ROMANCE: His Reluctant Heart (Historical Western Victorian Romance) (Historical Mail Order Bride Romance Fantasy Short Stories) (52 page)

“Thanks.  What’s your name?” she asked.   She felt so calm around him, but the fact that she didn’t even know his name felt strange. She needed get to know this guy on a more intimate level, and knew it all started with knowing his name.

“I’m Derek.  I’m studying fine arts. My major is in visual arts; I’m an illustrator,” he said.

Hilda heard this, and immediately she felt her heart start to race even faster.  He was so perfect, and she wasn’t able to stop her mind from thinking about how skilled he would be with his hands.  Hilda pushed her brown hair back and smiled at him, her flirting game a little bit weak but she still managed to keep herself going.

“So what class do you have next?” he asked.

Hilda tried to keep her thoughts straight and bring them back to thinking about her classes and not about this hot man beside her.  “I think I have another biology class. That’s my major, and I’m taking a lot of classes this year,” she admitted.

“That’s awesome.  I’m here for a fine arts degree, but I really hope that one day I can open my own tattoo shop.  That’s the one thing I’ve always wanted to do,” he admitted, as he gestured to his colorful full-sleeve tattoos on each arm.

Hilda heard this, and she smiled. She liked the fact that he was a bad boy, and in a way it made him even more enticing.  She felt calm and collected around him, even though in her mind all she could think about was what other tattoos he has adorning the rest of his built body.

“So, what other things do you like?” she asked.

“Well, my obviously my favorite thing is getting tattoos.  I have lots on my legs and chest too.  I also love reading, and I’m a huge gamer,” he said.

Hilda felt like she met had her match.  She wanted to get some tattoos eventually, but she didn’t know what she wanted to put on her body forever.  At least now she knew someone who could direct her to a wicked tattoo artist.

“That’s cool.  I’m a gamer as well.  I’ve been gaming less lately though due to school starting and all, but I know how fun it can be,” she replied.

“Oh same here.  I’ve been busy with other things, so my ability to play games as I used to is decreasing.  I love to draw as well, and I’m always looking for models for my art projects. I’d love to draw you sometime,” he said with a half-smile.

Hilda immediately blushed as she heard those words.  He was flirting with her big time, and she certainly wasn’t going to stop him.  She felt so calm and collected as she heard those words, and a part of her was shocked at how easy it was to talk to him.

“Sure, I’d love that,” Hilda replied.

“Say, are you free this Friday?  I would love to hang out with you,” he said.

Hilda thought about it, but she knew that she had a date with Ryan.  She didn’t want to flake out on him.  Ryan was so perfect too. This certainly was not a terrible problem to have!  As much as she wanted to be in the pants of this man beside her, she knew she would have to decline the offer.

“That’s nice of you, but I’m not able to.  I already have plans.  I was going to hang out with another friend,” she admitted.

He nodded in assent.  “Fair enough,” he replied.

Hilda felt bad that he didn’t even try to reschedule the next time they could hang out.  She wondered if there was something that he was refusing to tell her.  She wasn’t sure what the hell it was though, but it was definitely something that she was curious about.

Before she could say another word, Ryan appeared.  He slid into the seat next to Derek, smiling.

“Hey there Derek.  I see you’ve met my friend Hilda,” Ryan said with a smile as he winked at Hilda.

Ryan was having a fun time with this.  He was good friends with Derek, and he had to admit, he had a small crush on him.  Derek smiled at his friend.

“Well I’m fine.  I just saw her and thought that she needed a place to sit.  I don’t know if I’m intruding on your territory her though,” Derek replied as he put up his hands.  Hilda could tell that Derek was a bit irritated about the whole ordeal.  Maybe he thought he would get a chance with Hilda without having to be interrupted by Ryan or something.

“Oh don’t be like that.  I was wondering if you wanted to join us on Friday.  I was thinking we could go back to the dorms and chill, get to know each other a little better,” Ryan said.

Hilda’s ears perked up when she heard this.  He wanted them all to hang out together?  That seemed to wrong, so weird, but in a way, she thought it might be the most amazing thing ever.  It would kill two birds with one stone. Derek was pondering the invitation as his glance shifted from Hilda, to Ryan, and back to Hilda again. Hilda tried to hide her excitement as she waited impatiently for his response.

“Sure I guess.  I don’t know why you want me to tag along.  I think it’s a bit weird,” Derek said.

“Well I was thinking that since you’ve been staring at her for the last ten minutes, you might want to see if you have a chance.  Maybe she’ll like to hang out with you over me,” Ryan said as he chuckled and playfully punched his friend in the arm.

Hilda wondered what the hell Ryan was getting at.  They were both hot, sure, but she was still trying to figure out what to do next.  She liked them both, but she didn’t know what to do about that.  She did want to find out more about both of them, both in and out of the bedroom.

“Yeah sure. I guess we can all hang out,” Derek said.

Ryan was smirking, and Hilda felt like she was going to turn as red as the lunch tray in front of her. She didn’t know what to say, but she could tell that Ryan was up to something.

“Great!  I’ll make sure to have something special planned.  Plus, we can all get to know each other a little more, um… closely,” he said.

Hilda wondered what Ryan meant by that.  Get to know one another? But why would he include his rival in a date? Something seemed off, but she didn’t want to over think it.  She would have fun with them on Friday.  She felt like she was lusting after both of them already, so this date would prove to be very interesting.  It was a weird thing for her, but Hilda decided that it was time for her to just have a good time, let loose, and forget about all of the issues that she had that held her back for way too long.  This was her time to shine and soak in every experience that came her way, especially if it involved action with potentially two smoking hot guys.

*****

Hilda couldn’t help but spend the rest of her day thinking about the hangout on Friday.  She still wondered why Ryan decided to include Derek into the whole thing. Sure, she didn’t want to exclude the guy, but it was still a bit weird to have him around during a date regardless of how hot he is.  She was truly confused but decided to not let it get her down.  She had a feeling that the night was going to be amazing.

The next couple of days went by slowly, and Hilda was unable to stay present and concentrate at all on school. Her thoughts went from Ryan, to Derek, and then back to Ryan again as her imagination took her on some wild erotic journeys with these two guys. She had never had a threesome before, and the very thought of it sent a wave of excitement through her whole body. A small part of her wondered if there was something that she might be getting into that she had no damn clue about.  Only time would tell.

Friday finally arrived and Hilda could hardly contain her excitement all day. She went to the mall after her last class and bought a new black dress to wear. It hugged her curves perfectly and had a plunging neck line that showed off her ample cleavage. She also made a stop at a lingerie store and bought new red Brazilian cut panties. She wanted to look and feel her best from head to toe. The thought of Ryan and Derek tearing her new panties off of her made her lower region heat up and start to dampen. This was going to be some night!

Seven o’clock finally arrived and Hilda put the finishing touches on her make-up. Her phone chimed and vibrated on the bathroom counter and Hilda quickly grabbed it to see what was up. “
I’m here
” read a text from Ryan.  Hilda felt butterflies of excitement in her belly as she popped her lipstick and phone into her purse and headed downstairs.

She opened the front door and there he was; Ryan stood there in front of her in dark jeans and a grey designer hoodie. He was alone, and there wasn’t a sign of Derek.  Hilda was confused, but then again, maybe something happened.  Maybe Derek bailed out on the whole thing.  Maybe Ryan was just pulling her leg.

“Hey there,” she said.

“Hey yourself, beautiful.  So, are you ready for what I have planned tonight?” he asked in a smooth voice.

Hilda nodded, still unsure of what it was he had planned.  She would just have to go with the flow, and she would wait and see what would happen next.  Ryan led her down the front steps and into his car, which was parked in the driveway.

“So I figured we could go out for sushi.  My treat,” he said.

Hilda nodded, wondering what it was that he had planned beyond some raw fish.  She wondered if there was more to this than what met the eye.  He drove fast, and they arrived at the restaurant in no time flat.  When they got there, he got out, staring at Hilda with a sly grin.

“Here we are,” he said.

Hilda walked out, and she was immediately hit with the beauty of the place.  It was not your average sushi bar, with marble floors and crystal chandeliers. He led her in, and soon they were guided to a private table for two in a little sectioned off room.  There was an aquarium next to them that separated their room from the room next to them.

“Sorry for being late.  I hate it when I don’t make it to dates on time,” he admitted.

“It’s fine.  Trust me, I was keeping myself occupied,” she admitted.

“Good.  I’m glad.  I didn’t want you to think that I was going to ditch you or anything.  So what do you think about this place?” he asked.

“It looks amazing.  I’m surprised that there is so much going on here,” she admitted.

“That’s true.  This is one of my favorite sushi restaurants near the campus.  Derek and I normally come out together and we hang out here after class,” he said.

Hilda’s ears perked when she heard those words.  What did he mean by that?  Was he seeing Derek?  Or was there something else about their friendship that she didn’t know about.

“Speaking of Derek, where is he?” she asked.

He smiled.  “Oh he’s going to be a bit late.  I’m sorry, but he had a couple of personal things to attend to.  He said to go on without him,” he admitted.

Hilda nodded, wondering what was going on.  She liked them both, but there was something mysterious about them.  She liked the way things were shaping up though for the evening.

“So Ryan, do you have any other aspirations?” she asked.

“Well yeah.  Besides becoming a surgeon, I would love to travel all around the world and check out some amazing places.  I know that won’t happen for a very long time, but imagine it’s going to be a great thing in the future,” he said.

Hilda nodded, wondering what it was he was thinking about.  There was a lot on his mind, and Hilda wondered what it was that was bothering him so much.  She could tell that there was something that he wasn’t saying, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before he spilled it to her.

The two of them talked for a while, and Hilda could tell that there was something that he wanted to say to her.  She wondered what it was that he was thinking about, but she didn’t know for sure what it was that was eating away at him. She sighed, trying to figure out what it was.  They talked about everything else but the issue that he had on his mind.  Hilda wondered if it was smart to bring something like that up, but then again she didn’t know if it was an issue that bothered him a whole lot or not.

The rest of dinner was nice, and the two of them were able to get to know one another without any issues or hiccups.  Hilda felt connected to Ryan, and she felt like he was a great guy.  Hilda did have fun, despite the issues that she had with the whole secretive thing.  Maybe he would tell her at the end of the date.  It was worth a shot.

Hilda’s mind was racing as she thought about that.  She did want to know the answers, but she had no idea about how to get them from him.  He was keeping a tight lip on the whole thing, so she had no clue what it was that was bothering him.  It was weird, but usually secrets were never like that between her and the people she went out on dates with.  She usually was able to tell what the other was thinking, and what the secret was.  She thought that there was more to this than what met the eye.

The rest of the date was fine, but as Hilda got up as they were leaving, Ryan stopped.  He turned to her and looked at her with a curious glance.

“I want to ask you something.  Something that has been bugging me for a little bit.  Why don’t we go over to the park near close to here and talk there.  I promise it’s nothing bad about you.  It’s just something that I’ve been meaning to talk to you about but haven’t been able to,” he said.

Hilda listened to this, wondering what it was that was bothering him.  She imagined it was something big due to the fact that he was keeping a tight lip on the whole ordeal.  It had to be something big, it just had to be.  Hilda was determined to find out, and she would see to it that she got the answers that she wanted to.

They walked out, with Hilda looking back to see if there was anyone following them. She felt like there would be for some reason, even though this wasn’t anything bad.  He was just talking to her about life and such, and she didn’t want to think that it was anything out of the ordinary.  When they got to the edge of the park, he led her over to a bench.  It was in the middle of a small forest, and Hilda wondered what it was.  She wondered why this man pulled her all the way out here.  What was it that he was keeping from her?