Someone Like You (11 page)

“Uh, what?” I ask, attempting to keep up with her babbling.

She looks stunned and then embarrassed. “Oh crap.”

I stifle a laugh and address the issue that’s worrying me the most.

“That creep
ruined your first kiss?”

A blush creeps onto her cheeks as she nods. “Yeah … and yeah, I know it’s dorky but I hoped it would’ve been better.”

“Well, I could remedy that situation right now.”

Fuck. Where did that come from?

Maybe I’m drunker than I thought.

She stares at me. “No, uh. I
– It’s okay. Forget I said anything.”

I nod but eye her carefully, mulling over tonight’s events.

Things have definitely changed between us. Not that I think that we’re going to get along all the time now but something has happened tonight.

I mean, I know I thought she was the kind of girl who was a real party-pooper but why – despite that she’s kind of nerdy and a pain-in-the-ass – do I find myself slightly attracted to her?

Okay, so she totally surprised me tonight – first with looking all hot, and then the drinking and actually having a sense of humour. Maybe she’s not such a Nerd Girl after all; appearances can be deceptive.

Maybe
Carter was right – his initial impression of her I mean. There’s something to be said about the whole sexy secretary thing and enjoying the scenery.

Maybe
we could actually be friends – since she clearly isn’t into the idea of hooking up. Besides, she’s agreed to tutor my sorry ass. The question is, how do I not screw it up?

Chapter Sixteen

Temperance

I wake up to a loud pounding in my skull.

No, wait a minute …

It’s actually someone pounding on the front door.

Oh God, please don’t let it be Nixon!

Bleary-eyed, I roll out of bed and shove on my glasses,
glancing at my alarm clock as I pass – 12.31pm.

I shuffle to the door, open it a fraction and peer into the hall.

“Anson?”

“She lives!” he cries as he throws his hands up in the air dramatically before pushing the door open wider.

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling and texting you since I came back!” he tells me, flapping his hands as he paces up and down the floor.

“
Why? What’s up?” I ask, flopping down on the couch, wishing that my hangover would disappear.

“Nixon’s cheating on you!” he exclaims loudly. “I just saw him looking pretty cosy with some blonde!”

I nod slowly. “I know. It’s probably the same blonde I caught him kissing Friday night.” I say wearily.

Anson abruptly stops his pacing and suddenly falls down onto the couch. “Oh my God! What happened? I disappear for two nights and everything goes to shit! Tell me everything darlin’!”

I quickly recount the events of Friday night as Anson gasps in horror and looks appalled.

“I’d never have thought it!” he
says, shaking his head in disgust. “Nixon was meant to be one of the good ones.”

I nod. “I know. Tell me about it! Anyway, it’s fine. I’m okay with it.”

Anson looks sceptical. “Seriously?”

“
Well, I liked him but not much as I should have, you know? Thank God or it would have been a whole different story.” I say, stifling a yawn. “Anyway, I’m really okay.”

Anson throws me a dubious look. “You sure?”

I nod reassuringly. “Yeah. I’m over it.” I say, suppressing yet another yawn, which seems to make him suspicious.

“What the hell did you do last night?” he asks, staring at me curiously. “You look like hell!”

“Um, I went out.” I say hesitantly, knowing that if I tell Anson the truth that he’ll spout another ‘sexual tension’ lecture as soon as I say the word Priestly.

“With who?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at me suspiciously.

I hesitate for a moment and try to conjure up some sort of lie but before I can even open my mouth, he suddenly gasps and points his finger at me accusingly.

“You went out with Priestly! Didn’t you?”

“How the hell did you figure that out?” I ask, dumbfounded.

He waves his hand impatiently. “I’m not an idiot darlin’! So, tell me everything and don’t leave anything out!”

I quickly recap the events of last night, choosing to neglect mentioning the almost kiss, but Anson throws me a smug grin nonetheless.

“I told you! Sexual tension!”

“Sexual tension? What have I missed?” comes Priestly’s voice suddenly. “I like the sound of this conversation.”

Oh God. How much did he hear?

I let my gaze wander over to where he’s standing in the doorway, looking extra gorgeous in his pyjama bottoms and white vest.

Damn it
, how can he look so good after a night of heavy drinking while I resemble a walking corpse?

It’s then that I glance at his expression and find that he
looks extremely amused which makes all thoughts of him looking hot quickly evaporate.

Ugh. Kill me now.

No, better yet … kill him.

“What did you hear?”

***

Priestly

“Oh, just something about my devilishly handsome good looks and wanting to have my babies.” I tell her with a smirk.

I just can’t resist messing with her. She’s definitely hungover – judging by her tired eyes – and I can’t help but torture her a little.

It’s payback for all those times she blared her music when I was dying from a hangover.
Not that her taste in music isn’t great – because it is – it’s just that classic rock doesn’t exactly help dull the pounding headache that usually follows a night of excessive binge-drinking.

I bite back a laugh when I notice the blush that has now crept onto her cheeks
and just settle for smirking at her instead.

“You
know, you should get checked out.” she tells me, adopting a faux-serious tone. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the loud music from last night has addled your brain as well as your eavesdropping ability.”

“No, I think they’re both still intact … as well as other body parts and
certain abilities in case you want to check.” I say suggestively.

She blushes again but doesn’t say anything.

Man, she’s too easy to mess with.

I let out a low chuckle as I flop down into one of the armchairs and flick on the TV.

“Um, I gotta go.” Anson announces suddenly.

I glance over at him and notice
that he winks at Temperance and tilts his head in my direction as if to say ‘I’ll leave you two alone’.

Ha! Very ill advised buddy
! We may have agreed to a truce last night but we could be two seconds away from killing each other right now – given our track record.

God, the things that girl does to me!

“We’ll talk later.” Anson tells Temperance before practically sprinting out the door.

I glance over at Temperance to find her pulling her t-shirt over her knees, looking thoughtful.

Why she insists on wearing those baggy shirts all the time, I’ll never know. Especially when I know that she’s rocking some pretty serious curves underneath it all.

“So, how’s the hangover?” I ask, idly flicking through the TV channels.

Temperance glances over at me and shrugs. “Okay, at least my head’s not pounding anymore.”

“Well, was it worth it?” I ask, wondering how she’ll answer.

I am pretty damn curious to know if she’d do it all again or if Miss Sensible will rear her head.

She mulls over my question for a few seconds and then nods.

“Yeah, it was.” she says seriously.

“Are you shitting me?” I ask, surprised.

The girl just continues to surprise me. Maybe she’s not such a nerd after all.

“Um, no.” she tells me with a small smirk.
“I had fun.”

I stare at her, trying my best not to focus on those lips … the ones I almost kissed last night.

“Huh, good to know …” I say, trailing off cryptically.

Maybe this truce thing is going to work out okay.

She eyes me suspiciously but merely asks, “So, what are the plans for today?”

I shrug and she throws me a sly grin.

“Well then, I guess you won’t object to starting your tutoring session today.” she says, adjusting her glasses.

And now she’s back to her nerdy self.

“Oh hell no, Nerd Girl! You are not making
study
on a Sunday!” I tell her firmly.

She throws me a smirk. “Just kidding!”

“You’d better be!” I warn. “Sundays are couch days.” I tell her.

“Couch day
s?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

I nod. “Couch day
s … as in we don’t move from the couch at all.”

“Okay … and what do we do?” she asks, looking amused.

“Eat junk and watch crap TV movies.” I tell her with a grin.

She smiles. “I’m in.”

“Good.” I say. “I’ll make the popcorn, you pick the movie.”

“Deal.”

***

Temperance

I idly flick through the TV channels and settle on some cheesy
TV movie as I sneak a glance at Priestly in the kitchen.

I’m trying not to think about the fact that he nearly kissed me last night
… or the fact that I really wish he had.

I watch as he shoves a bag of popcorn into the microwave and I soon hear the corn popping, followed by the sweet, salty aroma. He then shuffles about, banging cupboard doors and gathering up various junk food items.

The microwave beeps and I watch him take out the bag, tear it open, and pour it into a bowl. He then grabs a few other bags of sweets, two cans of Diet Coke and crisps, as well as a bag of Peanut M&M’s that are currently caught between his teeth since his hands are full, and makes his way back to the couch.

“Hungry?” I ask with a laugh.

He grins. “Hey, all junk food cures hangovers – especially Peanut M&M’s.”

Shaking my head in amusement, I go to grab the bowl of popc
orn when he slaps my hand away.

“
Not so fast Nerd Girl, I haven’t added the
pièce de résistance 
yet.” he tells me with a grin and then proceeds to rip open the M&M’s with his teeth and pour them into the bowl.

“Pretty impressive, huh?” he says, presenting the bowl to me. “They taste so much better together.”

I stare at him for a few seconds before letting out a small chuckle.

He raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“That’s the way I eat it too.” I say.

“
Wow! We actually have something in common, Nerd Girl! I’m surprised that you have good taste after all.” he exclaims loudly, throwing me a devilish grin.

I raise an eyebrow. “Frankly
, I’m more surprised by the fact that you know French.”

“Well, I am a man of
many
talents.” he says with a grin and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“Please don’t elaborate on that sentence.” I tell him with a grimace. “I could live without the visual.”

He smirks but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he throws his head back and chucks some M&M’s up into the air and catches them in his open mouth.

Before I have time to think, I find myself saying, “Finally, a good use for your mouth!”

It’s then that one catches in his throat and he starts to cough.

I quickly thump him on the back and hand him a can of Diet Coke.

“Jesus!” he chokes out after a long drink. “I didn’t think you hated me that much … Are you trying to kill me Nerd Girl?”

I throw him a
sly grin. “It’s the quiet ones you gotta watch out for.”

He shakes his head. “Damn, and there was me being nice, taking you out last night!”

At the last two words, our eyes suddenly meet and it’s clear that we’re both thinking about the almost kiss.

After a few seconds, I clear my throat awkwardly.

“Um, so about tutoring you,” I say quickly. “Do you want to start tomorrow night?”

He
stares at me for a few seconds before throwing me a guilty look.

“What?” I ask hesitantly.

“I kind of agreed to throw a Halloween party before we get off next week.” he informs me with a charming smile.

I shake my head in defeat. “Okay, but after the Halloween break is over, we study. Okay?”

He flashes me a grin. “Sure thing Nerd Girl. I
don’t
look forward to it!”