Chapter Five
Taylor
Saturday mornings were always quiet on campus. The brisk fall breeze rustled the golden leaves on the trees, and a few birds who hadn’t migrated south sang to one another, but aside from that, there was little to no movement. Most of the students had spent the previous night partying, not hitting their beds until almost dawn, so it would be well after noon before the campus showed its usual signs of life.
It was one of my favorite days.
Every Saturday, I woke up early, walked around the campus a bit for some peace and quiet, and then I hit the cafeteria, when there would only be a few stragglers like myself eating. Most of the time, it was just me. After breakfast, I’d head to the library and get in some much-needed studying for myself until Chase woke up and texted me what time he needed me. But I always made sure to walk a little bit, first.
Villanova was beautiful, especially in the fall. The old buildings spoke of a history, and the cathedral on campus was nothing short of artwork itself. The trees and the dorms and the mums all completed the picture perfectly. I passed the statue of Mother Mary and smiled, huddling into my oversize hoodie a little more.
Winter was coming.
As I pushed through the doors that led me to food, my stomach rumbled. Last night’s pizza had hit the spot, but I’d worked most of it off with my nerves. Being with Chase when he wasn’t acting like a complete ass had been…weird. It was hard enough not wanting him when he was being a prick, but when he was talking to me like I was a human with real feelings, it was next to impossible. I didn’t know what it was about him that drew me in. Was it his utter inability to be kind? Was it the way he always laughed off anything nice about himself? Or maybe it was because, deep down, I suspected it was all an act, and he wasn’t nearly so bad as he liked to make me believe.
A girl like me would never survive against a guy like him, and his father would be all too happy to remind me of that fact yet again if I was stupid enough to forget it. Chase would eat me up. Swallow me whole. Leave me for a more suitable version of myself. And yet, I still ached to kiss him anyway, just to see how it would feel.
How pathetic was that?
“Thank you,” I said to the girl behind the register after I swiped my card.
She smiled at me. “Have a nice day.”
“You, too.”
Gripping my tray, I headed for my favorite seat by the window…only to come up short because it had already been claimed. By him. I hadn’t seen Rick in almost a year. I hesitated, not sure what to do. He hadn’t noticed me, so I could turn around and head for the other side of the cafeteria—
He lifted his head and spotted me. Crap.
When he saw me, he frowned and looked almost as unhappy as me. Almost. “Taylor, is that you?”
No. I’m just a hologram. “Hey…Rick. How’s it going?”
Rick had been my one attempt at a real boyfriend. We’d been okay for a while, but then he’d kept trying to pressure me into more than I was ready for, and I’d pushed back, digging in my heels to maintain control. He hadn’t liked that, so he dumped me. I hadn’t seen him since. To be honest, I didn’t even know he went here.
I wished he didn’t.
This campus was big, but it wasn’t big enough to avoid people you didn’t want to see—and I didn’t want to see him. At all. Forcing a smile, I adjusted my grip on my tray. “Hey. How’s it going?”
“Good.” He stood, wiping his hands on his jeans. “You…go here?”
He couldn’t hide his surprise.
Of course, he knew well enough how little money I had, and how much this school cost. He was rich—not as rich as Chase, but still up there—and I’d tried to ignore the fact that the two of us made no sense together, because I’d liked him a lot.
I had thought he liked me, too.
Guess I was wrong.
The first thing he’d said to me when we broke up was that I wasn’t in his class, and it never would have worked between us. It had hurt more than him breaking it off because I wouldn’t let him get his hand down my pants when he asked.
One thing I could control.
The other I couldn’t.
“Yeah.” I took a step closer. “I didn’t know you did, either.”
He nodded. “Dad went here, too, so…”
Of course, he did.
He hesitated then gestured to the empty spot at his table. “Do you want to sit with me? I’m almost done, but we can catch up.”
“No, no thanks,” I said in a rush. “I’m, uh, meeting someone.”
He cocked his head. “Who?”
“A friend.” I glanced around the room, desperate for a familiar face, but most of the tables seemed empty…until I spotted a guy sitting in the corner, out of view, playing on his phone. I wasn’t sure whether to cry or laugh, because as far as escapes went, this wasn’t much better than the current guy I was stuck talking to. “Him. Over there.”
He followed the way I tipped my head, and his eyes widened comically. “Chase Maxwell?”
“Yeah.” I tried to ignore the small surge of satisfaction I had at shocking him. I could see it written across his face in bold letters. Who could believe that Chase Maxwell knew who a girl like me was? “It was nice seeing you,” I lied.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. You, too.”
I headed off toward Chase, and I could feel Rick’s eyes boring into my back the whole way. He was probably watching to see if I’d made it up. Part of me wished I had, because I wasn’t awake enough or prepared enough to deal with Chase after last night.
Ready or not, here I come.
He must have sensed my approach, because he looked up from his phone and caught me halfway there. He frowned, giving me a once-over. He wore a pair of sweats, a hoodie like me, and a baseball hat. It was as dressed down as I’d ever seen him, despite the name brand quality of the clothing he wore.
My heart pounded as I headed toward him, not sure if he was in a good mood or not. If the truce was over and he wanted to be alone, he would make that very clear.
And Rick would think I lied.
“You’re up early,” he stated, moving his tray out of the way so half the table was cleared.
Well, guess that was an invitation. Looked like I wouldn’t be making a fool out of myself in front of Rick today. “So are you.”
“I’m always up early on Saturdays.”
I set my tray down and sat. I risked a glance at Rick, who was watching me, just as I’d thought. The second he saw me notice, he sat back down, his back to us both.
“Who is he?” Chase asked, his tone a little hard.
“Huh?”
“That guy you were talking to.” He crossed his arms. God, he looked hot in a baseball hat. It had the Villanova V on it. I wanted one, but I hadn’t saved up enough cash yet. Chase had, like, ten in his room. “Who is he?”
“An ex.” I picked up my spoon. “I had no idea he went here.”
He checked him out, his frown deepening. “He looks like a douche.”
“He is,” I agreed, sliding my spoon into my fruit bowl.
“Then why’d you date him?”
I played with the blueberry on top of a strawberry. “I guess I hoped I was wrong about him.”
He snorted. “Let me tell you a little secret about guys. Whenever we look like a dick and act like a dick? Guess what? We’re a dick.”
I laughed. Like, legit laughed. “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
He said nothing, just took a bite of his oatmeal.
I did the same.
After a few minutes of companionable silence, I broke it. “Why are you always up early on Saturdays?”
“I have a thing I do.”
I pursed my lips. “What thing?”
He shifted a little in his seat, as if he didn’t want to answer. “Why are you always up on Saturdays?”
“I like to walk on the campus when it’s quiet,” I admitted. “Everyone else is asleep, and it’s so pretty, and I know how lucky I am to be here at all, so I don’t want to take a second of it for granted. So, every Saturday morning, I wake up early to remind myself of how lucky I am…” I broke off, my cheeks heating. “That sounds lame, doesn’t it?”
He swallowed. “It’s not lame at all.”
“I guess not,” I muttered, toying with my food.
We fell into silence again.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
He set his spoon down, flexing his jaw.
Clearly, I’d overstepped my boundaries. I wasn’t his friend. He didn’t like me. He tolerated me so he could get good grades, and that was it. “Never mind—”
He stood, checking his phone. “Come on.”
I blinked up at him. “Huh?”
“I said”—he held a hand out to me—“come on.”
I didn’t move, despite his extended hand to help. “Where are we going?”
“You want to know why I’m up early every Saturday?”
I nodded.
“Then come on.”
Swallowing, I slid my hand into his, letting him pull me to my feet. As soon as I was up, he let go, as if he couldn’t wait to break the contact. We both grabbed our trays, and we got rid of our trash then made our way outside.
We passed Rick, who still openly stared, and Chase smirked. Without warning, without hesitation, he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, kissing my temple. I barely contained my gasp, and the second we were out of sight he let go of me.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, my voice strained.
I could still feel his lips burning a hole in my skin.
He shrugged. “I thought he should know you weren’t available anymore so he didn’t get any ideas.”
But I was. Just not to him.