AVA
“Asshole. Fucker. Stupid jerk.” I mutter under my breath as I walk down the street. “Fucking idiot.”
I’m ready to kill anyone right now. My fists are balled, and my pulse is racing. Never in my life did I imagine being kicked out of my first college party. Not by that idiotic guy. I’m going to be a laughingstock on Monday. People will be gossiping about his reasons…which are simple: he’s an arrogant prick.
Gritting my teeth, I look around. All I see are campus buildings, and in the dark, they all look the same to me. Where the fuck am I? Did I take a wrong turn? I was sure I needed to go right, but what if I needed to turn left instead? I barely hold myself back from screaming at the top of my lungs. I’m frustrated beyond anything and totally alone.
That thought settles, and I huff loudly. I would love some help, yet I don’t want to bother Layla. Especially not when she’s with Trey. They were so into each other, I preferred to scoot away and go dance on my own. Away from Trey’s friend. Dick, or Dirk—doesn’t matter, because he isn’t my type at all. He’s sleazy, and I don’t like sleazy.
As my best friend reminded me, I don’t like anyone recently.
Shaking my head, I resume walking. At this point, the only thing I want is to be back in my room. Alone. To just lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling until I fall asleep. I regret going to that party. I should have stayed back at the dorm, watching season three of You. That show is epic, and I ditched it for this shit.
I hope that idiot gets what he deserves—a broken nose, for example, or a black eye. Anything.
“Ava!”
I halt in my tracks, spin around, and gawk at Drake. What is he doing here?
Layla’s brother stops in front of me, breathing hard. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“My phone?” I frown, unzipping my belt bag and taking out my phone. “Well…”
“I called you five times. Five.” he snaps, towering over me. “I was worried sick about you.”
“You don’t need to worry. As you can see, I’m fine.” I hide my phone back in my bag.
“This isn’t funny, Ava. Something seriously bad could have happened to you.”
“Okay.” I shift uncomfortably under his gaze. The guy is huge, and I always feel small when he’s around. It’s not even about my height. It’s about my senses.
“Where were you going?” He grins at me, allowing himself to relax.
“To my dorm.” I turn, intending to continue my walk, but a palm on my wrist doesn’t let me take even one step further. “What?”
“Your dorm is in the opposite direction,” he muses, and I let out a loud groan. “My house is this way.”
I scoff, remembering Jordan. She was at the party, dancing with some dude, and later I didn’t see her at all. What if she went back to our room? Sitting on the floor outside the door doesn’t sound appealing. I yank my hand out of Drake’s and start walking.
“Where are you going, Ava? Didn’t you hear me?”
“I heard you perfectly. We’re going to your house.” I don’t expect him to argue, and he doesn’t. He speeds up and catches up with me.
We pass a little park as we stroll close to each other, not saying anything at first. But I know him too well. He has questions, and he’s going to ask them now.
“I’m sorry for Thompson’s behavior. I have no idea what was wrong with him tonight. Usually, he doesn’t have problems listening to me. We have a rule on the team: we always support each other. No matter what we think. If our teammates need help, we’re there for them.” He hides his hands in his pockets as I glance at him.
“He has a problem with me.” Our eyes lock for a few moments. “It’s not about him looking for trouble with you; it’s me.”
“Why?”
“I walked in on Clay and him having sex with my roommate. I ruined their fun, and got into an argument with Thompson.” I keep my mouth shut about slapping him. “They cut their night short, and it was all my fault.”
“Shit, I’m sorry, Ava. Thompson isn’t the best guy to have as your enemy,” Drake says quietly, lifting his hand as if he’s going to hug me and then reconsidering. “What he did tonight was wrong, and I told him that. I’ll talk to him. Again.”
“Not sure he will care about any of it.” If I’m being honest, I don’t want to have anything to do with that idiot. And I don’t want him to apologize to me. His shitty words won’t mean a thing, and they won’t change what people might think about me.
“I’ll make sure he cares,” he says, and I smile at him involuntarily. It’s nice to know someone is worried about me. I look down, and then I remember.
“Thanks, Drake.” I take a deep breath before continuing. “But I’m not okay with you making decisions for me. I’m not Layla. I’m just your sister’s friend, and you can’t forbid me to do what I want.”
“Do you want to date someone from the team?” He cocks an eyebrow at me, and I shake my head.
“It’s not about dating. Or anything. I want to be free to do whatever I want.” I lick my lips nervously. “With whoever I want.”
Drake holds my gaze, not saying anything at first. Then he just nods. “Okay. I will make sure to let guys know you are available.”
“Hey.” I smack him in his shoulder. “Now you’re making it sound like I’m a free seat on the bus.”
“You took that all wrong.” He winks. Layla’s brother is impossible, honestly. “We’re here.”
I look at the red brick building in front of me and feel envious. My dorm is okay, but this one looks better. It’s cozier and brighter, as it has big windows and little balconies for each room above the first floor. “Do you have a roommate?”
“Nope.”
“Do you have a RA who checks visitors and forbids girls from coming inside?”
“He’s at the party right now.” Drake laughs heartily. “Besides, he knows I’m not a troublemaker.”
“Yeah, you’re the nicest one of the Benson’s siblings.” I nudge him in his ribs with my elbow.
“Should I tell my sister that you called her mean?” He heads into the building, and I trail after him.
“Don’t put words into my mouth,” I warn, drawing a chuckle out of him. It’s always like this with Drake and me. We are easy. We get along. We don’t fight, and we have a lot of things in common. I like having him near me. In a friendly way.
“I never put anything into your mouth you don’t say or want.” Is he going to remind me about that any chance he gets?
“I thought we had a deal.”
He stops in front of a door on the third floor and looks at me. “We did. It was just a joke.”
“It didn’t sound like it.” I narrow my eyes, pouting.
“Come on in.” Drake lets me in first. I edge into the room and stop near the door. It’s dark, and I have no idea what his room looks like. Or where his stuff is. Falling flat on my face doesn’t sound appealing.
The door closes, and then lights come on. I squint, looking around. It’s a tidy and spacious room of light blue and white. There is a desk near the window and a little bookcase, a double closet with a mirrored door, and a beanbag chair in the corner. A few pictures hang on the wall above his bed. The place is welcoming and comfortable, just like Drake. He’s a nice guy, and for the most part, he doesn’t even try to hide it. Unless he’s on the ice. He’s a beast when he plays.
“Like my room?” he asks.
“Yeah, it’s nice. It’s way better than mine.”
“Don’t worry, Mason. I lived in your dorm once too.” Drake ambles past me and heads to the beanbag chair. He slumps onto it, takes off his sneakers, and shoves them aside. He wiggles, making himself comfortable, and then peers at me.
Why the hell did I think it was a good idea to come here?
“Um…are you going to sleep on the beanbag chair?”
“Do I have another option? There’s only one bed.”
I blink and then burst out giggling. Drake looks at me in confusion. “It’s like the book tropes, you know. Enemies to lovers, when they stay in one room, and there is only one bed, and they need to share it.” I thread my fingers through my hair as my laugh dies in my throat. Why did I mention that? “I’m sorry, that was unnecessary.”
“Ava, it’s not a big deal. Truly. It’s just one night.” He shrugs, taking off his hat. His short curls fall over his face, covering his eyes. “Besides, I will have the entire day to catch up on my sleep.”
“If you say so.” I stalk to his bed and slowly take off my belt bag. I toss it on the floor, ready to climb into bed, but then I turn around and go to turn off the lights. “Do you mind if I…?”
“Turn it off.” Drake crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes. I freeze, looking him over. He’s a handsome guy, incredibly popular with girls. Somehow, he always chooses the wrong ones who want him only because he’s a hockey player. No matter what, Layla is right: he has very bad taste when it comes to women.
“Ava?”
“S-sorry. Got lost in my thoughts,” I hurriedly exclaim. Then I turn off the lights, drowning the room in darkness.
“Go to bed, and you can get lost in your thoughts about whatever you want,” he jokes, and I guffaw. “Night, Ava.”
“Night, Drake.” I plop myself down on his bed and stare at the ceiling.
Seconds turn into minutes, minutes into hours. I just can’t sleep. I lie here with my eyes wide open. My mind drifts to the asshole. His brown eyes taunt me, as if he’s a demon himself. So alluring, so tempting. His gaze coaxes passion, heat, and I feel lost when he looks at me. Lost in him.
I inhale abruptly. What the fuck is wrong with me? I’m thinking about the jerk who treated me like garbage two days in a row. My heartbeat quickens, and anger overwhelms me. I set my jaw hard; my muscles are rigid. I need to calm down. Immediately.
“Drake?” I call out quietly. I have no idea how much time has passed. “Drake, are you asleep?”
“No.”
“What time is it?”
Drake reaches to the floor and grabs his phone. “It’s three thirty.” An hour. I spent an hour thinking about that asshole. I almost growl in frustration.
“I can’t sleep.”
“Is my bed not comfortable enough for you, princess?” he teases, and this time I don’t laugh with him. “Ava?”
“Can you…um… Can you come here?”
“Why?” His voice suddenly drops to a barely audible whisper.
“I don’t want to sleep alone.”
Drake sighs. “We’ve been there.”
“I know. It was good, wasn’t it?”
“We said it would only be once.”
I roll onto my back and close my eyes. Disappointment seeps into my veins. “We could have just slept in one bed, but whatever.”
I remember that Saturday last April. I went to the store and saw Drake standing near the beer aisle. I was incredibly surprised since Layla hadn’t mentioned they would be home. They weren’t; he came alone. His team lost some stupid game, and he wasn’t in the mood to stay on campus. I was going to go to a party with my classmate Thea, but he looked so damn lonely. So I canceled my plans and went to his parents’ house to hang out with him. I had known him my whole life and wanted to support my friend. My father didn’t see any problem with me staying at the Bensons’ place, even if he was perfectly aware that Drake and Layla’s parents were out of town.
We were drinking, and it kind of happened on its own. One second, we were sitting on the couch in the basement, watching a movie, and the next—we were all over each other. I was bored. He needed to vent. Win-win. It didn’t mean shit, for either of us. Just sex, pure pleasure, and nothing else. There wasn’t any awkwardness the next morning. We woke up under a blanket on the couch, agreed not to tell Layla anything, and continued on with our lives as if nothing ever happened. Easy. Just like I’d imagined a friend with benefits would be. I just hadn’t imagined it would be Drake.
I’m an idiot.
Suddenly, I feel his presence. I open my eyes and see Drake standing near the bed. He looks down at me, his eyes hooded with lust. He bends down and gently places his hands on my legs, moving them up until he’s up under my skirt. He smiles as he tugs on my panties and drags them down. Then he slowly kneels and grabs my hips, moving me closer to him. My skirt goes up to my waist, leaving me exposed to him. I should probably feel ashamed, but I’m not. I feel amazing.
“You asked if it was good…” His hot breath on my thighs sends tingles down my spine. “It was fucking perfect.”
The second he touches me, I close my eyes, enjoying his caress. I arch my back, immersing myself in the moment and the man. Coming here with my best friend’s brother was the best decision I made all week.
