Read The One Awakened: Book 1 in The One Trilogy Online
Authors: Alexandra North
Sebastian & Lucia’s journey has been so much
more than I had ever dreamed
-
The One
is out there for all of us.
“What is a friend? A single soul in a two bodies.”
Aristotle
In no particular order for…
THE ONE AWAKENED
We enter the murky underground bar where pretty much every student at Lords Uni frequents, and smile at each other, anticipative of what tonight may bring. The Cave is a grotty, musty hole of a place, which housed crappy live bands, smelled damp and offered watered-down beer. None of that mattered though; the vibe was always great.
Abby and I had only been a couple of times since moving into Dorms
,
once to eat (never again!) and once, for Happy Hour. That night had been memorable and we’d definitely come away happy, or at least until we threw up the copious amounts of Malibu & pineapple consumed from dodgy plastic pint glasses! The Bar’s aptly named and
the
place to go if you were single, with plenty of Neanderthal men - full of grunting, boozing and male bravado. However, tonight we were going to their Friday night blast. The theme is
Dance
and that’s exactly, what we intend to do. We are 19, young, free and attractive. Life is good and we are open to new opportunities and exciting adventures!
“If one more waster, letches over me I’ll lose it!”
Abby shudders at the thought and fluffs up her freshly dyed bright red hair. The picture on the box of dye had shown a vibrant girl with warm copper locks but somehow Abby’s hair had over-developed into something more likened to scary clown than saucy chick; the results were
should we say,
extreme. I feel for her, but even the harsh, fiery red tones couldn’t detract from her lovely face and big brown expressive eyes. She really could pull off anything and on a positive note; it certainly made her stand out in a busy crowd- I wouldn’t lose her!
“I thought you wanted to meet someone Abs? Behind every frog is a prince, or something like that!”
“Bollocks! You just made that up. More like behind every frog is a horny toad!” She whacks my arm and I burst out into floods of laughter. “Besides, I think I’ll be lucky to attract Shrek tonight with this hair.”
“True. But don’t be so harsh yourself. Let’s just have some fun. It’s our first year at Uni. I, for one, am not interested in settling down or getting serious with
any
man - especially not one from
here
.”
“Tell that to the guy with the cross eyes and spittle lips in the corner. He’d definitely be a grateful lover!”
Yuk! We both shudder and giggle in unison.
There’s a huge scrabble at the bar, and feeling daring, I nudge in and order us two beers. I can feel pressure from jostling punters at my back and to both sides, but stand my ground. We’d quickly learned it was the only way and you had to be tough to brave the Cave Bar. As I turn to pass one plastic pint glass to Abs, impressed with my skill, I’m careful not to spill a drop; I groan as my elbow is knocked and the chance of saving both myself and my drink is negligible. In that split-second instant I become a walking-talking cliché – my nipples now perky and on show through my wet vest-top; the scent of weak ‘eau de Tetley’s’ all over me. All we needed was a ton of wet mud and Abs and I would have every man in that bar at our beck and call; but purely for the wrong reasons. Tits and ass and female wrestling; the stuff of most young men’s wet dreams.
“What the hell?”
I’m sure the anger is evident on my face as I look down at my top. “Nice!”
Shaking my head incredulously, I spin around and am met by a solid male wall of heat. He was the culprit and the jostler at my back. Glancing up slowly, I lock eyes with the most intense blackened pools I’ve ever looked into, and review the drink spiller at my leisure. He is utterly devastating. Almost perfect apart from a slight bump in his otherwise straight nose, probably from a sports related injury - he certainly looked like he played a lot of sport. Yum!
Jutting cheekbones, a well-defined jaw and two-day stubble show off those amazing dark melted chocolate eyes, which are enhanced by short inky hair, worn slightly longer and messy on top; my fingers itch to delve into it. Even his clothes are effortlessly seductive - plain black slim-fit T, over black faded jeans. He is fit, and Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. I know I’m staring, but I truly can’t help it. He’s the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Seriously
,
heart-stoppingly, dry-mouth tasty.
I watch as his brow furrows in question at my open gawking.
“Like what you see?” His magnetic eyes crinkle at the corners and his generous mouth smirks.
“Sorry.”
My thoughts are interrupted and I feel myself flush, and flustered, shake my head to pull myself together. The air seems to have left my lungs and I’m struggling to breathe.
How full of himself was this guy? How annoyed are you at your obvious reaction to him?
My disloyal inner voice sides with the drink spiller.
I find my tongue and moisten my lips before framing myself and grinding out
.
“Actually no. I’m not bloody sorry,
you’re
the clumsy oaf!”
There. That told him!
“You should watch what you’re doing in future.”
My voice sounds weak and snooty and very unlike me. What I really want to say, as I watch his naughty bedroom eyes and sexy mouth twist is, “
for God’s sake shut up and kiss me, you arrogant bastard!”
Seriously Lu - you don’t even know his name?
This annoyingly handsome male continues to smile at me, assessing my behaviour and openly staring at my now completely soaked chest. I fold my arms over my breasts in retaliation and lean back to put some space between us. I’m not sure why but he both annoys me and sends shivers over me all at once. There are definite sparks, something I’d not ever encountered before - and never on the first time encounter with a man. I am inextricably drawn to him.
“What are you studying?” I hear the question but am too unnerved by his presence to answer.
“Studying?” he gently repeats.
And I stutter my response. “BA (Hons) in Design.”
Chill the fuck out girl!
“Really? That’s
my
course – I’ll no doubt be seeing much more of you.” The emphasis is heavily put on
much more,
as he casually assesses my chest.
Oh crap - this guy was trouble
.
I should steer well clear!
“Well, maybe not – there are several divisions of the degree.”
He flashes lovely white teeth, grinning openly at my negative and harsh reply, his eyes darting back to my now
pointing to attention,
chest.
“I’m sure we’ll bump into one another again but I won’t make such a
boob
of it next time. I promise.”
I give in at this and chuckle openly, despite my annoyance and his own laugh is genuine. The intimate moment and sexual tension are shattered as I hear my friend’s voice behind us.
“Lulu where’s the beer?”
Abby nuzzles her way into our circle of two and it’s only then that I realise that clumsy sexy man has his arms loosely hung around my waist. As my brain reacts to their position, my skin sizzles beneath his fingertips and I shiver noticeably. I immediately grab those strong arms and push away, but not in time for Abs to raise her arched brow cheekily in surprise at my reaction.
“Let me get you both a drink; it’s the least I can do.” He smiles showing those pearly whites again, and his twinkly eyes are
still
focused on my ample charms. He is divine but really?
“No its fine, thanks.” I’m being really rude and I don’t know why. His model good looks put me on edge.
“Yeah Lu, it’s the least he can do,” Abby laughs, mimicking his sexy voice and puts out her hand to shake his.
“‘Scuse my arsey friend. I’m Abby, and
this,
is Lucia. Nice to meet you.” Her warmth is infectious and for the first time ever it irritates me as she is rewarded with a glowing white smile for her niceties.
“Sebastian. Sebastian Silver at your service,” he pronounces clearly and with confidence.
Of course he’d have an alliterative name - like a bloody superhero!
As I study his handsome face, I conclude that his name is perfect for him; magnetic, memorable, arrogant and manly - just like him; a silver-tongued devil.