Dear Diary (6 page)

Now, Rory closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
How could I have been so wrong about him? How could I have been so naïve!

Miserably she swallowed the final bite of her pizza. Here she was and she couldn’t even confide in Nick. It was too humiliating. But it was better than sitting around her apartment and berating herself for being such a total moron.

Feeling someone’s gaze on her, she lifted her eyelids. J.D. was standing near the archway. He lifted his beer, silently asking if she wanted one. Rory shook her head, her lips twisting wryly. She didn’t know what J.D. wanted, but it didn’t matter. One thing she’d learned‌—‌and it had been a hard lesson‌—‌was to never trust men. Nick could worry about her all he liked, but she was impervious.

J.D., however, wasn’t eager to take no for an answer. Through the crush of bodies, loud music and incessant talking, he made his way to Rory’s side. Rory glanced around for Nick and Jenny. They were nowhere in sight. In fact, since Jenny had appeared, she and Nick had been missing from the party. Rory wondered how serious their relationship was. The thought of them together‌—‌maybe making love right at this minute‌—‌made her feel slightly sick.

“So you’re Nick’s mysterious girlfriend,” J.D. said, squeezing past a dancing couple to stand over her. He acted as if that topic hadn’t been exhausted already.

“Once again, we’re friends. Period.”

Condensation dripped off his bottle onto Rory’s knee. “Never anything more? Come on. You can tell your old buddy, J.D.” He grinned like a devil and squatted down on the floor in front of her at eye level. “Nick isn’t the kind of guy to not notice someone like you.”

Unbidden, the moment of that one kiss she’d shared with Nick flitted across Rory’s mind. She shivered involuntarily. Amazing. She thought she’d forgotten about it. After all, it was Nick.

“In fact,” J.D. confided, pushing closer until his face was a hairsbreadth from hers, “I think old Nick is carrying a torch for you. I’ve seen your pictures in his room.”

“I wouldn’t put too much weight on that. Again, we’re friends,” Rory repeated firmly, leaning back as far as she could. Where did guys like J.D. get off? She was tired of men playing games with her.

He made the colossal mistake of sliding his hand up her inner thigh. “Get your hands off me,” Rory said quietly. “Or, so help me, I’ll kick you where the sun don’t shine.”

His brows lifted but his smile didn’t leave his lips. “Is this how you treat Nick?”

Rory plucked his hand off her inner thigh and flung it aside. “Not okay. Ya, got that?”

He held up his hands. “Whoa.” Clearly this wasn’t the usual reaction to his overbearing charm. Rory never moved her eyes from his. Beneath her bravado, her heart was thundering in her chest. She could scarcely breathe. But she’d be damned if she let him see that. She was going to give him five seconds, then she was going to do something drastic.

“What’s the matter with you?” Jenny Sumpter asked, her smile teasing. “I swear, if you don’t pay some attention to me, I’m going to get a complex!”

“Sorry.” Nick jerked his gaze from the living room doorway back to Jenny. The crown of her head reached his shoulder as she stood in front of him, hands on her hips slim hips in a pose of mock anger. A metallic belt cinched in the waist of her long skirt, and her tanned slim arms were shown off well by her white tank top. Jenny was pretty and teasing. Sometimes the way she turned her head or looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, her lips fighting a smile, reminded him a little of Rory.

Rory. His chest tightened. Something was going on with her. He didn’t know what, but his instincts where she was concerned were unerring. Trouble. Her eyes were full of suppressed emotion. Hurt, anxiety, misery, fury. He wanted to help. Hell, she’d come to him for help. Why else would she be here? But the timing was awful, and there was Jenny.

“Well?” Jenny asked, her brows lifting.

Impulsively he pulled her close and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. Eager to please, she tossed her arms around his neck and giggled.

“I’ve got to check on Rory,” he said, pushing her to arm’s length, his lips caught in the tangle of her hair.

“What is she‌—‌helpless or something?”

“Rory?” He laughed silently.

“Then why do you feel like you have to protect her?”

“I just want make sure she has a good time, and that my roommates don’t bother her.”

He tried to ease away from her, but Jenny was reluctant to let go. “If she’s so tough, she can take care of herself. I’m the one who’s weak and needs protection.”

“Like a barracuda,” he teased dryly.

“Nick!”

“You are a woman who always gets what she wants.”

“Does that include you?”

“Of course,” he said. Clasping her hand, he led her down the hallway to the living room. There were people everywhere.

“Hi, Nick,” a blond named Hannah greeted him as she squeezed by.

“Is there a brown-haired girl with blue eyes in there somewhere?” he asked her.

“Beats me.” She drifted outside to where soft rain was pattering against the porch roof.

Jenny tugged on Nick’s hand. “Let’s go somewhere. These parties are boring.”

“In a minute.” He let go of her, slipping past dancing bodies to the center of the room. And that was when he saw her, with J.D.’s hand resting on her inner thigh and her gaze drilling into him in a way that would have intimidated any normal male. But J.D. possessed the sensitivity of a Cro-Magnon. Nick threaded his way toward them.

“… Not okay. Ya got that?”

Rory’s tone was glacial. The power of her personality was stamped on her determined chin. Her lips, normally full and wide, were a thin line of pure fury. The nostrils of her pug nose were flared in outrage. For a heartbeat Nick almost laughed, until J.D. daringly placed his hand back where it was on Rory’s inner thigh.

She slapped him, her hand quick as a cobra as she thrust his hand away. Only then did Nick see how she was trembling.

“Jesus!” J.D. bellowed.

Nick lunged for J.D.’s arm before his friend could react. “Hey, buddy,” he said. “Lighten up. We’ve got places to go. Jenny wants to leave. Rory, I’ve been looking for you. You want something besides pizza?”

She didn’t even glance his way. If looks could kill, J.D. would be a pile of ashes. It was J.D. who responded, “I’m outta here,” he snarled. “This bitch is all yours.”

He bulldozed his way through the crowd. Nick’s gaze was on Rory, who regarded him with wide, hollow eyes. He wanted to draw her into his arms but sensed she wouldn’t let him. He felt the way she’d frozen in his arms earlier. As ever, she erected a shield that no one could pierce.

“J.D.’s an ass,” he said.

Rory didn’t answer.

“A complete ass. And worse.” When she still didn’t respond, he added, “At least you nailed him. That’s worth something.”

“He wouldn’t stop touching me.”

“He deserved worse than the slap.”

Rory finally focused on him. Her bottom lip was quivering and she bit down hard on it. Nick’s heart went out to her, but when he moved forward she shrank away.

“I need to… get myself together,” she said unevenly. “I think I’ll go to your room. Oh, God.” Her voice broke. “Is it empty?”

“No one goes in my room but me.” He stretched out a hand to help her to her feet. She ignored him and struggled upward by herself.

“Are you coming with us, Rory?” Jenny asked brightly from behind him.

Nick turned. Jenny had witnessed everything. Her dark eyes were alive with curiosity.

“No… thanks,” Rory answered with a shake of her head. “I’m tired.” She made a beeline for the stairs.

Jenny looked askance at Nick.

“I’ll be with you in a minute,” he told her, following after Rory. “Just give me a minute.” Then he bounded up the stairs two at a time after Rory.

Why did I come?
Rory asked herself, slamming Nick’s bedroom door and leaning against it. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire! She needed help getting over Ryan, not a come-on from another loser guy on the make.

Clenching her fists, she gritted back a scream of anguish. Damn! Damn, damn… .

The door opened behind her and she stumbled forward.

“Rory?” Nick asked in concern.

“Go away,” she said on a half-laugh. “Go be with Jenny. I’m fine. Really. I’m just… tired. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have come, but I’m okay. Let me go to sleep and I’ll be gone by seven o’clock tomorrow morning.”

“I gotta apologize. J.D.’s such a–”

“No, no. It’s okay. I’m over it.”

“I tried to cancel this party. As soon as I knew you were coming.”

“You don’t have to drop everything for me. I didn’t give you any notice.”

“But I’d like to be with you,” he said honestly.

Rory felt treacherous tears gathered behind her eyelids. Nick just seemed to get her and so few people did. “Thanks, but you should take Jenny somewhere. I really would like to be alone.” He’d brought up her sleeping bag and now she started to unroll it. “You can bring me something back. I don’t care what time. Two a.m.? Later? Whenever.”

“Don’t leave.” Nick was firm.

“I’m not going to take off for Pullman tonight. I’m not that crazy,” she assured him.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” he said, closing the door behind him.

Beneath Rory’s head the floor reverberated with sound. She was certain she would never get to sleep. It didn’t help that with every breath, she inhaled Nick’s scent from the pillow she’d taken from his bed. She turned her face into it and filled her lungs. God, he smelled good. Had Ryan ever smelled like that? She couldn’t remember.

The room was dark save the faint outline of Nick’s bedroom window and the glowing aquarium. She calculated Nick had been gone about an hour. She waited and then drifted off to sleep, then woke up suddenly.

Below her, the party was winding down. The music, though throbbing, was softer; the voices, a murmur rather than a deafening scream. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she propped her arms behind her head, idly watching the tropical fish.

Maybe this trip had been the ticket after all. Though her thoughts constantly touched on Ryan, the hurt was less acute. She wasn’t in love with him. Whatever insanity had possessed her was gone. She wouldn’t be so foolish again.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and she braced instinctively. If J.D. walked through that door she wasn’t certain what she’d do, but by God, he’d know it had been done!

The door creaked open. Framed in the aperture was Nick. Quickly he shut the door behind him, as if afraid to awaken her.

“I’m awake,” Rory told him.

He crossed the room carefully, his eyes apparently not adjusted to the dark. His toe bumped into her leg. “Sorry. I can’t see.”

“It’s all right.”

“You could’ve used the bed. I can sleep on the couch downstairs.”

“This is fine.” Rory sat up, plumped the pillow, then leaned back on her elbows. She was wearing a Wazzu T-shirt; nightgowns weren’t her thing. Nick crouched down beside her and yawned.

“J.D. didn’t bother you while I was gone, did he?” he asked, his voice sharpening as the thought occurred to him.

“I think he left about the same time you did.”