Four days after my date with Dain, I was ready to tear my hair out.
Not because of him, of course.
He’d called me every night since our date and our talks lasted late into the night.
Midterms were what had me ready to kill someone.
In fact, everyone in the apartment was antsy.
Fights broke out between us over the most random crap.
The coffee pot never stopped percolating, and our trash bins overflowed with the wrappers from power bars and empty Rockstar cans.
We were wired, snippy, and tired, and it took everything I had to focus on my studies and not Dain.
He made it damn hard, texting me here and there to ask how it was going, inviting me to a movie this weekend, dropping by with burgers and shakes from Moo-Yah for dinner and sitting by unobtrusively as I studied—pen in one hand burger in the other.
It counted as a date, he said, even if I hardly looked at him while we ate.
God knows I wanted to throw myself at him; sitting across from me looking yummy in his blue T-shirt and jeans, those glittering green eyes fixed on me.
Unfortunately, school was more important than my mission, and I had plenty of time to make things happen with Dain.
I’d roped a guy way quicker than I’d planned, so now I could relax and enjoy the next forty-five days with Dain.
Although, if I were being honest with myself, I wanted something beyond the sixty days I’d given myself to lose my virginity.
Especially since I’d found a guy that was more than passably likeable.
I snapped out of my daydreaming and blinked, finding Kinsley’s annoyed face across from me.
She rolled her eyes at me.
Kinsley sighed and tapped the neon-colored flashcards in her hand against the table.
Kinsley
Seriously, if you’re going to zone out on me, I’d rather study without you.
I smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
Jennifer
Sorry, I’m here, I swear.
Jennifer
Repeat the question?
Since me, Kinsley, and Christian were in the same World Religions class, we’d decided to study together for the midterm.
When I’d zoned out we were going over Taoism.
Now, apparently, we were on Buddha.
Kinsley
Siddhartha Gautama.
Kinsley
Tell me about him.
Jennifer
Siddhartha Gautama, AKA, Buddha.
Jennifer
Born in Nepal. He was a prince who lived a secluded, pampered life.
Christian
When he finally ventured out into the world, he discovered all the terrible suffering people went through.
Christian
After that day he left his home and family to live an ascetic life and find a way to relive universal suffering.
The doorbell rang and I paused, frowning.
Kinsley
Did someone order food?
I gestured toward the Chinese cartons scattered across the table among our open books.
In the living room, more cartons were on the coffee table between Luke and Chloe, who were quietly studying World History and Economics.
Kinsley
Food already came.
Christian stood and put a hand on Kinsley’s shoulder.
He trudged to the door, grumbling about jerkoffs disturbing us during the one week a semester we needed to be left alone.
Poor guy was all stressed out.
Between midterms and the looming football playoffs, he had a lot on his plate.
His tone changed when he found out who was on the other side of the door.
Christian
Flowers? For me? You shouldn’t have.
Dain
Yeah, of course. I’m in love with you, always have been.
Dain
Get out of my way, jackass, I didn’t come to see you.
I perked up at the familiar voice.
My hands immediately went to my hair and my eyes went wide as I encountered my messy ponytail with strands flying every which way.
I think I come across a pencil or two in there, too.
Kinsley rolled her eyes again.
If she kept it up, they were going to get stuck like that.
Kinsley
Didn’t you tell your boyfriend we had studying to do?
I whipped a fortune cookie at her before quickly pulling my hair from its ponytail and finger-combing it.
The guys’ voices were getting closer, so I gave my outfit a once over.
I shrugged as I realized I could do nothing about my worn white tank top and PINK sweatpants.
However, I did flick a sticky piece of white rice off my boob.
Jennifer
You wouldn’t be bitching if Aaron showed up.
I was right and she knew it, so she silently sulked in her chair as Dain and Christian entered the kitchen.
Dain was holding a bouquet of flowers, an assortment in a variety of bright colors.
As I stood, he smiled and rounded the table toward me, ignoring everyone else.
When he grabbed me, kissing me like he hadn’t seen me in years, I melted.
This is why I was falling for this guy like there’s no tomorrow; no matter how many other people are in the room, he made me feel like I’m the only one.
