Rival Dreams (Rival Love #3) (7 page)

“I know. I’m sorry.” She kisses me back as her fingers roam through my hair. She grabs some and tugs a little.

I groan and pull back to fish out a condom from the pocket of my discarded pants and go back to assaulting her mouth with my tongue. Cupping her ass again, I lift her from the chair and walk her to her bed. I lay her against her sheets and she moans loudly as I pinch and twist her nipples between my fingers. She cries out my name and whispers, “Please.”

“Impatient, aren’t we?” I chuckle against her navel and continue a path of kisses down her thighs.

“I need you.”

“I can tell, baby. Believe me. I can definitely tell.” I lick her sex until she orgasms. “Fuck, you’re beautiful, Skylar.”

Her hands finally release their grip on the sheets and she groans, “I need more. Please.”

I can’t hold out anymore and oblige her demands. After I tear the foil of the condom and slide it down my length, I give her exactly what she wants. She cries out after a few thrusts but she doesn’t come.

As I watch her each time I enter and pull out, the guilt seeps in. I shouldn’t be making love to her. This is wrong. She won’t be mine much longer, and knowing that makes this very wrong. Showing her how much she means to me, making slow, passionate love to her, is wrong.

I can’t stop though. She’s everything to me. This is killing me. I thrust a few more times and then we both explode. I fall against her and kiss her forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Yeah, but for how long once you find out what I did
?

We smile at each other and she rolls out from underneath me. “I need a shower. I’ll be right back.”

I nod.

She waits by the door, probably waiting for me to ask to join her. As much as I want to do that, I won’t. I grab her box of baby wipes from her desk and get to cleaning myself. After I discard the wrapper and my mess, I get dressed again.

My eyes land on the small dining table and a large pan of something in the middle. She cooked, that much is clear, and the guilt continues to press on me. She’s too fucking good for me. She was right earlier—I’ve been purposely avoiding her not because I want to break up with her, but because I don’t see any other way. She won’t come. This place is her dream. Mine is being in the pros.

“Caleb?” Sky asks.

I look into her wild-colored eyes and smile. “Hi.”

“Hey. Are you okay?”

“That was fast,” I say like an idiot.

“I said I would be. Want to eat?” She’s all smiles. How could I refuse?

Skylar picks up a plate and plastic spoon and removes the lid from the glass container. She spoons ravioli onto my plate then pops it in the microwave. “I need to heat it up.”

The microwave beeps and she returns with my plate. I wait until she has her plate before I dig in. Hey, I’ve got some manners.

The ravioli is delicious. “This is probably the best pasta I’ve ever had.”

She smiles. “Kayla and I made it together. She helped with the sauce and filling. I made the dough. I’m glad you like it. I was a little worried. It’s the first time I ever hand-rolled the dough out.”

I choke on a sip of wine and sputter, “You made this from scratch?”

Sky blushes and nods. I’m touched. She obviously went through a lot of trouble for this dinner and it just makes me realize even more how much of an asshole I am.

“Sky, I …”

She looks at me, waiting for me to finish my sentence. Her gorgeous eyes bore into me and I feel my entire self-worth being examined. Who am I kidding anymore? I clearly don’t deserve her.

“May I ask you something?”

Sky looks puzzled but nods. “You may.”

I swallow. This is it. “Where are you applying to medical school?”

She leans back in her chair and laughs. “Oh man, I thought you were going to ask me something life altering. You looked so serious, it was quite scary.” She pauses. “Hmm … of course I am applying here. But I’m looking at other schools around this area. Why do you ask? Is this what you’re worried about?”

“Kind of. So, you won’t leave?”

She shakes her head. “No. I really like it here. And they’ve got a really good medical unit. I want to get into the pediatrics department but I would like the neurology department too. I don’t know yet. There is so much to do and all of it is great. You know? I feel like I was meant to be here.”

And that’s why I’ll never ask you to come with me. Because you are meant to be here, without me
.

“Caleb, you look all serious again. What is it?”

“Nothing, babe. I’m fine. Really.”
It’s just that my deepest fear has been confirmed. I’m going to lose you very soon
.

Chapter 11

Skylar

It’s Valentine’s Day. Caleb and I have barely talked since our dinner a few days ago. In all fairness, we’ve been really busy studying and writing papers, and don’t even get me started about work. We have a couple of author signings coming up and that means reorganizing things. Lots of reorganizing. But more hours are good for the paycheck, so I shouldn’t complain. It just means less time with Caleb.

As I’m driving back to my dorm, my phone rings, and I answer it with a giddy smile. “Hi.”

“Liv, it’s your mom.”

I frown. Not that I don’t love talking to my mom, I just wish it were Caleb calling. “Hey, Mom. Are you guys in town?”

“We’re almost there. Do you kids have plans tonight? If you do, go ahead, and we’ll have breakfast and lunch tomorrow.”

“Sounds great, Mom.” It does. Really. The problem is I don’t actually know what I’m doing tonight. Caleb and I haven’t even had a discussion via text about this. That’s sad, isn’t it? I certainly don’t want to tell my mom this. I love her, but there are some conversations I’d rather stab my eyeballs with a pencil than have with her.

“Just call me back with places you kids want to eat at tomorrow.”

“Will do.”

We hang up and I sigh.

I pull into my dorm parking lot and call Caleb. The phone rings twice and then I get his voicemail. I groan and head into my building.

Great. I thought one of the perks of having a boyfriend on this holiday is not spending it alone? It’s not like he’s away overseas, or in a different state. He’s literally four dorm buildings away from mine.

And that’s when the little light bulb in my head goes off. I hurry to my room and change my clothes. Brie does her hair while I examine potential outfits.

“Where are you and your Mr. Wonderful going?”

“I don’t know yet,” I say as I make my final choice of wardrobe for tonight.

I notice Brie’s eyebrow is raised while her lips form an “O.” The need to explain feels like a very bad idea, because even in my own head it sounds ridiculous. Look, I’ll show you. Caleb and I haven’t really spoken, let alone seen each other, since Wednesday. I realize it’s been three days, but hey, this is us. Sometimes we go through these spells of not speaking. Of course, it usually happens when we’re mad at each other. But I can’t remember ticking him off, so … See? Ridiculous. Ugh!

Brie studies me. It makes me uncomfortable, like in the huge-elephant-in-the-room kind of way. Awkward. “I was wondering if you would mind doing me a favor tonight?” she asks.

“What is it?”

“Can you stay with your man tonight? I’m totally bringing Elliot back here.”

I almost ask her who the hell Elliot is, but I remember this is my roommate. She’s kind of a skank. I like her, don’t get me wrong, but the girl doesn’t make men work for anything. She’s always hooking up with someone so that I completely lose count and track of their names.

I chew the inside of my cheek and nod. I know! I know. I should totally sit her down and tell her to quit being so easily available, but my last attempt turned out so bad. No, really, it was monumental. Not only did she cry, scream curse, and call me every name in the book, she threw shit at me. Literally launched a freaking alarm clock in my direction, like I was the asshole who broke her heart or left her somewhere. Never again. Sometimes you just have to watch them crash and burn and hope they figure it out sooner rather than later.

Dressed in my outfit, I sit at my desk and apply a little bit of makeup. I’m pretty simple: eyeliner, a little mascara, and lip gloss. Bam. Done. I study my loose curls and decide to straighten them. I haven’t done it forever and Caleb likes my hair straight every once in a while.

After twenty minutes of running a flat iron through my hair, I do a recheck of myself, then grab my purse and coat, and my gift for Caleb, and wave goodbye to Brie, who’s applying makeup. “Have fun,” she says. “Thanks again.”

I nod and wish her luck.

I’m almost at Caleb’s dorm when I spot him outside with a group of guys and girls hanging around him. Is this why he didn’t answer me?

No, I know him. He loves me. I’m just being stupid. I march up to him and his expression slowly changes. From laughing with his friends to silence. “Skylar?”

“Hi, um … I got off early. I tried calling.”

A girl with short red hair looks me up and down with a sneer and says, “Who the hell are you?”

“Skylar. This one’s long-term girlfriend.” I sidle up next to Caleb and press my lips to his.

He smiles and wraps his arm around me. “Hey, you. Whatcha got there?” he asks, looking down at the red box in my hand.

“Gift for you. Happy Valentine’s day.”

He kisses my forehead. “Thanks. Come on. I got you something too.”

Redhead bitch glares at me and I actually stick my tongue out at her as we walk away. I know, so immature, but sometimes, no matter how old you are, you need to do things like this. It’s better than the alternative. Smacking a ho in the face, or cursing her out.

Caleb and I step inside the elevator and he mumbles, “That was Kelly. I think she’s dating Mark, or maybe it’s Dexter. I can’t remember.”

“She seemed like she’d like to get with you instead,” I mutter.

He shrugs. “She’s two years too fucking late for me. I’ve got what I want.”

“I called. You didn’t answer.”

“Yeah.” The doors slide open. We step out on to his floor and head to his room. “I didn’t want them all listening in on our conversation.”

I nod and he opens the door to his room. A part of me wants to yell, “So you couldn’t text me, then?” But of course, it’s Valentine’s Day, and I honestly don’t feel like fighting. We hadn’t fought for so long, until recently.

We enter his room, and I shrug off my jacket and lay it on his desk chair. I spin around and he is right in front of me. “I have to ask you something. Can I stay with you tonight?” I ask.

“Why do you want to stay here?”

“Um … well …” What the hell? Because I’m your fucking girlfriend and I want to stay with you. I release a breath slowly. “Brie has company.”

He nods. “Ah. Well … Kyle is going to have company tonight. So that leaves us both fucked for tonight. Unless you want to listen to Kyle getting laid.”

I shake my head. “No. Maybe we should go stay with my mom and your uncle; they’re in town.”

“I’d rather listen to Kyle getting his brains fucked out. No offense. We can get a room for the night if you want.”

I shrug. “If you want to.”

Caleb doesn’t respond. Instead he grabs a small box from his desk and hands it to me. It’s the same size of box that holds things like, I don’t know … rings. I get all excited and open it all greedy. I gush when I spot one glittery stone, and then … another. Oh. He got me earrings.

“Do you like them?”

Feeling silly, I nod. “They’re beautiful.” Of course he wouldn’t propose to me. We’re way too young for that, right?

Caleb smiles at me and kisses my mouth. “Good.” He opens up his own gift and says, “For real? How do you keep on doing this kind of stuff?” He holds up to tickets to the opening day Boston Red Sox game. It’s his favorite team. He plants one on me.

“Are you hungry?”

“I am,” I say with a smile.

“Okay, let’s get something to eat.”

Chapter 12

Caleb

Clearly, I’m a dick. I didn’t plan this night out very well. In fact, I didn’t plan it at all
.
We went to three restaurants; all of them asked for reservations and informed us that they were completely booked. The host at the last restaurant actually snorted at me and said, “Buddy, good luck.”

I swear, this night keeps turning into more and more shit. It’s a sign. Feeling like a useless asshole, I mutter, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, you were busy.”

I turn to her and shake my head. “It’s not okay. Don’t you get it? I did have some time. I got you these fucking earrings, but I didn’t plan shit after that. You deserve better than this, Sky. So much better. You deserve a man who looks at apartments with you. Who tells you when shit comes up. Checks on you when you come home from work just make sure you’ve arrived safe and sound. That’s what you deserve. And I used to be that man.”

“Hey, you still are.” Her hand rests on my cheek and I don’t have the balls to look her in the eyes. “Caleb, it’s going to be okay. You’ve been a little stressed. It’s fine. Everything will be fine. I love you.”

We walk a little farther, and there is this constant nagging inside of me saying,
“Do it. Do it now. You’re only making this shit worse.”

I sigh. “And that’s the problem.”

She backs up like I slapped her. “What do you mean?”

“Sky, I didn’t plan one thing for tonight. Hell, if we’re going to be honest, I forgot today was Valentine’s Day. I honestly didn’t care, but someone told me you chicks love this sort of shit so I went and got you a gift.”

She nods slowly. “Okay. Well, I didn’t need anything. I love the earrings, I do. But you didn’t have to do anything.”

“That’s bullshit. You got me those fucking tickets. They weren’t easy to come by either, so don’t play it off.”

She chews on her lower lip. “Why do I feel like you’re purposely trying to piss me off?”

Because I am. I need you so mad at me you will walk away from me and never think twice about it. “I can’t … I don’t want to do this anymore.”