Combust (The Wellingtons #1) (10 page)

A scowl crossed Cohen’s face, and I looked at him with pleading eyes, but it was no use. Turning to Teddy, I let him know that I’d spotted a friend and would be back. He let me go, and I scurried down the stairs and pushed through the throng of drunken students as I desperately tried to reach the front door, where I knew Cohen had gone. By the time I made it out the door and onto the front porch, I felt a sense of déjà vu from the last time I’d been here with Cohen, but another sense, one of dread, washed over me, somehow knowing that, this time when I followed him down the street, it wouldn’t end up the same way. I’d seen the disappointed look on his face when he saw Teddy, and instead of staying to talk to me, he’d taken off. And I probably deserved that since I’d done the same thing.

Shaking my head to myself, I saw him down the street and ran after him, but this time, he wasn’t joking around and humming an Elton John song—which is probably a good thing, because if he wanted to sing The Bitch is Back, I wouldn’t have been able to blame him.

“Cohen!” I called to him, and as if he couldn’t hear me, he just kept right on walking. Not wanting to look like an idiot, I didn’t bother yelling again and flew at him as fast as I could, slamming into his body when I finally reached him.

He stopped and steadied himself before turning towards me. I felt dread wash over me as his usually bright, green eyes turned dark, a storm brewing in them. His jovial grin was gone, and his jaw was set tight. He could barely even look at me.

And that’s what brings me to now. I’m watching him walk away, frozen in my spot, unmoving. My heart is in my throat, rendering me speechless while my brain is screaming at me to tell him that he’s wrong. I don’t regret him at all. I regret not being forthcoming with him, but spending that night with him, getting to know him? I’d never regret that. I have no idea how long I stand there watching him, but he’s long gone before I turn back around and head back up the street to where Teddy still stands, waiting on me. He’s looking at me with confusion.

“What was all that about?” he asks, gesturing off into the distance.

Knowing that there’s nothing I can do now, I plaster what I hope is a big smile on my face. “That? That was nothing, Teddy. Just a big misunderstanding. That’s all.” I nod my head back towards the party. “How about we challenge Cy and Reese to a game of beer pong? You in?”

He throws an arm around my shoulder and gives me a wicked grin. “That sounds like a great idea, Andi. Let’s do it.”

Letting out a deep breath, I allow him to lead me inside, farther and farther from where I know, deep down, I’d rather be.

AS SOON as I got back to my dorm that night I’d left Andi standing in the street, I felt like an asshole. A jerk. A whiny, overdramatic juvenile who’d thrown a tantrum because the teacher on the playground had told him that he had to share his favorite ball—that it wasn’t just his. I wanted to turn around and go back to that party, to tell Andi that, yes, we should be friends. Because any Andi would be better than none, right?

So did I go back to the party to declare my undying need for friendship with her? Hell fucking no. I was still licking my wounds and figured I could give it a while before I put my ball in that court. Let my angry words die down a little. No one ever said eighteen-year-old guys were smart, right?

Instead, I spent the weekend taking Knox’s advice. I’ll spare all the jerky details, but it actually turned out to be a pretty damn good tactic to ensure I didn’t get off too soon. The real test would be whenever I got around a woman again, especially one as tight as Andi.

The next week, Andi started popping up everywhere. As good as her disappearing act had been over the last three weeks, it was as if Houdini’s invisibility cloak had faded and I couldn’t help catching glances of her almost anywhere I went. Occasionally, our eyes would meet and hold for a moment or two, but then one of us would revert our gaze and keep on walking. She was always with another girl and guy, and sometimes another guy was with them—one I recognized as the guy from the party. The other two were clearly a couple, all over each other, but Andi and the party guy didn’t act like that, and it got my hopes up that they were just friends. By Friday afternoon and after about fifty Andi sightings, I decided to stop being a pussy and man up. Be her friend, and I knew just what to do to extend the olive branch.

Over the weekend, I stayed in my dorm, studying and working on the project that I knew was sure to make her smile and let me back in. Now, I’m about to execute that plan. However, I’m feeling a bunch of nerves in the pit of my stomach. Swallowing hard, I open the door to the on-campus coffee shop, thankful that it’s not a busy time of day. I walk up to the counter and am greeted by a pretty smile, the one of the girl I always see with Andi. Reese, apparently, if her nametag is any indication. I’m thankful that Seth wasn’t full of shit when he told me I could find her here.

“What can I getcha?” she asks in a cheerful tone.

Making sure no one is behind, I proceed to take my time as I go over the menu. She watches me like she has all the time in the world. I finally order some flavored latte and Reese goes to town making it.

“Hey, you’re Andi’s roommate, right?” I ask, hoping my suspicions are correct.

She sets the cup on the counter next to me and eyes me warily. “Who wants to know?” she asks as her eyes rake over me as if she’s trying to figure out if we’ve met.

“Oh, sorry. Of course. I’m Cohen,” I tell her, holding out my hand and giving her what I hope is an award-winning smile that says, “I’m not a creep. Give me info,” even though I realize how creepy that sounds. She hesitates for a moment and then shakes my hand. “I met Andi at a party a few weeks ago. She gave me her number, and somehow, I lost it and haven’t been able to get ahold of her.”

“She gave you her number at a party?” she questions, sounding disbelieving. Dammit. Even at lying, I freaking blow. “Andi doesn’t ever give anyone her number. Are you sure you have the right girl?”

Clearing my throat, I can feel sweat start rolling down my back as I try to figure out what to say. If she knows Andi as well as I think she does, she probably knows what happened. Fuck. “Yeah, I’m sure. As long as your roommate has gorgeous red hair, adorable freckles, and a weird crush on Elton John. Don’t worry. I told her I could look past that,” I say with a laugh, hoping I sound confident.

Her eyes dance with amusement and she starts to laugh along with me. A sense of relief washes over me as I realize that Andi must not have shared about our night, and for once, I’m completely okay with that, not at all upset to be kept a secret.

“I told her not to wear that damn T-shirt out in public.” She looks back up at me and her eyes soften. “That party was at the beginning of the school year, right?” Reese looks like she’s just been asked to choose between kicking a puppy and stealing candy from the most adorable baby on the planet, and dread begins to set in.

“Uh, yeah. It was the first weekend of the semester. I’ve been pretty busy with school and haven’t had a chance to track her down. My roommate Seth rushed the fraternity that your boyfriend is in and found out you two were roommates. My investigative skills could use some help.”

The bell rings, signaling another customer, and Reese yells back for one of her coworkers. She leans forward and rests her elbows on the counter. “Look, I’ve gotta get back to work. I believe that you met Andi. I remember that night, and as drunk as I was, I know she disappeared and never was able to get out of her who she was with. I’m guessing I’m looking at him right now.” She pauses, and I nod in confirmation. Her sigh is deafening, and I steel myself for whatever she’s about to tell me. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, because you seem like a nice guy, especially if you didn’t mind that awful T-shirt, but you’re a little too late. She’s seeing someone. It’s new, and knowing Andi, I have no idea how far it’s going to go. I just thought I should warn you before you go off looking for her.”

Swallowing hard, I give Reese a nod as I try to play it off. “Hey, it’s cool. We only met once, so really, it’s no big deal. I do, however, appreciate you letting me know. I would’ve felt like a complete douche if I’d have asked her out when she already had a boyfriend. I owe ya one,” I tell her with as much of a ‘whatever’ attitude as I can muster when, in reality, I want to punch myself in the face for waiting so long. It’s one thing to be friends with a single girl. It’s a whole other ballgame trying to be friends with some other guy’s girl, and that’s one tree I’m not about to go barking up, no matter how much I want Andi in my life.

I dig into my book bag until I find what I’m looking for. Pulling out the CD case, I hand it over to Reese. “Can you do me a favor? Make sure Andi gets this. I promised her some new tunes.”

She looks from me to the CD then back at me again. “Sure thing. I’ll make sure she gets it.”

With a nod of thanks, I turn around and begin to leave the coffee shop.

“Hey, you forgot your coffee!” she yells after me.

Not wanting to turn back to face her, I simply call out, “Keep it. I don’t need it anymore.”

As I make my way across campus, I decide that it’s time to take the rest of Knox’s advice. I’m a freshman in college, away from Mom and Dad, out on my own for the very first time. There are beautiful women all around me, and it was stupid to get attached to the very first one I met. It’s time to get out there, experience life, and figure out everything I’ve been missing since I’ve been locked away in the lab or my dorm room.

After my last class of the day, I head back to the dorm where Seth is already pre-gaming for the night.

“Hey, man. Got plans tonight?” he asks even though he already knows the answer to that question.

“Nope. How about you?” I grab a beer from the refrigerator, thankful that having an older brother like Branson is actually good for something. He stocked me up after Andi and I depleted his original supply.

“Party at the house. I know you’re going to tell me no, but I’m not letting you. We’ve been in college for over two months and all you do it go to class and study. You’ve only been to two parties this entire year. Tonight, my friend, you’re coming out, you’re getting drunk, and if all goes well, you’re getting laid.”

Shaking my head at him, I chug the beer before getting another one. “I’m with you on the going out and getting drunk part. As far as getting laid, we’ll see about that. Chicks haven’t exactly been throwing themselves at me, Seth.”

“Dude, chicks look at you all the time. You’re just too busy with your nose stuck in a lab book to notice. Trust me. You’ll see tonight. The girls who hang around the frat parties are pretty easy.”

“Right. That’s exactly the kind of girl I’m looking for.” I raise an eyebrow at him as I take a sip of my beer.

“I didn’t say you had to marry her. Just get your pool stick wet. You’re too wound up. A good blow job would work wonders on your mood.”

“You’re an asshole. There’s nothing wrong with my mood. And I already agreed to go, so there’s no reason to try and entice me with promises of loose women and blow jobs. I’m in.”

Seth started to go on about the amazing girl he meant last weekend who apparently lacked a gag reflex. I tuned him out when he suggested I try to find her at the party, not wanting any of his sloppy seconds. Not really wanting anyone’s sloppy seconds. Knox’s words play in my mind.
Get out there. Test the water. Experiment.

Even though I know there’s a chance Andi might be there, I decide that I’m going to do just that. She’s moved on, and I’m going to do the same. We’re adults. We can be in the same place at once without it getting weird. In all honesty, we’ll probably just avoid each other, especially if she listened to that damn mix CD. It doesn’t matter. That’s water under the bridge at this point.

She’s happy. I’m happy for her and can’t wait to see who I meet tonight when I’m out on the prowl with Seth. Andi and I are nothing—were never even a thing, so it’s going to be easy, right? Sometimes I wish I could turn the scientific part of my mind off, because I’m so damn tired of analyzing everything that’s happened since I met her—not even sure why I’m doing it in the first place.