The Final Chance by Cait Marie
Beth Ann
Beth Ann looked around the open-floor plan apartment decked out in expensive furniture. The building had twelve floors, and each housed some of the wealthier Harleson students. Several of the school's athletes lived there as well. It was definitely a different world from her old dorm building with tiny rooms that could probably fit in one of the apartment’s bathrooms. Bathrooms, plural. Because the three guys living here each needed their own apparently.
“Wow,” she said, breathless as she took in the view from the penthouse suite. The skyline amazed her every time she found a window.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Vince walked up behind her.
“I’ve dreamed of living here my whole life, and it still feels unreal sometimes.” She smiled up at his reflection before turning around. “Thank you for convincing me to come out tonight. I needed this.”
Lacing his fingers through hers, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “The night is just beginning. We are going to forget about school and responsibilities and stupid exes, and we’re going to have some fun.”
She didn’t correct him about the exes comment. Dylan wasn’t her ex. He wasn’t anything but a friend she let get too close. But it didn’t matter. Vince was right; it was time for fun.
Beth Ann pulled him toward the kitchen, grabbing Manny along the way, to get some drinks. With something strong in one hand, she then let Vince lead her around the party. They traveled from room to room and then the other apartments on different floors. At some point, Manny had opted to stay with some guy rather than continue with them. Vince seemed to know everyone, which amazed her since he’d just transferred there.
“My cousin is on the basketball team,” he said when she finally asked. They’d made their way back to the large windows on the top floor overlooking the city. “I was around here more last semester than my own school. That’s one of the biggest reasons I switched.”
She nodded and stepped forward, feeling calm and happy for the first time in months.
“Vince!” a voice yelled.
Vince stepped away from Beth Ann with a huge smile but kept one hand around her back. He gave a one-armed hug to the tall, dark-haired guy. Then, Beth Ann noticed the familiar face beside him.
“Ray?”
“You two know each other?” the first man asked.
“We have a design class together,” Ray said.
“This is my cousin, Shawn.” Vince pointed to him.
“Nice to meet you,” she said with a little wave. She introduced Vince to Ray, and then the former went back to talking to his cousin. As their conversation turned to basketball, she rolled her eyes and moved closer to Ray.
He eyed Vince up and down as he hooked his elbow with hers. “You know, if this is the reason you never come to parties, I totally approve.”
She laughed. “How do you know I never come to parties?”
“Well, I’ve never seen you at any,” he said.
The music and dancing continued around them. She shrugged, not denying the assumption. He was right, and the fact that he noticed amazed her. Maybe she had been too focused on school. She needed to work hard because she wanted to do well, but maybe it was just as important to live a little while she had the chance. Hadn’t Lila’s surgery taught them that?
“Will you excuse me?”
Ray nodded with a knowing smile as he followed where she’d been staring. She sidled up to Vince, and he wrapped an arm around her as if it was instinctive.
Standing on her toes, she kissed his cheek and said against his ear, “Dance with me?”
He immediately grabbed her empty cup and sat it on a nearby table with his own before taking both of her hands and telling Shawn he’d see him later. Walking backwards, Vince tugged her onto the makeshift dance floor—the open space in the living room where someone had cleared out the furniture. Beth Ann wound her hands up around his neck, swaying to the music.
She was done giving her sole focus to school. She could do well and learn a lot without it consuming her entire life. As Vince held her close, kissing along the side of her neck, she promised herself to let go and enjoy her time in this marvelous city.
So, when Vince asked if she wanted to get out of there, she didn’t hesitate to say yes. She let him lead her away from the party, only stopping once to check in with Manny. Her roommate grinned and eagerly shoved them toward the door, encouraging Beth Ann to go have fun. Then quietly assuring her she’d find somewhere else to sleep that night. Beth Ann’s cheeks flared, but she let it go.
With Vince’s hand enveloping hers and the heated glances he kept sending her as they headed down the sidewalk toward her building, Beth Ann’s chest tightened. She reminded herself that this was what she wanted. She needed the distraction, but more than that, she wanted to feel loved, desired. Vince clearly liked her, and his openness was like a refreshing breath of air.
Steeling herself, she gripped Vince’s hand tighter and quickened their pace. The streets never fully quieted this far into the city, but it was about as calm as it ever got in the dead of night. It was after one in the morning by the time they reached her dorm, yet they still passed other students coming and going.
They unlocked the door to their hall and waited for the elevator, Beth Ann shifting on her feet back and forth. Beside her, Vince chuckled under his breath. “Impatient much?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, which only seemed to increase his amusement. The elevator dinged, and they stepped inside. Alone with the doors closing, the tension grew tangible. Vince released her hand, and his mouth was on hers in an instant. Her lips parted with a soft gasp as he gripped her sides and pushed her back against the wall. Heavy breathing filled the air. Beth Ann’s fingers dove into his hair as he trailed a fiery path of kisses down her neck and collarbone.
The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and they stumbled out together. Beth Ann broke the kiss to lead him down the hall. She needed him behind closed doors now.
He chuckled again as she tried to hurry him along, and he moved to walk behind her, hands wrapped around her middle. He pressed a sweet kiss to her temple, so unlike the mood a few seconds ago. She pulled her keys out just as he twirled her back around to face him.
Their lips met once more. With every other fluorescent light off that late, pockets of shadow lined the hall. She twisted her arms up around his neck as he walked her backwards to her door. His hands explored her back and sides, and she wanted nothing more than to feel them on her bare skin.
“Bethy?”
She stilled—her veins turning to ice. She slowly lowered her hands to Vince’s chest, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn around. It was in her head. The familiar voice was only in her mind. It had to be. There was no way—
“Beth Ann?”
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she took a deep breath before finally facing the other direction. In the light above her door, light hazel eyes met hers. The eyes that had haunted her day and night for weeks.
“Dylan.”