"Uh oh," she says softly. She comes closer and pushes me gently into my room, towards my bed, on which I flop down. "Listen to me: Delsin Rough can be a charming guy until he's had you in bed. If he decides that he wants you, he won't rest until he conquered you, so be careful. Don't fall for him, Cami, just don't. Promise me that!" She sounds insistent.
"He knows that I'm still a virgin," I reply.
"How come?"
"I told him when we argued. He said I ought to understand him, because surely I enjoyed sex, too," I explain.
"That makes you even more of a challenge for him," she states.
"I'd file his 'shit' more under 'I'd rather not.'" I shrug my shoulders and lay back on the bed.
"Cami, please stay away from him. Better yet, stay away from Avery, too."
"Avery is my best friend, Thally. I cannot ignore him just because he shares an apartment with Delsin. That would be unfair and immature. I'm going to ignore Delsin instead, until he loses interest," I say with a sigh.
She lies down next to me. "I bet you didn't think that college would be like this."
"No. I really didn't expect any of this. I always thought Hailey and I would start college together and get our degree together. But then that damn accident mixed up everything. Sometimes I ask myself why I came here at all. I mean, my classes are interesting, but apart from that, my life is a mess. I rarely see you and Hailey, because our schedules don't match. You're off when I have to be in class, and the other way round. That's a bunch of crap," I say in a bit of a whine. "I want to go back to Austin," I groan.
"You want to give up college?" she asks, incredulous.
"Yes, sometimes I feel that way, but I wouldn't dare, cause my mom and my stepdad, and even my dad, all spent their savings so I could come study here."
"But Hailey told me you had a grant."
"Yes, I had. But because I couldn't start when I had said I would, they gave it to someone else," I say in a small voice.
"Shit," she mutters.
"You can say that again." My phone rings. "Jesus, why am I suddenly this popular?" I sit up and go to fetch my bag. When I finally find my phone in there, I see that I have missed several calls and text messages. I was aware of the texts, but when did someone try to call me? The texts are from my mailbox, the calls from Avery. I dial his number and wait.
"Sweets, what's going on? I tried to call you."
"Yes, I just noticed that. What's up?" I ask.
"I wanted to ask you what you want to cook tonight?"
"Well, you said you were in the mood for Italian, so I'm thinking lasagna," I say.
"Sounds good ... um, Sweetie?"
"What?"
"I still have to go to the store, so what do we need for that?" he asks. "Oh, and Delsin wants to eat with us. So what do we need?"
"Don't worry about it. I bring all the ingredients."
"Oh, okay. Great. Bye then," he says.
Only then do I realize what he just said. "Whoa, what? Why does Delsin need to eat with us?"
But Avery has already hung up the phone. With a sigh, I put my phone down next to me before I bury my face in my hands.
"Let me guess ... You and Avery wanted to eat dinner together, and now Delsin has leeched his way in?" Thalia asks.
"Exactly," I answer, my voice still small. "What am I supposed to do now? I don't want to sit at the same table."
"Well, I guess you have to. You promised Avery," she lisps, exaggerating her Texan accent to sound silly. Thally is from Austin, too, but Hailey and I didn't know her before college.
"Great. First you tell me to stay away from them, and now you say stuff like this," I grumble.
She grins at me. "Well, sometimes I change my mind."
"Would you save me if I sent you an emergency text?" I ask her.
"Sure. Just text HELP, and I'll call and get you out of there," she promises.
"Thank you," I say. Then I look at my phone again. "Shit. I have to be at Avery's place in ninety minutes," I swear and jump up. "I'm getting ready and then I'll go."
Thalia gets up, too. "Remember your emergency signal when it gets too annoying."
"I will. Thank you, Thally." Then I rush into the bathroom, undress and take a shower.
***
I am ready. Because Delsin is going to eat with us, I have decided on a pair of jeans, a top and my powder blue leather jacket. I step into my black heels. With my height of five feet five, I can afford to wear a few inches under my feet.
I retransfer all my stuff back into my handbag. I put my hair up in a ponytail and apply only little make-up, just a little powder and mascara.
I leave the apartment, walk to my car and get in. It takes me to the nearest grocery store.
I put Pink on the stereo and sing along loudly when "Trouble" comes on. Her music is perfect for getting me in a better mood.
Thirty minutes later I park behind the grocery store. It took so long because I had to drive a detour. I rush inside, simultaneously texting Ave that I'm running late as I haven't been watching the time. After I have sent the text and grabbed a cart, I walk quickly to the meat fridges. In my head, I go through the list of ingredients. I take out the amount of ground meat that I need, then walk on through the aisles, grabbing tomatoes and onions, the pasta tiles and everything else I need. Even the spices and herbs, because I don't trust the guys to have a spice shelf at their place.
"Camille?" someone asks.
I turn my head and see Ethan. He is a fellow freshman. My lab partner, to be precise. "Hi, Ethan. How are you?"
"Fine, and you? I saw you at the beach earlier this afternoon, but you didn't stay long, did you?" he says.
"Yeah, but I'd rather not think about that." I pick out oregano, pepper, salt and garlic from the spice aisle.
"Looks like you're going to feed an army," Ethan comments.
"Not really. Avery and I are cooking together."
"I see. Makes me envious," he says.
"I don't think you should be. Avery cannot cook at all," I grin.
He laughs softly. "Maybe you and I can cook together sometime. I'm rather good at it."
"Yeah, why not? Maybe."
"Alright, I gotta go. Let's talk about it Wednesday. At lunch break," he says.
"Good idea. Bye, Ethan." I smile at him and push my cart towards the cashiers. After I have paid and put my groceries into the car, I return the cart to its shed.
***
I park the car in front of Avery's apartment. Then I get the bags from the trunk and hold them in front of my chest. I hate the brown bags that have no handles to carry them. It's awkward. I walk up to the door and Delsin opens it, even though I haven't announced my coming yet.
"I saw your car and thought I'd give you a hand," he says.
I nod slowly as he takes the bags from my hands. "Thanks, Delsin."
Then I follow him inside. On the stairs, he lets me pass, maybe because he simply wants to be polite. "Why did you worm your way into dinner?" I ask quietly.
"I had no other plans, and I am glad whenever I get the chance to eat something besides pizza delivery or microwave meals," he answers nonchalantly.
"Great. We'll leave the leftovers for you. Now please take a hike."
He laughs. "You want to throw me out of my own apartment?"
"Looks like it. I'd really prefer not to see your face the whole evening," I say calmly, trying not to let him see the turmoil I feel.
"I don't think I will leave, but I can retreat to my room with a plate if you insist," he concedes.
"Wonderful. Your room it'll be." I walk into the apartment. The door is wide open.
"Sweetie," Avery calls, obviously in a good mood. When I reach the living room, he comes to meet me and pulls me into his embrace.
"Hi, Ave." I hug him tight and he rocks me back and forth. "I'm sorry I couldn't get rid of him," he whispers.
"It's okay. I sent him to his room," I whisper back, starting to feel amused.
I can feel his suppressed
laughter vibrate in his chest. I take a step back. "Ready to start?"
"The sherpa has arrived. I put the bags on the kitchen counter and will now retreat to my room," Delsin rumbles and leaves.
"Thank you, Delsin," I call after him.
"Forget it."
Avery grabs my hand and pulls me along into the kitchen. "Okay, so how can I help?" he asks.
"You can cut the onion. You know how to do that, don't you?"
"Barely," he laughs.
We unpack the paper bags and I tell him what to do. He starts cutting vegetables, while I am responsible for the meat and sauces.
"What happened with you and Delsin on the boardwalk?" he wants to know.
"We fought."
"About what?"
"He wanted to know why I wouldn't give him a real chance. I told him, and then we were at it again," I answer patiently.
"He was supposed to give you your sunglasses and apologize, nothing more, nothing less," Ave sighs.
"I know. He did apologize, but I ended up telling him that I am still a virgin, and he ended up swearing."
Avery lets his knife drop. "You're really still a virgin?"
I nod slowly.
"Why have you never told me that?" he asks.
A desperate sigh escapes my lips. "Because it's embarrassing, not having had sex at my age."
"Why is that embarrassing? It's your business whether you have your first time at sixteen, eighteen, or twenty-five. Granted, you rarely meet a nineteen-year old virgin, but so what? You're not a lesser person because of it, Sweetie."
I take the onions from the cutting board and throw them into the oil. "Maybe. It feels embarrassing to me," I say in my small voice.
Ave puts an arm around my shoulders and presses a kiss into my hair. "You really shouldn't feel ashamed about it."
I only nod as an answer, because I don't want to talk about the subject. I add the meat to the onions, add spices and cook it. At the same time, I put together the bechamel sauce.
Ave peels the tomatoes und dices them. "Do you want a bottle of beer?"
"Yeah, lovely." My conscience is starting to nag me because I told Delsin so bluntly I don't want to see his face. I take a deep breath. "I'll go ask Delsin whether he wants one, too."
"Okay." Ave hands me two bottles from the fridge. "Just get him one," he smiles. "Is that white sauce done? I can do the tomato one."
"It's done, yes. I'll do the tomato sauce after I've brought him the beer," I say and turn to walk to Delsin's door.
I knock hesitantly. "I will not leave the apartment," he yells.
I decide to take that as an invitation and open the door. "Hi. Do you want a cold beer?" I ask, hoping to placate him.
He is lying on his bed, which is far larger than mine, in the middle of his strikingly tidy room. In one corner, there is a grey sofa, in another, a large closet. Between the two, a desk with a computer on top of it.
"Sure." Delsin sits up straight and mutes the TV. "Camille, listen: I am sorry that we started on the wrong foot and it only went downhill from there. I really don't want to get into your pants. I thought we could be friends because we're both friends with Avery, so we'll see each other all the time anyway," he explains.
I take a step towards him and hand him the bottle. "I think I wasn't very nice to you either," I admit.
"I deserved it. I kissed you and then I kissed another woman. If you had done the same to me, I'd have drowned the guy in the ocean," he jokes.
I laugh a little. "You shouldn't be quite so violent." I sit down at the edge of the bed.
"So cooking with Ave is a minor catastrophe?"
"Not really. He cut the veggies. Do you want to come to the kitchen? I feel bad because I told you to stay in here," I say remorsefully.
"There's not enough space in there. But I will come into the living room; the lasagna needs a while in the oven, doesn't it?" He smiles and gets up. "Camille?" he says when he stands next to me. Then he blocks my way.
I look up at him. "What is it?"
"I really like you." He bends toward me and kisses my forehead.
"I asked you not to kiss me again," I whisper, but I do not look away from his eyes.
Delsin stares back at me. "And if you don't stop looking at me with those big eyes of yours, I'm going to do it again anyway," he murmurs.
I open my mouth to say something, but I cannot produce a word. And I cannot take my eyes off of him.
"Camille, don't look at me like that," he says softly.
I shake my head, place my hand on his chest and stroke it. For heaven's sake, why do I do that?
"Camille," he repeats as his face comes closer to mine. "Look away."
"I ... I don't want to," I breathe.
He bridges the final inches between us and then he kisses me. Gingerly, I put my arms around his neck and close my eyes before I return the kiss. This is totally different from the ones before. This is passionate. Slowly he pushes me towards the bed, while nibbling at my lower lip and brushing his hands over my behind. Then his tongue invades my mouth. I meet it with mine and welcome the tender invasion.
"Sweetie, I think I ... oh, what the ...?" Avery.
Why are we interrupted every time? I ask myself as I jerk away from Delsin. I blush and face Ave.
"You think what?" I ask a little breathlessly. My lips feel swollen from Delsin's caresses.
"The lasagna needs your attention."
I nod and rush from the room.
"Are you mental or what? She is my best friend! She will not be one of your miserable exploits!" Ave yells at Delsin.
"Calm down, man. She wanted it, too, and I don't plan on making her one of my exploits, as you call them. I like her," Delsin says.
I cannot hear the rest of their discussion, as I slip into the kitchen. The hamburger meat is well-cooked and Ave has put the tomato chunks and the pureed tomato into the pot. I try a spoonful. Luckily, he hasn't tried to add spices and herbs. I take them from the counter and add them to the sauce until it tastes the way I like it. Then I turn up the heat. I am still holding on to the beer bottle when I pull the oven dish closer. Avery has already set it next to the stove. I stack the pasta tiles with the different sauces, relieved to have something to command my attention. Then I put grated cheese on top of it all and put the dish into the oven.
"Do you need help?" Avery suddenly says behind me.
I turn around. "No, it's in the oven. We can eat in half an hour."
He nods slowly. "Okay. Then let's sit in the living room."
"Alright." I follow him and sit down on the sofa, while he sinks into an armchair. Delsin sits on the other chair and flips through the TV channels. None of us utters a word.
Since Avery caught us kissing, the mood has changed. I covertly pull my phone from my pocket and type in the four letters of my emergency text. Then I push it back into my pocket.
Five minutes later, there has still been no call. Thalia, please call already, I think, but nothing happens.
Finally, the lasagna is ready. Thirty long minutes have passed, Thalia hasn't called, and I step into the kitchen to get the food. I take it out of the oven and carry it to the dinner table. The apartment is really large. Probably Delsin's father pays for it, or maybe he has enough money himself, but I don't care.
"Guys, I am sorry, but I'm beat. I will go home," I tell them when they have sat down at the table.
"You've drunken alcohol, Camille. You shouldn't drive," Delsin says.
"One bottle of beer. That's not going to kill me." I hate it when people treat me like a child.
"That's enough. If you're tired, you can sleep in my bed. I will take the sofa in my room," he offers.
"That's nice, but completely unnecessary."
"Sweetie, I think he's right. You shouldn't get behind the wheel when you've had alcohol," Ave interrupts.
I sigh. "You also drive when you drink."
"I've had my license a few years longer. Plus, I'm a guy," he counters.
"As if it were a matter of gender," I grumble. Why do they suddenly have to act up like that?
"Camille, just stay here. I won't lie next to you, I won't touch you, I will sleep on the couch like a good boy. I'll give you one of my t-shirts so you don't have to sleep naked," Delsin insists. "And now eat something. I don't remember seeing you eat anything all day."
Now that he mentions it, I realize that that's true, but I won't tell them, or they're going to spoonfeed me next. "Okay," I concede.
Ave puts some lasagna on my plate as I sit down. His smile is genuine.
Finally, my phone rings. "Excuse me," I say and take it from my pocket. "It's Thalia, I need to see what she wants." I get up and take the call. "Hi, Thally."
"Hi, Cami, you need to come home, like now!" she cries loudly into the phone. I hold it a little away from my ear.
"What happened?" I ask. The way she sounds, I somehow doubt that she is faking it.
"Colton came over, and then he lost it and we had a row. I … I'm bleeding, Cami." Now she is crying in earnest.
"What?" I yell into the phone.
"Take it easy, I'm only acting so you can get out of there," Thalia whispers.
I take a deep breath. God, I feel so relieved.
"Is everything okay?" Delsin asks.
I turn around and raise my finger to indicate that I am still talking.
"Thally, I … I'm coming, okay? Please try to calm down," I say soothingly.
But then Delsin stands next to me and takes the phone from my hand. "Thalia, right? Camille mustn't drive, she drank alcohol … No, I will not let her drive … yes, I know you think I'm an asshole … Don't worry, I don't intend to screw her … Will you please stop that shit … And no, she's not coming home tonight. Save your act for tomorrow," he says and then hands me the phone again.
"You're staying here tonight, even if it means I'm going to have to lock you up in my bedroom," he whispers.
I hold the phone to my ear. "Are you still there?" I ask, irritated.
"Yes, I am, and Delsin Rough really is an asshole. Fine, Cami, I tried my best. I'll see you tomorrow and then you must tell me what went down." She giggles and hangs up.
Completely dumbfounded, I let my hand sink and stare at Delsin, but he merely shrugs and says: "Your food is getting cold, Camille."
Rough: Daunting Temptation (Coral Gables Series Book 1) Page 5
