That's a Promise (5 page)

“Seth! There was nothing more you could have done two years ago, and there wasn’t anything that you could have done tonight! I knew how to protect myself in a big crowd like that. I was safe.”

His blue green eyes seemed to turn steely as he backed me against the wall, looked me straight in the eyes, and spoke with a determined edge in his voice. “I won’t let anything happen to you again, Josie. I swear I will spend every day for the rest of my life making it up to you. So don’t stand there and try to tell me that it was okay that I wasn’t there to beat the shit out of that guy’s ass, because it’s not.”

I realized how close he was to me, and though I wanted to argue his response, his proximity to me had left me breathless. He leaned his forehead against mine and let out a small huff. I looked up to him and noticed his eyes were closed. He stayed like that for about a minute before he opened his eyes, swallowed, and lifted his hand to my face. I leaned my cheek into his hand and let him touch me. His thumb caressed my lips, and then it was my turn to close my eyes to help hold myself together. I felt his soft lips gently press against the corner of my mouth, and I lost any breath that was inside of me.

He lingered there for a moment before he pulled back from me and said, “I love you, Pussy Cat. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He walked out of the room, and I slid to the floor still leaning against the wall in an attempt to keep my sensation-filled body from collapsing. “Fuck,” I said softly into the dark.

“I thought you said you two have never fucked,” Brooke said, obviously out of it.

“We haven’t,” I lied.

“The physics between you two would suggest otherwise,” she responded. I heard her snoring not twenty seconds after she made her remark.

I rolled my eyes and got dressed for bed. I stared at the ceiling replaying the dance and conversation with Blake in my head. The heat he made me feel soon had been doused when I watched him use his tongue on that other girl. He had me captivated and then in the same night, made me question my judgment.

Then when Seth had me against the wall, everything that I had been trying to bury came rushing back in. He made me feel special and beautiful. We agreed to stop that kind of intimacy when we started school and it seemed like things had gone back to normal, except for when he did things like that.

It hadn’t always been that way with us. We were strictly best friends up until about three months ago. I may have noticed how good looking he was, but he was my best friend so it never crossed my mind to change our relationship. When I asked him to make me feel good, wanted, safe, and loved, I knew that he was surprised, but I also knew that he would do anything for me.  

He helped me forget. He showed me that a man’s touch can be loving and tender and not forced. I owed him a lot for taking that chance, and risking our friendship in the process.

*             *             *

The next morning I woke up and groaned as the events of the night before came tumbling back into the forefront of my mind.

I had three classes that day, and I knew I wouldn’t survive the day without some coffee in my bloodstream. There was a coffee shop not too far from the school campus, so I drove my little silver Neon over there before my class. I hadn’t been there yet, but Brooke had told me that they had the best coffee, and the atmosphere was even better.

I pulled up to the shopping strip where the coffee shop resided, and there was a bright blue sign that read: Reverie: A Coffee Den. It was small, but I could tell right away that I would love it there. There were tables outside of the coffee shop that I thought would be a perfect place to study until it got too cold.

Once I got my coffee, I went to sit down outside and enjoy the weather. I was lost in thought, when I heard the chair scrape next to me. I watched as Blake turned the chair around, and sat down with me.

“Hello gorgeous,” he said to me with a smile. I shook my head at his comment and looked down at my clothes. I was wearing some old worn out jeans, a much worn Ravenclaw t-shirt, and had a Harry Potter wand pen stuck in my hair. There was no way he could really think I looked gorgeous.

He continued to smile at me, so I returned his smile sarcastically, tilted my head, and asked, “So did you have a good rest of your night last night?”

“Ahh, it could have been better, but eventually I got everyone out of my house,” he responded.

“So, who did you do after they all left?” The question slipped out of my mouth before I could even stop it. I covered my mouth with my hand and then repeated the question “I meant what. What did you do after… not who.”

 My cheeks heated in embarrassment, and it only deepened when I looked up and saw him raise his eyebrows and smile hugely at me. His teeth were perfect except for one bottom tooth that was slightly crooked, which made me even more attracted to him. He wasn’t perfect, and I loved that.

“Well, I just went to bed after they left,” he said, not giving much away. I wasn’t going to embarrass myself any further by spelling out to him that I wanted to know if he screwed that girl. I didn’t like that his face looked like he had some sort of self-victory because of my reaction. I pursed my lips to the side, and decided to change the subject.

“I loved your house by the way. Did your mom go away for the week?”

“No, it’s the house I’m renting while I go to school here. And thanks, I like the house too.” He reached out his hand to push a clump of hair back behind my ear, and I sighed. I freaking sighed! His hands were perfect. They weren’t as calloused at Seth’s, but they were strong and masculine and I could only imagine the kind of work he could do with his long fingers.

I refocused my attention and eventually we picked up right where we left off the night before. We started talking about music, school, and his siblings. He liked any kind of music that sounded good to his ears, which was the same way that I felt about music. It just depended on my mood. He told me about the classes he liked and the ones he didn’t. There was something about Blake that made it so easy to talk to him. I wanted to learn as much as I could about him. He fascinated me.

Our conversation eventually moved to his family. He had two brothers and one sister. Brody was a year older than Blake and was living in Pennsylvania trying to run the family business. Brandon was a year younger than Blake, and was staying with Blake while he finished his degree at NCSU. Finally, Blake had a half-sister named Sabrina, who was 16 and living with his step-mom.

“Do you like your step-mom?” I asked him.

He took a moment to ponder the question before answering. “I think that she is perfect for John, my dad. She wanted money and recognition, and that is what she got as his wife. My dad used to be in charge of my grandpa’s brewing company, so my step-mom enjoyed the money and the popularity his position offered.”

“You said ‘used to.’ Is he not anymore?” I asked. I should have paid more attention to his facial expressions, then I would have noticed his change in demeanor and the obvious anger that was developing because of where the conversation was going.  

“Yeah well you kind of get thrown out of a position of power when you do something stupid and get sent to prison.” He rose from his chair. “I gotta get to class in a few, so I’m gonna head out,” he said to me briskly, clearly no longer comfortable.

I didn’t want to leave our conversation like that, so I quickly grabbed his hand before he took off. “I’m sorry I asked you about something you’re obviously not comfortable with. I loved talking to you Blake, so I hope you aren’t too upset with me.” I looked hopefully and apologetically into his brown eyes and I saw his anger begin to fade away. His hand relaxed, and I enjoyed the warmth and the stimulating contact with him.

He gave me a sad smile and shook his head. “I’m sorry Josie. You’re right, it’s just not something I want to talk about. I’m sorry I acted like that.” He leaned down and put his lips right next to my ear, igniting a fire on my skin when the soft pressure of his lips touched me briefly. “And by the way, I went to bed
alone
last night when everyone left, and couldn’t stop thinking about that dance with you,” he said huskily, then kissed my cheek gently but sensually.

I let out a small surprised gasp before he walked towards his car.
He knew exactly what I was talking about!
I thought, completely embarrassed. A part of me was thrilled that he didn’t take that girl to bed with him, but I was also ashamed that I cared so much. I sat in the rusty metal chair, ignoring my cold coffee, and replayed every detail of our conversation. I couldn’t get past the tactile sensations of his hot sweet breath and the brief touch of his lips.

Ugh,
I groaned internally.
I am totally being a girl about this stupid boy.
I didn’t think someone would catch my attention so easily here, but I was under some kind of spell when he was around.

I picked up my bag and shook my head of the thoughts that had taken control of my mind. As I went through my morning classes, I tried to focus on my work and not every smile or touch that Blake gave me. That damn smile wouldn’t leave my brain. It was the most imperfect perfection I had ever seen, and I wanted to see it more. Why did he have to make a crooked tooth look so damn cute?

My final class of the day was Psychology. I had not been successful in clearing my mind of my nonsensical infatuation with a boy, but I had hoped that my psychology class would hold my interest enough to focus me on something else. I walked through the door and I knew that my hopes were pointless. I could feel the heat and the intensity of his stare before I even saw him.

Goosebumps filled my arm, and I held my breath, waiting for the moment I would be able to see him. I didn’t even tense when I felt him come up next to me and grab my elbow. His now familiar scent and the familiarity of his touch put me at ease, so there was no shock or discomfort when I turned and saw his handsome face smiling down on me.

“Come sit with me,” he said to me nodding towards the back, not really asking. I sure as hell wasn’t going to say no to him. It wasn’t a question, and I had no desire to say no to him. I wanted more time with him. What had been lacking in my other classes was standing in front of me, and I wasn’t going to pass that up. We walked towards the back of the classroom where we sat in two empty spots.

I wasn’t sure what to say at first, so I let my eyes wander around the room. Every nerve in my body was increasingly aware of the placement of his hand on the back of my chair. My breathing was slightly erratic. I couldn’t believe how I was reacting to something so normal. That was normal. Guys stretched out their arms all the time. It didn’t mean anything.

My glance was taken hostage suddenly by a pair of eyes that were throwing daggers my way. The person behind the eyes was the pretty redhead that had been underneath of Blake against the wall at the party the night before. I didn’t understand the apparent anger or animosity that she was clearly throwing my way, so I rolled my eyes and looked away.

My attention was then raptured once again by Blake as I felt his thumb start to caress my back lightly. It was the simplest of touches, but made my heart skip and made me lose my ability to breathe for a few brief moments. I was extremely still. I didn’t want to disrupt what he was doing, but I knew I had to look frigid by the way I was reacting. I forced myself to look at him, only to find his dark brown eyes already on me, looking very thoughtful.

I smiled lightly and ducked my head away from that stare. He was doing something to me, and I didn’t know if I liked it. I decided to bring up the girl who was just staring at me, and see what he had to say.

“So, your conquest from last night was just staring daggers at me. You know of any reason why she would dislike me without even knowing me?” I tried to let my irritation for how he acted last night and the unwarranted disgust from his girlfriend, seep into my words. He seemed to catch onto my frustration and let out a deep laugh. His laugh was so sexy; it made me want to laugh with him.

“Mmm,” he reached out and traced my necklace again, only this time he touched my skin gently in the process. Goosebumps splayed across my collar bone as soon as he touched me. Those fingers were magic on my skin. “Don’t worry, you’re the only one I’m pursuing now.”

I wouldn’t let my facial expression betray my exuberance over that sentence.

He pulled away and his demeanor changed. “So is that guy you left with your boyfriend?” he asked. He tried to come off as apathetic or only mildly curious, but I thought that I heard a trace of something else. Maybe a mixture of hurt or anger?

“No. Seth is my best friend. We’ve been best friends since we were six years old. We’re just really close,” I answered.

He turned in his seat and said, “Then he won’t mind if I take you out Friday night?” I smiled at him, and was glad that we were on the same page. I didn’t know this guy, but I wanted to.

“No! That sounds like fun. But it has to be close by and it has to be in a place where there are people, but not too many that I could get lost in the crowd. Those are my rules, if you don’t like it, then you can ask someone else out.” I replied.

The professor started the class, and I felt Blake lean over and whisper to me, “That’s more than okay.”

*             *             *

The rest of the week flew by without much drama. Blake and I met up on Thursday morning for coffee at the same time, and we texted throughout the rest of the week. Brooke had been ecstatic when I came back to the dorm and told her about Blake asking me out. She went straight to her closet and started picking out shoes and outfits that I could wear for the date. Blake wouldn’t tell me what we were doing, but instead let me know to dress casually.

Seth hadn’t been so enthused about the date. I didn’t think it was out of jealousy, because he dated and slept with other women all the time. Instead, he was worried about a stranger taking me out and him not being there in case something went wrong. We hadn’t had another sexually charged incident since Monday night, and I was glad. I was ready to move on from that phase of my life. I was just glad that Brooke did not remember witnessing Seth and me against the wall, so I didn’t have to explain myself to her.