Raegan

“Raegan, get your ass down here!” Arya yells from the bottom of the stairs.

Looking in the bathroom mirror, I quickly apply red lipstick and fluff my straight hair, giving it more body.

I run my hands over my skinny jeans, wiping off lint that isn’t there.

I topped off my jeans with a cream sweater and a long silver necklace. I didn’t want to try too hard, but it feels good to go on a first date, to have jitters in my stomach instead of feeling suffocated.

I adjust the tank top under my sweater, pulling the material down.

Snatching my crossbody purse off the bed, I swing it over my shoulder, tossing my phone inside. I shove my feet into my tan wedges, instead of bending down and unbuckling the back straps.

When my shoes are on, I hurry down the stairs, not wanting to hear Arya’s voice shrieking through the house again.

The back of Nathan’s head peeks over the couch while Arya is perched on the coffee table, pestering him with questions.

“So, you’re a junior?” she asks.

“Yeah.”

“You like older women then, huh? Raegan’s a senior, but you—”

“Nathan,” I say, cutting off Arya as I move around the couch, “let’s get out of here.”

I hold my hand out for him to take, wanting to get him away from my so-called friend.

He takes my hand as he rises from the couch. “You look nice.” He smiles.

I tug him behind me as I move toward the door. “Thanks,” I rush out. “You, too.” I wince, knowing I didn’t take the time to really look at him when my eyes skirted over him.

I glance over my shoulder at Arya, and she mouths, He is so hot.

I scowl at her as I open the door, pulling on Nathan’s hand and guiding him out of the house.

As soon as Nathan and I step outside, Arya says, “All right, you crazy kids, have fun. And, Nathan, make sure to keep her out all night.”

“Arya!” I scold, wishing I could slam the door in her face.

“And use protection!” she yells before she shuts the door.

“Ignore her.” I drop Nathan’s hand when I realize I’m still holding it.

“I think she’s great.” He takes my hand back, leading us to his truck.

“Try living with her.”

He opens the passenger door for me, and I hop inside.

The truck is small, just big enough for two, and it smells of cigarettes—a scent that’s too close to home. I wrinkle my nose, blowing out the air, but eventually, I take a breath, the smell invading me all over again.

Nathan slides in the driver’s seat. “I borrowed my buddy’s truck for the night.”

Good to know the tobacco scent doesn’t belong to him.

“What are we doing?”

“How do you feel about a drive-in movie? They have a few food trucks there, and I have plenty of blankets for when it gets too cold after the sun goes down.” He shifts in his seat. “But, uh, we can do something else if you want,” he says, fussing with his blond hair.

“It sounds perfect. I’ve always wanted to go to a drive-in movie.”

He beams, his deep brown eyes shining. “Great.” He turns over the ignition and drives down the street, his shoulders relaxed and his left arm propped on the driver’s door. “How’s your project going?” he asks, showcasing his white teeth.

I let out an unattractive groan. “We haven’t even started to combine our papers. We’re supposed to get together this Sunday.”

“That’s rough. Jax can be hard to deal with.”

“Tell me about it,” I breathe out. “He only agreed to work with me if I went to his stupid party.”

He glances over at me with furrowed brows. “The Halloween party?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a weird bargaining chip.”

It is, but I conceded because I would have done anything to get him to cooperate, including selling my soul if he asked me to.

“How’s your project?” I ask, steering the subject away from me.

“It’s going. I have a more cooperative partner than you—”

His voice fades out as I glance out the passenger window, watching the trees pass by and the people meandering down the sidewalk.

Jax has me all kinds of confused, and he makes me do stupid things, like attack him and pretend he’s my boyfriend. He’s all over the place, and it has me wondering who he really is. Is he an overly arrogant guy or someone who’s crying out for help?

“What’s your story, Raegan?”

Shit. What did I miss? I cringe before plastering a smile on my face.

I slant my eyes to Nathan. “What do you mean?” There isn’t much to tell. I’m a college girl, attempting to find her way in a new reality.

He makes a left before his eyes briefly meet mine. “What makes you, you?”

If I’m being honest, I don’t know. It’s comical how I was wondering who Jax is, and I can’t seem to answer the question for myself.

I’ve always had this vision of being a photographer with Travis supporting my dreams. But along the way, I lost sight of who I really was. I let him control me, and now that he’s gone, I feel like he still is. He has a rope lassoed around me, keeping me tied to him.

I appear to be this strong girl, but the only person I ever think about is me. My heart aches as I bite my lip. Maybe that’s why I still don’t have Stella.

Have I tried as hard as I can to get her back? Have I thought of anyone else but myself since I walked away from Travis?

I straighten my shoulders, sitting tall. “I don’t know, but I think it’s time I figure it out.”

He taps his thumb on the steering wheel. “Honest. I like it.”

I smile at him before I slip my phone out of my purse and send Travis a text.

Me: It’s time you give me Stella. Stop using her as a pawn to get me back.

His response is almost immediate and exactly what I expect from him.

Travis: No. Come back home. Otherwise, you won’t see her again.

I squeeze my eyes shut, hating the guy who was once my world.

I don’t bother replying. There’s no reasoning with him, so I shove my phone in my purse, wondering how I’m going to save Stella from him.

Nathan throws the truck in park. “We’re here, and apparently so is everyone else in town.” He chuckles.

I take in the packed open field, and my eyes widen. How did he even find a spot to park? There has to be almost a hundred cars here.

“Holy crap,” I mumble. “How did I not know about this place?”

“You haven’t been hanging out with the right people. Good thing you are now.” He winks as he jumps out of the truck. He starts pulling blankets and pillows out from behind his seat.

I unbuckle my seat belt and hop out as well. I inhale a deep breath, relishing the fall air. Apple cider and pumpkin. The scents mix together, emanating from the nearest food truck, and I hold back a moan as my stomach grumbles from the smell.

Shutting the door, I move around the truck, releasing the tailgate and jumping in the back.

I wish I hadn’t worn my tan wedges. I love them, but the heels on grass or in this truck are going to land me flat on my ass at some point.

Nathan squints up at me, the sun setting in the background, casting orange and pink hues across the sky. “Got up there all by yourself.”

I’m not incapable of getting in the back of a truck. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Yep, no sweat.” I hold my hands out, crouching down. “Throw me the blankets and pillows.”

He tosses them to me, and I work to keep my balance in these damn wedges, silently cursing them. I rearrange the blankets, pushing the pillows against the window of the cabin.

Once I’m satisfied everything is in its place, Nathan helps me down. My feet wobble as I land in the grass, and I grasp his hand tighter as I find my footing.

We amble over to the three food trucks parked off to the side. I spot one that’s selling lobster nachos and haul ass as fast as I can in its direction. Nathan hesitates as I walk forward, and with a sigh, I stop and turn to him.

“I’m going to get a burger. I’ll meet you back at the truck.” He heads in the opposite direction.

“Yeah, okay,” I say to the back of his head.

I sigh as I make my way to the end of the line, flabbergasted he left me alone when we’re supposed to be on a date.

I guess I attract bad eggs, but I’m thinking Nathan might be more along the lines of an overcooked egg, one that’s rubbery and bland, teetering on the line of delicious and rotten.

As I’m standing in line, I glance around. There are a lot of couples here, but off to the side is a grassy area where a few people are walking their dogs and throwing Frisbees.

I smile as a small black dog runs around with a tennis ball in its mouth, but my smile quickly fades as I think about the small fur ball who isn’t with me. She will be though.

I nod my head to myself. She will be.

Once I have my nachos in hand, I do a little happy dance, shaking my hips and head as the first bite hits my mouth. Sweet-and-spicy salsa mixes with white queso and lobster, all lathered on a tortilla chip.

These are delicious.

I close my eyes as a groan vibrates in my throat, and if my mouth wasn’t full, I would be shouting to the heavens that they could take me now. Because nothing can get better than the lobster nachos in my hand.

Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I scan the area for Nathan. I spot him still standing in line, waiting for his hamburger. Such a shame he’s missing out on the best food on earth for an average hamburger.

I mosey over to the truck and sit on the tailgate, my legs swinging over the back as I eat my nachos, as if my life depended on it because I’m freaking starving.

Ain’t nobody got time to wait on their date to show up to eat.

I make a mess with my food, shoving the chips in my mouth, my taste buds not able to get enough of the gooey nachos. After I swallow the last morsel, I lick my hands and paper plate clean, savoring every last bit I can.

I wipe my hands with the single napkin I grabbed, but my hands are sticky, needing something more powerful than a dry napkin. Spotting a restroom off to the side, I jump off the truck, wanting to clean up, since Nathan still isn’t back from getting his food.

Seriously, what is taking so long? The sun is almost completely gone now, the sky a dark blue.

After throwing my trash away in the nearby garbage can, I head over to the restroom.

I’m thankful I don’t have to open a door to the restroom, leaving a mess on the door handle for someone else.

Can you imagine your hand landing in an unknown substance that’s wet and slimy? Gross.

I slip out of the restroom after washing my hands, and I’m immediately greeted by a giant dog with long blond fur.

It jumps up on my legs, nearly knocking me over as it claws at my jeans. Catching my balance, I lean down and pet it behind its ears before kissing its head.

For some reason, it looks familiar, but I can’t place why.

The dog licks my face, which makes me laugh, as I continue to pet it.

“Walker! Walker, down!” someone yells.

“Walker, huh? It’s nice to formally meet you,” I tell him as I give him one last kiss on the head.

His golden fur shines in the sun, not much darker than my own hair, as his tail whips back and forth.

“I’m sorry about that. He’s—Raegan?”

I look up, not expecting to hear my name. “Jax.” What is he doing here?

Then I remember the dog that tripped me when I was running a few days ago. Walker.

“Sorry he attacked you.” Jax bends down, clipping a leash on Walker. “He got away from me. He smelled food and ran as fast as he could in the direction of it.”

“No worries. I love dogs. Plus, if he likes the nachos I ate, he has good taste.”

“Oh, man, the lobster nachos are the best,” he says, standing upright.

“Right?” I agree.

A throat clears next to me, and I startle at the sound.

“I was wondering where you ran off to.” Nathan grabs my hand, and I get the strange feeling he’s trying to mark me.

Walker barks at Nathan as he draws me closer to him.

“The restroom.” I point behind me.

Nathan turns his focus to Jax, glowering at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Just collecting my dog.” Jax indicates to Walker as he tugs on his leash, grabbing his attention. “I’ll see you on Sunday, Red.”

I nod as I smile down at his dog.

“You okay, Rae?” Nathan asks.

My body physically locks up.

“She doesn’t like that name,” Jax whispers, turning away from us and leaving me completely baffled.

How does he know that? He barely knows anything about me at all, so how does he know the one thing Travis could never understand?

Jax stops to talk to two girls, both of whom run their hands down his chest and arms. Walker stares back at me, pulling as far as he can on his leash to get away. I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to be near those girls either.

Nathan pulls me by the hand back in the direction of the truck. As we pass Jax, he wraps an arm around one of the girl’s shoulders, throwing a wink at me along with that cocky smile I hate so much.

And, just like that, his switch flips back to the guy I first met, not the one who showed up at my job to apologize.

Does he have a split personality?

Something tells me, it’s more than that.