"Okay."
And that was that.
Dylan
♘
"We're so proud of you, Son."
"Thanks Mom, Dad."
Dylan hugged his mother, shaking his father's hand with the firm grip he knew was expected. His mother kissed his cheeks, trying to hide the tears that were in her eyes. He watched as they got into the rented van and drove off. He was ashamed to admit how relieved he was when the taillights disappeared from view.
Not that he wouldn't miss them, but he was ready to get started in his new life.
A life where he wasn't fussed over constantly. Or waited on hand and foot. Or expected to be something that he wasn't all that sure he wanted to be.
The Golden Boy. The Prodigal Son. The American Dream.
Dylan was ready to stand on his own two feet for once in his life. Who he was exactly... well, he wasn't in a rush to figure that out. Besides, he had a feeling that was still to be determined.
"Heads up big D!"
His hands came up and closed around the bottle of cold beer one of his roommates had just chucked out the window. Already there was music blaring out the window. They must have been waiting for his parents to leave. Dylan smiled and climbed the stairs to his suite. He took one look around and shook his head.
This was going to be interesting.
A lot had happened in the ten minutes he'd been outside. Six or seven guys were sprawled on the sofas drinking out of plastic red cups and beer bottles. They were throwing footballs around the room while one guy flipped through what looked like a vast array of porn channels.
Apparently the suite came with an extensive cable package.
Dylan knocked the top off his beer and took a swig.
"Hey man! Welcome to the pussy palace. You are going to get so much tail here you have no idea."
A finger poked him in the chest and he grunted.
"You my friend are going to be swimming in it."
Dylan smiled and lifted his drink, looking around. There was a huge bowl full of condoms on the dining room table. He didn't say a word, though he thought it was a little bit crass to have them out in the open like that.
Dylan had never really had a problem with girls. They'd already threw themselves at him on a daily basis in high school. And that was before he was on a nationally ranked college team. To him, all this posturing looked pretty desperate.
Not that he was going to say that. He wasn't an idiot after all. He needed to be a part of the team and eventually, the leader. He wasn't going to start out by being a wet blanket or telling them they sounded like pigs.
He was hoping this wasn't a nightly occurrence though. They had practice in the morning. And he was here to get a degree too, not just a beer gut. He made small talk while he finished his drink and went into his room to unpack.
The guys were still partying when he microwaved a snack and ate it an hour later, trying to ignore the naked bodies thrusting on the TV. It's not that he had a problem with porn. He just didn't see the point in watching it, en masse. It's not like you could whack off in front of your roommates.
Besides, he had better things to fantasize about.
Chapter Three
Kaylia
☼
Kaylia heaved the huge stainless steel tub of mashed potatoes off the rolling metal caddy. It was at least thirty pounds of hot, steaming buttery goodness. She could smell it as she lowered it into the serving caddy.
Man, these athletes ate well...
There was nothing like this at the dining hall where she got her three square-ish meals a day. And she could be stuck there, staring her dormmates in the face while she dished out sub-human food.
No, this was much better.
Kaylia was well aware that she'd landed one of the better work study slots, not that it was glamorous by any stretch of the imagination. She adjusted the cap covering her hair and retied her apron. No, definitely not glamorous.
Or easy.
Her muscles were already aching and she'd only been there for two hours of the six-hour shift. But there was a bright side to working in the athletic complex on the other side of campus. A really, really big bright side.
When you served the athletes, you got to eat what they ate. And they ate extremely well. Filet mignon, roast chicken, salmon and rice and steamed veggies for almost every meal. Eggs benedict and ham most mornings. It was a far cry from what they served in the dorms. Which was mostly warmed over lasagna and wilted salads.
Yuck.
Oh yeah, working in the athletic center was a prized job for all the work study students.
And she'd somehow lucked into the work slot twice a week, with a third 'floater' shift that took her where they needed her. Catering special events on the weekends mostly. She'd already done a few meet and greets for various departments.
So far, those weren't bad either.
This was her first shift at the athletic center. They'd been prepping and cooking since she had gotten there but now the doors were open and it was time to serve. Another two hours and they'd close down. Then they'd get a chance to eat the leftovers before clean up. Kaylia's stomach growled from the delicious smells filling the room.
The players were filtering in now, standing in line. Her manager handed her a scooper and she took her position in front of the mashed potatoes. They were real ones too, made with real butter and boiled potatoes. She hadn't had any that weren't from a mix since she was a little girl and was looking forward to tasting the fluffy white concoction.
More than once she felt eyes on her. The players walked down the line, mostly saying nothing. She kept her head down, even when one of them tried to make conversation. He wasn't the last one either.
Boys seemed to act the fool around her more often than not. She'd learned to tune them out. She wasn't fooled by flattery either. Pretty didn't get you too far in this world. Smart was much better.
For the most part she ignored the players, not even bothering to spare them a glance. They were just another part of the scenery to her, even if they did make her a bit nervous. The guys were huge, hulking over her. There were a few who tried to talk to her, though she could not imagine why. It certainly wasn't that she was putting out flirtatious vibes with her outfit.
Not that she ever really thought too much about her looks. Nan had taught her not to put stock in being pretty. But she knew where she stood on the teenage food chain. Sort of in the middle, due to good genes, but not too high because of her worn out clothes and lack of makeup or fancy hairstyle.
She wore an oversized t-shirt and tight jeans with a stained apron tied loosely over her clothes. Her hair was tucked into an old baseball cap they'd given her. It was that, or the dreaded hair net. She'd cut her long hair short right before leaving for school, thinking it would be one less thing to worry about without Nan to work her magic.
There was no way she looked appealing, and yet she got a steady stream of 'hey baby's' and even one 'aren't you a cutie.'
Kaylia was not impressed. She knew they were probably just bored and a little desperate. They were after one thing and one thing only. And they weren't getting it from her.
Nan always said that testosterone could do crazy things to a man.
Kaylia didn't really care to find out.
She sighed and doled out another scoop of mashed potatoes. It was monotonous to say the least. She risked a glance at the clock to see how much time had passed. Not enough. She finally noticed that the line had come to a standstill so she looked up.
There was a boy standing in front of her. He was handsome, with wavy brown hair and blue grey eyes. He was staring at her with a look of shock on his chiseled face. His familiar face. His familiar storm gray eyes.
Not just any eyes.
His eyes.
It was him. The boy from her dreams. The boy she'd been dreaming about for literally years was standing in front of her, looking as shocked as she felt.
>
"You're real."
His voice was husky and full of wonder. His lips curled into a smile and she gasped. This could not be happening.
THIS COULD NOT BE HAPPENING.
But it was happening and she had no idea what to do about it.
Kaylia's chest felt dry and tight as she struggled to get a deep breath. She felt like she was frozen. She blinked at him as he shook his head and started to say something to her.
But she didn't want to hear it.
Kaylia dropped her serving spoon into the mash potatoes and ran into the kitchen, out the service entrance and into the cool evening air.
Dylan
☼
She was real.
He stood there, holding onto his tray for dear life as time seemed to stop. It was like he was on Mars all of the sudden. In the blink of an eye everything he'd known, everything he'd assumed was reality had been proved wrong.
And he'd never been happier than anything in his life than having his illusions shattered.
Dear god, the beauitful girl from his dreams was real.
Dylan's world tilted as he stared into the huge brown eyes he'd seen so often in his sleep. He hadn't just been dreaming after all. He'd been seeing a real girl somehow. She was real and she was here.
But that wasn't even the crazy part. The crazy part was the look in her eyes. He knew without a doubt that she'd recognized him too.
She'd known him just as surely as he'd known her.
He tried to open his mouth to get the words out - what words he wasn't just sure of yet - but the overwhelming feeling in his gut had been of completion. Shock yes, but a wonderful, miraculous feeling of having found something he'd lost.
Dylan felt whole for the first time in his life.
The girl looked less than thrilled to see him. Her pretty face was in shock, leaving two bright pink spots on her cheeks. For all his surprise, she looked even more rattled than he felt. He needed to reassure her- he needed to-
The girl turned and scurried into the back of the clubhouse. But he'd seen the look of recognition in her face. The shock and the... something else. Joy almost. But she'd looked horrified as well.
He realized that for the first time in forever, he didn't feel alone. Even though she'd just run out of there like her shoes were on fire.
"She's hot right? I'd like to unload on her ass."
Dylan cringed. His suitemate Chuck was not subtle about women. All he talked about were stats and how to get girls. As many as possible. And now he was talking about her in the same way.
Dylan didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.
He set his tray down on a table and walked purposefully toward the kitchen. Suddenly, a heavyset middle-aged woman with red hair stood in his way. He looked down at her, impatient to get past her.
But his good manner won out.
"Excuse me please."
"You can't be back here son. Can I get you something?"
"The girl who was here- did she leave? I need to talk to her."
"Kaylia? I think she just went out back for air."
"Okay, thanks."
Dylan walked swiftly out of the building and jogged to the back where the employee entrance was. He walked around the loading dock and dumpsters. But there was no one there.
It didn't matter though. His whole body was thrumming with the possibility of seeing her again soon. Talking to her. Kissing her. And he wouldn't have to fall asleep to do it.
She was here.
She was real.
Kaylia
☼
"Cute outfit."
Charisse was looking at her like she was the Lochness monster. Kaylia had just walked in the door and just wanted to hide. Everyone was staring at her today and she didn't like it.
Kaylia stared down at herself, wondering what was wrong with her now.
Oh.
She'd forgotten to take the spotted apron off. It was a nicer one, a dark green made for serving in the front of the kitchen. But it was still less than glamorous. Not to mention splattered with small bits of mashed potatos.
Fantastic. She was wearing part of the dinner she hadn't gotten a chance to even taste. Because she hadn't finished her shift. Because she was ridiculous. And now she would go to bed hungry because of it.
Brilliant Kaylia.
She pulled off the apron, tempted to throw it away. Just hide the evidence of her foolishness. She hoped she didn't get fired for running out of there like that. Not to mention looking like a freak as she ran through campus.
Yeah, this semester was off to a fantastic start.
She couldn't lose her job. Not now. Not ever. For four years her work study was a priviledge as well as a burden. It was part of her arrangement with the scholarship office. She'd have to tell them she'd gotten sick or something. Otherwise she was screwed.
No work study, no partial scholarship, no college. The rules were very clear on that.
Way to go Kaylia. And on your first day too.
She sighed and pulled the apron off, hanging it on the hook on the back of the door.
"You smell like French fries."
"Mashed potatoes actually. One of the many hazards of workstudy. I'll get cleaned up."
Charisse wrinkled her nose and tossed her something. Kaylia stared at the expensive looking bottle in her hand. Rose scented shower gel.
Well, that was subtle.
"Here. My mother gets me buckets of this stuff. You look like a rose girl."
She held up another bottle.
"I'm more of a lemon verbena girl myself. You can have all the rose stuff."
"Thanks."
Kaylia grabbed her shower caddy, adding the rose scented shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and a dry body oil that Charisse had chucked onto her bed. In her case ' dorm shower caddy' was an old rubber bucket that had been under her grandmother's sink forever. Nan had raised her on a strict, extremely limited income. They used what they had.
Kaylia kind of liked it that way too. Just looking at the waste and excess around the dorm was a little dizzying to tell the truth. But she couldn't judge people for having money, just like she hoped they didn't judge her for... not having it.
She knew they did judge her though. She might not react to the stares and whispers, but she always noticed them. She knew she didn't quite belong.
Never had. Never would.
Even here, where they were all supposedly intelligent over-achievers, she was still just the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. The girl who had to work just to stay in classes. The girl who smelled like French fries.
Kaylia padded down the hall in her shower shoes (also-known-as 99 cent flip flops). She looked around, relived that it was not crowded for once. She was shy about showering around other girls, even if they were all in the same boat.
She pulled off her clothes and stepped into the shower stall. The water was steaming hot and the pressure was good. One of the few perks of communal showering she supposed.
She poured some of the expensive gel into her hand and inhaled deeply. It did smell pretty good actually, especially compared to the drug store soap she'd used to wash her face and body every day since she was five. Kaylia went through the motions of soaping herself off but only one thought was running through her head on repeat.
The one thought she'd been fighting against thinking ever since she'd run out of the dining hall almost an hour ago.
He was real.
Chapter Four
Dylan
☽
Dylan sat in Freshman Lit, staring blankly towards the front of the lecture hall. It was the third day of classes. He'd spent every day since Freshman orientation looking for her. She hadn't appeared in the kitchen again and he hadn't seen her in the quad.
He was beginning to think he'd imagined the whole thing.
Until now.
Two rows ahead of him to the right. A girl sat there that drew his eye repe
atedly during the class. He could see her profile and the short dark hair that curled around her ears perfectly, revealing a graceful neck. Her hand fluttered to her throat as if she felt his eyes on her. His breath caught as she glanced over her shoulder as if she knew someone was watching her.
Yes. It was her.
He was not crazy after all.
Well, maybe he was a little bit crazy.
Dylan started to stand in the middle of class the moment he saw her face. He sat down abruptly. He had to get to her, to speak to her, to know her name.
It was her, but she was different.
Her hair was longer in the dreams, her clothes were shabby and casual compared to the plain white nightgown he was used to seeing. It was the sort that you saw in old movies. White cotton and lace. Virginal.
For some reason Dylan had always found it incredibly arousing. In fact, just being with her in dreams was more satisfying than any of the fumbling sexual encounters he'd had in the back seats of cars or in a basement rec room when one of his friends parents were out of town.
He felt it now, a fission of desire that went straight to his gut... and lower. Blood was starting to throb in his groin where he was developing a sudden erection. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Nice. A spontaneous English Lit 101 mega-boner.
That hadn't happened to him since Freshman year in high school. He would have been embarrassed but he wasn't. He knew it was because of her. He was overwhelmingly drawn to her in every way.
Including his dick apparently.
Dylan was stymied a moment later when the class abruptly ended. He couldn't stand up right away for obvious reasons. But he couldn't let her disappear on him again.
Hi, yeah I'm the guy from your dreams. The one with the massive public erection. Emily Bronte does that to me.
Not.
Yeah, that would not go over well. He cursed when he saw her making a beeline for the door. Boner or not, he couldn't let her get away again.
The Key (Heartfire) Page 2
