AVA
“What is my favorite friend doing?” Clay’s voice rings in my ear before he slumps down beside me and drapes his arm over my shoulder.
I’ve been sitting on a bench in the quiet of the main hallway for almost an hour already, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and waiting for Layla. We’ve made plans to go shopping once her classes end.
“Reading.” I point at the book, sneaking a glance in his direction. His yellowish-green eyes are full of mischief as he reaches over and grabs it from my lap.
“And what are you reading?” he mocks while I wait for his reaction. The more he reads, the wider his eyes become. I bite the inside of my bottom lip, trying to stifle my smile. I want to laugh so bad. “What is this?”
“A story about a girl falling in love with her stepbrother.” Clay’s face is long, his gaze heated. I snatch my book away from him and arch my eyebrow. “Boo, you should have told me you’ve never seen a book before. I would have given you a few of my favorites.”
“I have never seen sex in books—”
“Aw, Clay, you’re literally ruining my image of you. I thought you weren’t judgmental.” I pout, enjoying his stunned expression.
He finally clears his throat, and a lopsided grin blossoms on his face. Leaning closer, he inches to my ear. “You didn’t let me finish. I have never seen sex in books before, but now? I definitely need to borrow one or two. For research purposes.”
“Of course.” I snort. “Asking for a friend, right?”
“Something like that.” He guffaws, standing up. “God, how am I supposed to go to practice now?”
“Cold shower might help,” I suggest, and he instantly narrows his eyes. “Or jerking off. Or maybe a quickie.”
“Considering the books you read, I’m not surprised you have such a filthy mouth.” Clay falls quiet, zoning out and staring off into the distance. Then he blinks and focuses his gaze on me. “Does Layla like these books too?”
“Why?” I sip my iced coffee.
“Just curious.” He bends down and grabs his bag from the floor. “Wanna come to practice with me? It might be a lot of fun. People love watching.”
I flash him a smile and take my book in my hands. “I’ll pass. I want to finish this story before I go shopping with my best friend.”
“Now that I think about it, you always stay away from the ice rink.” I hold his gaze, curious to know what he’s going to say next. “Are you avoiding someone?”
“Why would I be avoiding anyone?” I chortle. “It has nothing to do with people. I just don’t have very pleasant memories of ice rinks. Home games are the only ones I go to, and that’s only if I can stay as far as possible from the ice. So…”
“Not going to tell me more?”
“Nope. There is nothing to talk about.” I lift my book and open it again. “And you’re too nosy.”
“Ouch, my poor heart.” he whines, pressing his hand to his chest and pinching his brows together. “You hurt my feelings, friend.”
“Sorry, Clay.” I won’t talk about it because I don’t want to give the accident power over my life. Again. It happened; I healed. “Aren’t you going to be late?”
He takes his phone out of his pocket, glances at the screen, and curses. “Shit. You’re right.” He threads his fingers through his hair. “I wanted to talk to you about something, and your book kinda sidetracked me. Dammit.”
“What is it?”
“Colt made me realize something, and I think you should know—”
“Colt?” My mouth suddenly feels dry, and I hook one leg over the other. I haven’t seen Thompson in two days; I’ve only been texting with him from time to time. I’ll be damned if I don’t enjoy it. Teasing him feels exhilarating, building the anticipation and making him lose his mind. I have no idea what will happen when he gets me all alone like he wants, but I honestly can’t wait.
“Yeah, I did something, and he pointed out how stupid it was.” Clay licks his lips, shifting his weight nervously from one leg to the other. “Moore and I—”
A door slams with a bang, making us both turn our heads. Layla freezes in her tracks, standing with her backpack pressed to her chest. I arch my eyebrow, looking her over. Did she run to get here? She heaves a sigh and edges in our direction, moving her hips as slowly as possible. Putting on a show for a guy she doesn’t like? I think I need to have a word with her. Setting her up with Clay would be awesome.
“Hey, Clay.” Layla grins, lowering herself onto the bench next to me and gazing up at him.
“Hey, Layla,” he murmurs, raking his gaze over her face and down to her cleavage. Why does he need to be so obvious? My best friend needs a little challenge. Otherwise, he will be just another Trey, a guy she has sex or goes on a date with if she’s feeling lonely. He needs schooling, because as of now, he’s hopeless.
“Shouldn’t you be at practice?” A playful smirk tugs at the corners of her mouth.
“Fuck. Coach is going to kill me,” he babbles, taking a step back. “It was nice to see you, Layla.” He shoots me a quick look. “And we need to talk, Ava. It’s important.”
“You have my number, Clay. Just call me.”
He nods and takes off, running in the direction of the ice rink. Layla and I watch him without saying anything. I haven’t known Clay for long, but I didn’t like the serious look on his face. What about him and Moore is so important? And what does it have to do with Colt?
“Do you think he likes me?” Layla asks, and I slowly turn my head toward her. She still has her eyes glued to Clay’s figure in the distance.
If I truly want him to have a chance with her, there is no way in hell I’ll tell her what he said. “Yes, I think he likes you.”
“Hmm, that could be entertaining.” Layla grabs my iced coffee and takes a sip, grimacing at once. “Ew, that’s disgusting.”
“And that’s why you shouldn’t have touched it.” I steal my coffee back, gulping it down right in front of her. Oh my fucking God. Ouch, brain freeze.
Layla observes me in amusement. “You’re such a brat, bestie.”
“Shut up.” I close my eyes hard, gritting my teeth. I need to focus my attention on something, anything. “Why do you look like you ran a marathon to get here?”
“Because I did.” She confirms, still giggling. “I thought I was late.”
“You were. You always are.” I hide my book in my backpack and stand up, hovering over her. “Come on. We still need to drop off our things at the dorm before we go shopping. What do you want to get, by the way?”
“Dunno. Maybe a new tee or a hoodie.” She lifts her shoulder in a shrug, joining me as we stroll to the exit. “You?”
“I want a new book, and new…lingerie.” I quietly mumble the last part.
My best friend halts in her tracks. “Are you going to see Colton?”
“What does that have to do with him?” I brush her off, but my neck feels hot. I shouldn’t have said anything. I won’t hear the end of it now for sure.
“Aw, bitch, you’re blushing.” Layla muses, hauling me to her side and squeezing me tight. “Can I read his messages? Pretty please?”
“Absolutely not.” I wriggle to free myself from her grip. “You wouldn’t have known about his messages at all if you didn’t sneak up on me yesterday.”
“Can you blame me? You were smiling like an idiot while typing something on your phone. Of course I wanted to know who you were texting with.” She elbows me in the ribs, cackling loudly. “When it happens, I want to know everything. And I’m not taking no for an answer.”
I shake my head as we walk out of the building. She’s impossible, but it’s exactly why I love her so much. She’s my favorite.
I’m standing in front of a mirror, looking at my reflection. This lightly lined cotton triangle bralette fits perfectly, making my boobs rounder. I spent at least fifteen minutes just picking the right color. Layla grabbed the blue and handed it to me without saying anything. It looks great, but at the same time, it’s super simple. Do I want him to see me in this? For the first time?
I close my eyes, inhaling deeply. What has gotten into me? I don’t even like him that much. Everything he represents hits too close to home, reminding me of Jefferson. A bad boy. Check. A hockey player. Check. Assholeish behavior. Check. But Colt is deeper. He has so many layers to him, and even glimpses of what I saw at his place intrigue me.
“Ava?” Layla’s head pokes into the changing room. Her eyes roam over my body. “I thought you were dead. What’s taking you so long?”
“Isn’t it too simple?”
My best friend tsks, stepping inside and standing behind me. She catches my gaze in the reflection and slowly wraps her arm around my waist. “You look beautiful. No matter what you’re wearing.” I smile at her, covering her palm on my belly with my own. “You have plenty of sexy lingerie, from what I remember. Lacy, sultry, slutty. This one is sporty, but also effortless. It gives off the vibe of your confidence. It proves you don’t need anything revealing to look like a real queen. Exactly what you are.”
My eyes water, and I spin and wind my hands around her neck. “I fucking love you, Layla. So much.”
“I love you too, Mason.” She clears her throat. “I hope you’re not expecting something more? Our first kiss was the only one I can tolerate with you.”
I push her away, smiling from ear to ear. “Weren’t you the one who wanted to practice before your date with Will?”
“I told you to never mention Will again.” She points her finger at me, eyes narrowed to slits. Suddenly, her jaw drops, and she gapes at me in silence. I frown, trying to figure out her weird reaction. What does she have in mind? She dives to my stuff, grabs my phone, and pushes it into my palm.
“What?”
“Send him a photo.” Layla beams at me, looking all excited.
“No. That’s stupid.” I shake my head, remembering my talk with him in the restroom. How would that make me any different than Jordan? The fact that he likes me?
“It’s not stupid.” She steps closer, inching to look me in the eyes. “The guy wants to see you, but you’d rather taunt him. Didn’t I get that from your messages?”
“Maybe.” I’m not ready to admit that, deep down, I like her idea.
“Then send it. We’ll see what Colton Thompson is capable of when he wants something.” She pinches my cheek between her fingers. “Do it, Ava.”
“I hate you,” I hiss, sounding totally unconvincing.
I strike a pose, trying to find a better angle. Then I finally get the shot and stare at my screen. It’s just my boobs, a bit of my abs, and my belly-button piercing. It’s like you’re in your bikini. God, I hope I won’t regret this.
ME:
About to buy something nice. On a scale from one to five, how much do you like it?
As soon as I hit send, I lock my screen, turn off the sound, and hide my phone in my purse. “Happy?”
“Me?” Layla’s face lights up with a devilish smile. “You should ask Thompson.”
“Why am I friends with you?” I shake my head, shooing her out of the changing room. I quickly change my clothes, and when I’m about to leave, I decide to check my phone. Not that I expect anything, since he has practice, but he surprises me.
CT:
a hundred.
And I can’t stop myself from smiling. Damn him.
I came to the library this afternoon to finish my homework for my mass media course since I still need to add references. The more I study, the more I’m sure I chose the right path. I don’t want to be an influencer, but I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to working at a media company, helping celebrities and companies with their social media presence, preparing PR campaigns, and creating content. The last part is my favorite. I have my own bookish account on Instagram where I post reviews and aesthetics I make for every book I read and love. My account is still growing, and so far, I have more than one thousand followers. My goal is to reach at least two thousand by the end of this year. We’ll see if I’m successful, if I have enough time for my book-boyfriends.
“What are you doing?”
A horde of butterflies takes flight, doing somersaults in my belly. I slowly turn my head and meet Colton’s enigmatic gaze. His eyes are deep brown with gold irises. I’m drowning, trying to reach the shore, but no matter where I look, I only see him.
“Ava?”
Who allowed him to sound so hot? Deep and husky. Like pure sex. Fuck. I forbid myself from sweeping my gaze over his body because that will be my annihilation. Keeping my eyes on his face, I force a smile. “I certainly know what I’m not doing.”
How did he find me? Did he ask Layla? He couldn’t have followed me; I’ve been at the library for two hours already.
Colton smirks and plops himself down on the chair next to me. “You’re not talking to me, am I right?”
“You’re a smart boy,” I say, looking away and starting to type again. He doesn’t say anything, just bends down and takes a book from his backpack. I watch him with my side vision, typing slower and slower by the minute. Thompson sets his book on the table, places his elbow on his knee, and puts his chin on his hand.
I scan the room, sighing in relief once I see how deserted the library is. Not that I’m not used to it. It’s almost always like this, and it’s one of the reasons why I love coming here to study. Except for me and Colton in the farthest corner, there are only four people on this floor. Two guys are sitting close to the entrance with their noses buried in books, one girl is lying on a beanbag chair with a laptop on her lap and a book in her hand, and then there is Ms. Lewis. The woman is the most apathetic librarian I have ever seen. She doesn’t pay much attention to what the students are doing as long as they keep quiet so she can enjoy reading her romance novels. After I saw her with Den of Vipers, I don’t think there is anything about her that would surprise me.
My hand hovers over my keyboard, and my fingers refuse to move. I suck in a breath and leisurely lower my gaze. Colt’s palm rests on my knee, and he slowly drags it up, under my skirt. He inches to my ear; his hot breath on my skin makes my nipples harden instantly.
“On a scale from one to five, how quiet do you think you’ll be able to keep?”
And he fucking won. Checkmate, Ava.
