His eyes flirted between us. I gave Amber a pleading grin. The last thing I needed was for her to decide to push him. She gave him a fake smile. “Nice to meet you, Noah.”
“You too, ladies.” He touched my chin and walked off with a confident swagger.
Ginger stared. “Okay what the hell was that about?”
“Heaven, he’s creepy as fuck.”
“I know. I’m giving my dad two more weeks and then I’m calling it off.”
Amber shook her head. “I don’t know how you’ll make it two weeks. And if the guys meet him? Prepare for an epic showdown.”
“Which is exactly why they can’t meet him.” I faced the girls. “I need this to work out. My dad is all over me right now and my mom has a lot riding on his job.”
“Babe, this is not your problem.” She squeezes my hand. “We can figure this out. Move off campus. Squat in the nasty dorms by the railroad tracks. I don’t like this.”
Amber was a good friend. Too good for me and the situation I’d gotten myself into. “Give me a few more weeks to clear it up. If that doesn’t work, we’ll figure something out, okay?”
She and Ginger exchange worried looks but Amber nods in agreement. “Okay. As long you promise to be safe.”
I smiled gratefully at my friend. “I promise.”
When I got back to the dorm, Amber and Ginger were holed up in our bedroom. I owed them for earlier that day so I camped out in the living room. Samantha sat on the couch next to me, streaming movies over her laptop with large headphones over her ears. I pretended to study but spent most the time fighting the creeping urge to hide in the bathroom. I knew I shouldn’t, but the idea wiggled into my brain after seeing Noah that afternoon and wouldn’t leave.
I knew if I got through the next two weeks, I’d be okay. I knew I could handle it. I’d been through worse, right?
Anxiety rose higher and higher, climbing up my throat.
I glanced at Samantha to see if she noticed anything different about me but she was focused on the screen. I felt like my pain was visible all over my skin. It prickled. It felt raw. I peeked at the bathroom again. It was so close and I knew there was a razor in the shower.
No. I promised myself. No.
Tacked to the back of the suite door was a poster of Jim Morrison that Amber bought at the head-shop downtown. It was the classic pose, bare-chested Jim with a beaded necklace hanging twisted off his neck. I stared at his face, hoping he’d give me a clue where to go next.
A knock on the door jerked me back to the now and my eyes widened at Jim, wondering if this was my sign.
“Can you get that?” Samantha asked, never taking her eyes off the screen.
“Yeah, sure.”
I rose and crossed the room. Hayden stood on the other side.
“Hi,” he said. “Can I come in?”
I glanced back at my closed bedroom door and my suitemate on the couch. She looked up and waved at Hayden. He smiled in return. “Let’s talk out here.”
His face fell, although I wasn’t sure why. I’d rather have privacy.
Hayden did that thing, the move he pulled on me that very first day, leaning against the wall in the hallway. His long body took up most the space and girls from the hall skirted around him while eyeing his form.
“What’s going on?” I asked, pushing the sleeves of my sweatshirt over my elbows.
“I just wanted to see how you were doing. Things have been hectic lately and the last time we were really together things got…”
“Intense,” I said, completing his sentence. Hell yeah, they did. What I’d give to go back to that night—to the way things were before all this shit started.
“It was, and I don’t know,” he ran his hand through his hair, “was it okay? Any regrets? I hope I didn’t cross a line.”
I frowned and shook my head. “We went over this. It was great. Exactly what I wanted.” I scanned his face. “Are you having second thoughts?”