Текст книги "More Than Her"

Автор книги: Jay McLean

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

FIFTEEN

Logan

I woke up the next morning before everyone else and left Jake and Micky's. I got in my car and drove the short distance to my frat house.

When I got up to my room, all my shit was everywhere.

Clothes were thrown all over the place, my mattress was up against a wall. My computer and stereo system had been smashed to pieces.

What the fuck?

Adam, the president of the house walked into my room.

"You're out," he deadpanned.

"What the fuck?"

"I'm sorry, dude. I like you; you're a good guy. But I don't have any sisters. It's been decided. We had a meeting. You're out."

This had to be a fucking joke. "You're kidding right?" He had to be. "Where the hell am I going to live?"

He shrugged.

Fuck.

It was early enough that the rest of the house was still sleeping. Luckily for me, it wasn't too embarrassing.

Once I was in my car, I just sat there.

Where the fuck was I going to go?

Without me realizing it, I started taking the two-hour drive home.

I needed the stable sanity of my own house at the moment. The events of the last few days had worn me out.

I texted Jake and told him what happened. I asked him to get feelers out, see if anyone knew of anywhere I could live. If anyone had connections, it was Jake Andrews.

By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel the lack of sleep mixed with the hangover and just wanted to crash.

I went into the kitchen where Dad was sitting at the counter, eating. It was rare for him to be home on a weekend.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.

"Thanks. Nice to see you too," I joked. I got a soda out of the fridge and sat down on the counter with him.

"You look—uh...good?" he said, a smile pulling at his lips.

"I had a rough night."

He nodded.

It was silent for a few minutes.

Then I said, "I need to talk to you-" the same time he said, "We need to talk-"

We both laughed.

"You go first," I told him.

"Have you spoken to Nathan?"

I shrugged. "Kind of. You know what's happening?"

"Your mother's been asking around for you," He eyed me, waiting for my reaction.

"Huh. That's funny. Last I checked I had no mother." I raised my eyebrows at him, waiting for him to push the issue. He wanted me to say something more. But I didn't. I had nothing more to say.

Finally, he nodded once. "So you had something to tell me."

Shit. I played it out in my head—the words I would use to tell him. But now that I was here, I felt like an idiot. So I decide to just say, "I got kicked out of the frat house."

I wanted him to yell. To tell me he was disappointed. Something. Anything. But he didn't. Instead, he just smiled, "Do I want to know why?"

I shook my head.

"So what happens now?"

I blew out a breath, "I guess I have to find somewhere else to live. I'll get a job there. I could probab-"

"No, Logan." He cut me off. "You can't work with the course load you're taking on. That, plus baseball. No. Just find a place and use the money we have saved."

"You have saved. It's not really fair."

"Logan. Use the money in the account. I keep putting it in there and you never use it. It's there for a reason. Use it." He paused, eyeing me. "And it is fair. You're my son. It's what I do."

I looked away. Because I'm not his son. Not really.

Just then, I got a message from Jake. Apparently one of the guys on the team knows a guy, that knows a guy, that has a spare room. He's desperate for someone to move in ASAP.

Hopefully my luck would change because the last few days had been a clusterfuck of Screw-You-Logan disasters.

I texted the guy who's house it was and told him I'll come by later that evening. I hoped to God it wasn’t a shit hole. But right now, I'd fucking take anything.

I spent a few hours with Dad, and slept some, before taking the two-hour drive back towards campus.

***

I parked outside the house and looked at it a moment before getting out. From the outside, it looked like a standard house. No abandoned cars, no junkies, no odors of meth labs, and no hookers in the front yard. I thought I was safe.

A kid around my age opened the door. We did our introductions and he invited me in. Ethan, his name was.

The house itself was basic. Living room with separate kitchen/dining area, but had an open breakfast bar. There was a hallway to the left where I assumed the bedrooms were. He showed me around the main areas and then walked down the hall.

"So," he started, "The rooms on the left are mine and Dimmy's. We share a bathroom."

"Dimmy?"

"My sister," he said. Then he looks me up and down. "Goes without saying, she's off limits."

I nodded, looking at him a little longer than I should. But he looked familiar and I couldn't place him. So I asked him, "Have I seen you around before? You play anything?" He had an athletic build.

He shook his head. "Nah, man. I was good in high school, but not good enough for college. I was one of those 'good-at-everything-but-not-great-at-any' kind of guys, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"Anyway," he perked up, "this room here," he opened the door, "this is yours. I guess you could call it the master. It's the biggest one, has its own bathroom and little outdoor area. It's more rent than what we pay but you get that. Dimmy and I—we're kind of struggling at the moment, so as soon as you can move in—if you want to move in, that is—the better for us."

I walked into the empty room and looked around, then walked into the bathroom and did the same. It was more than decent.

I walked back to the hallway where Ethan stood. “I can move in right now." I told him. Anything that was worth packing was already in my car.

"Awesome, dude."

We shook hands and started walking to the front door.

"Uh, Logan?" Ethan said from behind me.

I turned to face him.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous. "So, when I said that Dimmy and I were struggling—I wasn't kidding. I mean, she has a job, and so do I, but we need more hours. Anyway, we're a little behind—"

"Dude," I interrupted. "Whatever you need, man. It's fine. Just let me know."

He smiled and nodded, just as I heard the front door swing open. Ethan's voice filled the room. "Oh good, Dimmy. You're home. You can meet our new housemate, this is—"

"No. Fucking. Way." I heard a familiar voice.

I whipped my head to the front door, so fast I almost pull a muscle in my neck.

"No fucking way." She repeated, her head shaking from side to side. She looked from me to Ethan. "No E, no fucking way."

"What the hell?" Ethan said behind me. He walked to stand between us.

I think I was smiling, but I couldn't be sure. My heart thumped in my chest so hard, and so fast, I could feel it vibrating throughout my body.

"No, Ethan. Just no," she said.

Ethan looked from her to me, and back again. "We need the money Dimmy, it's either that or one of us go home. You decide."

Now I know I was grinning like an idiot because she was glaring at me, eyes narrowed.

My hands went in my front pockets as I took her in.

Amanda.

My eyes roamed her from head to toe. Her dark hair was up in one of those messy bun things, and she was wearing glasses. I didn't know she wore glasses, or contacts. They're those thick black frame hipster style ones, and they make her look fucking hot. She wore a tight long sleeve top that molded to her curves. She carried a yoga mat under her arm, and when my eyes moved lower down her body, I saw it.

She was wearing my sweatpants.

My cheeks began to hurt from the shit-eating grin I wore.

"Nice pants," I told her.

She looked confused for a second before she looked down. Her eyes widened as understanding dawned.

Then quickly, she threw the yoga mat onto the floor and ripped my pants off her legs. She stood in the living room in her top and panties.

I was getting turned on.

Pretty sure I'd be on her if her brother wasn't standing in between us.

"Fuck, Dimmy!" he yelled, eyes squeezed tight. He moved to the kitchen and ran the tap.

She threw the pants at my head and I instinctively caught them. She brushed past me and into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

I looked to Ethan in the kitchen, he had the water running, his head under it, letting it flow into his eyes, like he was actually washing away the memory of what he'd just witnessed. "You need to fucking warn me when you do shit like that," he was yelling. I don't think he knew she wasn't here anymore. "I shouldn't have to see that shit."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Dude, she's gone."

He opened one eye and surveyed the room. When he knew it was safe, he opened the other. 'What the hell was that about?"

I shrugged. "Don't know. Your sister's obviously crazy." Lie.

"Don't let it deter you from moving in," he said, pointing at me. "You already agreed. Plus, she's not so bad. She stays in her room mostly."

He grabbed the keys off the hooks near the front door and slipped on his shoes. "I'm going to the store. You need anything?"

I shook my head.

Then he was out the door. And I stood in the living room of my new house.

One I shared with Amanda.

Amanda

After last night's embarrassing outburst I just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide out for, oh, I don't know, the rest of my existence. Give or take.

I know that it was just one night with him, and I know that it really shouldn't have broken my heart, but guess what? It did. And I've learnt to live with that.

Not seeing him for a year helped, I was over it.

I knew that going to college meant the occasional run in with him, especially since I was getting closer to Micky through Facebook, and once I got here and met Lucy, it was kind of inevitable. I was doing so well avoiding him, making sure that wherever I was, he wasn't. I'd even hung out with them in group situations when I knew he'd gone home for the weekend or had other things on. I made sure of it.

Yes, I could have given up their friendships, but I didn't want to. And really, I shouldn't have to.

So every day since I got here I was mentally self-fiving myself because I hadn't yet run in to him. It doesn't seem like a big deal, huge campus and all, but if you knew Logan Matthews, then you'd know the enormity of his presence alone.

Until that day in the library.

And when I saw him, it felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.

Not because I didn't expect to see him, because I knew I would eventually.

It was because I wasn't ready for all the emotions that would come with physically being around him.

It was like everything I had felt over the last year, but all at once. And it hurt. It was too much. I couldn't even look at him. And when Micky had asked if we'd met before, I lied.

I lied because I wanted to see if I could hurt him. If me playing dumb would have an effect on him. If he would feel anything to know, or at least think, that I didn't remember him. That it was just another night, and he was just another guy.

And I really didn't want to rehash the circumstances to which we met. At least, that's what I told myself.

But the truth? The truth is that I wanted to keep the memory of that night to myself. I didn't want to share it with anybody.

Because it was mine.

And because it was the best night of my entire life.

***

The last thing I expected to see when I came home tonight was him standing in my living room.

Logan Matthews.

The guy I'd spent a year trying to forget. The guy I spent every day trying to avoid. And here he was. My new housemate.

Unfortunately for me, Ethan was right. I had no choice. We needed the money or one of us had to quit college and go home.

***

I was already late for work so I was frantically going through my dresser, trying to find my uniform, when there was a knock on my door.

"Yeah?"

It was him. He walked in, closing the door behind him. Hands in his front pockets making the muscles on his neck and arms pop. He had that smug smile on his face.

I continued going through my dresser, until I found what I needed. I put the short shorts on, which I hate to admit, cover just about the same amount as my underwear.

He stayed silent.

When I looked up at him, his eyes were trained on my legs. "Do you mind?" I said.

"Nope." He just stood there, stupid smug smile still on his stupid smug face. "I don't mind one bit."

Then he took two steps forward until we were chest to chest

I looked at him confused, and then he brought his mouth down to mine, only I was faster this time and pushed him away before there was contact.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

He chuckled.

I hate that fucking chuckle.

"I'm late for work. I need to get dressed, get out!" I pointed to the door.

"I'm good here," he said.

Asshole. "Fine!"

I stripped my top off and got changed in front of him. I was wearing a sports bra so it wasn't a big deal. I didn't bother looking for his reaction as I went to my closet to change my shoes.

"Where do you work?" He followed me into the closet.

"Elliot's."

"You mean that sports bar near campus, the one where the girls wear those-" he cut himself off, looking at my uniform. "Oh," he said, nodding his head, eyes fixed on my boobs.

I cleared my throat.

He looked up.

Then two seconds later his mouth was on mine again.

I pushed him away. "Quit. Fucking. Kissing. Me!"

He laughed.

"I don't see how this is funny." I ran around my room, trying to get ready.

"Fine. I'll stop kissing you."

"Good! Thank you."

"On one condition."

I rolled my eyes. "And what's that?"

"You play a game with me."

I walked to him so we were face to face. "What game?" I was curious.

"Two truths for fifteen. I don't know if you remember-"

"I remember." I interrupted him. My voice softened. If this was what it was going to take to make sure there was no more physical contact between us in the future, I was willing to play. "Okay, but not today."

I brushed past him and out my bedroom door.

Logan

I watched her from just outside her room as she rushed to the front door, reaching for the keys on the hook, only they weren't there.

She had a look of confusion on her face, before opening the front door. "That asshole," she muttered under her breath.

She pulled out her phone, I assume, to call Ethan, who apparently didn't answer, according to the amount of curse words coming out of her mouth.

Finally, she glanced up at me, "Do you think you'd be able to give me a ride?"

She doesn't have a car? "What happened to your car?"

"Which car?"

"That red civic you had."

Her eyes widened in shock.

"How do you—never mind. I uh, I had to leave it with Mom. So can you? The ride, I mean?"

I opened the front door for her and led her to my car. I'd do pretty much anything this girl asked if it meant I got to spend even a second of my time with her.

***

I was familiar with the bar she worked at, so she didn't need to give directions, which meant the entire drive we sit in silence.

It was the type of uncomfortable silence that's deafening to your ears.

I pulled into a spot and turned to her. She was biting her lip, looking out the windshield.

You know how sometimes you remember someone, or something, and you close your eyes but you can't imagine them. Like, you can kind of make them out in your mind, but you can't see them? It was never that case with her. If I wanted to remember her, all I had to do was close my eyes and she'd be there. I'd always picture the way she threw her head back when she laughed. The sound was so infectious; you couldn't help but laugh with her. I remember everything about her. They way her lips felt against mine. The way my fingers felt linked with hers. The way her hair felt under my touch. Those fucking moaning sounds she made. I fucking remember everything about her. Everything. Clear as day. Perfect. In every fucking sense.

"I didn't know you wore glasses." I blurt out.

"Shit," she mumbled, going through her bag. She pulled out her contacts case, brought down the visor mirror and replaced her glasses with her contacts, blinking a few times when she was done. "I better get inside." She jerked her head to the front door.

I followed the movement and saw a bunch of guys hanging out the front. They were all drunk, cussing, and pushing each other around. She stepped out of the car, and I found myself doing the same.

I walked next to her, hands in my pockets.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, walking a bit closer to me as we passed the guys.

"I haven't eaten all day." I shrugged.

Plus, I've been here before, and I know how I treated the girls that worked here. I'm sure as shit not going to let some asshole treat her like that.

Logan

One of the guys from the team happened to be here, so we sat, totally by coincidence, on a table in Amanda's area. We ordered and ate together before he had to leave to get to his girlfriend’s dorm before her roommate came back.

Basically, he left to get laid.

Amanda was leaning on the bar; waiting for drinks, talking to the guy prepping them. He said something and she laughed, that same laugh I remembered so well. I eyed the guy that was laughing with her. And even though I had no right, I was jealous. Not because she was talking to him. Not even because they might be flirting with each other right now. But I was jealous because in my mind, those laughs belonged to me.

I walked up behind her and cleared my throat. The guy she was talking to stood to full height, squaring his shoulders when he saw me. Like I was a fucking threat to her.

She slowly turned around and looked up at me, "You all done?" She was actually smiling.

"Uh, yeah." I was still looking at the guy, who'd crossed his arms and was now staring me down. I felt a light tapping on my arm and tore my eyes away from that asshole to see Amanda's fingers on me, trying to get my attention. I brought my gaze to hers. "Yeah, I'm done. What time does your shift end?"

"Midnight."

I looked at my watch. Four hours to go. "I'll just wait here and give you a ride when you're done."

"What?" she said, laughing at me.

I don't know why. I didn't think it's funny.

"You can't wait, Logan. It's hours from now. What are you going to do here?"

"Dude," asshole bartender interrupted us. "My shift ends at the same time. I'll giver her a ride."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Amanda," I said, looking straight at him, "I'll take us home when you're done."

Instantly, I was being dragged by my arm into a random abandoned hallway.

She pushed me up against a wall, her tiny frame blocking me in. There was fire in her eyes.

I was getting turned on.

"Did you work it out?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" My hand went out to touch her waist, because when she was this close, all I wanted to do was touch her.

She was too quick to swat it away.

"Did you work out whose dick was bigger?"

I chuckled.

Her eyebrows rose.

I moved in to kiss her.

She pushed me away. "Quit. Fucking. Kissing. Me!"

Then she turned in her spot and stormed off. Her short shorts showed off her amazingly toned legs.

Logan: I think I may have a problem.

Dad: If it's red, itchy or inflamed, come straight home and notify everyone.

Logan: Ha Ha. Seriously though, is there some sort of medical condition involved with the uncontrollable need to kiss someone?

Dad: Why are you asking this?

Logan: Because I can't quit kissing this girl.

Dad: No medical condition. Maybe you just like her.

Logan: That makes more sense. I thought for sure it was my body’s way of telling me something.

Dad: Like what? That maybe you more than like her?

Logan: You may be right.

I waited around until she was done, which surprisingly didn't drag on as much as I thought it would. She didn't argue when I told her I was staying, and no guys attempted to hit on her, so it was a win/win for me.

She was silent the drive home, and when I pulled up to the curb; I realized it was because she'd fallen asleep.

I nudged her, "We're home."

She started to blink, those big blue eyes trying to focus. When they finally did, they landed right on me. "I was so tired," she whispered, her voice scratchy.

"You want me to carry you in?"

She laughed through a yawn. "No, I'm okay." Her eyes started to close again.

"Amanda?"

"Yeah, Logan?"

"I really am sorry." Her eyes snapped open and fixed on mine. We sat there, staring at each other for so long, neither making a move to get out. I continued, "Last night...the things you said-"

"I can't," She shook her head. "I can't talk about this with you. Not now. Not yet. Okay?"

"Okay."

She moved to open her door and was halfway out when she turned to me, "Are you not coming in?"

"I uh, I don't have a bed. I was just gonna crash at Cam and Dylan's dorm," I finished on a yawn. I removed my cap, threw it in the back seat, and shook my hair out, trying to wake up.

"Oh yeah," she said, like she'd just remembered. "Wait. You drove me to work, stayed through my six hour shift, drove me home, and now you're basically driving back there to crash?"

I nodded

"That's stupid." She turned to face me. "I have one of those pullout beds under mine. You can uh...you can sleep there. I'll swap rooms with Ethan or something..." she trailed off.

I looked into the house; it was pitch black. "He's probably sleeping, don't wake him, it's fine. Honestly, Amanda." Another yawn broke through.

"You're too tired to drive." Her eyes met mine, before looking away. "Anyway, we're both mature adults. I'm sure we can stay in the same room without killing each other, right?"

I smiled at her. "Right."

***

She made up my bed and went to the bathroom. We hadn't said a word to each other since we came in. I stood in her room awkwardly and waited until she came back.

She'd changed into a high school football jersey; it was three or four sizes too big. I automatically wondered who it belonged to.

She got into her bed and pulled the covers over her. She avoided looking at me.

"Are you getting into bed?" she whispered.

I didn't answer right away, because all I could think about was getting in there with her.

"Logan?"

"Huh?" I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Yeah. Sorry."

She giggled.

I shrugged out of my jeans and pulled my shirt off.

She stopped giggling immediately. Her eyes huge, staring at my body.

"Busted!" I whispered.

She gasped. "Get in your bed so I can turned the light off, Asshole."

"I totally caught you eye-licking me."

"Shut up!" she said, but she was smiling, too.

I started to get into the bed, which was practically on the floor. "You totally want me." I smiled to myself.

"Correction, Logan," she said quietly, her tone serious. "I totally did want you. A long, long time ago."

What the hell do you say to that? I stayed silent, until I realized my entire body was shivering from the cold and the blanket she gave me didn't even cover half of it.

"I'm cold." I huffed out.

"Well, that explains your size misfortune." She chuckled.

I could't help but laugh.

"Seriously, turn the light on. I need to fix this poor excuse of a blanket you gave me." We were both whispering, giggling quietly.

She turned the light on and I looked down at myself.

She cracked up laughing.

"You want to explain to me why I'm sleeping under a Hello Kitty blanket made for an infant?"

She laughed harder, rolling around in her bed. She manages to stop, only to look down at me, and laughed again.

"This isn't funny!" I tried to keep a straight face, but her laugh was so infectious. "Look!" I motioned my head to the blanket on my chest. I pulled it up to my neck, and it ended just below my boxers. I pulled it down past my feet, it ended just above them. I did this a few times, because each time I do it, she laughs harder.

She finally calmed herself down enough to speak, "It's all I had." She laughed into her pillow.

I came to a stand and looked around the room.

She was still laughing.

"There's probably something in my car I can use. Anything has to be better than a Hello Kitty rag." I picked up my jeans and went through my pockets, looking for my keys.

"Don't be stupid," she said, still giggling. She lifted one side of the covers and motioned for me to get in. "Don't get any ideas. And don't touch me. Like, at all."

I smiled huge, and got into bed with her.

"I mean it. Don't touch me," she said, scooting to the other side of the bed.

"Okay," I returned, moving closer in and spooning her.

She didn't stop me.

And that's how we fell asleep, with her back against my chest, and my arms wrapped around her around her.