Barred Desires (The Deepest Desires 1)

After what feels like an eternity,we finally roll into Pullman. Courtney is mindlessly singing along to Keep On Loving You by Cigarettes After Sex while scrolling through her phone. We made it here in good time, only stopping once for road snacks and a bathroom break—chicks have to pee so frequently, it’s alarming. I want to get us checked in at our hotel quickly and head over to Branson’s place. He lives in a house near campus rather than the dorms, so he doesn’t have to leave at the end of the school year. He shares it with his buddies, Knox and Weston, with whom he’s been friends with for most of his life.

I like them both, I guess, but definitely prefer Weston over Knox since he and my best friend, Aston, have never gotten along. It makes being around Knox kind of awkward at times. No one really knows what happened to create such a dislike of one another, but they can’t even stand to be in the same room together, which is why Aston opted out of coming this weekend.

Come fall, shit will get pretty interesting with Aston attending WSU too.

After rolling our bags into the room, Courtney drops all her shit in the middle of the room and heads to the bathroom. She says she wants to take a shower and get ready before we head out. Why she couldn’t do this before we left home is beyond me.

I decide to hit up Branson to see what's going on tonight. It is a college town and summer, after all.

Me: Hey, man. We just got checked into our room. What’s going down tonight?

Branson: Hey hey, bro! Glad you made it safely.

Branson: We’re having a party at the house tonight. Come whenever.

Me: Alright, bet. We’ll head out once Courtney’s done getting ready.

Branson: Right on, see ya soon.

Fuck yeah. A few drinks and friends are definitely what I need right about now. I try not to drink too often because I never want to be the kid who makes a fool of himself, but I worked my ass off this past year to get into WSU, and I deserve to let loose for a bit.

Courtney finally comes out of the bathroom, and damn, I have to admit, despite how annoying she is, she does look fucking good. Her dark brown hair is flowing in loose curls about midway down her back, and much to my surprise, she has minimal makeup on. I have always appreciated how naturally beautiful she is. Thick, dark eyelashes fan her pale skin, with eyes so dark they almost look black, and her slightly full lips are the palest of pinks. Her freckles are out and proud tonight, too.

“Branson is having a party at his house tonight. You ready to go?” I ask while looking her up and down appreciatively. She giggles at my blatant attempt to check her out and walks over to me, putting her arms tight around my neck and pulling me in for a kiss.

The kiss is short and simple, like most of our kisses are.

“Yes, sir. Let’s go. I’m ready to have some fun tonight,” she says, tossing me a wink while grabbing her purse and slipping her shoes on.

You and me both, babe.