LOVE AND HATE (A Billionaire Romance) (43 page)

After an hour at the gym, I felt better. My muscles were sore and aching, but I felt good. I headed to the showers before I left and grabbed some fast food on the way home, planning to change and leave once I arrived. I scarfed down the greasy food and ran upstairs to my room where I dressed in a rush, throwing on a pair of jeans and a gray V-neck.

I headed downstairs, and Mom called out to me from the kitchen. “Blake?”

I popped my head in and saw she was cooking dinner. “What?” I asked her impatiently.

“Where are you going, honey?” she asked, concerned.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m just going to hang out with some friends. I’ll see you later.” I rushed out of the kitchen. “Love you!” I called before shutting the door behind me, feeling a little guilty but reminding myself that she had a new husband to take care of her now.

The party was crowded when I got there fifteen minutes later. I saw a bunch of guys from my high school team and headed over to greet them. I grabbed a beer and hung out for a while, talking about girls and sports mostly. Then I walked through the crowded party, weaving between the people dancing and drinking.

My eyes scanned the crowd and stopped on Alyssa. I wondered what she was doing here, because she didn’t run with the same crowd I did. I drew a sharp breath as my eyes lingered on her, surprised. She wore a tight blue dress, and her hair was curled softly around her face, looking more beautiful than ever. Alyssa stood beside Maggie, chatting to a guy I didn’t know.

He stood really close to her, a drink in his hand as he bent to whisper something. When she laughed at him, I pushed away from them through the crowd because I wanted to get away. There were tons of hot girls at this party. I didn’t need to spend my time stuck on the one I couldn’t have. I was headed out to the backyard where some of my friends were when I was stopped by a petite blonde girl. I recognized her as one of the cheerleaders from high school.

The girl was obviously intoxicated. When she stopped me, she said, “Hey, Blake, how are you? I haven’t seen you in forever.”

I smiled politely down at her. “Yeah… Good, how are you, Brittney?” I wanted to get out of there, but the crowd pressed too tightly around us. The music pounded, and Brittney handed me a shot. With a shrug, I drank it, and the alcohol burned my throat.

“Want to go outside? It’s really hot in here,” she asked, hiccuping mid-sentence. I nodded, and she grabbed my hand, pulling me outside into the cool, nighttime breeze.

I sat on a bench in the backyard, drinking beers as Brittney climbed all over me, touching me and kissing my face. I pulled away from her, not in the mood, but she clung to me anyway. I waited until I was sober enough to drive and left after saving my number in Brittney’s phone, figuring she might be a good time when she was a little less drunk.

I drove home and fell into bed, annoyed by the party. I hated the restlessness, desperate to know what might be happening between Alyssa and that guy. I wouldn’t ask, and there was no point in even knowing because it made no difference. I just needed to get Alyssa out of my head. I rolled over, forced my eyes shut, and prepared for another crappy night of sleep.

Over the next two days, I saw very little of Alyssa. She was out a lot or holed up in her room, reading. I was bored out of my mind, filling my time with going to the gym and playing video games in my room. I was on the twelfth level of the game and had been playing for a few hours when there was a knock on my door. “Come in,” I called out without looking away from the television screen in front of me.

The door opened, and I flicked a quick glance at my mom as she entered the room. “Blake, honey, can we talk for a moment?”

I paused the game with an annoyed sigh and turned to look at my mother. “Sure, Mom. What’s up?”

“I want to talk to you about school, honey. You need to figure out what you’re going to do,” Mom told me, looking even more concerned that usual.

“I don't know, Mom. I really don't know what I want to do.” I smiled to soften the annoyance in my tone. I was mad at myself more than at her. The constant disappointment and anxiety I felt when I thought of school bubbled to the surface after I had deliberately neglected the thoughts all summer. I felt guilty for dismissing the subject of my future, but it was terrifying to think about.

“I still think you should go to the school that offered you a position on their football team—the one Alyssa goes to. It’s close, and you would get to be on the team.” I saw the hope in her eyes as she handed me the envelope I had opened at the beginning of the summer and never touched again.

I was unsure about how Alyssa would feel about me going there. The thought of getting to see her every day made me smile, and as much as I wanted—or was it needed?—to keep the distance and contact between us to a minimum, my pulse raced and my stomach dropped at the thought of seeing her regularly. Between Alyssa and football, the choice was just too tempting, especially considering that my mother wouldn’t let me get away with saying no.

I smiled and said, “Sure. I'll look into going there. It sounds like a good idea.”

She returned my smile, obviously pleased, and I tried to feel more optimistic about my future, having finally made a small commitment to something. I had always struggled with schoolwork despite my athletic abilities. College was a whole new world, and I was secretly terrified I wouldn’t be able to make it off the field.

The next couple days went by quickly as I got my paperwork together for school and worked out in prep for football. Before I knew, it was the day before classes began.

Mom was so excited about me going to college that she offered to drive Alyssa and me to the school. I was nervous and excited at the same time. My stomach twisted in small waves of nausea, and I sat rigidly in my seat, fighting to maintain a cold, careless attitude. Alyssa was quiet as we drove, giving off a cold vibe as well. I wondered if she was angry at me for choosing the same college as her. I looked at her from the passenger seat, studying her in the rearview mirror. She flashed me an icy stare before looking away, demonstrating her obvious anger.

 I got out of the car, saying a quick goodbye to my mom. “Love you,” I called out to her before walking off. Alyssa scowled at me, clearly not pleased by the fact that I was attending the same school. “What’s the matter, blue eyes?” I asked, flashing her a charming smile.

Her jaw clenched in irritation. “Did you really have to follow me here?”

“Look, kid, it’s nothing personal. I got a football scholarship, and a decent one at that.” I fell into step beside her and looked around the large campus. My words were prideful, and telling Alyssa something positive about my future felt good, especially considering how much she valued school.

“Whatever,” she mumbled, clearly unimpressed. She clutched her notebooks tightly to her chest.
She’s nervous,
I realized, smiling to myself. The great and mighty Alyssa was nervous for her first day of school. How cute.

Making my voice kinder, I said, “Good luck, kid.” I patted her on the back before we parted ways.

The first day was rough. Classes were long, and football practice was intense. I was relieved when it was finally over and I joined Alyssa, who waited on the front steps of a building. I was still damp from the shower, and my wet hair dripped in my face. My muscles were sore and tired, not used to the rigorous practice. I watched Alyssa as she flipped through her notebook, looking at different papers and mumbling to herself.

“Hey, dork,” I greeted her with a lopsided grin.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face. I sat next to her, and as we waited for our ride, she looked at me and said, “I’m going to drive to campus tomorrow in my car. Do you want to ride with me?”

I raised my eyebrows, surprised at the offer. “Sure,” I said with a shrug, “Sure as hell beats driving.”

Mom pulled up, and we hopped in the back. She asked us how school was and other things on the ride back, but I mostly focused on Alyssa—the way she scrunched her face at her papers, the kind smiles she offered my mom, the tinkling sounds her voice made when she laughed. She was completely intoxicating, and the harder I tried to pull away, the more I wanted to get closer.

Alyssa

School had started three weeks ago, and I was adjusting well to my classes. They were difficult, but I welcomed the challenge, pleased whenever I got an A on a paper or aced a test. Maggie and I had both been crazy busy with schoolwork, so we were going out for lunch, relieved to catch a break.

After ordering our food, I took a big gulp of my iced tea and asked, “So how close are you to being done with that ten-page paper for bio?”

Maggie huffed. “I haven’t even started it.”

“Maggie!” I spoiled the protest with a giggle.

She shrugged. “It’s not my fault. I have so much other work to do. Let me guess, you’re almost done?”

I smiled and said, “Kind of. I still have to edit it and stuff.”

Maggie laughed and stared at me knowingly. I had always been the more dedicated student. Maggie would rather cram everything in the day before and get a B than work like I did. I went a little overboard at times, but my education was important to me.

Maggie interrupted my thoughts. “So how is everything with Blake?”

“It’s fine, I guess. I mean, he gets on my nerves, but whatever.” I did my best to sound dismissive because I didn’t want to talk about Blake, even though he was rapidly becoming all I thought about.

Maggie often gushed about how hot he was, but I always pretended indifference, which was not true at all. Every time I spoke of Blake, an onslaught of conflicting feelings hit me. I held a lot of resentment towards Blake from high school. He had been a part of a group that often bullied not only me but a lot of other students. Blake had always been egotistical and walked around with an air of superiority. Now, these old emotions were mixed with a stronger attraction and a newfound liking for his indulgent humor.

***

After lunch, Maggie and I drove back to campus and headed to class. I heard my name called and turned to see Blake walking towards us. Maggie walked away, calling over her shoulder, “Catch you later.”

“What?” I asked as he approached me looking incredibly handsome in his green shirt that perfectly matched his eyes.

“I have a late practice tonight, and my mom can’t get me. Will you stay late and take me home?” Blake asked.

I bit my lip, indecisive. I needed to get home and do homework, but I didn’t want to leave him in a lurch. “Okay,” I finally agreed because it wasn’t important where I studied. I could do the homework while I waited.

“Awesome. Thanks, kid, I appreciate it.” He grinned brightly at me.

I scrunched my nose and said, “Don’t call me that.”

He winked at me, and my heart skipped a beat. “See ya later, kid,” he called as he jogged off.

I shook my head at his behavior, a small smile on my face, and headed to class, sighing as I thought about what a long day it would be. I managed to get through my last two classes and walked to the practice field. I sat on a set of bleachers and pulled out my laptop to work on a paper.

The practice lasted a little over two hours, and the sun set just as the players left the field. I had finished some work but ended up watching Blake more than I worked. I had to admit, he had some justification for his cocky behavior because he was extremely talented. I had never been interested in sports, but I could barely tear my eyes away from his lean body practically gliding past on the field. He was fast and strong in his movements, dodging tackles with graceful agility. I had never seen Blake so focused on anything before. He was so in the moment, playing with a fierce intent and glowing passion. When practice finally ended, my muscles were tightly wound. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself before I gathered my stuff and climbed down the bleachers, waiting for Blake to grab his gear. We walked to the car in silence, and I tossed my bag in the backseat when we got to the car, feeling a bit awkward.

My own body was tense after watching him play. The way his body moved was compelling, and I felt uncomfortable being so close. Images of the way he moved reappeared in my head, intensifying the building attraction I felt for Blake. We made small talk on the ride home, but I was grateful to have the road in front of me to focus on. When we arrived, we headed inside to find that our parents had gone out and that we were completely alone.

I threw my backpack on the living room couch and headed for the kitchen to grab something to eat. Blake ran upstairs, mentioning a shower. Opening the fridge, I pulled out some veggies for a salad along with some chicken. I hummed to myself as I cooked, letting the stress and tension of the day melt away.

I was in the middle of cutting up vegetables for the salad when a voice behind me said, “Want some help?”

Blake was standing directly behind me. He wore a smirk on his face as he looked down at me. I stepped away from him. “You scared me.” His hair was wet, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt, indicating that he had just stepped out of the shower. He caught me looking at him, and I blushed furiously. “Go put some clothes on.”

His smile widened, and he stepped closer to me, backing me into the kitchen counter. I could smell his shampoo as I inhaled, and the smell was tantalizing, stirring all kinds of odd tremors where I least expected them. Looking intensely into my eyes, he whispered seductively, “I don’t think you want me to.”