It’s freshman move-in day on State’s campus. This place is a freaking zoo. I lost Mama and the rest of my family in her minivan a few lights back. Pedestrians are as much a danger to the cars as the cars are to them. There’s no way my manual transmission skills would’ve held up to this amount of idling a few months ago. The Lady and I are mutually respecting mistresses to one Robert Falls these days.
Speak of the devil.
Maneuvering the Mustang into an empty parking spot near my dorm, I spy the larger than life form of my boyfriend across the street. He’s a sight for sore eyes, perched on a low brick wall, talking and laughing animatedly with the guy next to him though his gaze is trained on me. I suspect he noticed The Lady crawling through traffic before I ever saw him.
I open the door, not breaking eye contact. He leaps through the congested street, dodging cars like some deranged real life version of a video game. My heart pounds a little harder in my chest with every millimeter of distance he covers. It’s clear his athleticism has grown during these last few weeks. Although his build seems smaller than I remember, his movements are agile, almost dancer-like in their grace. That might be from all the dance lessons in middle school, though. By the time I have the door closed, he’s in a full-on sprint through the parking lot.
His buddy is on his heels, calling to him in confusion.
“There are my girls!” Rob yells in response.
Then he’s here.
The overwhelming joy at being reunited with my best friend courses through my body like an electrical current. For a split second, my brain misfires and goes offline. I throw myself at him, not caring about any possible spectacle we might make. He catches me easily, hoisting me up to his waist as I wrap my arms and legs around him. I bury my face in his neck, inhaling deep his familiar calming scent. For better or worse, he smells like home and safety. Rob has a death grip on me, his face buried in my hair.
Being in Rob’s arms once again is akin to having a severed limb restored. No more phantom pain. No more dreaming of its existence. I’m whole again.
“God, I missed you so much,” he mumbles into my ear.
I peel myself away from his comfort to study his face. My eyes drink him up, thirsty for a long-denied quenching. His hair is lighter after so many days spent practicing in the sun. He desperately needs a haircut. His skin is a golden brown; his chameleon eyes I love so much sparkle with happiness. The wide smile on his face deepens the dimple in his right cheek.
He looks so genuinely good and happy.
“Evie, if you don’t kiss me soon, I’m going to completely lose it.”
“Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” I tip my face to him and become lost to everything else.
The sensations are blinding in their brilliance—his taste, the feel of his lips on mine, our tongues dancing together in a rhythm that is both slow and sweet while simultaneously fraught with intensity. I press my hands against his smooth cheeks as he drives his tongue deeper into my mouth, making up for lost time. He finally breaks the kiss, but never pulls his lips away.
“Evie, if you don’t stop kissing me soon, I’m going to be humping The Lady’s door. And we definitely can’t have that.” His mouth spreads into a smile against my own. Mutual laughter rumbles through our entwined bodies.
He might just be joking around for my sake. My legs are wrapped around his waist, so it’s impossible for me to feel if he’s as aroused as he claims. It’s only been a few weeks since we’ve seen each other. The hope it was enough time to heal him is a fragile but living thing that takes up residence in my heart.
“I don’t see what the problem is, Superjock. You’ve probably humped her before.”
“Oh my God. Not ever.” His laughter is contagious.
Rob left The Lady in my care when he went to training camp since he wasn’t allowed to bring his car to campus. His reasoning for not keeping her safely tucked away in his parents’ garage? Tini had just gotten her driver’s license and we would’ve been sharing my car. And he absolutely couldn’t have his beloved Mustang collecting dust in the garage. He explained that to keep the engine in pristine working order, she needed to be loved at least once a day. It was a win for everyone.
In all honesty, I think it was just another way for Rob to stick it to his dad and make it clear to him that I’m a part of Rob’s life for good. Everyone knows Rob loves that car and doesn’t trust it to just anyone.
“Did you treat my girl right?” he asks in all seriousness.
I blink at him slowly. “I’m quite proficient at making love to your girl now, thank you very much.”
Rob places a quick kiss on the tip of my nose. “Ssh. I was talking to The Lady.”
“Jesus, Falls. You always just take what you want, don’t ya?”
Rob’s muscles tense under my hands and instantly his expression turns cold. “No,” he whispers so only I can hear. “Never that.”
Our heads turn in the direction of the killjoy.
All right, who is this jerk and why did he have to go and ruin Rob’s mood so spectacularly?
I hop down from my perch, waiting in silence until Rob makes with the introductions.
The smile he has plastered on his face is real, but less intense. “Evie, meet TJ Kaminski, our starting tight end. He’s another true freshman. TJ, this is Evie.”
TJ extends his hand, which I take grudgingly. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Evie. Nice to finally meet you in person.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “I’ve also heard a lot about you, TJ.”
“Been talkin’ about me to your girl, Falls?” TJ shoots Rob a mega-watt grin.
Rob quirks an eyebrow at him. “Nope.”
“My knowledge comes courtesy of the internet.”
TJ laughs. “Don’t believe everything on there, sweetheart. Only half of it is true.”
Leaning back against the car, my mind is working overtime to get a beat on this guy. Sure, he made a lousy first impression by dousing Rob’s joy, but he seems okay. Time will tell, I suppose. “Numbers don’t lie, Mr. Kaminski. And yours are pretty good.”
“Straight shooter, huh? I like that. I think you and Harper are gonna get along just fine.”
I cut my gaze to Rob. “Who’s Harper?”
“Harper is TJ’s girlfriend. She’s moving in today, too. Figure you two will probably be spending a lot of time together during the season.” He brings his lips to my ear to whisper, “And I haven’t even met her, but I’m sure she’s way nicer than Chelsie.”
“Yep, and my baby should be arriving any minute, so I’ll leave you to it. We should all head out to dinner together after we’re done unpacking,” TJ offers.
Rob looks past me into his car, which is stuffed to the gills with boxes, crates, and clothes. “This might take a while.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it will. God only knows what Harper’s bringing.” He rolls his eyes even as he chuckles.
Both of their phones ding with incoming texts at the same time, and they exchange worried glances.
“Fuck. I thought this shit would end with training camp,” TJ moans.
TJ isn’t a bad looking guy, but his handsome face morphs into a furious expression as he reads. His hazel eyes snap up to Rob. Both men have similar builds and heights. Where Rob’s usually sandy brown hair has been sun bleached to nearly blonde, TJ’s brown hair is shot with red. They’re both practically vibrating with anger.
“You think they did this to all the new recruits or just a select few of us?” TJ bites out.
“I think we both know the answer to that,” Rob returns.
TJ paces back and forth a few steps, clasping his hands behind his neck. “Harper’s gonna be here any minute. What am I supposed to tell her, man?” He stops, then looks at us with a hopeful expression. “Maybe they won’t know. We can just make up a bunch of numbers and turn those in.”
“You know they’re watchin’ us, TJ. Don’t be stupid. We’ve just gotta jump through the hoops until things settle down and the team gels. Text Harper and let her know something came up, and that you’ll meet her when we’re done.”
While Rob is busy talking to his teammate, I snatch his cell out of his hand. Something’s got them both worked up.
Big Daddy: It’s move in day, pussies!
Go help some fresh bitches.
Score some digits.
Ur not done til you got 20.
Bonus points 4 more.
Punishments 4 less.
A laugh bubbles out of my throat. It’s the only thing tamping down my rage. “Who the hell is Big Daddy?”
“Someone who suddenly has too much time on his hands,” Rob mutters. He pockets his phone when I hand it back to him, then places his hands on my shoulders. “I’m sorry, honey. This is probably gonna take forever, but I gotta go.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I couldn’t even ask you for your phone number all those years. Not sure how I’m gonna get twenty of them I don’t even want.”
More stupid laughter from me. “Please, Rob. You won’t have to ask. They’ll give them freely.”
“Hey, I gotta split. Harper just got here. I’m gonna go explain.” TJ takes off before either of us can respond.
Rob turns his sorrowful blue eyes back to me. “You know it doesn’t mean anything to me, Evie. It’s just some stupid hazing.” He plants a soft kiss on my lips. “And when I get back? You can personally delete them all.”
I watch as he walks away, shaking his head, his shoulders squared.
And so it begins.
After one too many bone-crushing hugs and lots of tears, the family finally departs for home. The boys still aren’t back from their stupid scavenger hunt, so I can wander around campus for a while.
Alone.
No babysitters, no well-meaning friends and family, just…by myself.
The campus is beautiful. Founded in the mid-eighteen hundreds, the dichotomy of old architecture and new somehow adds to its charm. It doesn’t have the feel of a northeastern Ivy League school, but it still manages to look stately. And it’s huge. Sprawling over three mini-campuses, the river and surrounding city box State in on all sides. Forest covered mountains in the distance make for a breathtaking backdrop. The bright foliage in the fall will only add to the beauty.
The throngs of people are a burden of inescapable fear I’m willing to bear for now. Because this? This is true freedom. I’m just a nameless face in a sea of thirty thousand other students. No one recognizes me. No one knows my history or my name. No one knows all my dirty secrets. I breathe deep the anonymity. The urge to wrap myself up in this cloak is so strong, it borders on addictive. Invisibility is an addiction I can’t afford, though.
It won’t last.
Once football season begins and Rob starts making a name for himself, my cover will be blown. If only by association. But I signed myself up for that, so for now all I can do is enjoy this brief respite.
I walk around for hours, in no hurry to get back to my room to finish unpacking. My new roomie has undoubtedly rearranged everything and taken over whatever she wants anyway.
She’s kind of a bitch like that.
Seriously. That’s all I know about her. Her name is Mallory and she apparently hates me.
Whatever. Not like I need anything else to stress over. We’ll ignore each other and that will be one less item on my list of things I can’t control.
Rob’s been texting me a stream of steady updates on his progress mixed with apologies all afternoon. Alex has been messaging, asking where in the hell I am. They’re neck and neck for first place on my annoyance list.
Thank God Mike is probably too busy with Chelsie to be on my case, too. The only good thing about her being at State with us is her presence will likely temper Mike’s need to play the big brother role.
Mallory is nowhere in sight when I open the door to my room, but there is a rather large quarterback sitting at my desk. He turns at the sound of my entrance. His eyes wide, he jumps up from his seat so quickly, the chair falls over. Not giving it a second glance, he stalks toward me and wraps me tightly in his arms.
“Where the hell have you been?” he breathes, his voice a study in anguish.
I place my hands against his chest and push. It doesn’t do anything, but not for lack of effort. “I was walking around campus.”
“You can’t just go walking around campus by yourself, Evie!” Rob tightens his grip around me.
“You can’t possibly mean that, Falls. Are you gonna personally escort me to all my classes for the next four years? Or maybe ask Alex or Mike to do it for you?”
He sighs and releases his hold, stepping back to meet my gaze. “No, you’re right. But you didn’t respond to either Alex’s or my texts, so we were getting worried. It’s been hours! At least let us know where you are and that you’re all right.”
That’s fair. Had the tables been turned, I would’ve worried about them as well. “Okay. You have yourself a deal. Now, how did you get in here?”
We live in a co-ed dorm, but female and male floors are separate. Not that there’s a whole lot of security after swiping your student ID to gain access to the building. Students are able to roam freely between levels either by elevator or stairwell. Rob and Alex’s room is only a floor above mine.
The smirk I’ve come to love makes an appearance on Rob’s tan face. “I made a deal with your roommate.”
I can’t imagine Mallory speaking to anyone long enough for that to happen. “What kind of deal?”
He shrugs, walks back over to my desk and rights the chair before sitting down. “I introduced myself and told her I’d set up her laptop and printer on the Wi-Fi if she’d let me stay and wait for you. She’s um…she’s interesting.”
I wrap my arms around him from behind, watching as he inputs all the information needed to get me hooked up to campus internet. Now that I’ve had a little taste of his comfort, I need to load up before the stress really begins. “Interesting is one way to put it. Where’d she go?”
“I have no clue. She walked out without a word.” He ducks his head and presses a kiss to my arm. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you move in. You wanna delete all those useless phone numbers while I finish setting you up here? Then maybe we can go out to dinner? I want to introduce you to some more of my teammates before the game next weekend.”
His cell is sitting in plain view on my desk. Part of me wants to do just that—delete any evidence of the twenty or more girls he’s been flirting with all day while I was sweating my ass off, making a million trips between the cars and my room. A bigger part of me doesn’t want to see any of it. Right now, they’re just faceless numbers in my mind. Bullet points on a list. If I pick up his phone and see their faces, names, and whatever love notes they potentially left behind, well…ignorance won’t be bliss anymore.
“Evie?” Rob pulls me from my thoughts. “Delete numbers? Dinner?”
“That’s okay. You can do it. I won’t know which numbers are actual contacts and which to delete anyway.”
He laughs. “I don’t have that many contacts. You’d know which is which.”
I don’t want to be bitter on our first day together, so I ignore his request and head to my closet. “Actually, I’m gonna take a quick shower while you finish up. I’m sweaty and gross after being in the heat all day.”
The only defense I have for now is a good offense. I have to present my best possible self at all times, especially when it comes to the football team, even if it feels like a lie.
I don’t know how long I have until at least a few people on campus learn the truth.
The last thing Rob needs is word getting around that his girlfriend is marred and disgusting. The embarrassment could cost him so much. As a true freshman starting quarterback, he’s going to have an uphill battle to lead this team. Though he’s replacing a senior, whose numbers were dismal the last two seasons, there’s got to be resentment in the locker room about a newbie coming in and being touted as the golden boy who will save State football.
I’ve been over this catch twenty-two in my head a million times since the conversation with Rob’s mom in which she warned me about the Football Wives’ Club. There’s no way I can win, but plenty of ways Rob can lose.
Still staring blankly at my closet, the sensation of Rob’s arms wrapping around my waist startles me.
He nuzzles his face into my hair. “It’s just me, honey. You okay? You seem…off.”
“Yeah,” I croak out. “I’m okay. Just tired, I guess.”
“I told the guys we’d meet them at six, so you don’t really have time for a shower.” Sweeping my hair onto one shoulder, Rob places his lips against my neck. “You look beautiful and you smell even better. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Oh, he might feel differently in a few days if the initiation really happens.
I plaster a convincing smile on and turn in his arms to face him. “I think your aesthetic judgment is questionable at best. But, if you told them we’d be there, then we better get going. Will Mike and Alex be there, too?”
“Yep.” His wide grin turns into a serious expression, his eyes blue and filled with tenderness. He bends down to capture my lips with his own. The kiss quickly turns heated, his large hands spreading over my back and pulling me closer to him. Stopping our little make-out session with effort, he rests his forehead against mine. “I would love nothing more than to capitalize on our alone time because I know it’s going to be rare. And God knows I have dreamed about this moment. But, we really gotta go, and I wanna show you what Alex and I did with our room first.”