Mine : You Can't Help Who You Fall In Love With... (The Winterburg Series Book 1)

by Linzvonc

  "More than. How am I going to concentrate on anything but you tonight?" he murmured as I blushed deeply. I knew what he was referring to. We had been together long enough to take our relationship to the next level- but I was hesitant. If it was up to Luke, we would be at it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

  He pulled away from the curb whilst I fiddled with the radio to find some music.

  "So, Clara can’t make it. She has cheerleading practice,” Luke grinned at me, knowing I had no tolerance for his cousin Clara.

  "Clara? Is this your entire family?"

  I groaned inwardly at the thought of spending the entire evening downstairs with Luke’s family. They were nice enough, but they liked a drink more than most people which could become awkward.

  "Yeah, pretty much, babe. You’ll be fine."

  He squeezed my leg as he swung the car into his driveway. Luke’s family is well off; his dad was a successful writer and his house proved as much.

  Luke parked the car, and I got out, inhaling deeply as we approached the house. His mother Bella opened the door to greet us, a beaming smile on her face.

  "Gretchen! How lovely to see you! How are you?"

  She embraced me, smelling of expensive perfume and air-kissing each side of my face. I peeled off my boots as Luke wandered away to find us some drinks.

  "Go get settled in the lounge, darling."

  Bella gestured towards the large room behind the stairs where I could hear laughter and music. I walked in to find an elegant lady sitting on an armchair with a glass of champagne in her hand, smiling as her gaze fell upon me.

  "Ah, Luke’s little girlfriend has arrived, how sweet. Hello, dear.”

  A hand brushed my back, and I turned to see Luke grinning as he thrust a glass of champagne towards me.

  Luke’s little girlfriend? Gah!

  I sipped my champagne, if nothing else, so I didn’t have to reply.

  "So that’s Nanna, as you know. Pops is over there with the whiskey,” said Luke, as a ripple of laughter broke out from the red-faced man sitting beside the whiskey cabinet.

  "You’ve met Aunt Sally and Uncle Brett," he continued as his gaze swept the room. "My brother Sam and his girlfriend Nancy."

  I looked up in confusion; the last time I saw Sam, he was dating a woman called Clare. He made eyes at me in desperation, warning me not to mention Clare.

  "Hey guys. Good to meet you, Nancy," I said.

  Nancy checked her nails and barely glanced at me in response. She was immaculate to look at. Her blonde hair was perfectly in place on top of her head in a well-styled bun, with bright red lips and a sleek black playsuit. "Hey, Greta,” she said in a bored tone.

  I threw her a dark look as a small smirk played on her lips. Sam coughed to ease the tension between us. "Then there are the new guys in town." He raised his glass toward a woman in a beautiful silk dress, her caramel-coloured hair gathered with a diamante clip, dark lashes framing the greenest eyes I thought I had seen somewhere before.

  "I’m Alice, lovely. Nice to meet you. Drink up, you’ll soon lose those nerves." I liked her at once, warming to her instantly. She smiled as she continued. "My sons are on their way, I’m sure they won’t be long. We moved here literally last week. It is a lot smaller than New York, but at least we’re closer to family."

  “Sounds good,” I smiled as Luke guided me over to a sofa.

  The drinks flowed, and I felt myself relax until I heard a commotion at the front door, and Luke squeezed my knee. "Looks like the brothers made it at long last," he said.

  A man entered the room with the same green eyes as Alice, yet a mass of dark chocolate hair fell in waves around his shoulders. "Hey everyone, I’m Drake..." His voice had a slow, confident drawl to it, and I noticed Nancy perk up and flutter her eyelashes at him.

  "Hey Drake, I’m Nancy."

  His eyes flashed over her as he gave her a smile. Sam frowned with annoyance, but he still acknowledged Drake. "Alright bro? Finally made it then...?"

  Sam put his arm around Nancy, as Drake laughed, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry about that, guys. Car trouble."

  More drinks flowed, and I excused myself to go to the restroom. I climbed the stairs, trying to remember which way it was; this floor alone had two large bathrooms and three bedrooms. I strode down the mirrored corridor and found the bathroom. After using the toilet, I checked my reflection and texted Rosie to tell her I missed her and that I was getting bored. The champagne was making my head hurt— it’s not usual to get a hangover before experiencing any of the fun, right? My phone pinged back.

  ROSIE:

  But maybe it will be worth it later ;)

  I pursed my lips when the bathroom door opened, and an intense green gaze swept over me. "Jesus!" I yelped.

  It was him.

  Cal.

  He strode into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

  “Excuse me, I was just...” I stammered, unable to tear my eyes away from him.

  He walked up to me as he stared into my eyes, searching them with intrigue. Up close, I could see swirls of faint blue drizzling into a pond of emerald green, the colour exploding beneath his full lashes.

  "Why are you everywhere I go?" he murmured, my heart skipping about fifty beats.

  What is it with that damn accent of his?

  He was close to me now, and I couldn’t help but notice that his breath smelt of a mixture of alcohol and cigarettes, but that just attracted me more. I turned my head; anything to break eye contact with him.

  "Hey— I was the one in the toilet. Luckily I had finished!" I retorted.

  He doesn’t move a muscle as I leaned closer towards him, my heart pounding in my ears. My body was moving of its own accord, held prisoner as his eyes moved down to my lips. He hands rest either side of me on the sink, his body pressing against mine.

  I should have told him to move, but there was no way— every part of me was screaming for this man to touch me in any way possible. Then, without saying a word, he moved back and leaned against the door. I flushed as his eyes trailed down my body, his tongue wetting his lips as he shook his head.

  He was beautiful in every way.

  His mouth was full, and he had a habit of biting his lip when he was silent. My heart raced as I walked towards him and reached for the door handle.

  "I need to go, I’m—"

  Cal smiled at me crookedly, moving away from the door. Pulling a hip flask out from his jacket pocket, he lifted it to his lips as I watched with fascination, my hand still on the door handle. He sucked on the lid, and I watched, mesmerised as his throat swallowed the liquid with ease. He dropped his hand; the flask hovering close to his chest as he frowned at me.

  "What are you staring at?" he asked, the corners of his mouth twitching with amusement.

  I couldn’t admit I was staring at his lips as he drank, wondering what they would feel like on mine.

  "I don’t know..." I admitted. "Sorry."

  He raised his eyebrows, muttering as he did.

  "Come here."

  It wasn’t a command, but my body responded like it was; moving closer to him as he reached up and pulled my hair clip loose. My dark curls tumbled around my shoulders as he ran his hand through them.

  His finger then traced over my lips as I felt myself moan. He studied me before stepping back, turning away from me so I couldn’t see his expression.

  "Man, I’ve gotta piss."

  He unbuckled his belt as he walked over to the toilet, and I grabbed my stuff and ran out of there. I tried to calm myself down— nothing happened, except—well...

  He’d played with my hair. Touched my lips.

  Entirely normal behaviour with a stranger in a bathroom.

  Immense guilt swept through me at the thought of Luke waiting downstairs for me. I took a deep breath and made my way into the lounge where everyone was still drinking like it was an Olympic sport.

  I needed to speak to Rosie. If anyone would know what to
make of this situation, it would be her. Luke put his arm around me and whispered I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

  Nausea rose in my throat, and I asked him if we could skip the meal and just go to his room. His eyes widened and a cheeky smile spread over his face.

  Oh God.

  "Guys, can you give us a shout when food is ready? Gretchen and I are just going to my room for a bit."

  He stood up, pulling me up to him as the adults continued as though we hadn’t moved at all. We made our way up the stairs, and I noticed someone coming down them; someone who gazed at me intensely.

  "Cal, this is my girlfriend, Gretchen. Gretchen, this is my cousin, Cal..." Luke muttered as we met on the stairs awkwardly.

  It was him. Cal.

  Luke’s cousin. Blood drained from my face as our eyes met. I had assumed that he was Clara’s cousin on her mother’s side. But no, he had to be Luke’s cousin. Cal looked at Luke and then to me.

  "Seriously?" Cal laughed with disbelief as he shook his head, smirking at me as I swallowed, pushing my hair behind my ear.

  Luke frowned with confusion and peered at me. I wanted the floor to open and swallow me up, and I couldn’t look at either of them.

  "Happy fucking then," Cal muttered, pushing past us into the lounge.

  Luke squeezed my hand and laughed.

  "I’m sorry, he is a bit of a prick."

  My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I checked it, glad of the distraction.

  ROSIE:

  Any better? Hope it’s got more interesting ;)

  I follow Luke upstairs and into his room, deciding not to answer.

  Chapter Four

  GRETCHEN

  All I wanted to do was sit in front of the television and gorge on Nutella on toast, but I had to get ready for school. I had a habit of over-analysing things, and technically; I hadn’t kissed Cal, so why did I feel so guilty?

  Worst still, whenever I thought of Cal’s beautiful face, butterflies went wild in my stomach. My breath left my body whenever he allowed those intense eyes to meet mine.

  Why did I think about him when I fell asleep and as soon as I woke up?

  I’m awful.

  My phone pinged, alerting me to a text.

  LUKE:

  Love you, baby.

  I wanted to scream. How was I going to get through today? I texted back with a simple kiss and then stared at myself in the mirror. Maybe I would wear my hair down today, Cal preferred it that way.

  Wait. What?

  Pushing the thought aside, I ran some curl cream through the lengths of my hair and scrunch it up, making the curls wild and natural. I did my usual lip gloss and mascara, but decided I wanted to make more of an effort.

  I pulled on my thick black tights and a honey-coloured jumper dress before heading out to walk to school.

  I was halfway there when I saw Cal. My chest closed and my steps slowed as I checked him out. A cigarette dangled from his fingers, but he looked incredible.

  He had a grey beanie on with his blond hair escaping out at the sides. A white Ramones t-shirt sat over ripped skinny jeans and trainers. His jacket hung over his shoulder as he moved, clearly talking to someone, but I couldn’t see who. I dawdled and moved to the right so I could see who it was. I saw a flash of a red skirt, and her trademark knee-high boots.

  He was talking to Krystal.

  My heart sank. I watched as she flirted with him; leaning forward and pulling him towards her using the thin material of his t shirt. She took the cigarette out of his mouth before pressing her lips to his, their heads moving against one another as they kissed.

  I couldn’t bear to watch. His hands were all over her body, and I felt nausea wash over me. There was no other way to walk, so I crossed the street and strode as fast as I could past them. A car pulled up beside me and I was relieved to see Sienna and Ethan.

  "Need a lift babe?" Sienna called with a grin.

  I climbed into the back, grateful to be hiding away from the sight of Cal with Krystal. It shouldn’t have bothered me, but it did.

  "Looks like Cal met Krystal," laughed Ethan, nodding behind us.

  "So?" I snapped as his eyes widened in surprise.

  "If you like that kind of thing," he said, as we sped away.

  "Many boys do, because it is easy," I pointed out. Ethan held his hands up, nodding in agreement. Sienna remained strangely quiet, glancing at me in the rear-view mirror quizzically as we made the brief journey to school. When we pulled up, I jumped out swiftly so I could be away from Sienna's stares.

  I didn’t see Krystal for the rest of the day, but I thought about her constantly.

  How was it, kissing his mouth? God, his hands were beautiful.

  I tried to concentrate in my Psychology class, but it was pointless.

  Maybe I need therapy myself.

  The classroom door opened, and Cal walked in, looking idly for an empty seat. My heart thudded in my throat and my body trembled from his sheer presence; but I stared out of the window, averting my eyes.

  I groaned inwardly when I caught a whiff of his delicious scent, confirming that he was close. I stared hard at the front of the class, when the teacher, Mr. Gane, spoke.

  "I want you to do this with partners. This project will form a large part of your final mark, so put as much into this as you can guys."

  He shuffled his papers, then glanced up at us.

  "I want to know the effects of talking therapy. I want you to do this in partners and then present to the class your findings. It is entirely up to you what you talk about, but as true psychology students, you must remain confidential. I have chosen your partners for you, as I want this to be an authentic experience."

  He called out names and eventually got to me. "You are with Cal Fallon, Gretchen."

  My stomach dropped, and I turned to look for him. There he was, slumped over his desk, sleeping.

  In class.

  Rosie mouthed ‘oh my God’ to me as other girls just glared at me like I was the luckiest girl in the world.

  So why did I feel so scared?

  I gathered my things as the bell went, walking over to Cal’s desk as I nudged his foot with mine. He woke with a start and looked at me through his sleepy long lashes.

  Sweet Jesus and all the orphans save me from this sexual devil.

  "What do you want now?" he yawned as I took a deep breath. This was important, this was my grades. Working as a therapist was my absolute dream, and I couldn’t afford to mess this up at all.

  "You and I are together," I babbled incoherently as he gazed at me.

  "What are you talking about? You are so weird sometimes."

  He yawned again, this time leaning back in his chair. He rubbed his eyes and stretched, causing his t-shirt to ride up and expose the white blonde hairs on his tanned, taut stomach. He caught me staring at him and smirked, pulling his top up more. "Better view?"

  I averted my eyes quickly as I exhaled.

  "Listen, this is serious. You are my partner for this project. It means a lot to me. We have to do talking therapy..."

  He was listening to me, actually listening to me.

  Concentrate, Gretchen.

  "It’s important to you?" he murmured softly, as my heart cartwheeled through my chest.

  His voice, my God.

  It sounded like it was taking serious effort for him to speak.

  "Okay sweet. I can’t really flunk class either to be honest, but I reckon you won’t need me to do much, will you? You seem like a bright girl."

  I blinked in disbelief before I clenched my fists by my sides, narrowing my eyes at him. "I need you to do it with me, asshole. I can’t talk to myself and present alone."

  He burst out laughing, a beautiful sound that made me want to weep with longing. He smirked at me again, his blond hair falling into his eyes as he sighed dejectedly.

  "Tell you what, Raven. Come around to mine tonight. We will...talk," his eyes ran over me slowly before he dragged his eyes b
ack to my face, which he continued to study. "Can you bring some pizza and beers?" He looked at me hopefully, as I blink myself back to reality.

  What the actual hell was wrong with me?

  "What?! I don’t even know where you live," I scoffed, scrunching my nose up. "Pizza and beers? Hardly what therapists do, is it?"

  He held his hand out.

  "Give me your phone."

  Again, it was like a command, but this time I tried to resist.

  "What for?" I demanded hotly.

  He groaned with exasperation as he spoke slowly, as though he was addressing a child. "Gretchen, can I have your phone so I can put my number in? I can text you my address, unless you want to type it in yourself— either way I don’t care. I’ve got stuff to do till seven, can you come after that?"

  I handed him my phone, regretting it instantly when he saw my screensaver. My cheeks burned when I realized it was of me and Luke. He lifted his eyebrows as he exhaled slowly, typing away. I watched his fingers touch my screen, and for once I was envious of a piece of technology.

  "Done," he muttered with annoyance, tossing my phone at me.

  I caught it as he lifted himself out of his seat with ease, the muscles on his arms showing through his t-shirt. He caught me staring for the second time that day, I realized, my cheeks burning when he chuckled to himself, making me wonder what the hell he found so damn amusing.

  "Babe, why are you still in here..."

  Luke walked back into the classroom, his voice trailing off when his eyes landed on the two of us.

  "Sup, Cal? I see you got my girl as your partner, make sure you get any secrets out of her, won’t you?"

  He snorted, and I cringed when he laced his fingers through mine. Cal looked at Luke in mock excitement.

  "Oh, I’m sure she is a deep ocean of secrets."

  My face flushed with embarrassment as he left the room, his scent lingering in the air. He was annoyingly attractive, yet obnoxious. I turned to Luke, who was staring after him too, for reasons I didn’t wish to know.

  "Sorry you got him. Want me to have a word with Mr. Gane? Maybe we can convince him to give you someone semi human," he muttered as his arms circled me. I breathed in his scent, nothing like Cal’s but somewhat still safe and comforting.