Misunderstandings (Woodfalls Girls 2)

He captured my hands in his, pulling me close. “I like that you were bossy. The girls who normally want to hang around me always turn into giggling bobbleheads.”

“That’s because you have a way of reducing girls to blithering idiots,” I admitted.

“You’re not a blithering idiot.”

“I’ve had my moments. It’s those damn lips and pierced eyebrow. They wilt away our senses.”

“You think my lips are sexy?” he asked huskily, running said lips across my cheek. They left a trail of heat across my skin as they made their way to my ear.

“Did I say ‘sexy’?” I asked in a shaky voice as his hot breath breathed into my ear.

“Well, you said ‘damn lips,’ which I happily translated into ‘sexy lips.’ Can I see you tomorrow?” Justin asked, switching gears.

“I have to study for a World History exam on Monday.”

“How about after?” he persisted.

“Um,” I hem-hawed, trying to decide if two dates in a row was a wise idea. I wasn’t sure how fast I wanted things to go.

“Come on, you know you want to.”

“Oh, I do, do I, Mr. Know It All?”

“Are you saying you don’t want to see me tomorrow?” he asked, placing his lips back on mine.

All thoughts of taking it slow and casual fled from my mind like they were being chased by demons. I’d been right all along. He was definitely dangerous.

“Fine, but I get to pick the place,” I caved.

“Deal,” he said, finding my lips one more time. “Now get your cute butt inside before you freeze it off,” he said, taking in the shivers I’d been unsuccessfully trying to suppress.

“Who’s bossy now?” I griped, pulling open the door.

His chuckles followed me as I made my way into the building with a goofy smile on my face.

“I’d be careful with that one. He’s nothing but a player.” A voice startled me from behind.

“What?” I said. I turned around to face the one girl in our building who drove me absolutely batshit crazy. It had taken less than one day last year to see right through her act. Kara put on a good Southern charm show, but after one conversation, it was obvious she was as venomous as a poisonous snake. My instincts had proven to be true. Somehow, she managed to be the root cause of any drama that happened in our dorm. She had an uncanny knack of making people think they were special just as she placed her well-sharpened knife in their backs. Her lies and half-truths had backfired in her face, and by the end of last year everyone was wise to her routine. I’d hoped I wouldn’t get stuck being in the same dorm with her again, or that maybe she’d live off campus somewhere, but I wasn’t that lucky. For the most part, I’d been able to escape her web of drama. Melissa wasn’t as lucky, which would have been enough for me to hate Kara if I hadn’t already come to that conclusion on my own. I had a strict rule: Don’t fuck with my friends. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You hurt someone I loved and that was it. >The ringing of the elevator’s emergency phone interrupted our conversation. “Finally,” I shouted, jumping to my feet as Justin grabbed the receiver.

“Yeah,” he answered. “We’re fine, just ready to get out of here.” I wished I could hear the voice on the other end. With all my nervous energy, I almost ripped the phone from his hand.

“Oh, come on. You can’t be serious,” he replied, looking deflated. “Can you at least contact Rob Froch on the fifty-second floor and let him know we’re in here? He’s expecting us.” His words immediately took the wind from my sails also. I slid back down against the elevator wall, waiting for the inevitable bad news.

“It may be a couple hours at least before they can get someone here to fix it,” Justin complained as he hung up the receiver.

8.

November 2010

Meeting Justin’s family was as awkward as I thought it would be. His mother was pleasant during the introductions, but judging by the surprised look on her face, my visit was as unexpected for her as it was for me. I kept a smile plastered to my face as we exchanged pleasantries, while I plotted Justin’s demise the entire time in my mind. Things became more comfortable after his brother and sister joined us, and I watched how they interacted together. He teased his little sister, Hollie, mercifully, but she ate it up. It became glaringly obvious Justin was her hero. His younger brother, Travis, instantly drew me in with his intuitiveness and tender but humorous insight. During dinner he regaled us with stories that I’m sure Justin would rather have remained family secrets. My stomach ached from laughing so hard. It turned out Justin’s mother was a teacher, which made for smooth conversation also. We talked about my majoring in education and how things had changed in public schools during her twenty-five years of teaching. Things had gone so well at that point that I was in the process of silently patting myself on the back, when of course the inevitable happened, and I dropped a stack of dishes as I was helping clear the table. Justin, Travis, and Hollie had all responded by applauding at me standing among the pile of broken dishes. Suddenly, Justin’s demise became an option again.

“I’m really sorry about the dishes,” I apologized for the hundredth time as Trish, Justin’s mom, walked us to the front door.

“Honey, it’s really no big deal. They were a gift from my former in-laws, so you actually did me a favor,” she said, patting me on the back.

I returned her smile, even though I felt like a complete heel.

“Come back and break dishes soon,” Hollie teased from the couch, where she was reading a book.