve always loved the opposition in our friendship. She is the smartest kid in school with the most spirit and enjoyment for life. I am much more likely to end up on the sidelines on most occasions, usually reading a good book. Even with our differences though, we work well together. She brings me out of my box, and I help her chill occasionally when life gets too hectic.
Thankfully, I have not had another vision since Saturday morning and I am feeling upbeat and ready for our first day at the University. I am hoping we can try and have a normal college experience without any creepy black-eyed men and dark ninjas hanging around, although I still haven’t been able to get a certain ninja with stark golden eyes out of my head.
Sounding like an angry bull, grunt and all, Kassy stomps out of her room, fully dressed in some blue jeans and an SOU student T-shirt that I bought her at orientation. “Happy?” she grumbles at me with a half-dead look on her face.
“Very. Now let’s go enjoy our adulthood by sitting in big classrooms for hours and trying not to fall asleep.”
“Oh, joy.” She gives me a huge fake smile and swipes two pieces of bacon and a biscuit off the counter before making her way to the door.
***
The University campus is incredibly gorgeous, scattered with buildings that are large works of art on their own. I make my way along the concrete paths carved through the manicured green lawn, to my first class of the semester, Professor Neilson’s Art History class. I have been so excited to learn about art from a real professional whose livelihood depends on his knowledge of the subject. My high school didn’t offer many art classes, so I only got to learn the basics from teachers who drew the short straw for the position, but I have always loved everything about creative arts.
I reach the door with the number 114 on it and find a comfortable seat near the back of the class. The front row kids are usually the ones who are expected to be the know-it-alls and that is definitely not me. I look around the spacious classroom and notice that I am one of the first students to show up, so I pull out a book to read. Less than a full chapter in, I begin to get the itchy ‘being watched’ feeling and am unable to focus on the words scrawled out on the pages of my murder mystery novel.
I glance around the room that is slowly filling up and notice a guy to my right, just a few seats down from me in my same row. He is staring at the large empty whiteboard at the front of the room, seemingly mesmerized by it, likely lost in thought. I
study him for a moment, and I am immediately aware of how handsome he is.
He has a five o’clock shadow dusting his strong, sun-kissed jaw and his dark hair sits atop his head in a relaxed, unkempt kind of way that just makes him seem fun and kind of sweet.
Even sitting down, I can tell he is tall and built like an athlete with thick arms. He is dressed in a simple gray shirt and dark, loose-fitting jeans. Everything about him is very man, not at all like the teenage boys I’ve been used to.
I feel like I could even drool as I ogle the gorgeous guy next to me. I turn my attention back to his handsome face and over his chocolate-brown eyes, which I quickly realize are locked onto mine. My eyes widen to their fullest extent, which is quite large, and I quickly snap my head forward as a hot red blush creeps up my neck like a fever. I cannot believe he caught me checking him out and practically drooling all over myself. Great job, idiot.
After a few seconds, I chance a quick glance his way and catch a little smirk left on his face before he looks totally serious and obsessed with the front of the classroom again. Oh, my goodness gracious, he has a dimple.
I try my hardest to focus on what Professor Neilson is saying during his lesson about the timeline of art history. I only catch certain phrases like Ancient Rome, Classicism and Romanticism, but am much too distracted. I can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to rub my fingers through that messy hair to try and tame it just a little. Heaven’s sake, Aella, get a grip!
“…and learning about the history of art isn’t going to make you popular because you can look at a work hanging in a museum and be able to tell your friends what century it was created in. Yes, the facts and statistics of the physical art are important. But, once you can get into the head of a particular artist and know whether they were in love or feeling anger toward their society or themselves while they painted, you can become a more empathetic human being to the people around you.” The professor’s words make me excited for the semester ahead.
As soon as the professor dismisses us, I head for the door, grateful that I made it through my first college class. I avoid looking around me, not wanting to embarrass myself again and instead I take a right directly into a hard shoulder. Every one of the contents from my book bag spills out across the floor as it hits the hardwood.
I squat down to pick up my things and a masculine voice speaks behind me. “Shoot, I’m so sorry about that. I guess my mind was somewhere else.”
I start to rush out my own apology, but the words are caught in my throat when I see the gorgeous man leaning close to me on the ground. “Feel free to yell and maybe even throw a punch or two. I deserve it.” He is even cuter up close and smells amazing, like old spice and a subtle hint of pine. It reminds me of my nature walks through the forest. He flashes me a sexy grin that shows off that one dimple on his left cheek, effectively stopping my heart mid-beat.
I become aware that I am just staring at him again and not speaking, so I just stumble out the first words that pop into my head. “You’re fine... I mean I’m not going to punch you.” I force
a smile that hopefully shows my confidence more than the absolute boy-struck pre-teen hiding beneath it. “Although, it may be a little while before I can forgive you.” Don’t try to flirt, Aella.
He raises an eyebrow at me. “Well then, let me buy you lunch at The Hawk. The food is actually pretty good for campus dining and I am starving all of a sudden.” With my bag put back together, he stands and offers me his hand. Our palms touch and an unusual tingling feeling stretches across my hand. He shows no signs of feeling it too, so I figure it is all in my head.
“Actually, my friend is waiting for me there. We are supposed to have lunch together after class.” I say and he honestly looks a little disappointed, but it is quickly replaced with a shy smile.
He loosens his grip on my hand but doesn’t release me. “Another time then? I’d like to get back in your good graces soon, if possible.”
I shake my head at him with a grin. “You didn’t even know me before we slammed into one another. How will you get back into my good graces?”
He just raises a single shoulder. “Haven’t you ever heard that anything is possible if you try hard enough? How about tomorrow?”
I pause, not wanting him to walk away from me yet. “Or you can join us now if you’d like. We don’t know many people here and more company would be nice.” I stammer the words out before I lose my cool.
He nods and chuckles. “Okay, okay I’ll go. No need to hold me hostage.” he teases, holding my eyes with his unwavering stare and I realize I still haven’t let go of his hand. I quickly pull my hand back and the tingling sensation disappears, instantly making me want to reach out and grab him again.
He takes my bag from me and we head through the campus in comfortable silence to find The Hawk commons. I know the feminist in me should object to his act of chivalry because I am not helpless, but it only warms me on the inside. We enter the dining room and I see Kassy sitting at one of the tables outside, so we make our way over. Her eyebrows rise in surprise when
she sees the cute boy walking beside me carrying my bag as if it’s something she has never seen before, which to her credit, is very accurate.
“Hey, El! I’m so glad you found me!” she shouts with a little too much enthusiasm.
“Who is your friend?” She openly checks him out, causing me to roll my eyes at her. That girl has no shame.
“This is my best friend in the world, Kassy.” I gesture to my silly friend. “Kass, this is…”
Every centimeter of my person freezes with embarrassment when I realize that I have openly flirted with this man and allowed him to carry my bookbag, but I haven’t even asked to know his name. I turn my apologetic eyes toward my handsome companion, not even having to ask the question.
He chuckles deep in his chest, clearly enjoying the show, and extends his hand to hers.
“Hey, Kassy. My name is Gavin Cole. Aella invited me to join you, ladies, for lunch if that’s alright.” He flashes his dimple at her and she blushes as she shakes his hand.
Something about his introduction surprises me because I am fairly certain I have not told him my name and Kassy only ever calls me El, unless she’s angry. I look up at him and he just winks at me. Oh my gosh, I don’t even care, that was so cute.
“Hi, Gavin Cole. I’m glad El is making friends so fast.” She looks over at me and smiles, overtly comfortable with this situation. “I don’t think I have ever actually seen a guy carry a girl’s bag before. Are you sure you’re human?”
If only she knew there were real people in this world that are not so human. Gavin smiles and shakes his head. “I will neither confirm nor deny that.”
Kassy smirks. “I think I like you already. Our friend Liam is going to be glad to have a little more testosterone in this group.” She nudges me in the shoulder. “I invited Liam to have lunch with us, by the way.”
“Hey, I heard my name. Are you girls gossiping about how cute I am and how much you’ve missed me? That is just the sweetest.” Liam bounds over to us, full of energy. He is handsome in his totally sweet and goofy surfer boy way, with the perfectly wavy dirty-blonde
hair and sun-kissed skin that one can only get from growing up on a beach in Southern California. He grabs Kassy and me into a group hug and introduces himself to Gavin, all in one fell swoop. That boy just never seems to slow down.
We all grab some food and I nearly have to fight Gavin as he tries to pay for my meal. I lose the battle, causing him to walk away with a huge smirk plastered across his perfect face.
“Aren’t you just so proud of yourself?” I ask as his grin deepens.
“Yes, incredibly, thank you.”
I smile behind his back and follow him out the back door of the large dining hall. I am relieved that we are able to find a table outside so we can enjoy the nice weather while we eat.
The outdoors is much more my element and the gorgeous Oregon landscape is nothin
g less than breathtaking.
I catch myself continually glancing at Gavin and I know Kassy sees it too. I can see the wheels turning in her head, but she ignores my warning glare and leans on her elbows over her half-eaten turkey sandwich on wheat. “How old are you, Gavin? You look older than us freshmen and you obviously know your way around the dining hall, so I’m sure this isn’t your first year here.”
“You’re right, Kassy. I am a junior and I will be twenty-one in December.” He looks my way, gauging my reaction. I just smile and blush a little at his observing eyes. I’m a little embarrassed because I probably look like such a kid to him.
Kassy continues her questionnaire, “Where are you from?” I pin her with my best ‘back off’ stare, aware that she is grilling him for my benefit.
“My family has always lived around here. My parents have a house in the woods up past Jacksonville.”
Kassy leans in further, inquisition on her face. “Do you have a big family?”
He leans in too, looking amused. “Yes, there are tons of us spread around. Only one sibling though.”
“Brother or sister?”
“Little sister.”
“Do you live on campus or with your parents?”
I almost scream at her. “Kassy! Let the man breathe.”
“I’m just getting to know our new friend, El.” She smiles but doesn’t turn away from the poor guy.
He gives her another one of his deep chuckles. “It’s fine. I hope we can all be good friends, so I’m an open book. I actually live in my own place near my folk’s property.”
“You own your own home?” I ask, surprised.
He makes me feel like I’m the only other person in the room with his attentive gaze.
“Yes. My uncle Jack helped me design and build it. He’s an architect and loves creating new things, though I didn’t give him as much creative license as he would’ve wanted.” I feel like I could melt with the way his eyes are so focused on me while he talks. Why was Kassy so cool with those eyes looking at her?
Captivated: Part 1 of the Intended Series Page 2
