University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (12 page)

A few hours later, we were dressed and waiting
downstairs for Collin and Luke to pick us up. Since Jordan lived off campus in
an apartment with two other girls, Delaney told them we’d meet them at the
restaurant.

“How do I look?” Delaney adjusted her
top, making her boobs bounce, and then pulled up on her skinny jeans.

“Like you’re ready to go hoeing around,”
I said, matter-of-fact.

Delaney gasped and then covered her chest.
“Do I really?”

“I’m just messing with you,” I
snickered. “Honestly, you look fine. Pretty, actually.”

She sighed. “You scared me for a
minute.” Her face brightened. “Which reminds me…” she darted toward the
elevators.

“Where are you going?”

“Forgot something!” She dashed through
the elevator doors.

I turned and saw Collin walking into the
front foyer.

A smile formed across both our faces and
I waved.

“Hi.” He leaned forward and pressed his
lips to my cheek. “You look pretty.”

“Thank you and you look handsome.” I
took in his pressed, plaid button-down shirt and starched jeans. His
sandy-blond hair swept to the side and his green eyes sparkled. Collin had the
picture perfect face of an all-American boy.

But did I belong with him in that
picture?

“Thank you.” He inclined his head and I
saw a faint flash of pink across his clean-shaven face. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” I looked over my shoulder.
“Delaney can meet us in the car.”

He held out his elbow and I wrapped my
hand around his arm. It was nice to be close to him but I knew that was the
closest our bodies would ever be, at least while we were unwed. I tried to
focus on the positives and give Collin the chance that he deserved. That we
deserved. Despite what my gut told me, I knew that if I didn’t at least try,
I’d hate myself for it. We walked to Luke’s Camaro and as usual, he opened the
door for me. I slid in the back.

“Hey, Brother.”

“Sis.” Luke barely glanced at me and I
sensed he wasn’t in a good mood.

Instead of Collin sitting in the front
with Luke as he normally did, he sat in the back with me. My heart fluttered
and I couldn’t help but smile when he took my hand and laced his fingers
through my mine. It seemed like ages since we last held hands or sat that close
together.

A few minutes later, the car door opened
and Delaney got in. “Sorry,” she huffed as she struggle to pull the door shut,
“had to get something.”

“Do you have everything?” Luke kept his
hand steady on the gearshift.

“Um, let me check.” She dug around in
her purse.

Luke sighed and Collin and I traded
glances with one another but didn’t say anything.

“Yep. I’m good.”

He shifted the car into drive. “I hope
so because I’m not coming back.” He gave her a quick once over and then turned
his head to face forward.

I swore they sounded like two old
married people. Raking my mind, I tried to recall the first time I saw them
interacting on a more than friendly manner. I gave up when Luke cranked up his
stereo. I started humming to the beat of the music.

Thoughts of rubbing Collin’s leg crossed
my mind, but after recalling what happened last time, I decided to keep my
hands to myself. Regardless of keeping my actions under control, my body had a
mind of its own, begging for him to touch me. I knew it would never happen
unless I married him, and even then, I wasn’t sure he would indulge.

We parked in the parking garage and
walked toward the restaurant. Strings of white lights hung between the
buildings, energizing the swanky hangout as people darted in and out of
restaurants, bars, and shops. Everywhere I looked, I saw happy couples, holding
hands, kissing, and cuddling.

I wanted that.

I needed that.

I didn’t have that.

The cool evening air swept through the
trees and I stretched my sweater over me. Providing myself with that comfort
that I wished he would give me.

“Are you cold?” Collin asked, sliding an
arm around me.

I flinched, not prepared to feel his
warm embrace. Did he finally recognize my need for affection? Had that talk
resonated within him? “Yeah, a little.”

He wrapped his arm around me and I
snuggled closer to him, wedging myself under his chin. We entered the Sushi
café and squeezed our way through the crowd.

“Luke, Collin…” Forbes raised a finger,
calling our attention as we entered.

“Glad you guys got us a table.” Luke gave
Forbes a pat on the back.

Forbes placed an arm behind his
girlfriend, Jordan. “Us, too. As soon as we were seated, the place filled up.”

Collin shook hands with Forbes. “Where’s
Matt?”

“He and Ali decided to do something else,”
Forbes replied.

“Oh, too bad.” Displaying his perfect
manners, Collin pulled out a chair for me before sitting down. I sat next to
Jordan. Luke and Delaney sat across from us and a little too close for two
people who were supposedly only friends.

“Hey, Lexi, love your hair.” Jordan latched
on to a lock of my waves.

“Thanks, love yours, too.” Her golden
hair was swept to the side with several braids intertwining throughout. “I wish
I could braid my own hair.”

“I’ve been doing it forever.” Jordan
fiddled with a few strands. “Anytime you want me to braid your hair, just let
me know.”

“Okay, I will.” I turned when I heard my
brother and roommate chat about whether to get separate entrees or share a few
rolls. Apparently, they had been there before. Together. My impatience grew and
I was eager to confront them. I don’t know why I had to know the truth. Maybe a
part of me felt a little jealous that Luke had done what our parents told him
not to do. Yet, I was the one engaged and hadn’t experienced half the stuff he
had.

After everyone agreed to order the
‘Titanic’ boat, filled with several pieces of sushi, rolls, and sashimi, we
talked and laughed about school, tests, and the upcoming baseball game. Every
fall, PHU held a purple and white game, closing out the fall practice season.
The team played against each other in a three series game that started on
Wednesday and ended on Sunday afternoon.

Once we finished off the huge assortment
of rolls, we walked to the bowling alley. To my disappointment, Collin stayed a
few steps ahead of me, not bothering to hold my hand. Even though it was only
one block from the restaurant, it still hurt. We rode the elevator to the
second floor and when the doors opened, dance music blared through the
speakers. On one side of the building was a large bar with pool tables and a
small dance floor. To the right were the bowling lanes. Neon lights colored the
dim establishment and plush sofas and chairs lined the walls.

I took my check card out of my purse.
“Hey, I’ll pay for us since you paid for dinner.”

A look of confusion twisted across
Collin’s face. “Thanks for offering, but I’ve got it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He pushed my hand away.

I dropped the card into my purse. “I
thought maybe I should start offering to pay.”

He removed a couple of bills from his
wallet and then turned to me. “In the four years we’ve been together, I’ve
never expected you to pay for us. I don’t expect for you to start now.”

I looked at him through narrowed eyes,
unsure if he was being nice or controlling. Other girls might have been
thrilled to hear that, but it didn’t set well with me. If it would have been
Raven, that would’ve been a different story. Before I could say anything, he
leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead.

“Size seven, right?” Collin handed Luke
his money as he and Forbes worked out the details for renting the lanes.

“Yes,” I replied.

“She needs a seven and I need an eleven,”
Collin informed the girl behind the counter.

She handed us our bowling shoes. “I’ve
set up lane one for you guys.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking them from her.

 “Come on, let’s go.” Delaney grabbed
her shoes and motioned for us to follow her.

“I want to go first.” Delaney typed her
name into the scoring console, followed by Luke’s.

“We can go last,” Collin offered as he
sat down to change his shoes.

“Okay.” Delaney shrugged. “I guess that
means you and Forbes are in the middle,” she told Jordan.

“That’s fine.” Jordan tugged, trying to
pull off her boots.

“Here, doll, let me help you.” Forbes
rushed to her side. He gave a quick tug and slipped off her boot. Then, he
picked up her other leg, and did the same. Before setting her foot down, he
kissed the top of it.

“Stop, pumpkin.” Jordan giggled as he
trailed kisses up her calf.

“Hey,” Luke walked through the aisle,
cutting in between them, “there’ll be none of that tonight.”

Forbes gave Luke a playful push. “Get
out of here, man.”

Luke sidestepped, breaking a fall, and
then looked around at the TV’s hanging on the walls. “The game is starting.
I’ll ask if they can turn it on.” He jogged to the front desk.

The TV to the left of us switched from a
hockey game to the football game. Immediately, Raven’s picture flashed on the
screen and my heart skipped a beat. The sports newscasters were speaking but
since the volume was on mute, I had no idea what they were saying. My brother
and Forbes discussed the game and whom they thought would score more points.
They also debated on how Raven would do if he had his shit together.

“Lexi,” Collin interrupted my drooling,
“let’s find you a ball.”

I walked to the return ramp and picked
up a ten-pound ball.

“That’s too heavy.” He shook his head.
“You can hurt your wrist. I think you should try something lighter.”

“Okay,” I said, setting the ball down.
Since I hadn’t bowled in a few years, I trusted Collin’s advice.

He handed me a purple and pink swirled
ball. “Try this one.”

“Seven pounds?” I took the ball from
him. “Looks like a kid’s ball.”

“That’s because it is,” Delaney teased
as she sunk her fingers into a nine-pound ball and then walked up to the lane.

“Just try it,” Collin urged.

“Don’t listen to her.” Jordan leaned
over my shoulder. “I use a seven-pound ball too.”

I smiled at her. “Great. We can share
this one.” I placed the ball on the rack and then turned my attention to the
TV.

“Strike!” Delaney yelled.

“Yeah, baby!” Luke gave her a high-five
and then popped her on the butt. Delaney jumped and then laughed it off.

Just friends. Yeah, right.

I turned in time to see the receiver
miss the catch. “Aw, man.” I stomped my foot on the ground.

“Damn.” Forbes stood next to me,
watching the game.

“Since when did you care about
football?” Delaney elbowed me as she shuffled past me. I gave her a warning
stare and then sat next to Collin. I had never taken a keen interest in
football since I spent most of my time on the baseball fields with Luke and
Collin. Meeting Raven had piqued my interest mainly because I wanted to see him
play.

“What are you doing?” I leaned against
Collin, trying to catch a glimpse of his phone.

He kept his eyes trained on the screen.
“Checking the baseball scores.” Abruptly, he stood up and looked around. “The
Rangers are playing.”

“Ten in the pit!” Luke yelled and
Delaney exchanged a fist bump with him. “Your turn, Lexi.”

“Show off,” I muttered as I walked to
the ramp and jammed my fingers into the slots. Bearing the heavy ball, I stood
in front of the line, extended my arm back, and then dumped it on the lane. It
rolled down the wood to the right and immediately went into the gutter.

“Darn!” I turned around, mad that it
didn’t make it half way down.

“Stand back and then walk into the
roll,” Jordan explained, trying to show me how to do it.

“It’s okay, Jordan. I suck at sports.” I
gave her a kind smile.

“Show her, pumpkin.” Jordan pulled on
Forbes arm, trying to coax him into helping me.

Forbes waved off Jordan. “Hey, Collin.”

Collin stood behind our seating area,
facing the wall that displayed the baseball game. “Yeah?”

“Show your girl how to hook a ball.”

Looking over his shoulder, Collin
spotted me.

“Please?” I clutched the cement ball
with both hands.

Collin’s shoulders slumped and he
lumbered toward me. He didn’t want to help me. I was disturbing his baseball
game, even though we were out on a date. A date he promised when he failed to
spend time with me. Nothing had changed. The sweetness and politeness were
overcome by his true love.