I offer her my hand and she takes it, leaving the octopus behind on the passenger seat.
Inside the building I wave at Mary, the lady who runs the shelter. I stopped by earlier to make sure it was okay for us to come and wrote out a donation check—not because I had to, but because I wanted to.
“What first?” I ask Vanessa. This is her day after all.
She rubs her hands together giddily. “Kitties.”
I chuckle, holding on tighter to her hand. There are separate areas for the cats and dogs, so I lead her through the correct doorway. Immediately, she drags me along to the first metal crate, crooning at the glowering cat inside who looks like he’d rather slit our throats than listen to her baby talk.
The notecard beside his crate says his name is Mittens.
“Such a sweet name for such a beastly looking creature,” I muse, staring into his yellow green eyes. He hisses at me and I rear back. “Bastard,” I chuckle, while Vanessa giggles at me.
She peers into every cage, speaking to each cat, before we move on to the dog room and she repeats the same process. We each take a dog for a walk and then play with them in a fenced in area attached to the shelter.
When we’re finished and heading back to my car, Vanessa’s cheeks glow with excitement as she beams up at me.
“This was amazing. Thank you.”
I nearly piss myself when she perches on her tiptoes and presses a quick kiss to my cheek.
“It was your idea,” I remind her, opening the passenger door.
She turns, staring at me so intently I start to squirm beneath the scrutiny. “Yeah, but you’re the one who listened.”
She crouches down and picks up the octopus, sitting with it in her lap again. Before I close the door, she looks at me with a smile. “What’s next?”
“I don’t have any other Valentine’s to compare this to, but … it’ll be hard for this one to ever be topped.” Vanessa gives me a slow, careful smile when I park outside her dorm. I see the hint of sadness in her eyes, the reminder that I’ve done all of this, and we’re not even actually together.
I feel a sting in my gut at her words, because one day in the future some other guy will be doing this for her, and it will be for real.
“I’m glad you liked it.” I rest my hands on the steering wheel, ignoring the temptation to take her face in my hands and kiss her like I did that night at Cree’s place.
“You know,” she tucks a strand of dark hair behind her ear, “I’m beginning to think you’re not the player everyone says you are.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Oh, trust me, I was worse than what they say but people change and maybe…” I pause, gathering my thoughts. “I don’t know. As much of a prick as my father is, I think maybe these months of strict orders have done me some good. I mean, at least I’m thinking with the right head for once.” I tap the side of my forehead.
She laughs. “Whatever it takes, I guess. But Teddy?”
“Mhmm?” I hum, leaning in closer to her, drawn in by her sweet scent of citrus and something vaguely flowery.
“You’re really not so bad.”
I’m shocked when she leans over the center console, brushing her lips lightly against mine. It’s not a kiss, I don’t know what it is, but before I can beg for more, she’s slipping out of the car with her stuffed octopus tucked under her arm and the chocolates clasped in her hands.
She looks back at me with a wink and I shake my head, fighting a smile.
She didn’t let me get the door.
Damn temptress knew what she was doing.
14
Vanessa
My laptop sits open in front of me, and I stare at that stupid blinking cursor, willing words to come to my brain. I have a paper due in three days for my marketing strategies class, and I haven’t even started it yet.
Love that for me.
My favorite brown and orange plaid blanket is wrapped around my shoulders, but even it can’t bring me comfort right now. I’m too stressed for that. I push my blue-light glasses up my nose and pout my lips.
Music, that’s what I need. I slip off my bed and scurry over to the corner of my room where I set up my record player, putting on the Fine Line album from Harry Styles.
I’m about to waddle back to my bed when Danika appears in my doorway. She’s dressed in a sleek pair of black jeans and a lacy mesh long sleeve top over a black bralette. It’s a sleek and sexy outfit, a far cry from the sweatpants and oversized Britney Spears shirt I wear beneath the blanket.
“I’m about to head out.”
“Um … okay?” It comes out as a question because it’s not like Danika to give me a heads up she’s leaving. She just comes and goes as she pleases, answering to no one but herself.
She brushes her curled maroon-red hair over her shoulder. “Are you and Teddy serious?”
My brows furrow at her seemingly random question. “Yeah?” I curse myself over the fact that it comes out as a question.
“Look, I know it’s none of my business but just be careful with him.”
I narrow my eyes on her. “Have you had sex with Teddy?”
I’ve asked Teddy himself and he denied it, and while I don’t think he’s a liar, you never know. He could’ve forgotten.
“Oh, ew. No.” She makes a face. “But I know plenty of guys like him, and it’s rare for them to do the whole relationship thing. I want you to be careful. I know we’re not exactly friends.” She gives a tiny, humorless laugh. “That’s my fault. I’m not very good at the whole friends thing. But I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
I feel this sudden tug, this urge to tell her everything about my arrangement with the campus player, but I don’t because I know how important it is to keep this secret.
“I’m being careful,” I promise.
She nods, her lips twitching into a thoughtful smile. “Okay.” She starts to turn to leave but pauses. “Even though we’re not exactly friends, I’m here for you any time you need me.”
“Thanks.” I mean it, too.
She lingers in the doorway a moment longer before she dips her head in a nod and leaves.
I settle back on my bed, curling my legs beneath me and making sure my blanket is wrapped firmly around my shoulders. Sure, it’d probably be easier to slip a sweatshirt on, but I’ve always loved the feeling of comfort when I’m swaddled in a blanket.
I manage to get a few sentences typed out before I’m interrupted by a knock on the door.
“What the hell?” I grumble, shucking my blanket off.
I swear if it’s Tiffany in the room next to ours, out of shampoo again, she’s not getting mine. I lent her my holy grail shampoo that costs me like thirty-bucks, and she never gave it back. Since I hate confrontation, I never asked for it either.
Swinging the door open, it’s not Tiffany on the other side.
There’s a jolt in my heart, and my hand automatically flies up to the spot like I’m trying to rub away a soreness. But that’s not what it is. No, it’s the fact that my stupid treacherous heart is excited by the image of Teddy standing before me. He’s wearing a backwards baseball cap, loose gym shorts despite the cold, and an Aldridge U sweatshirt. His hair curls beneath the ball cap and his green eyes sparkle like he’s happy to see me.