Everyone is extra friendly, and Grant spins around with some shots for all of us.
“To Charlotte! And Faith!” Grant says. “May they find what they want in love and romance this year.”
I look at Faith’s ring finger, which is notably absent of the engagement ring she was wearing last year when she left campus.
“So, Charlotte,” DJ says in his gruff voice. “Talk to us. How are you doing with everything? You want us to help you find a rebound tonight? Or do you want to just get shitfaced and forget about the world? Whatever you decide, we got your back.”
I smile, thinking how nice it is to have friends like this. We take the shot and I set it back on the bar.
“As much as I appreciate you all, I don’t think getting super drunk will have the desired effect…or outcome.”
“I agree,” Grant says. “You’ve got to feel your feelings and figure out what they’re telling you.”
I nod. As a big, masculine, good-looking guy, Grant’s sensitivity shouldn’t come as a surprise to me, but it does.
“But a few beers couldn’t hurt.” DJ grins.
Maya bites her lower lip and runs her hand over Grant’s stomach on top of his shirt. “And what are your feelings telling you right now, mister?”
“I think they want me to do this.”
Grant pulls Maya into him for a kiss.
It starts out as a peck, and turns into a hot make-out session.
“Excellent,” I say, and I grin, happy for them. Maya lives in Chicago, three hours away from Galesburg, so when she comes to visit Grant, these kinds of fireworks are a common sight.
As happy as I am for the two of them, I can’t help but think about how my own romantic situation is as down in the dumps as it could be.
We order drinks and grab bar stools in the general vicinity of one another, some standing, some sitting. More students continue to pile into the bar and it’s now buzzing. “Senior year,” DJ says with a broad grin. “This is going to be a wild last hurrah. We even got this new player for the football team—not sure if you guys heard the news.”
“What player?” Faith asks.
“Well, there’s this guy who used to play for Saint Simeon College in Monmouth. You know, down the road a half hour? Anyway, last year, playing them was a bitch because we knew once Colin West got a hold of the ball, it was almost a guaranteed touchdown. The dude is uncontainable. Well, now, guess what? He’s playing for us this year.”
“Wait a second,” Grant interjects. “I thought Colin West was a senior last year?”
DJ nods. “He was. But in college, you get four years of eligibility for playing a sport. He had only used three at Saint Simeon, because he was injured his sophomore year. We’ve got this new, young coach here Colin likes. So he figured he could come play here, train for one more year without the pressure of playing professionally, I guess.”
“Is he taking classes?” Maya asks.
“Yep. And as for our football team, with me as quarterback and him as wide receiver? It’s all over for the competition this year. We’re going to crush whoever we come up against.”
“Ahem,” Maya says. “That’s great and all, but I think we should be letting Charlotte vent about her breakup right now.” Maya turns to me. “They were so in love and then they just broke it off like that.”
My stomach sinks, and I frown.
“Sorry,” Maya adds. “I didn’t mean to emphasize the sad part of it.”
“It’s okay, it is sad.” I take a swig of my drink and continue. “In my heart, I still feel like we should be together on some level, even though in my mind I know this wasn’t meant to be and that it was for the best.”
“Well, you know what the best remedy for heartbreak is?” Faith adds.
“What’s that?”
“A new man-friend.”
“I just don’t know if that’s a good idea yet. I’m kind of trying to keep my slate clean for a little bit and just worry about classes.”
“Yeah,” Faith interjects. “And the guy who just walked in the bar has ‘life ruiner’ written all over him. Who is that guy? He’s really hot and I’ve never seen him in here before.”
I look over at the guy she’s checking out.
“That’s Colin West,” DJ says.
I have to hand it to Colin, he’s tall, fills out his white, short-sleeve t-shirt quite well. And that’s not even taking into account how his muscular legs and well, yes, his butt, look in his jeans. If cowboys still existed, Colin would be the closest thing to a modern-day cowboy. Just give the man a hat.
Greg and Baker trail behind him as well.
“Holy shit, he’s hot,” April says. “If I hadn’t just been wifed up by Morgan, I might just jump him right now.”
“Well, no worries,” Alex says. “Looks like Jazmine is on it.”
I see Jazmine, a junior who has become a peripheral friend of ours, accidentally ‘bump’ into him and introduce herself.
“Get in the game, Charlotte!” Maya says. “C’mon, you’ve got to.”
I sigh. “You guys realize those are my roommates, right?”
Their eyes widen. “You’re living with those three hotties?” Faith twirls a lock of her hair. “Well, I guess I know where we’re partying this term.”
Just then, Colin’s gaze catches mine from across the bar. My skin prickles over with nerves, and I look away immediately, cursing myself.
Getting caught staring at the man I am trying desperately to have as little interaction with as possible is not how I wanted this term to begin.
“Hey! West!” DJ yells across the bar to Colin, and then winks at me. “Get over here so I can introduce you to some people.”
My heart hammers as Colin makes his way slowly and deliberately over toward our table with a controlled grin spread across his face.
“Not worried about game day tomorrow?” Colin says, glancing at the beer in DJ’s hand.
DJ shakes his head. “We’re playing University of Illinois. They haven’t been good at football since 2005.”
Colin nods and greets everyone.
“I’m…ahh…” Faith stutters when Colin shakes her hand. She clears her throat.
“You’re…?” Colin says.
“Faith,” Maya says, leaning over. “This is Faith.”
Faith goes bright red. Yes, apparently Colin makes women forget their names. Probably because all of their blood rushes to their nether regions.
DJ continues. “And this is—”
“Charlotte.” Colin grins. “We’re familiar with each other.”
“You are?” Grant asks.
“Yes, we’re both from Galesburg, originally. We’re both townies. We went to high school here,” Colin says. “We’re very familiar with each other.”
“What’s that mean?” April asks.
“When I played at Galesburg High, she was the majorette of the baton twirling part of the half-time show,” Colin says.
“That’s right,” I say through gritted teeth. I smile on the outside, but inside I seethe. Colin is a cocky bastard who is going to try to push my buttons. I know that for a fact. I’m fairly certain he does it just for his own amusement.