"So charming ... I wonder how you manage to screw all those girls."
He smirks. "By being just as charming as I am right now."
"So where is that joke now? Or am I supposed to simply laugh about you?" I demand, batting my lashes at him in an exaggerated manner.
"That would be a shortcut to your phone number, so feel free," he counters.
Pompous ass, I think grumpily and wait for him to tell his stupid joke.
"Alright ... Here goes ... A drunk is brought to the emergency room with a penis fracture. Shocked, the doctor asks: 'How in heaven's name did you do that?'
The drunken man answers: 'Just let me catch that asshole that drew a naked woman on the wall.'"
The last sentence comes out when I swallow my first sip. I laugh so hard that I spit out most of the beer, all over the counter in front of me. "I am sorry."
Delsin smirks. "Which brings us to your phone number. Tell me," he demands.
After I wipe my chin with the back of my hand, I tell him my number. What he doesn't know is that I have two phones. I bought a new contract last week. The number I gave him is the old one, which will be defunct within three days. Luckily I've got both phones in my bag right now.
He types the number into his iPhone and calls me. My phone plays 'I wish I was a punk rocker' by Sandy Thom. "Now you have my number, too."
"Thanks. And here I thought I'd have to look up all the girls' skirts tonight, in the hope of finding it written on their panties," I grin.
"Whoa, kitty, watch your claws," he laughs.
"What's so funny?" Avery asks, balancing three cups in his hands as he joins us.
"Camille is in tiger mode again," Delsin informs him.
Avery nods slowly. "Interesting." Then he hands me a beer.
"Thank you. What took you so long?" I want to know.
Avery looks at me. "I was talking to Tristan, and then this weirdo came by and asked me to bring along another one for him."
I nod. "Cheers." Then I take a long gulp.
Delsin and Avery both keep looking at me.
"You really can drink," Delsin states in an impressed tone when he looks into my cup.
"And?" I say.
"Nothing. I'm just impressed."
"Hm. Okay," I shrug. Then I look at Avery. "Do you want to go outside for a smoke? It's rather hot in here."
"Not right now. Sorry," he says.
"But I want to have a smoke." Delsin grabs my wrist und pulls me down from the stool. He jerks me hard enough to get me to stumble into his arms. I immediately try to stand up straight again, but he keeps holding me. "I never said you should throw yourself at my feet," he jokes.
"Asshole," I growl and step on his foot.
"Shit," he swears and finally lets me go. "Man, you really ought to watch those claws."
"And you should learn some manners," I grumble, grab my cup and walk out through the back door. I stumble across the wobbly lawn towards a lone tree. At least that will offer me some shelter and quiet, which it seems I won’t be getting inside.
"Camille?" Delsin calls. He must have followed me.
I turn around and lean against the trunk of the tree. "What do you want now?"
He stops a few steps in front of me and seizes me up. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to give you a hard time."
I shake my head and take another large sip. "It's okay. Forget it already."
Delsin places his hand next to my head and looks at me. "You're not angry?"
"No, now that I told you to get some manners, I am actually pretty calm."
He rubs the back of his neck with his free hand. I take a good look at him. He wears his dark brown hair a bit longer, and his bangs are combed across his forehead. He is dressed in a black shirt, with the top button open, and a pair of bleached blue jeans. His muscles ripple under his clothing, although he isn't too muscular. His body is really perfect as it is. Think about something else right now! I chide myself.
"How about getting to know me first? You can still tell me to go to hell later," he says.
I take another large sip. "Why should I want to get to know you?"
"Because I think we could be really good friends," he says calmly.
My laughter is false. "I don't think so."
"Why not?" Now he cocks his head and his eyes glimmer in the light of the garden lanterns.
"Because you screwed my best friends, and then you dropped them as if they had some sort of STD or something," I snap.
Delsin pulls back his hand and puts it into his pocket. "Well, that's who I am. I enjoy my life, and your friends were rather clingy, I think, otherwise I wouldn't have treated them like that. I normally don't treat any broad this heartlessly."
"Broad?" I ask, now angry. "Call my best friend a broad again and you’re really going to feel my claws!"
Delsin laughs loudly. "I like it when you get so upset." Then he pushes me back against the tree, raises my chin and looks into my eyes. "Threaten me again," he says softly.
"Let me go," I say instead.
"No."
I fight him, but he is too strong for me. "Let me go, you damn idiot," I scream at him.
He shakes his head, looking rather unaffected.
"I'll rip your ass open if you do not let me go right now!"
Delsin doesn't answer that. Instead, he presses his lips against mine. Not knowing what else to do, I keep my lips tightly shut, lest he pushes his tongue into my mouth.
Then he takes my face into both his hands and pulls his face away from mine. "You're damn sexy when you're angry." He grins, and he doesn't stop even as I hit him, my hand against his cheek.
"You bastard," I scream, push him aside and walk back to the house with quick steps.
"Oh, come on, Camille. Give a guy a chance," he calls after me.
"Not before hell freezes over!" I stomp into the house. Avery is not in the kitchen, so I go and look for him. I weave my way through the throngs, searching for the familiar face, irritation mounting inside me.
Pushing through the people, I end up in the hallway. I see Ty, another frat boy, who sometimes sits with Avery and me in the cafeteria.
"Hey, have you seen Avery?" I ask loudly.
He sees me. "Oh. Yes, he went upstairs with Pearl. I don't know what they're up to, but my guess is the beds are burning," he answers with a wide grin.
"Great," I grumble. "Can I hang with you for a bit? My company has obviously disappeared with his crush."
Ty nods. "Sure. You want a beer?"
"Yes, please."
He turns away and fills a fresh cup for me. I had not even noticed that he was standing right next to the keg. Then he hands me the cup.
"Thanks, Ty." We clink our plastic cups and I take another large sip.
"Do you want to dance?" he asks.
I look at the makeshift dance floor in the living room. "It's pretty crowded already."
"We can dance right here," he says and pulls me towards him. For the second time that evening, someone jerks me close abruptly. My cup falls to the floor. "Shit," I swear. "I'm sorry."
Ty shrugs his shoulders. "No big deal. The cleaning squad will go through the place in the morning."
"Okay," I say, still feeling a bit embarrassed.
He puts his right hand on my hip and his left around my back, pressing me close to him. Ty starts moving his body and mine to the music. I move my hips to some hip hop song I do not know. It blares loudly from the speakers. With every passing second I feel surer of myself, and now I also move against him. My hands brush along Ty's bicep, over his chest. I can feel that he does a lot of sports. Football, I think. He is the tackle or something, but I don't know the first thing about football, so I am not really sure. His hand drops lower, to my ass, and then he grabs it hard.
"Ouch," I squeal and push more closely against him.
He utters a soft laugh. "That's how I like it." He looks into my eyes, dips his head and his lips come closer to mine.
I lean back as far
as I can to avoid this kiss, but his body curves forward. Does anyone in here think of anything else at all? I ask myself. And then someone pulls me away from Ty. I stumble, but an arm wraps around me to steady me.
"Are you crazy, man?" he yells at Ty.
I raise my eyes and can hardly believe that Delsin has come to my rescue even after I hit him.
"Sorry, Camille. I thought you wanted it, too," Ty apologizes to me.
"It's alright," I say.
"It's alright?" echoes Delsin, sounding upset.
I nod slowly. "He apologized, and nothing happened. So everything is alright."
Delsin snorts and looks at Ty. "You and I will talk about this again!"
"Delsin, please stop acting like Popeye here. Please," I interfere, before dragging him out of the room and out into the open, where the air is fresh and crisp.
"I should kill that jerk," he growls.
I roll my eyes and walk with him until we reach a bench, on which I proceed to sit down. "It really is alright. We all drank alcohol; it's easy to misinterpret stuff then."
He gives another snort and then lights a cigarette. "I suddenly saw red. I am sorry."
"Why are you sorry? You helped me, and that was nice of you," I reply. "Thank you, Delsin."
He looks down at me. "I almost punched him in the face."
I pat the seat next to me and he plops down on the bench. "And what good would that have done?"
"It would have been a lesson for Ty, not to treat a woman like that."
"That is why you treat them so exceptionally well," I mutter.
He utters another soft laugh. "The girls that get with me know I only want to have a good time. And fancy that, they want exactly the same. It's mutual."
I sigh. "I doubt you were this clear with my girl friends."
"Who are your friends?" he asks.
"Hailey Osment and Thalia Leroux," I answer.
"Can't say the names sound familiar," he admits.
"Oh, I would forget them, too, if I had another woman in bed every night," I counter.
"Can we change the subject, please? I don't appreciate you reproaching me all the time for enjoying my life."
"Okay, let's change the subject. What do you want to talk about?" I ask, curious.
"What's your major?"
"Science. Yours?"
Delsin smiles. "What do you think?"
My eyebrow shoots upward. "I think you should give me an answer, or else I will have you guessing from now on as well." I give him a mischievous grin.
"I major in architecture," he smirks.
"Which means we've exhausted another topic," I giggle.
He blows out the smoke from his cigarette, making a large cloud in front of his face.
"Where did you get your name? I've never heard it before."
"Delsin? It's an Indian name," he explains.
"What does it mean?" I ask, truly interested.
He laughs. "That is the way I am."
"No, I really want to know what it means."
"That is the way I am."
"Delsin, tell me," I demand impatiently.
"I am telling you. My name means: That is the way I am," he says.
"Oh." I start to laugh. "That was embarrassing."
He joins in my laughter, and it takes a while before we can stop. Suddenly he places his arm on the backrest behind me. "Do you have any brothers or sisters, Camille?"
I shake my head. "Not really."
"What does that mean?"
"Well, my dad remarried, and now I have a stepsister and three stepbrothers, whom I hardly know," I explain. "What about you?"
He grins. "My dad got around a lot, and he didn't just do the halfpipes. I know about four half siblings on my father's side, and my mom also had two more kids after me. My sisters are called Tiara and Chloe."
I turn to face him, and only now do I see the slight stubble on his cheeks. "Are they also studying here?" I ask.
"No. They're fourteen and sixteen. It will be a while before they go to college."
"And your other half siblings?"
"They're scattered all over the States ... I have no idea where they study, how old they are, whether they do anything at all."
"You don't talk to them at all?" I want to know. I lean my head to the side and rest it on his arm. That is much more comfortable.
"Next to never. Thanksgiving, Christmas, my dad's birthday. Apart from that, we're not that interested in what the others are up to," he says.
I feel sad for him. I don't know why, but I really feel sad for Delsin. "That's sad," I say softly.
"Yeah, I guess so, huh? But don't worry your pretty head about it ... it's none of your business," he says and flicks his cigarette butt on the ground.
I wince. Why does he have to kill the conversation now? "You're right, it's none of my business. But I am truly sorry for you. On the other hand ... come to think of it, I wouldn't want to talk to you either," I flare at him and get up.
"Camille, I'm sorry. I ... I'm no good at conversation. I didn't want to give you a hard time."
"Well, that's strange. You keep saying that, and yet tonight, you keep doing it. Please tell Avery that I went home," I force out and leave him alone.
Annoyed, I start to walk home.
"You're such a damn bitch, Camille," he calls after me.
"And you are a stupid, pompous ass, Delsin!" I walk faster, because I don't want to argue in the street. No use getting into a row with this guy. I hear no footsteps behind me, so I assume he doesn't follow me, but is still sitting on the bench.
***
I'm finally home. The apartment is still deserted. Where the hell are the two others? I ask myself when I turn on the lights.
On the other hand I am glad that I'm alone. I can take a shower and fall asleep without disturbance. The last few days, my friends' moans had kept me awake. In the hallway I kick off my heels and push them aside with my foot. Then I head for the bathroom and wiggle out of my dress. When I am in the shower, I hear my mobile phone ring. I am too lazy to rush out and get it, even though my denim jacket with the phone in its pocket is only a few steps away on the floor. No. I'm going to remain under the hot water and wash my hair.
The ringtone stops and then starts again, stops and then starts again. Sandi Thom keeps telling me she wishes she was a punk rocker, until I've had enough. I step out from the shower, grab a towel and pick up the phone. "What?" I snap.
"Sweetie? It's me, Avery. Are you home?"
"Yes. Why are you asking? Delsin was supposed to tell you," I say, confused.
"We'll come over. See you in five minutes," he rushes and hangs up.
What the hell was that? I towel myself dry and shake my head. Then I wrap the towel around my torso und run into my room. I almost slip a few times, because I haven't dried my feet properly, but I catch my balance every time. "We really need some rugs in here, instead of those damn tiles," I swear loudly when I almost slide into my closet.
I quickly pull out underwear, a long t-shirt and a pair of shorts.
As soon as I have put it all on, there's a knock on the door.
"Sweetie?" Avery calls.
"Coming," I yell back and run to the door. "What is ...," I see him with Delsin in tow, who looks completely sloshed, "going on?" I finish my question.
"Can I leave Delsin with you? I need to get the car, and Pearl wants to go home, too," he explains.
I sigh. "I'd rather let him sleep on a bench in the park."
"Please, Cam, do it for me." He only calls me Cam when he wants to convince me of something. Avery knows that I cannot refuse him when he looks at me with his puppy eyes, and calls me Cam.
I exhale loudly. "Alright. Put him on the couch."
"Not a good idea, after he behaved like that with Hailey and Thalia," he ponders aloud.
"Dear god, alright, then get him into my room. My bed is big enough for two. But if he's going to throw up in my room, you're the one to clean it up when you
come back for him," I say threateningly, although I cannot help but smile.
"It's a deal." He comes in and drags Delsin into my room.
I follow them in. "Can you help me take off his shoes?"
"Yes, once I put him to bed."
"Okay. I'm going to get a bucket, in case he'll throw up," I let Avery know, turn around and walk over to the built-in closet where we store all our cleaning stuff and such. I take out the bucket we use for mopping the floors, walk into the bathroom, and fill it halfway with cold water.
When I step back into my bedroom, Ave is undressing Delsin. "What are you doing?"
He looks up. "His clothes stink of smoke. Do you want him to lie next to you in them? Wouldn't that be rather disgusting for a non-smoker?"
"True. But please let him keep something. And I don't mean the socks, but the shorts." When I say this, I can feel the heat suffuse my cheeks.
Ave smirks. "Don't worry." He pulls off Delsin's jeans.
I place the bucket next to the bed. "I swear to god, if he's going to throw up on me, or if he makes a pass at me tonight, I will hate you for the rest of my life."
"If Delsin cares about his own life, he's not going to do either." Ave hands me the clothes and I put them in front of the half-open window so they won't stink up my room.
"He's in bed and he seems to be asleep. Well, he doesn't move, but he is still breathing. Call me if there's any problem, okay?"
I nod at him. "Alright. Have fun with Pearl."
"Thank you, Sweetie," he says, comes over to my side of the bed, and hugs me.
"You owe me a big one for that," I remind him with a smile.
"Anything you want."
"Good. I'll think of something," I grin and walk him to the door. "Wait. You said you wanted to get the car and pick him back up once you drove Pearl home, didn't you say that?" I ask when he steps into the hall.
"I did. I'm driving Pearl home, and then I'll come back to pick him up. But I think I have finally managed to convince her to get with me. So I'm guessing it could be morning before I show up to fetch that old drunkard."
I utter a soft sigh. "Okay. But tell me tomorrow how he managed to get drunk this quickly. I had left the party only half an hour before you called."
"Jell-o shots and tequila," Avery explains.
"You mean he drank several glasses of liquor and jell-o shots?"
Rough: Daunting Temptation (Coral Gables Series Book 1) Page 2
