Chasing Charli (4 page)

Charli

For the first few days after our almost make out session, I avoid Jax like the plague. I try to make his job easier, messaging him every time I leave the apartment for a run or letting him know of any new people I talk to.

I know deep down he’s following me around, even if I asked him not to. I just always get a sense of him being there, even if I couldn’t see him. The weird feeling you get when you know you’re being watched.

I try to go about my business without getting too annoyed that he hasn’t come around to keep me company; probably just giving me space to calm my raging hormones.

Tuesday, official day one of my avoiding Jax plan I was slightly irritated, sitting in what I’d come to know as my spot under the tree on campus.

“Don’t usually get many new faces this time of year” says a guy as he slides down against the tree next to me.

I give him a quick suspicious look and notice he’s probably on the football team; the jersey he’s wearing and football he’s gently tossing around might have been the dead giveaway.

“I’m Drew” he says and stops throwing the ball momentarily while he extends his palm for a handshake.

“Charli” I say as I quickly shake his hand.

“You seemed a little lonely over here so I thought I’d say hey. You can come sit with us if you want?” he says and gestures to a group of people sitting around a bench not too far away.

I look over and some of them wave in our direction; a few other guys in football jerseys too and some girls sitting together laughing at something.

All I think is screw it; this was why I wanted to come to classes in the first place.

All I do is nod and he grins at me as he stands up, extending a hand out to help me up too.

The short walk over to his group of friends he’s told me all about the local football team, invited me to a party on Friday, and asked me for my number; which I give to him happily.

Wednesday I went out for lunch with Drew and his friends just off campus and the whole time kept an eye out for Jax, thinking he might jump out and tell me I couldn’t be there; jealous of Drew or something.

That didn’t happen.

By Thursday I was so annoyed at myself for caring so much what Jax thought that when my mum called I didn’t think too much into it.

I happily told her that Jax was out of sight and I hadn’t hung out with him since we arrived when she strangely asked about us.

I think because she wasn’t close enough to lurk around and watch over us she was getting suspicious that we would get together, get married, and make babies that weren’t part of an upper-class family on both sides. Well she had nothing to worry about.

She just frustrated me more because she didn’t even ask how I was doing, how classes were going, or whether I’d seen anything suspicious. All she seemed to care about was who I ended up with to continue her line of wealth.

Come Friday I was starting to regret giving my number out. Drew was non-stop flirting and some girls were asking me what I was wearing to the party, and in all honesty I didn’t even care as long as I had the opportunity to get drunk and enjoy myself before I went crazy here in goddamn Harrisburg.

As I make my way home, walking casually and enjoying the warmer weather, my phone beeps with a message.

Every time I get my hopes up thinking it’s Jax but the entire week of only messaging him to let him know where I was, he’d only respond with something simple like ‘Okay thanks.’

I look at who it is and scowl a little at my phone; it was Drew. He was the one throwing the party tonight and was being overly flirty with me for the past few days, which I guess I shouldn’t be complaining about, anything to get my mind off Jax.

Drew: You still coming tonight?

Me: Even if everyone’s staring at me because I’m the new girl, I still wouldn’t miss it

Drew: I don’t think that’s why everyone will be staring at you, especially if you look as cute as you do now ;)

How cheesy.

I look around me quickly and see him smirking at me from across the street. He’s sitting at the café with the usual group of people. I know Jax is lurking somewhere like a shadow which spurs me into action, walking straight to Drew across the street.

I wave and once I got closer, Drew picks me up in a big bear hug before putting me down. He introduces me to the few people I don't know and I wave to everyone in turn.

He drapes his arm around my shoulder in a possessive casual gesture and I slightly tense but don't move away, not wanting to hurt his feelings. We stand chatting to the group for a while and I hear my phone beep with another message. I know it could only be Jax now, since most of the people that have my number are sitting in front of me.

I quickly pull out my phone and peek at the screen.

Jax: He’s laying it on a little thick isn’t he?

I glare at the screen momentarily before quickly replying, regretting it as soon as I hit the send button because I sound like a total bitch.

Me: Why would you suddenly care Jax?

“Who was that?” Drew asks and for whatever reason, that seems to bug me.

“No-one important” I say kind of hoping that Jax hears that, wherever he may be hiding.

“Sorry, you just don’t look too happy at whatever you saw” Drew says shrugging and the group continues their conversation.

I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket again but this time I ignore it.

After a half hour or so the conversation dies down and a few people leave to get ready for the party.

“I guess I should go too” I finally say to Drew and smile up at him, but before I can walk away he grabs my hand and pulls me a little closer to him. He really is laying it on thick and I can’t help but laugh.

“Drew…” I start to say.

“Let me guess, you already like someone else?” he asks and quirks his eyebrow, but I can hear the teasing tone in his voice.

“Well no…yes”

He simply smiles back at me as he brushes some hair behind my ear.

I can feel my phone vibrating in my back pocket and know someone’s calling me. I could only guess who that someone would be. Well at least he's decided to give me more than a few words at a time.

“Look Drew. I don’t know what kind of girl you think I am, but I don’t want to lead you on, or give you the wrong impression.”

He sighs and drops his hold on my waist, “I get it. No harm done Charli” he says before grinning a little and nudging my arm.

“So I’ll see you tonight then?” I ask, a little unsure whether I’m still invited.

“Of course” he says, gives me a quick hug, and then waves as I turn and walk away.

Once I’m a short distance away I look at my phone as I’m walking back to the apartment. I open up Jax’s latest message, ignoring his missed call.

Jax: I've always cared. Don't get distracted with him yeah?

He always cared? Maybe, but not in the way I hoped he would. I know he’s referring to me getting distracted around him the other day when he almost kissed me and it kind of pisses me off. I only got so distracted because it was Jax that was about to kiss me. He's the only one that seems to do that. Wait, is he saying I’m easy?

Before I realise though since I’m too busy scowling at my phone, I walk into someone. I look up, about to apologise and see Jax standing there, holding my arm so I don’t fall back.

I forget the apology and my eyes narrow to a glare before I step around him and continue walking home, trying my hardest to ignore him.

He jogs a little to catch up to me and then keeps up with my steady pace since one of his steps easily matches two of mine.

“What did I do now?” he asks.

I shoot him another quick look before finally sighing and answering – “Nothing", I can’t stay mad at him.

“So…you’ve got a party to go to tonight?” he asks, not like he doesn’t know the answer already.

“Yes, do I need permission for that?”

“No, of course not Charli. Just…be careful okay?”

“I’m always careful Jax. I learn from the best” I say and nudge him, trying to seem like I wasn't fazed by his two word vocabulary for the past few days.

“There’s my girl” he says with a smirk and wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in to his side as we walk the rest of the way home.

“I missed your attitude” he finally says, “You’ve been too well behaved lately. Messaging me when you’re supposed to an all that.”

“I was just trying to make your job easier” I say, enunciating the word job for extra effect. Maybe as a reminder that that was exactly what I was to him.

“Shut up Charli” he jokes and pulls me a little closer, “You know you’re more than a job to me. Is that why you’ve been avoiding me like I’m some kind of leper?” he says, eyeing me suspiciously.

“I guess” I answer, not knowing what else to say and shrug.

We walk for a few more minutes in silence, not the awkward kind though which is good. He still has his arm wrapped nice and securely around me which has me grinning like an idiot on the inside; on the outside I have my best poker face on.

“Can you not follow me around tonight?” I ask quickly, hoping he won’t put up a fuss about it either.

He looks more confused than angry and I’m a little relieved.

“Why?” he asks.

“I just want a tiny sense of normalcy. I don’t want to get hundreds of messages from you laughing at me or the people I’m with” I finish with a sigh.

Okay that all sounds stupid. Honestly I just don’t want him following me. If he was there, I’d rather he actually come hang out with me there, have a drink and unwind, but for some reason I already know what his answer would be if I offered that option.

He shrugs and then nods slightly. We say no more the rest of the way and I practically bite my lip off, wondering what’s going on inside that gorgeous head of his.

Jackson

I pace my apartment living room, nudging the punching bag every time I pass it. I know that right now one floor below me Charli’s getting ready, which means she’s doing her hair and her makeup and probably dressing in something far too sexy for her own good. I can’t even begin to imagine what she might wear to a party that doesn’t consist of champagne and her mums uptight company.

I know I said I wouldn’t follow her tonight, give her a sense of privacy, but I can’t just sit around here driving myself nuts, wondering whose eyes are following her and whose hands try to touch her. Fuck why didn’t I just kiss her the other night? It’s been driving me crazy this whole week and I’ve been non-stop calling myself stupid.

At first I thought it was a good thing that she’d distanced herself from me, but the longer she kept it up, the more it fucking drove me nuts. Seeing that guy Drew wrap his arms around her today, I pretty much gave away my position and jumped out to get her like a caveman. Even messaging her was stupid, but when I saw her eyebrows scrunch together and the little scowl appear on her face I couldn’t help but smirk.

I know I’m getting to her, and she thinks that the only reason I stopped myself was because I don’t want her like that; God if she only knew.

I keep an eye out through the window on to the street and keep telling myself that if I see her get into a cab, I’d let her go on her own since it would be too hard to follow, but if she decided to walk, I had to go, it was my duty to make sure she got there fine; or so I keep telling myself anyway.

What she didn’t know was that I had a tracker in her phone, that I could locate her with a simple app. Okay I know I sound like the biggest stalker right now, but it wasn’t my idea to put it there, it was her mums. She made it clear to me that I had to keep an eye on Charli every second of every day, even if she begged and persuaded me not to follow her. Maybe she knew how stubborn Charli really was deep down. At first I thought she was completely going over board, but it kind of came in handy when Charli tried to out run me. Her mum made sure I put one in her new phone too.

I look out the window for the hundredth time and finally see her make her way out. I groan when I see how perfect she looks. Her hair is down all wavy and she’s wearing a tight dress that hugs her absolutely everywhere. It’s a deep blue colour from what I can see and isn’t too revealing since it’s long sleeved and not too low cut; it’s still pretty fucking incredible on her though.

Fuck this. I quickly grab my keys and make my way out onto the street, keeping my distance once I’m finally out there.

I look at the tracker app on my phone to make sure I’m heading in the right direction and notice its flashing back in her apartment; she’s left her phone at home. What the fuck is she thinking, what if she needed to get a hold of me? Was I over thinking this? Jesus I was sounding worse than her mum. What’s the worst that could happen right?

I pick up my pace to make sure I don’t lose her and watch her the entire way to Drew’s place; my eyes roaming down her legs on more than one occasion. I finally sigh in relief when I see her walk up the steps of Drew’s place. It’s a two storey solid brick house that looks more like a mini mansion than a home; with steps that lead to the front porch with giant pillars on the sides. I find a quiet spot across the street in a park; hopefully since the place isn’t too well lit no-one will see me camping out here like the creepy pervert that I was starting to become.