Romance: Young Adult Romance: The Perfect Game (A Highschool Football Romance) (Bad Boy Nerd New Adult Romance) (66 page)

More weeks passed and he had no more encounters with Sofia. She attended his classes, of course, but never attempted to show her presence.
Like he wouldn’t know she was there.
He was aware of every bit of her. It was like his body was attuned to her, jumping to attention every time she passed him. He had expected his desire for her to die down with the time but only the opposite had happened. Instead of dying down, it has enhanced to the level of breakage.

It was the last lecture of the semester when he bid luck to his students. “I hope I don’t have to see any of your faces in the same class again.” He joked and entire class snickered. His eyes fell on Sofia who wasn’t amused. The expression on her face was disturbing.

As the students started to leave, he called, “Ms. Hawthorn, please stay back for a minute. I have to talk to you.”
Talk to her about what?

It was just him and Sofia left in the room. “Are you alright?” he asked her. She just gave him a brisk nod. “Sofia…”

“Am I excused now, Mr. Giovanni?” She didn’t look him in eyes. He wanted to shook her and ask her what was wrong with her. All these days he had seen her, never once was she like this. And it unsettled him.

“Is something wrong? Tell me, Sofia,” he insisted.

“It’s none of your business, Mr. Giovanni. You are my Professor, not lover.” She walked away. He stared at her back and a million voices inside him called to go after her. He stood struggling with his thoughts.

*****

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as Sofia rushed to the library. Her whole present was a mess. She had stopped fighting her feelings for Raphael. She was in too deep to get out so she didn’t bother to struggle. And Michael had been one hell of pain in ass for her. He was traumatizing her with continuous phone calls and texts, telling her that he couldn’t get over her and wanted her back. She declined him politely at every turn but then in one conversation, she said that she was interested in someone else. That had brought some reaction out of Michael and he had threatened to kill whoever tried to lay a finger on her.

Since then she had avoided his every call and message. But this morning, he had appeared out of nowhere when she was on her way to her class. “You are mine, Sofia. Never forget that.” He had caught her by shoulders. His eyes scared her and she was afraid he would snap her neck right then. But she was saved by couple of girls whom she had become friends with through Luke.

Michael had left but the fear had stayed. And then sitting in Raphael’s class had brought back the earlier threat. What worried her was the thought of Raphael getting hurt. Even though he had no feelings for her, but she did and she couldn’t bear if he got hurt because of her. She had almost broken down when Raphael had asked her. But then she had brought her guard up and masked her feelings.

Now that she was alone, she let all the emotions takeover her. She was around the corner to walk straight towards the library, when someone gripped her shoulder. She stiffened. “Sofia,” it was Michael. He turned her.

“Michael, I told you that I cannot be with you. Why are you harassing me? And why are you here?”

“I also told you, Sofia that I will win you back.”

“Just go back to Ontario, please.”

“I am not leaving without you. Either you come back, or I’ll stay here with you until you decide otherwise.”

“Please don’t make a scene here.” She looked around as other students passed by. Michael dragged her to the storeroom’s area which was deserted.

Shit.
She was more comfortable in the corridor, knowing Michael won’t do anything in public, but this place was a bit deserted.

“Now we are alone. Let’s talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“You love me, sweetheart. You are just angry with me.” He held her by shoulders.

“No, Michael. I don’t love you anymore. Please go.” She tried to walk away but he pulled her back and then pinned her against the wall. “Stop, Michael, you are hurting me.” She struggled in his arms.

“You need to be reminded what it was between us, love.” He was crushing his lips against her and all she felt was disgust. She fought hard but Michael was well built. His hand roamed on her body. “Don’t do this, Michael, please.” Tears fell from her eyes as he found the button her jeans. “I love someone else.”

That only infuriated Michael. “You cheated on me? Bitch!” he caught her again by neck and Sofia closed her eyes. All too soon Michael’s hands were gone and there was a sharp yelp of pain. She opened her eyes to see him down on his knees and Raphael was showering punches on his face.

“You fucking touch her again and I’ll rip you down to pieces, asshole! She is mine, and only mine!”

He was here, Raphael was here to save her. And did he just called her his? Her knees weakened and she slipped down along the wall to the ground.

Raphael grabbed Michael by collar and pulled him up. “If I see you anywhere near Sofia that would be your last day walking on your legs.” His voice was lethal and his face was intimidating enough to dry blood. Michael didn’t wait for any further words and was already moving away. Only then Raphael turned to her. Their eyes met and he too dropped down to her level.

“I won’t hurt you, Sofia. I just want to see if you are alright.” Still distancing himself. She wanted to smack something hard on his head.

“You said
she is mine and only mine,
” she repeated his words. “Who were you talking about?”

He didn’t answer so she stood up to leave. He caught her by waist. “If I was talking about you, then what?”

“Ask when you are sure.” She glared at him and tried to fight out of his hold. He didn’t let go of her and next moment he was kissing her – like a man starving for months. She didn’t fight, she gave in. “I have never been this sure in my entire life, Sofia. You are mine, only mine. I want to know if I am yours too?” he murmured after the long, dazzling kiss.

“You are my Professor.” She didn’t want to get her heartbroken any more than it already was so she had to clear this beforehand.

“Not anymore. I just handed my resignation.”
What?
“Why?” “I want you without fearing that my desire for you will harm your future.” She fell deeper for him.

“You are fifteen years older than me.”

That had him stiffened. “That bothers you?” he asked. His expression was so stunned that she couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her mouth. His face softened and he kissed her again. This time slowly. She melted in his arms. “It doesn’t bother me.”

“I want to explore every possibility with you, Sofia.” He looked into her eyes. Those emerald-onyx were flooded with the intense emotions. “Is it too soon to say that I think I have fallen for you?”

His confession stunned her – in the best possible way. “Raphael…” no words were enough to describe her feelings so she let her actions speak and kissed him with whatever feeling she had inside her for him. She too wanted to explore every possibility with him and they had all the time of life for that.

****

THE END

The Exchange Student – A College Romance

Amber’s world revolves around her academics. For the past two years she has done nothing more than studying, researching, reading and in general - just impressing her teachers at Princeton University. All work and no play of course means that there will be a point when Amber will crack. And that happened on a drunken night of revelry in London, while she was on a six month Erasmus program at King’s College. One night of passion with a complete stranger was something that Amber could deal with. But would the blue eyed, blonde Englishman now change her life? How could he? She didn’t even know his name.

If you think getting into Princeton is hard. You might want to think, “harder”. I did more than just study a lot to get into the Undergraduate degree for Geography, I stayed up days and nights preparing for the essay, I read books and attended conferences just so that I could learn everything there is to learn about Geography. Heck, I even attended Art classes so that I could brush up on my basics of drawing. Yes it was worth it, I got in. Three years of living my dream awaited me. What I didn’t know was that I would reach my burning point very soon.

By the end of Second year, I had not slept for more than five hours over a period of ten days. I had barely had a proper meal. I lost connection with all my friends. The only person I had to talk to was my roommate, but pretty soon she was annoyed with my long hours and my insane habits as well. I failed to see the danger, my eyes were focused on my goals. So when my Professor recommended me for an Erasmus program in London for six months, at the beginning of Third year I jumped at the opportunity.

I arrived in London, alone and for the first time. I managed to find my way into a cab from the airport which drove me straight to the campus of King’s College. My bags were still hanging from my arm when I walked into the Geography Faculty building and I didn’t leave the premises of the University for two months straight. I lived on campus, I ate on campus, I managed to make a few friends on campus but that’s about it. The weeks turned into months, I was doing exceedingly well. That is till one fateful Friday morning, on a bleak cloudy day in London when my life took a turn I hadn’t expected.

“You haven’t seen London at all have you?” Elizabeth said to me, while cutting through the runny yolk of her fried egg with a blunt knife. Elizabeth was probably my only friend, the only person whom I spoke to on a regular basis who was also not a part of the Geography faculty.

I shook my head subconsciously, while I remained bent over writing the final paragraph of a report I was going to submit.

“You have to get out there love. You’re leaving in a few weeks” she said and I looked up to find a string of yellow yolk running down her pale chin. I smiled and said, “Well, I’m leaving in one week and you’re right but I don’t have the time”. I took a bite of my cold toast over which Elizabeth had spread a generous coating of Marmalade for me.

“You’re in London! It’s a Friday! We must go and have some fun” Elizabeth said cheerily and looked at me, almost pleadingly.

“I’m not much of a party person” I said and pointed at my oversized denim shirt and the faded black jeans I had managed to throw on.

“You’re telling me you don’t have one gorgeous outfit for a night out?” Elizabeth said and raised her eyebrow at me. Well, I did pack one, but I had forgotten about it and besides going out on a Friday night when I still had so much work to do just seemed like a terrible idea.

“We’re going and that’s that. Even if we have to go buy a new outfit for you” Elizabeth said with a flourish and sank back in her chair.

*****

It was 8PM when we left the King’s College campus, Elizabeth and I hand-in-hand as we made our way to the Tube stop which would connect us to the London City center. I had found my little black shift dress with a sparkly sequin design at the edges. Elizabeth had lent me her high black heels which clicked against the gravel road that we were walking on. All the time that I spent indoors, and the fact that London in September means practically no sun, had made me appear to be at least a few shades paler than I looked at home. For a change, my copper curls were manageable and I let them hang behind my shoulders in waves.

This was my first time out in London. This was the first time I saw the double decker red buses which somehow never topple over, the first time we walked through dark and dingy stone archways and old buildings in pristine condition. I hated to admit it, but our little adventure out was fun!

When we reached the City, Elizabeth immediately dragged me by my hand into a pub she claimed was famous for all the authors and writers who used to visit it regularly, a hundred years ago. To say that I felt out of place was an understatement. I hadn’t been out drinking at a bar in ages, let alone in a foreign country! As expected, Elizabeth immediately made friends while I stood awkwardly at the edge of the circle of people around her, taking small sips of a pint of strong Cider.

That is till I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find a man standing behind me, a huge grin on his face and a pint of a dark beer in his hands.

“Bored?” he asked, a thick English accent hit my ears and all I could do was smile and avert my gaze nervously. He was tall. At least a foot taller than me. Broad shoulders and big hands, are what I noticed first about him. His pale blonde hair was swept back from his forehead, while his crystalline blue eyes were studying my face. He looked much more casual than I did. Just jeans and a light sweater, so calm, so suave.

“You’re clearly not from around here” he said to me and took a sip of beer from his glass.

*****

“What gave that away? Before I even spoke?” I asked him, while leaning against a rounded wooden table. I was glad that I at least had somebody to talk to, instead of just awkwardly standing in the corner watching Elizabeth flirting with strangers.

“You just look…different” he said after a while and smiled knowingly at me. He had apple-red lips I noticed and I could see the green veins on his jaw under his pale almost flawlessly translucent skin. His voice was masculine and made him sound at least a decade older than he looked.

“Do you like London?” he asked suddenly and I nodded in response, I didn’t have much to talk about London with him, I barely knew the city.

“Well, it rains a lot” I said eventually and we both laughed. His laugh was boisterous, his whole body shook when he laughed and his eyes gave the impression that he was enjoying himself. We both took big gulps from our glasses and he said, “Bottom’s up?” and without waiting for a response, drained the glass into his throat and I had no choice but to do the same.

“I’m getting us repeats” I heard him say as I was finishing up the last bit of Cider from my glass. He returned within minutes and he had two pints of Cider for me and two pints of what he indicated to be Guinness, for himself.

“Wanna race?” I asked him, surprising myself and he had just about placed the four glasses on the table when we both picked up a glass each and chugged it down in record speed. The next one took us a bit more time, especially me, but we managed it nonetheless and by the time we were done, I was as good as swaying on my feet.

“I need to sit” I said, and hoped that I hadn’t begun to slur my words. He laughed shortly and I felt his hands grip my shoulders as he pulled me down towards a tall wooden chair that had been placed in the corner of the room. He stood in front of me after that, shielding my view from Elizabeth and her group. His arms were crossed across his chest and his blue eyes were studying my face.

“You all right?” he asked and I nodded enthusiastically.

“Haven’t done that in a while. I’m all right” I said and giggled like a school girl. He laughed too and continued looking at me.

“You know what you need? Some fresh air” he said suddenly and before I knew it, he was pulling me up again by gripping my hands. I wanted to protest and looked back towards Elizabeth. She was kissing a man who I didn’t recognize and I shook my head.
So she’s clearly not going back to campus tonight,
I said to myself and allowed my hand to be pulled forward by this strange handsome man who led me out into the streets of London.

The chill in the air was like a slap across my face and he was right, the freshness of it made me feel a lot better. He had let my hand go when we stepped outside and now he was standing a few feet away from me, allowing me to steady myself on my feet.

I took in a deep breath and released.

“You were right. This feels great” I said and squeezed my eyelids shut against a strong cool breeze that swept across my face and which I knew, would have also completely messed up my hair.

“It’s the English cure” he said and laughed. “Nothing like a harsh cold wind to wake you up” he added and we both laughed. When our laughter faded, we were both looking at each other. He still had a smile on his face, while I couldn’t help but bite down on my lower lip. He was so damn attractive, and that laugh of his was making me weak in my knees. I had a sudden incredible urge to trace my fingers along the faded green veins on his jaw, and I had to really struggle to stop myself from doing it.

He was looking at me keenly as well, his eyes traveling from my face to my chest and for a split second I thought I saw his gaze linger on the spot between my legs. I immediately blushed and I knew that he caught me having an embarrassed moment.

“C’mon. Lets go for a walk” he said and grabbed my hands again. I hadn’t noticed when he had wrapped a chunky maroon scarf around his neck but he now pulled it away and hung it from my shoulder.

“You need it more than I do” he said with a smile and I thanked him while wrapping it haphazardly around my neck and shoulders. It smelt of him. That strong masculine scent of beer and cologne. I licked my lips as I became aware of the touch of his hands pressed against mine. Our fingers were laced together and I looked down to see his white knuckles in the palm of my hand.

I chanced a glance his way as we began walking slowly through the cobbled streets of London, which was both quiet and devoid of traffic but bustling with people inside bars and pubs at the same time. His hair was ruffled in the wind, and his nose and cheeks had taken on a rosy hue in the cold night air. His blue eyes were focused on the street ahead, while he still had a faint smile on his lips.

I looked away immediately, afraid of being caught. I hadn’t realized how much I needed this distraction. I hadn’t felt so carefree, adventurous and independent since I had gotten into Princeton. Just walking down the streets of London, hand-in-hand with a stranger whose name I didn’t know yet, seemed to be just what the Doctor ordered.

*****

I had no idea where we were headed. We had been walking for what seemed like at least an hour. Our feet stamping on small puddles of day old rain, the cold breeze in our hair, while he told me legends about the Tower of London and the prisoners who had been locked away and tortured, centuries ago. Our hands had unclasped at some point, and I felt a dull ache in my palm where his hand had tightly gripped mine. I missed the touch. For some strange reason, he didn’t feel like a stranger to me.

We arrived at the edge of a bridge and he suddenly turned to me.

“I live just across the Tower Bridge. In Bermondsey” he said, his blue eyes were looking into mine again. I nodded my head, pretending to know exactly where this Bermondsey place was, and smiled weakly.

“Want to pop in for a night cap?”.
This man knows how to get to the point!
I thought and looked away as if I was toying with the idea. Although, in all honesty, I knew I was going home with him. I wanted something to happen. Even though we hadn’t kissed or explicitly touched each other, other than holding hands, I knew I wanted to sleep with him.

“Sure, why not” I said eventually and I could see his eyes light up.

“C’mon then” he said, with a renewed cheer in his voice as he grabbed my hand again. We ran across the Tower Bridge, at nearly midnight, like a pair of teenagers who were running away from trouble. The wind carried our laughter as we giggled and stumbled and ran across the bridge to the other side. The scarf around my neck trailed behind me as he pulled my arm with his hand and ran in front of me. The metal chain of my purse strap dug into the skin of my bare shoulder, but I didn’t care. I was having fun. I was finally, having some uninhibited fun.