Real Players Never Lose by Micalea Smeltzer
Vanessa
I haven’t goneon a date since my junior year of high school and that was an epic disaster. My date got food poisoning and threw up all over me and the interior of his car. I still shudder at the memories.
While I’ve lacked in the dating department, I have had some hookups in the past few years. After all, I’m not a nun and a lady has needs.
But right now, standing in front of my closet filled mostly with jeans, casual shirts, sweaters, and an overabundance of hoodies, I’m wishing I would’ve prepared better with at least one date ready outfit in my arsenal.
I’m sure my roommate Danika has a plethora of date clothes, not that any of her stuff would come close to fitting me, and frankly I wouldn’t want to wear it if it did. Our styles are a world apart.
Speaking of the devil, or in this case, thinking it, the main door to our suite opens. Danika breezes in, bringing with her the cloying scent of her vanilla perfume. Her bright red dyed hair practically glows as she passes by my open door.
She looks like she’s on a mission, so I’m startled when she backpedals and eyes me curiously where I stand in a robe, curlers in my hair, juggling three different shirts. Well, not literally juggling, but—
“What are you doing?” Her tone is skeptical.
“I … have a…” deep breath. “Date. I have a date. With my boyfriend. A man. Who is my boyfriend. My manfriend if you will.”
She presses her lips together, trying not to laugh. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.” She doesn’t sound accusing, curious more than anything.
“I-It’s new. Started just before winter break.”
“Huh.” She rolls her tongue around her mouth. “Can’t decide what to wear?” Leaning against the doorway she takes in the mess of my room, where I’ve drug out practically every item of clothing I own.
“Yeah.” There’s no point in lying since the truth is obvious.
“Mind if I help?” She hesitates on the threshold.
Danika and I have never really been friends. We became dormmates last year, thrown together when my previous roommate graduated, and she requested a new one. But we’re not enemies either. We’re just two very different people and that’s okay.
“Go for it.” I drop the shirts in my hands to the bed with the others. “Obviously I’m not having any luck.”
She kicks her shoes off outside the door, and walks in. “You should definitely wear those jeans that make your ass look like a million bucks.”
I rear back in surprise at her compliment. The sad truth is it’s rare as a bigger girl to get compliments from a skinny girl. Thank God I’ve never valued my confidence on others’ perceived notion of me. It might sound dumb to some people, but I start every morning by reminding myself that I’m smart, worthy, and beautiful inside and out. It was something necessary when growing up with a narcissist for a sister who loved tearing me down in petty ways. The biggest FU I gave her was when I stopped caring about what she said. It took away any and all power she had over me.
“Um, which ones?” I typically pay so little attention to what I wear that I have no clue which jeans she’s referring to.
“The light wash ones with the rips in the knees.” She purses her lips, setting down a plain black t-shirt. She reaches for a red shirt, quickly discarding it as well. “Do you have anything that shows a little skin?”
I look down at my big chest. “When you have tits like mine, even full coverage tends to look indecent.”
Once, in high school, I got sent to the principal’s office for wearing a turtleneck. I had no idea those could be seen as scandalous.
“Mmm,” she hums, staring at my boobs. “Good point, but you want to show a little skin.”
“I do?”
She stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You said this guy is your boyfriend, don’t you want to entice him?”
My cheeks redden. I realize that yeah, if this was a real relationship and not the monstrosity it’s bound to turn out to be, that I would be trying to tease him. “Um, yeah,” I mutter. “I suppose I should show a little skin.”
She taps her lip, thinking, her finger shooting into the air dramatically in an aha movement. “I have just the thing.” She runs over to her room before I can tell her that I doubt anything she has will even cover my left tit.
While she’s gone, I find the pair of jeans she was talking about and yank them out of my drawer and slip off the pair of black leggings I’ve been wearing.
I’m wiggling the jeans up my ass when Danika returns. “Try this.” She passes me a black scarf looking garment. I take it from her and realize that it’s a short sleeve wrap top.
I fully expect it not to work, because that’s how it goes when I try to borrow clothes, but surprisingly it’s a perfect fit. The top wraps around, holding my chest in and covering my bra so no part of it peeks through. It also does a good job of covering most of my stomach while leaving little slivers of skin to tantalize.
“You’re so hot,” Danika says approvingly. “Your boyfriend is going to take you straight to his bed, forget going out.”
“You think?” Not that I’ll be going anywhere near Teddy’s no doubt STD infested bed, but knowing I look good enough for the possibility makes me feel nice.
“For sure.” She nods approvingly.
“Thank you for your help.” I mean it whole-heartedly. We’re not besties by a longshot, but this feels like one of those quintessential girl bonding moments.
She goes back to her room and I clean up the disaster that is mine.
Glancing at the time, I curse myself for letting it get away from me and quickly take out the curlers, brushing and fluffing my hair so that it falls in more natural looking loose waves. There’s no time for a full face of makeup, so I do as much as I can in the little time I have. I finish off the look with a bold red lip so that it looks like I tried harder than I actually have.
Wiping away a smear of mascara from beneath my eye, I pick up my phone to text Teddy to let him know I’ll meet him outside.
He replies back almost instantly.
Teddy: I’m already here.
I blanch, groaning when there’s a knock on the door.
“Ooh!” Danika squeals from her room. “Is that your man?” She appears in my doorway, an eager smile on her face. I think she’s more excited about this date than I am.
He paid your tuition, I remind myself. This is the least you can do.
“Yes,” I grit out between my teeth. “Unfortunately.” The last is muffled under my breath with no way for her to hear it.
Grabbing up my phone, I stick it in my pocket. My ID, credit card, and everything else important I might need is stuffed into the sticky wallet on the back of my phone. Those things probably have an official name, not that I’d ever remember it.
Before I swing the door open, I remind myself that I have to act like a girlfriend which means showing affection and being excited to be in his presence.
Teddy stands at the door, a few girls in the hall staring at him with open-mouthed expressions. Their gazes swing to me, waiting to see if he’s there for me or someone else.
Bringing his hand out from behind his back, he offers me a single pale pink daisy.
“For me?” I stare at the flower with surprise, my hand outstretched and hovering, unsure if I should take it.
He grins. “Obviously. You are my girlfriend.”
One of the girls lingering in the hallway gasps. I take the daisy from him, sniffing it. I don’t know why I even do that. I always find most flowers lacking any sort of smell.
“Thank you.” I give him a tiny smile. “Babe,” I add belatedly, cringing at my awkwardness.
He chuckles. “You’re welcome.” He gives a long dramatic pause, rocking back on his heels. “Babe.”
Turning around, planning to put the flower in some water, I squeak when I come face to face with Danika. She looks dumbfounded. Her eyes flicker back and forth from the man standing in the doorway to me. Teddy continues to smile, completely unbothered, but I start to feel a tad uncomfortable.
“Do you know Teddy?” I ask, trying to keep my voice light and not betray my burning curiosity.
She shakes her head. “No. Sorry. Here, let me take that so you can go.” She reaches for the flower and I hand it to her. “Have a good time, lovebirds.”
She ushers me outside and into the waiting arms of my … boyfriend.
Because from this moment on I have to erase the f-word from my brain because for all intents and purposes, this is now real.
He leans in, giving me a peck on the cheek. Naturally, my face betrays me when I cringe with awkwardness, but Teddy, who never takes anything too seriously merely gives a slight laugh.
“Relax,”he murmurs, hand resting against my lower back. “At least act like you like me.”
A laugh bursts free of my lips and I do relax. I’ll give the guy credit, he’s surprisingly easy to be around.
“Have a good evening, ladies.” He gives the girls lingering in the hall a gentlemanly tip of his head.
When we get into the elevator, I expect him to remove his hand from my back and step away, but instead he surprises me by clasping our hands together. I look down at our joined fingers with a mystified expression.
Clearing his throat, he says, “Remember, you have to pretend to like me.”
“Right.” A light-sweat has broken out across my skin, and I know I have to be turning an unattractive shade of tomato red. “Uh … how did we meet again?”
We texted last night and randomly throughout the day, trying to build our love story, and now when it counts, I’m blanking.
The doors slide open and Teddy tugs me along since my legs are barely working. Outside, his sports car sits parked diagonally across three spots. I can’t help but roll my eyes at the arrogance of it.
People stare at us as we walk to the car and I hate that a part of me worries that they’re wondering what Teddy’s doing with me.
I’ve worked so hard on my confidence and self-esteem and been doing a lot better. But in moments that old insecurity likes to rear its ugly head.
I stuff down that self-doubting and anxiousness to a back part of my mind.
Teddy opens the passenger door for me, and I mutter a soft, “Thank you,” as I crouch down to get inside the low-lying car.
Sliding into the car and letting the engine purr to life, he finally answers my question now that we’re alone again. “We met when I went to The Burger Palace. You were my waitress, wooed by my indelible charm. We spent the evening talking and the rest is history.”
“And your friends are going to buy this?” Doubt fills my tone.
Even Teddy looks a little unsure. “They will.”
“You should’ve picked someone who’s a better actress.” I play with a piece of loose fringe on my knee. “I’m never going to be able to pull this off.”
Surprise zings through my body when Teddy’s hand lands on top of mine. He laces our fingers together, a half-smile quirking his lips. “I didn’t want another girl. I chose you.”
I inhale a shaky breath. It’s on the tip of my tongue to say something yet again about how any girl on campus would’ve jumped at the chance, but he’s right. He chose me—going as far as to pay my tuition in exchange, which let’s be honest isn’t a fair trade at all.
I make a silent vow to myself that this will be the last time I say anything about it to him.
I agreed to his terms and we’re in this together until the end of the school year when we both graduate. He’ll get his inheritance and I’ll get my diploma.
“What’s your go-to karaoke song?” he asks, changing the subject.
I don’t know whether this is more of his getting to know each other questions or he’s simply trying to distract me.
“’The Real Slim Shady.’”
“Eminem?” He glances at me briefly in shock before his eyes are back on the road.
“What? I can’t like Eminem?”
“Nah, it’s not that.” He grins, driving with his left hand, the other still holding on to mine. It really shouldn’t be so sexy, him driving one-handed, but I think maybe my hormones are in overdrive and anything could make me hot and bothered right now. “You just don’t look like a rap girl.”
“I don’t look like a rap girl?” I scoff, stifling a snort. “What do I look like then?”
“I don’t know, the One Direction boy bander type.”
“Hey,” I protest, angling my body in his direction, making him tighten his hold on me. “Don’t diss One Direction, and I’m perfectly capable of loving both. What song would you choose?”
“Shania Twain’s ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman!’”
I press my lips together, but a snicker still slips through. “I would not have guessed that.”
“I like to keep people on their toes.”
“That you do.” It’s quiet for a few minutes before I voice a question of my own. “I know you play baseball, but I have no idea what position you play.”
“Shortstop.” I look over to find him smiling from ear to ear, green eyes glinting with amusement.
“What? Why are you smirking at me?”
“You know I play baseball.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t act so cocky. You’re popular. I might not be Ms. Social Butterfly, but I do hear things.”
“And what have you heard about me?” He flicks his blinker on. “If it’s the twelve-inch rumor it’s not that big. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still plenty big, but—”
“Teddy?”
“Yes?”
“Are you talking about your penis size?”
“Yes.” He smirks, parking near the front of the bar. “It’s ten, in case you’re wondering. And yes, I measured.”
My jaw drops and I yank my hand out of his. “I didn’t need that information!”
“It’s big, sure, but not too big. Just right, if you ask me. At least, no one has ever complained before.”
“I’m getting out of this car right now.”
“Wait.” He glares at me when I reach for my door. “I’ll open the door for you.”
“Why?” I give him a speculative look.
“I’ve never been a real boyfriend before, but if I was, I’d always open doors for you, so that’s what I’m doing.”
“Oh.”
“I can be a gentleman.” He leans close to me, and I hold my breath, unsure of what’s about to happen. “Ten,” he mouths.
“Oh my God.” I shove him back by the shoulders. “You’re so gross.”
He cackles the entire time he gets out of the car, crossing in front of it, and as promised, opens the door for me. I step out, shaking my head.
He wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me into his side. He presses his lips to the shell of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Showtime,” he murmurs.
Stepping into the bar, I resist the urge to slam my hands over my ears because it’s so damn loud. I’ve heard Danika mention she was coming to Harvey’s before, even extended an invitation my way a few times but stopped after I always said no.
“You like this place?” I shout to be heard, holding on tightly to Teddy so I don’t get lost in the crowd.
“Yeah, it’s the best.” He steers me toward the back and my heart races because I know the moment he stops it’s time to put my game face on.
When I see the big table he’s leading me to, my heels dig into the concrete floor. “Oh no, no, no. I can’t do this,” I practically whine.
He leans down to my ear again. “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Trust him? Trust him? Is he insane?
Trusting him is what got me into this whole fiasco in the first place.
We reach the table, all eyes on us, and there’s no turning back.
“Guys,” Teddy’s voice booms to be heard above the din, “this is my girlfriend Vanessa. Vanessa, this is … everybody.” Before I can panic even more over not knowing their names, he starts pointing and rattling them out. “That dude with the black baseball cap that looks like he’s plotting murder is Mascen. Beside him with the glasses is his girlfriend Rory.” The girl in question smiles and gives me a tiny wave. “That guy there with a furrow in his brow is Cole. I call him Dad.” He points to what might be the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen. You know, besides my boyfriend. “And on his left is his girlfriend Zoey. Also known as Mom.”
The pretty girl with curly hair and warm brown eyes smiles, shaking her head. “And we call him our pet dog.”
I snort, trying to cover it by rubbing my hand under my nose.
Teddy continues on like nothing happened. I think it must take a lot to faze him, but clearly his father gets under his skin.
“The dude with two girls that I have no idea the names of hanging all over him is my roommate Jude.” Looking at the guy in question, muscular and tall even sitting down, with thick dark brown hair and a stubbled jaw, blue eyes shadowed by heavy brows, I decide that all of Teddy’s friends are gorgeous. “On the end there is Cree.” The pale-skinned guy with wavy, nearly black hair, and icy blue eyes, lifts his hand in a wave. “No idea who the girl is.”
“My name is Janessa. We hooked up last year. Did you forget?”
Cree scoots away from the girl and she glares while Teddy shrugs. “I don’t remember most girls, sweetheart.”
Her jaw drops and she glares at me like I was the one who insulted her. “What’s so memorable about her?”
My blood goes cold.
“Way more than you,” is all he says, squeezing my hand like he’s silently telling me I’ve got your back.
The girl ends up leaving with a huff, and the others scoot down to make room for us, while Teddy points out two other guys to me. Daire and Murray. No idea if I’ll be able to remember all these names, but I’ll try my best.
“You hungry? Thirsty? What do you want to drink?” Teddy passes me a menu, nuzzling my neck when he does.
“Um I’ll have a margarita.” I feel like such a basic bitch for ordering one, but they’re my favorite, and I haven’t had one in way too long because I can’t waste my money on frivolous things.
“Sure thing, babe. What about food? I’m going to get a burger.” He plays with a strand of my hair, wrapping the dark curl around his finger. Leaning in, he glides his nose over the column of my neck, and I gasp. I feel him grin as he pulls away.
I read over the menu, only giving it a cursory look, and ask for the vegetarian sliders.
Teddy slides out of the booth to go place our order at the bar, leaving me all alone with his friends. Panic begins to unfurl inside me.
“So,” Zoey turns to me, “you and Teddy, huh?”
She sounds curious and amused.
“Me and Teddy,” I echo, nodding my head a bit too vigorously.
Cole leans around his girlfriend and I find my breath catching at how hot he is. “I always knew someone would steal his heart one day. He said you guys met just before break but didn’t say where.”
“Oh, um,” I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear wracking my brain for the agreed upon tale, “I work at The Burger Palace, so that’s where. He came in and sat in my section. He was very tenacious, wouldn’t take no for an answer, and now here we are.” I give a tiny shrug, like that it explains it all.
Zoey laughs, bumping my shoulder with hers. “That sounds like Teddy. He’s like a dog with a bone.” Sobering, she adds, “He’s sweet and deserves someone who likes him for … well, him.”
“He’s a good guy.” I spot him weaving through the crowd, my margarita and his beer in each hand.
Sitting back down, he slides my drink in front of me. “Here you go, babe.” He kisses my cheek and I jolt, startled by his easy affection.
I’ve never been a touchy-feely person, but he obviously is. I’m going to have to get used to it, so I don’t look like I’m crawling out of my skin every time he touches me. Plus, since this is supposed to look real to everyone, touching and kissing need to be involved.
“Thanks.” I wrap my hand around the glass, taking a sip of the alcohol. It’s not too strong, which I prefer, but it should give me a nice, pleasant buzz. It’ll help me get through this night and that’s all that really matters.
Teddy leans into me, his nose grazing my cheek. We look like two lovers whispering sweet nothings as I curl into him so we’re in our own private cocoon.
“Can you at least try to look like you’re not having a stroke and actually enjoy my presence?” He doesn’t sound pissed, more like amused.
“Sorry. I’ll do better.”
He gives me a reassuring smile. Inhaling a deep breath, I plaster a smile on my face.
“How did you and Cole meet?” I ask Zoey. She seems nice, and even a little quiet like myself.
Her fingers clasp around a bottle of root beer—an interesting choice for a bar.
“Teddy actually introduced us when I needed a place to live and Cole needed a roommate.”
“Look at you.” I grin at Teddy. “I didn’t know you were such a matchmaker.”
“What can I say?” He tips a bottle of Zombie Dust in my direction. “I’m a real romantic at heart.” He throws his arm around my shoulders, tugging me impossibly closer until I’m practically in his lap. His warm lips touch the side of my forehead, my eyes fluttering closed. An embarrassing happy sigh passes, unbidden, through my lips.
My eyes fly open, and I look at Teddy to see if he heard, and if the shit-eating grin he’s wearing is any indication, then he definitely did.
Thankfully, I’m saved from saying something that might mortify myself further when the waitress drops off our food.
Teddy digs into his burger like he hasn’t eaten all day.
“Are you a junior?” Zoey asks me and I smile appreciatively at her effort to carry on the conversation.
“No, I’m a senior.”
“Ah, so you’re graduating with these guys then.” She indicates Cole, the guy named Mascen I haven’t spoken to yet, and Teddy. “The rest of us are juniors. What are you studying?”
“Communications.” I pick up one of the sliders and take a bite before I continue. “I want to get into public relations. Or at least that’s the plan.”
“Have you and Teddy had classes together before?”
I glance at my boyfriend for the moment. He looks a little lost at the question and I frown. “Yeah, we have. We shared a class last semester for communications theory and two last year.”
Teddy looks at me in surprise, and I know he doesn’t remember me at all. If he’s worried I’m offended, I’m not. The classes are huge and it’s impossible to know everyone in class. If Teddy wasn’t so popular on campus, I wouldn’t have been aware of him, and I only ever really saw him in passing because we never sat in the same sections.
“Do you have any together this semester?” She picks at the sticker on her bottle.
“No, not this time.”
I feel Teddy staring intently at the side of my face.
“Aw, that’s too bad.” Zoey frowns. “Especially now that you guys are together.”
“It’s truly a Greek tragedy.” I don’t mean to be sarcastic, but sometimes it just slips out.
I’ve barely finished eating when Teddy grips my hand, tugging me out of the booth.
“Let’s dance.”
“I don’t dance,” I grumble, trying to extricate myself from his hold.
He ignores me, sweeping me onto the middle of the dancefloor. ‘Funny’ by Zedd plays loudly through the speakers. Hand on my waist, Teddy yanks me against his body until we’re practically flush. My breath catches at the intensity in his forest green eyes.
“How is it possible we had classes together and I only just noticed you?” I feel the rumbled vibrations of his voice against me.
I shrug. “I don’t stick out in a crowd. Classes are big and we were never put in a group together for an assignment, so how would you notice me?”
His Adam’s apple bobs. “I should have.”
I look away, the intensity in his gaze doing something strange to me.
“It’s really not a big deal.”
He grabs my chin, tipping my head up. “It is to me.”
My breath catches, brows furrowing in puzzlement. “Why?”
His lips turn down, not quite a frown, more like he’s trying to puzzle something out. “Because I should have,” he settles on.
I look at him like he’s crazy, but I don’t say anything because frankly my brain seems to have emptied of words.
“Why did you want to dance?”
“Why wouldn’t I want to dance with my beautiful girlfriend?” He counters and I feel my face flush. He guides my body easily. I’m a puppet in his arms.
“I like your friends,” I admit. “They seem cool. Zoey’s really nice.”
“They feel more like my family.” He lowers his head, rubbing his nose against mine in an Eskimo kiss.
My hold on him tightens at his words and the melancholy tone of his voice. I don’t know the details of Teddy’s family life, but I know enough that it’s not good, and honestly, I’m a tiny bit afraid of what I might be walking into when I have dinner this weekend with his parents. I’ll have to put my game face on, because that’s the whole point of our arrangement.
“You’re lucky to have them, then.”
“I know.” His lips form a smile, but I see the pain behind his eyes because the people who are his family aren’t the way they should be.
My relationship with my sister is a cesspool of fuckery, but I have a good one with my parents. I can’t imagine if all my immediate familial relationships were strained.
Teddy holds me tighter against him and I find myself tilting my head back to take him in. He’s studying my face, like he’s searching for an answer to a question I don’t even know.
Lowering his head, he sweeps his lips along my neck. Reaching my ear, he says, “I’m going to kiss you.”
“W-What?” I stutter, my voice not holding its usual power because he’s put me under his spell.
“People are watching.” Another sweep of his lips. “You are my girlfriend. People expect us to kiss.”
He’s right.
I know it, and his smirk tells me he knows it.
I give the tiniest nod, but it’s all the invitation he needs as his lips capture mine. It feels like my soul is being stolen from my body, his kiss intense and not at all what I expected. He waits for my lips to part and then his tongue sweeps inside.
Claiming.
He’s staking claim to me.
Fake, I remind myself. This isn’t real.
But God, it feels so real. I find my body bowing into his and he holds me upright. I think we’ve stopped dancing, but I can’t bring myself to care.
He ends the kiss suddenly and it’s like ice water has been poured down my spine. He grins, cocky as ever. He knows he affected me.
“Can we go out again tomorrow?”
“W-What?” I stutter, my brain lagging from the kiss and unable to process what he asked.
“Can we go out again tomorrow?” he repeats, smirking, his green eyes sparkling. “I want to make sure we know each other thoroughly before this weekend.”
I don’t know how we went from kissing to this, but I roll with it, acting as if it didn’t have any sort of effect on me, because frankly, it shouldn’t.
“I have to work tomorrow.”
“What if I came by after practice? I could order dinner and ask you questions when you have time to check on me.” He winks. “I’m a handful, so you’ll have to check on me a lot.”
I bite my lip, unsure if I want the distraction that is Teddy to come to my work, but he has a point. We need to know each other inside and out before this weekend.
“Okay, that should be fine.”
“Good.” His arms tighten around me and I inhale the woodsy fragrance of his cologne clinging to his shirt. “Thank you again for doing this.”
“Stop thanking me. Let’s be real, you’ve done me a far bigger favor than the one I’m doing you.”
He shakes his head. “Stop saying that. It was just some money.”
“That’s easy for you to say when money isn’t an issue in your life.”
His lips downturn. “That’s not what I meant. And money might not be an issue for me, but it doesn’t mean my life is perfect.”
That haunted look I notice from time to time shadows his eyes. An ache fills my belly. I feel bad for what I implied.
“I’m sorry. I know money isn’t everything.”
“No, it’s not.” His voice grows deeper.
The song we started dancing to has moved into another and we keep moving around the dancefloor. When we make it back to the table my skin is damp with a layer of sweat. Teddy’s grown quiet, seemingly lost in his head. From the looks the others shoot in his direction I take it this is unusual, and I feel responsible for it.
I end up downing another margarita and then a third before Teddy grabs my hand and says he’s taking me home.
“I don’t wanna go back to the dorms,” I slur, trying to pull my fingers free of his. “I’m having fun. I want another drink.” I look back toward the bar, waving goodbye to Zoey in the process.
“If you have another drink, you’ll hate me tomorrow, and we have classes.”
“Shit.” He’s right. I totally forgot.
Outside, I inhale the fresh night air, letting the cold seep into my lungs. It sobers me a tiny bit, and I don’t protest anymore, getting inside the car when he opens the passenger door.
We don’t say anything on the drive back. I lay my head against the cool, passenger side window, fighting to keep my eyelids open.
Teddy parks outside Connell Hall where my dorm is located and shuts off the engine.
“You don’t need to come up with me,” I say, reaching for the door handle of the car. “I’m fine.”
He rolls his eyes playfully at me, a smile on his lips. “Just because I’m your fake-boyfriend doesn’t mean I’m not going to treat you like I’m a real one.”
I narrow my eyes on him. “I’m not having sex with you.”
He chuckles. “You say that now.”
“And I mean it.”
He shakes his head, trying to hide his amusement. I think he likes our banter.
“Don’t even think about opening that door,” he warns me, slipping out of the car.
My brows furrow in confusion, thinking what door? When he opens the car door I’m leaning against, I realize he meant that one. Whoops.
I slump outside and with Spiderman-like reflexes he catches me before I tumble onto the pavement. “Whoa, Van. I didn’t know you were such a lightweight.”
“I don’t go out, remember?” I remind him. “And I’m not drunk.”
Comfortably buzzed? Yes. But not drunk.
I get my feet under me and stand beside the car, leaning most of my weight against Teddy, and he acts as if I weigh nothing.
“Come on, let’s get you in your bed.”
I pass him my card into the dorm, wincing when I relive that moment in my head when it didn’t work. God, what a disaster things would’ve been if the man at my side hadn’t come to my rescue.
Who would’ve thought that Teddy McCallister—campus player and all around goofball—would be my knight in shining armor, my savior.
Teddy holds onto me in the elevator, my eyes heavy with the need to sleep. I’m not a fun drunk, I’m a sleepy drunk.
Wait, I’m not drunk. I’m NOT.
The elevator opens on my floor and it’s quiet at this hour. He helps me into my dorm and Danika must still be up because I hear him say something to her before my legs are swept out from under me and my head rests against his warm solid chest. His heart pounds against my ear. Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.
“Ba-dum? What’s ba-dum?” He sets me down on my bed and starts taking off my shoes, letting them drop to the floor.
“Did I say that out loud?”
“Mhmm,” he hums, appraising me with hands on his hips.
“It’s the sound of your heart.”
“I’m not sure my heart should be saying ba-dum. Maybe I should have it checked out by a cardiologist.” He sounds amused.
“Maybe.” I roll over, gathering my hands beneath my head.
Warm, rough fingers brush strands of my hair off the side of my face, tucking them behind my ear. “I’d offer to put your pajamas on for you, but I don’t want to get slapped.”
I mutter something, but I’m not sure it’s even English.
He laughs, and there’s the lightest press of something against my temple—his fingers? His lips?
“See you tomorrow, Van.”
Tomorrow.
Because Teddy McCallister is now in my life.
I fall asleep, still feeling the imprint of his lips on mine. Not even the alcohol could erase the feeling.