“You’re going out with his sister-in law?” Juliet asked as she slipped into a black dress. Reed was taking her out somewhere.
“She’s not officially his sister-in-law, but she will be soon.” I zipped up the back of the dress for her.
“Well, that’s cool I guess. It’s always nice to meet new people.”
I sat down on the edge of my bed. “It’s not weird, is it? I mean Chase and I barely know each other.”
“I think if it were a guy, it might be weird, but it’s a girl. Plus, didn’t you say she’s a Delta Mu? That gives you something else in common. Maybe you guys will click so well that you’ll stay friends no matter what happens.”
“One can hope.”
“Well, I’ll check in with you later. Have fun and get a Hurricane roll in my honor.”
“I’d get one anyway.”
“Then get two.” Juliet blew me a kiss before walking out the door.
I finished up the last of my weekend school work while I waited for seven o’clock to roll around. Usually I spent my Sunday nights frantically trying to get everything ready for my Monday classes. It looked like that wasn’t going to be a problem anymore.
I packed up a purse and headed outside to wait on the front porch. I ran into a few of my sisters on the way out, but everyone who was still home was getting ready to go out.
I took a seat on the porch swing and started to swing it slowly as I waited for Rachel. Right on time, she pulled her Jeep up in front of the Delta Mu house.
I opened the door. “Nice wheels.”
“I wanted one of these so bad in high school, but I got a hand me down Camry instead.”
“I got a hand me down CRV, but I love it.”
“That’s not a bad hand me down to have.”
“Not at all. No complaints.” The price was right—i.e. free—and I liked the space.
“Sorry if I woke you up last night. I really didn’t even bother to check the time. Riley works late nights a lot, so it plays into my habit.”
“He stays up until one a.m. working a lot?”
“Yeah. He’s at that stage where he either makes partner or doesn’t. He’s serious about work.”
“Gotcha. That must be stressful.”
“It is.” She pulled away from the curb. “For both of us.”
The ride over to the restaurant was a quick one, and before I knew it, we were settling into a booth. Rachel ordered a glass of red wine, and I went for unsweetened iced tea. No matter how many times I used my fake ID, it made me nervous, so I generally opted for non-alcoholic when I could.
“I’m sorry. That was dumb. I shouldn’t have ordered wine.”
“Oh, don’t apologize,” I quickly reassured her. “I’ll be doing the same thing in a few more years.”
She smiled. “Now that’s a positive way to look at things.”
As we waited for our food to arrive, I decided to ask some of the basics. “How’d you meet Riley?”
“A friend introduced us almost two years ago now. At first, I wasn’t sure. Lawyers aren’t really my cup of tea, but those baby blue eyes of his had me.”
I smiled. Chase’s eyes were brown, so the blue trait didn’t run through the whole family. “Sweet. So, it was kind of love at first sight?”
“I wouldn’t say that exactly… more lust at first sight…. Love at first morning after.”
I laughed. “Nice. I think it’s funny that you didn’t want to date an attorney.”
“Why? I figured he’d be uptight—and he kind of is.” She picked up a piece of her Rainbow roll with her chopsticks.
“I’m the opposite. When I hear attorney, I think stable. Dating Chase is as crazy as possible for me.”
“Chase managed to find the one girl who wasn’t excited to date a musician… figures.”
“If I’d known what he was when I met him, there’s not a chance I’d have hooked up with him.” At least if alcohol hadn’t been involved. But either way, musicians definitely weren’t my type.
“Really? His charm and good looks weren’t enough?” She grinned over her glass of wine.
“I just like safe… or I did.”
“I’m guessing the ex-boyfriend was on a more stable path?”
“Yeah. He’s planning to go to law school.” I poured some more low sodium soy sauce into the dish.
“Maybe Chase is just what you need. I know his career doesn’t seem stable, but he is. He’s not the kind of guy who sleeps around. You got under his skin.”
“I’m not sure why or what he wants. We barely know each other.”
“Then get to know each other.”
“That’s impossible right now.”
“Is it? Haven’t you guys talked on the phone?”
“And video chat too.”
“It’s kind of perfect. Get to know each other without jumping into bed every ten minutes. It’s amazing how sex can get in the way sometimes.”
I choked on my iced tea. “You’re blunt.”
“Just being honest. He’s coming back for a festival in Savannah in March, isn’t he? Until then, use the space to decide whether you’re compatible.”
“As strange as that idea sounds, I kind of like it.” Maybe space and time were exactly what we needed. It was the opposite of how things started out with Aaron, and that made it even more appealing.
“Look, I have an ulterior motive, clearly. I’d love to see you guys work things out, but selfish thoughts aside, I think he might just be what you need. If there’s ever a time to step outside your comfort zone, it’s college. Life gets more complicated after you graduate.”
“You’re kind of good at this pep talk stuff.” I finished the last of my California roll.
“I’m in PR. I’m supposed to be good at spinning things.”
I laughed. “Now the truth comes out.”
“There’s always different ways to look at a situation. You have to find the one that works.”
“Is there always one that works? I mean, aren’t there times when there’s no positive spin?”
“You’re nineteen. You’re not allowed to sound so jaded.”
“I’ll be twenty in April.”
“Big difference.” She took a long sip of wine. “Breakups hurt. I don’t know all the details, but I gather your ex really did a number on you. That sucks. I’m not going to sugar coat it, but you know what’s going to feel good? When you let yourself fall in love again. That’s when you’ll be able to walk past the guy without it even affecting you.”
“It sounds like you’re speaking from experience.” I set aside my chopsticks.
“I am more or less. As well as the experience of plenty of other women.”
“I don’t know about falling in love, but I’m going to see where things go with Chase. How often do you randomly meet a guy like that twice?”
“Exactly. I’m telling you, it’s fate. It’s one of those stories you’ll be telling your grandkids about.”
“Okay, that’s taking it too far.” I was hoping he’d still be interested in a few months, let alone anything longer.
She laughed. “Fair enough.”
“Do you know much about his band?” Jade had given me some details, but I wanted more.
“Sure. You know they just signed with Interline Records, right?”
“Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”
She laughed. “It’s one of the biggest labels out there. This is a huge transition for the band. Chase has been downplaying it, but Len’s not. He’s loving the attention.”
“Chase doesn’t seem like the usual front man.” At least not the ones I’d seen.
“He’s not. Don’t get me wrong, he loves performing, but off stage, he’d rather just have quiet, you know?”
“It’s still crazy that he’s interested in me. If his band is doing that well, he could have anyone.”
“Key word there is could. He doesn’t want to. Obviously, there’s something about you that attracted him,
and it’s kept his attention. I haven’t seen him really date anyone for close to a year.”
“Really? That long?” The admission surprised me. If Chase wasn’t the type to sleep around and he hadn’t dated in ages, then why had I suddenly broken his drought?
“His long-time girlfriend dumped him for someone else, and it messed with him, I guess. He still gets mad whenever anyone mentions her name.”
“What’s her name so I know to avoid it?”
“Ariana. I met her a few times. She’s a bitch. I really never understood why he was with her.”
I refused to think about the girl. She was an ex, just like Aaron was. No reason to dwell on it. “Okay, enough about Chase’s past love life. Let’s talk about your wedding.”
We spent the rest of dinner discussing her plans for a destination wedding. It sounded exciting and a part of me wondered if I’d be there.
“Want to just go back to my apartment or something? I forgot you weren’t twenty-one when I suggested drinks.”
“Oh. Sure. It doesn’t matter either way as long as Riley won’t mind.”
“He won’t. He’s grateful you’re putting up with me. I’ve been complaining about how lonely it is here since we moved.”
“How long has it been?” I couldn’t imagine a girl like Rachel having trouble making friends.
“I moved from Chapel Hill four months ago. When Riley popped the question, I knew it was time to stop doing long distance.”
“Wow. You just dropped everything and moved?” That was a huge commitment. I couldn’t imagine how hard moving to a new city for a guy would be, especially one that worked as much as Riley. “That couldn’t have been easy.”
“It wasn’t, but I knew it was the only way things would work for us.” She took a final sip of her wine and set aside the empty glass.
“That’s how you can give such great advice on the long distance thing. You’ve been there yourself.”
“Exactly.”
The waitress came over with the bill, and Rachel snatched it. “My treat.”
“We can split.”
“Nope. I remember what it was like as a college student. I’m employed.”
“I probably should be. I need something to do with my extra time.”
“Enjoy it. You’ll never get that time back.”
My mother had reinforced that point at least a half dozen times since the breakup. “I know. I know.”
“But if you want a job because you need money, that’s a different story.”
“I may need to. I guess I got used to Aaron paying for everything when we went out.”
“I can probably get you something where I work. Just let me know if you want me to.”
“Okay, I’ll let you know.” I needed time to think about it. A job sounded great, but I couldn’t let my grades slip.
“Good, but give it some time if you’re not desperate for the cash. College seems to last forever, but it actually goes fast. You have the rest of your life to work.”
I was all about living in the moment during college as long as the next four months could speed past. I was ready to have Aaron out of my sight, and out of my life.
Chapter Ten
If I steered clear of the sidewalk in front of the Kappa house, I could almost pretend that things were normal at school. Almost. The problem was nearly every memory I had at Harrison involved Aaron. We’d started dating as soon as I’d arrived freshman year, and I was only now beginning to understand how much our relationship had shaped my college experience.
The memories weren’t all bad. Most of them were good. Stolen kisses in the shadows of buildings, holding hands on the quad, flowers being delivered to me from him by some of his pledges, but looking at the memories without Aaron at my side made me question them—and made me question my happiness. Had I really loved him? Had I really enjoyed our time together as much as I thought I had?
I moved through the first few weeks of school in a fog, constantly looking over my shoulder to see if Aaron was there. My friends were supportive, but seeing them more often than not meant seeing their boyfriends. If it were up to me, I’d never see a Kappa again.
“Cara, hey!”
I turned to see Jade hurrying toward me. “Hey.”
“What are you doing tonight?”
“Do I have perpetually sitting at home tattooed on my forehead?”
Jade laughed. “No, but now that I know you have a thing for new music, I thought you might be up for another show.”
“Hopefully, I haven’t slept with this lead singer.”
“How many random hook ups have you had lately?”
“Just the one.”
“All right, just checking.”
“I have tentative plans with Lacy, but if she’s up for it, we’re in.” My sorority big sister was also recovering from a breakup, and we’d been searching for something non frat guy related to do.
“Okay, that would be great.” Jade seemed very excited about my response.
“Is this at the same venue as last time?”
“Yes…” She looked away slightly.
“You want to see the ticket guy. Admit it.”
She bit back a smile. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Are you into him?” There was something about girl talk that always put me in a good mood. It was easier to forget about my own life when I was getting the details on someone else’s.
“No. I need to use him though.”
“Jade Cambridge. You wouldn’t.”
She held up a hand defensively. “Not in a bad way. I just need to get him to hang out with us for a while.”
“And why is that?”
“It’s for my show. My boss thinks my show needs something different. I really want to move to a better time slot, so I’m hoping Teddy can give me some inside information so I can try to get some bands to interview.”
“Your boss wants you to interview people?”
“Or something else to go with the music. It’s a local hour, but he says it needs more. I think he’s expecting me to use my whole sorority girl image to help, but that actually hurts.”
“So, you want me to help you flirt with this guy to get you backstage and inside details?”
“Sort of, kind of. And you know Lacy won’t mind.”
I laughed. Lacy was a big flirt, but it was really an act. She was one of the few girls in the house who was still a virgin.
“I’ll talk to her, but why didn’t you ask Len for an interview? Or Chase?” I assumed he’d count even though the focus was local.
“Well, Chase was preoccupied.” She arched an eyebrow.
“I’m sure he’d do it when he’s back in town.”
“I don’t think I’m going to be good at this. I love music, and I’m all about talking about it on the air, but interviewing isn’t my thing.”
“Really? You seemed so comfortable the other night.”
“Because you were there.”
“Well, who says I can’t be there for your interviews? We both know I don’t have much else to be doing.” Maybe this would provide a nice distraction from the monotony of studying all the time.
“Sure you do. You’re dating a musician. That should keep you busy.”
“Maybe when he’s in town.”
“Embrace that you don’t have a boyfriend breathing over your shoulder all the time. I’m tired of being single, but there are some nice things about it.”
“You’re right. I’ll do it.” I couldn’t believe I’d just agreed to do something else crazy. What was going on with me?
“Okay, I’ll see you later.” Jade hurried off.
My cell vibrated in my pocket, and I didn’t have to look to know who it was. Chase always seemed to send me random texts in the middle of the afternoon. I guess that was his down time.
Hi. How are you enjoying this beautiful Friday? Or maybe it’s not beautiful there. I haven’t checked your weather yet.
Uh. If that sou
nded creepy, sorry. I just sometimes check it. Multiple times a day.
I texted back. You always sound creepy.
And you love that, don’t you?
I love that you’re weird sexy.
Did I tell you I wrote a song with that title?
What?
Len says it’s good. I’ll have to play it for you tonight.
Are we chatting tonight then?
Depends on whether you mind me waking you up.
I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was looking before replying. I wish you could wake me up in a different way.
You and me both.
We’re getting closer.
Better get some sleep, because you’re not getting any when I’m with you.
The same goes for you.
“Cara?” a male voice called from behind me.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest at the sound of my name. I tried to stuff my phone into my back pocket—only I didn’t have one so it fell. I cringed, waiting for the inevitable sound of it making contact with the concrete. Before I could check the damage, someone else scooped it up.
“Didn’t mean to spook you.” Professor Grayson glanced at the screen before handing back my miraculously intact phone. The screen was illuminated, meaning my messages were completely visible.
I could feel the blood rushing to my face. “Hi, Professor Grayson.”
“Are you busy right now?”
“Uh, not exactly.”
“Great, let’s walk.”
What the hell? Was I about to be lectured about inappropriate text messages or something?
“I wanted to talk to you after class today, but you took off before I could ask.”
“Is everything okay? I thought my participation was pretty normal.”
He smiled. “It is. I just noticed your name was on the waiting list for my creative writing class this semester and someone dropped.”
“I didn’t know I was first on the list.”
“You were—at least now you are. Sometimes people drop wait lists.”
“I only have fifteen credits scheduled. I can fit it in. It’s a night session, right? Six o’clock on Tuesdays?”
The Hazards of Sex on the Beach Page 9
