Saving Us by Wendy Million

Chapter Six

The doorbell rang, and I ran to get it. Annika was applying one last coat of foundation on her face. She’d had a minor breakout and was stressing about how stress had caused her face to combust. The smallest pimple I’d ever seen in my life, but she was convinced the redness stood out more on her brown skin than it would on my pale skin. I didn’t know how to argue that, so I didn’t bother. Instead, I got the door and regretted it.

Johnny, Sebastian, Troy, and what felt like a boatload of other football players were standing on the threshold. Many of them were armed with cases of beer.

“Nattie!” Sebastian exclaimed and enveloped me in a hug. Apparently, he wasn’t carrying the beer today; he drank it before he came. His enthusiasm for me could only be alcohol inspired.

“Where’s Annika?” Johnny zoned in on the one person who seemed to hold his interest. Should I be offended he couldn’t even manage a hello?

“She’s getting ready,” I said over Sebastian’s shoulder while he hugged me a little too long. His muscles fit against my body, but that didn’t matter because my emotions were rock solid under control. As soon as my heart rate got the memo, I’d be golden. Why did he have to smell so good?

“You smell amazing,” he whispered into my hair before drawing back.

“Soap.” Not true. My scent had layers. Body wash, lotion, some sort of spray Annika had insisted on using, and then my normal perfume spritz into my crown. Something delicious that had just finished baking had nothing on me.

Not that it mattered if he thought I smelled nice. Nope. I had other fish to fry tonight. I was most definitely not going to be frying his fish.

Annika emerged out of the hall, and Johnny’s gaze raked over her. My heart rate sped up, but not in a good way. That possessive glint was back. Annika flushed and let him drag her into a kiss in front of everyone.

Looked pretty official to me. The other guys continued talking as though Johnny devouring someone was normal. Maybe it was.

The location of our house straddled the best of both worlds. We could walk to campus if we wanted, and we were also close enough to the downtown core to walk there too. We joked we’d be party central. Neither of us could have predicted these party guests when we got this place.

The other girls showed up not long after the football guys cracked a beer. Pre-drinking commenced, and I did a surprisingly good job of avoiding Sebastian. The fact he was doing a remarkably good job of introducing himself to my girlfriends was also not lost on me.

So great for him and the girls fawning over him. I did not care who he talked to or what he did. That’s right, not a care in the world about him.

Annika eyed me as she grabbed two beers out of the fridge in the kitchen. “Why are you hanging out in here? Sebastian’s out there flirting with everyone else.” She flipped off the tops of the bottles with the opener and held them between her fingers.

“Exactly.” I took another drink of my beer.

“Oh, come on. You have to be in it to win it.” She gave an exaggerated wink.

“I don’t want to be in it. Our talk the other night put this crush in perspective. Maybe you can watch Johnny flirt with other girls and maybe you can think about him sleeping around, but that’s not me. There’s a reason I’ve avoided sporty would-be-famous guys.”

“Any guy can cheat, Nat.” She peeked around the corner of the kitchen. Johnny was chatting with a few other girls. “If it’s fun, just let it be fun.” She leaned against the counter, her focus divided between me and Johnny. The norm lately—only having half her attention.

“Are you actually happy?” I asked.

Annika shrugged. “Yeah, I am. We have so much in common, and he treats me with respect. Isn’t that what your dad is always going on about? Find a guy who treats you right and hang on tight?” She laughed. A few people in the living room turned and grinned at the sound.

Kristy wandered over, a drink poised between her fingers. “What’s so funny over here?” She sipped her drink.

Annika patted my shoulder and nodded toward Johnny. “I’m going back. Don’t hang out here permanently, okay?”

I took a sip of my drink. “What’s up, Kristy?” She slid into position beside me.

“They’re dating, huh?” She watched Annika with a mix of envy and another emotion I couldn’t place. Her dark hair cascaded off her shoulders.

“They are, I think,” I said. “Annika seems to be trying to keep it low key. But I’m sure you understand how excited she is that he’s interested.”

“Mmm hmm.” Kristy took another sip.

We both stood watching them for a minute before I decided to ask what had been on my mind since we made our night-out plan. “What was with those cryptic text messages?”

Her blue eyes darkened, and she shook her head. “I’ve just heard something about him. Bit of ’roid rage.”

“What?” I asked in disbelief. “Like he has a temper because he uses steroids, or he hits girls?” My dad was a police officer in my hometown, and I’d heard heartbreaking stories at the dinner table for much of my childhood.

Kristy frowned, and her petite features clouded as she focused on me. “I don’t know. I asked around when someone said Annika needed to be careful, but as soon as I started asking questions, people clammed up.” Her crop top lifted and lowered with the tiniest shrug. “He’ll be drafted at the end of this year. First round, probably. No one wants to say anything that’ll get him in trouble if there isn’t any proof.”

I looked at Johnny with fresh eyes. “How certain are you that this has happened before?”

Her dark hair swirled around her shoulders when she followed my gaze to Johnny. “Not at all certain. It was one comment by one girl in my class because she realized I was friends with Annika. Maybe she’s jealous? When I pressed her, she wouldn’t tell me anything else. Everyone always just says he’s ‘intense.’”

Intense.I wasn’t about to disagree with that assessment. His laser focus on Annika was either flattering or disturbing. I hadn’t decided which yet.

“Has Annika—I mean—have they been alone together?” Kristy’s eyes were glued to the couple in question, her lips pursed over her straw.

“Not much, I don’t think. I’ll talk to her.” Would she hear this bit of gossip? More than once she’d gushed about how well he treated her. There was no proof that he’d ever do otherwise. One unsupported rumor.

“You ladies ready to go?” Sebastian entered the kitchen, an empty bottle in his hand. “You avoiding me, Nat?” He slipped past me and planted himself on my other side. Across my body, he thrust out his hand to Kristy. “I’m not sure we’ve met. I’m Sebastian.”

Kristy giggled and took his hand in a limp shake. I liked her, but sometimes she was so lame. He was just a boy. A good-looking one. By all accounts talented on the field. But just a guy.

“I’m Kristy,” she said. “I lived with Annika and Natalie last year.”

He grinned and placed his beer to his lips. “I can’t believe the college put all the hot girls on one floor.”

She giggled again. Ugh. Part of me wanted her to drift off somewhere else. Unkind? Sure. The giggle-flirt was my least favorite to watch. Annika, always with eyes in the back of her head, called to Kristy.

“Come meet Johnny.” Annika waved Kristy over.

As soon as she was gone, Sebastian bumped my shoulder and leaned in, so his breath stirred my hair. “So, are you avoiding me, Nattie?”

The scent of beer mixed with the faint whiff of his cologne. A combination I never realized I loved. I turned my head toward him, and our faces were inches apart. A slight shift on either of our parts would connect our lips. My breath hitched.

“Why would I avoid you?” My voice was barely more than a whisper.

“I saw you picking up Annika the other night. You didn’t even say hi.” His shifted closer to me.

“You looked busy.”

He grinned; the straight whiteness of his teeth surprising when it shouldn’t be. When I flicked my gaze to his, the deep hazel of his eyes and the thick lashes that framed them caught my attention. Pretty, almost. The man was built to seduce women.

“I’m never too busy for you.” He slid his hand along the counter behind my back and leaned closer.

“Yo, Seb!” Troy called.

After a beat, he tore his gaze from mine and jerked his chin in Troy’s direction. A silent answer.

“We’re heading out, bro. Are you and Nat staying here or coming with us?”

Sebastian turned to me with an amused expression and took a sip of his beer, leaving me to answer.

“We’re coming.” I laughed. “We’re definitely not staying here.”

With a chuckle, he looped his arm around my waist and leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Someday, you’ll be begging me to stay in with you instead of going out.” He didn’t wait for my response. Instead, he dragged his hand across my midriff, and he walked over to his friends.

I chugged the rest of my beer, grabbed my keys, and followed him. Resisting him was becoming more and more impossible.