Because of you Page 3

  “Sorry, that wasn’t on purpose, but I crashed into a guy in the hallway and dropped all my books. It took forever to pick everything up.” His strong chest felt like a stone wall, his biceps tightening under his black shirt as he was helping me pick up my books.

  “Was he cute?” I bite my lower lip and nod.

  “Mm-hum, hot, I was barely able to take my eyes off him. I was close to him for just a moment and I was already mesmerized by his eyes.”

  “Oooh, tell me more. What’s his name?” she asks as we walk to our desk. We set our books down and sit.

  “I don’t know, there wasn’t time to ask him. Three girls approached him and I left because I was in a hurry to get to you. But I’ll never forget how handsome he looked. Brown eyes, almost black, short disheveled hair and a stubble—he probably forgot to shave this morning. Very tall, with broad shoulders. Well, I’m sure he has a girlfriend, so…” I shrug and shift my attention to Professor Johnson, who has just begun his lecture. I can’t get involved with anyone anyway, not when Caden is still looking for me. Actually, I think I’ve seen the guy from the hallway on Saturday when I was getting coffee at the coffee house, he was there with a group of friends. He already caught my eye back then.

  “Well, he seems like every average guy here,” Addison jokes.

  After the lecture, we each go our own way, since we have different classes. Before I turn down the hallway to the right, I see Addison run into the arms of no other than the guy I bumped into earlier. She kisses him on his cheek and I shake my head in disappointment. I knew he has a girlfriend. Such a handsome guy is never single. But weirdly, his eyes are not focused on her, they’re fixated at me. My heart starts pounding. Addison is explaining something to him, but he’s not listening to her. I turn around and hurry off to Sociology. I’m not going to be one of those girls who break up other people’s relationships. I know Addison is happy with Jackson, so I’ll just have to avoid him in the future.

  I take my time putting away things I don’t need into a locker and walk home. Thank God I don’t have any more classes today, so I can take a nap. Since I’ve worked until 4 o’clock in the morning and got up at 8, I desperately need some sleep.

  “Hey, Aaliyah, wait!” I hear someone call after me and I turn around.

  “Noah, hi.” My mouth forms a wide grin. He stops, out of breath, and smiles.

  “I saw you leaving, do you need a ride? I am also finished with classes for the day.”

  “Umm, I don’t know, it’s not far. You don’t have to drive out of your way just to take me home. I can walk,” I try to excuse myself.

  “Oh, no,” he waves his arm, “it’s no problem. Come, at least I won’t be bored during the drive home.”

  “So, what did you think of your first day? Was it too hard?” Noah asks as he turns right at a junction.

  “It was interesting, but also strenuous. Still, I can’t wait for tomorrow to work again. I’ll slowly get used to it.” He nods. Justin Timberlake’s Mirrors is playing on the radio while we sit in comfortable silence.

  “I was wondering…” Noah begins, but doesn’t continue.

  “What?” I ask curiously.

  “We're playing cards tonight, not a lot of us—just those of us who live there, and I know Addison is coming, because Jackson will be there, so I thought you might want to come? Are you free?” I turn to him.

  “Um…” I don’t know how to respond. On one hand, I could use some company, but on the other hand, I’d rather be alone.

  “I’m not forcing you to go, I just want to get to know you better.” Oh, why not. I don’t know why I should always be alone. I came to college to find friends, and I’m going to do so. I offer him a big smile and nod.

  “Okay, I’ll be there. I can’t wait.”

  “Really? Great, I can’t wait either. Are you coming with Addison, or should I pick you up?” he asks just before I exit the car.

  “I’ll go with Addison. What time does it start?”

  “Be there around 7. See you!” Pleased, I nod and wave him goodbye.

  A little after I get out of the shower and get dressed, Addison comes in the room. Sighing dreamily, she puts her purse on the bed and spins around. “God, my life is perfect,” she says as she comes closer. “Jackson just told me he loves me,” she shouts out with joy. “I haven’t been so happy in ages.” I give her a sincere smile.

  “Wow, that’s so great. I saw today how in love the two of you looked in the hallway. I’m happy for you.” She flashes me a confused look, but only shrugs.

  “Speaking of Jackson, would you like to come to his place with me? They are playing cards, it’ll be fun.” I nod.

  “Yes, sure.” Addison turns and comes closer to me.

  “Wow, this was easy. How come you agreed so quickly?” I sit down on the bed with a T-shirt in my hands.

  “Noah told me about playing cards at his house and invited me, so I said yes,” I explain, shrugging my shoulders.

  “Noah, huh? He’s a nice guy. He’s been Ryder’s roommate for the last three years. Do you like him?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

  “He’s not bad, he’s cute—it’s just that he’s not my type. We get along great and work wonderfully together, so I think we’re becoming friends.” I pull the T-shirt over my head and reach into the drawer for socks.

  “Oh, too bad, otherwise I’d put my matchmaking skills to good use. You’d look cute together.”

  “What are you going to wear?” Addison asks as I am putting on mascara. I turn my eyes to her.

  “What do you mean? I’m already dressed. We’re just going to play cards, right?” She examines me from head to toe.

  “Yeah, well, still. Some hot guys will be there, you can borrow some of my clothes, you’d look great in them.” That didn’t even cross my mind. But I’m not very noticeable anyway, and I don’t like being in the center of attention.

  “I don’t know… Okay, but I’m not wearing a dress, since I’m taller than you, it’d look too short on me. I don’t want to reveal too much.” Addison hands me black leggings with a lace trim that go below my knees and a colorful halter style top with a floral pattern reaching over my hips. I grab a pair of black pumps with 4 inch heel, which used to belong to Hope, out of the closet. I’m satisfied with Addison’s choice. The clothes are something I would also pick myself. I tie my hair in a ponytail and flat iron my bangs.

  “You look great, and I’m so jealous of your boobs. I’d give anything to have a pair like yours,” Addison compliments me, making me feel more confident.

  “There’s nothing to be jealous about, they just get in the way, especially when I go running,” I say, shaking my head. Addison applies some eye shadow on my eyelids, since I don’t usually wear it, and I’ve already put on mascara. Addison decides to wear something more daring, which is her style—a denim mini skirt, skintight turquoise blouse and turquoise shoes, hair down and curly. We grab our coats and we’re on our way to the guys’ house.

  “Hey, Marc,” says Addison and throws herself into his arms.

  “Hey yourself,” he responds and looks to me.

  “Oh, let me introduce you to Aaliyah, my roommate. Aaliyah, this is Marc, my brother’s best friend.” We greet each other and shake hands. His hair is a little longer and he has a darker skin tone, he’s Latino and I bet he’s very popular with the girls. Marc takes us to a big room where there’s a huge brown couch in the middle, and two guys are sitting in the matching armchairs. Beer is on the table and they are staring at the television, playing a console game. The room has beige walls and I don’t see any paintings on them. I feel a gentle touch on my hips and I turn around.

  “You came,” Noah says and pulls me into a hug. Surprised, I hug him back.

  “Of course I came, I promised I would,” I turn around to examine the room some more.

  “Wow, this is a huge house. How many of you live here?” Noah follows me.

  “Seven. You don’t even notice it, since there a
re just half of us here most of the time. But tonight only Mason is absent, he’s with his girlfriend.” I nod, and he takes me to the kitchen. The two boys I saw playing games earlier join us.

  “Aaliyah, this is Jayden and Jarrod, the twins. You two, this is Aaliyah, the girl I was telling you about.” The girl he was telling them about, huh, he probably told them we work together. I greet them, smiling.

  “What is a sexy girl like you doing with a guy like Noah?” Jayden asks as he looks at Noah. I blush, dropping my gaze to the ground, and shift my weight from one foot to another, but luckily Addison interrupts my embarrassing moment.

  “Hey, Noah, have you seen Jackson around?”

  “Yeah, I think he’s in his room with Ryder, they’ll be here shortly. Since you’re here now, help me carry these snack treys to the room, we’ll play cards there.” Addison nods.

  “Can I help?” I offer.

  “If you want, you can grab one tray, and I’ll bring the drinks.” We settle comfortably on the couch and chat. After about fifteen minutes, Addison gets up and runs up the stairs. I follow her with my eyes as she throws herself into a hug with the guy from the hallway, who I presume is Jackson. He kisses her on the cheek, and with his hand on her hips, they come closer. My heart is beating erratically as I know they are headed toward me for Addison to introduce us. I try to remain calm, since this is her boyfriend whom I happen to really like. And here I was trying to avoid him.

  “Come here, let me introduce you to my roommate. I’ve told you so much about her, you practically know her already,” she tells him with a smile, grabbing his hand. When his gaze lands on me, he also looks shocked. Hmm, shocked because he feels bad for checking me out while having a girlfriend who is her roommate, or shocked for some other reason? “This is Aaliyah.” We reach out to shake hands, my palms starting to get sweaty from nervousness.

  “Hi, nice to meet you. Addison talks about you all the time.” I try to appear unaffected, but when our fingers touch, I feel a strange energy pass between us, and I quickly remove my hand, moving back a step. I glance around me and sit back on the couch, looking everywhere except at him. Oh, how can I be so attracted to a guy who’s taken, a forbidden fruit? I shake my head and try to follow the conversation. I can tell the boys have known each other for a long time and that they’re good friends. Addison sits on his lap. I’m talking to Noah and Marc. When I finally muster the courage to look at the lovebirds, his eyes are focused my way, he’s ignoring Addison completely. Shaking my head, I get up and head to the kitchen to drink a glass of water and clear my head. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge. I’m thinking about finding an excuse to leave, so I won’t have to watch Jackson and Addison together all night.

  “Damn it,” I exclaim when I see Jackson standing in front of me, the bottle of water hitting the floor with a loud bang and spilling. “You scared the shit outta me,” I say to him and reach for paper towels to wipe up the water. He also kneels and together we mop up the floor. When we rise on our feet again and I throw the wet towels in the trash, I turn to him and nervously straighten my top.

  “So… You’re Addison’s roommate, huh?” He takes a step closer, cutting off my oxygen supply to my already confused brain. I nod silently. “Huh,” he snorts, putting his hand behind his neck, where it remains frozen for a few seconds.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” I ask, baffled.

  “Nothing, I’m just wondering about your intentions, why you’re hanging out with her. Are you also one of those girls who are just using Addison’s friendship to get to our money?” I gape incredulously at his accusation. What the hell is he talking about? I have no idea what he’s asking me. “What’s wrong, cat got your tongue?” He gets even closer, making me hit the counter with my back, and I put my hands on his chest.

  “Jackson, what are you asking me? What are you talking about? What money?” I stare into his eyes, still flabbergasted.

  “Jackson? What makes you think I’m Jackson?” He throws his head back in laughter. His reaction makes me frown.

  “What do you mean, what makes me think? Addison said she’s dating Jackson… I saw you two kissing, and she sat on your lap back there. What, you’re not Jackson?” Shit, I hope I didn’t mess up anything.

  “I’m definitely not Jackson. I’m Ryder, Addison’s brother. She told you about me.” I stare at him and put my hand over my gaping mouth.

  “Oh, I’m sorry—I just assumed…” He abruptly interrupts me.

  “Yeah, that’s what’s wrong with you girls, always jumping to conclusions instead of asking.” I am shaking my head violently, when I hear Noah’s voice from behind Ryder.

  “Hey, is everything okay here?” I distance myself from Ryder, coming closer to Noah, who protectively puts his hand on my hip and looks from me to Ryder. “What is going on here?” he asks us. I shrug.

  “It was just a misunderstanding, we’ve already cleared things up.” I turn to Ryder, who only nods, takes a beer from the fridge and leaves the kitchen. I finally let out a breath I was holding the whole time.

  “What was that?” Noah keeps insisting.

  “I don’t even know myself. Evidently, he doesn’t like me. He was acting strange. It’d probably be best if I leave, I don’t want to be the thorn in anyone’s side.”

  “What? Why? Just ignore him, he can be an ass sometimes. He’ll get over it,” he’s trying to convince me with a comforting stroke of my hand. I turn around and step away.

  “I don’t know, I’d rather leave. Can I borrow your phone to call the cab? I left mine at home.” Noah takes my wrist and takes me to the living room.

  “No. If you insist on leaving, I’ll take you.” We cross the room, everyone is already in the middle of playing cards, and they all looks up at us. Ryder is sitting in an armchair, drinking beer and looking at us with a piercing gaze, and Addison stands up and comes to us.

  “I’m going home,” I tell her.

  “Why? What’s wrong?” she asks, looking sideways at Noah.

  “I don’t feel well, I’d rather go home. See you tomorrow, okay? Have fun.” She hugs me.

  “Okay, if you say so. Bye.” Noah and I wave at everybody and leave.

  Chapter 4

  Ryder

  Pretty or not, she has hidden motives. She must have found out about our money somewhere, and, like everyone else, she wants to take advantage of us. When will this stop? I take a large gulp of my beer and watch my friends play cards. Everyone is laughing and having fun, but my thoughts are with Aaliyah. Did Addison invite her or did she invite herself? I suspect it’s the latter—she’s trying to get her hands on our money one way or another. Muttering out loud, I run my hand through my hair.

  “What’s wrong with you tonight, Ryder?” Addison turns to me and starts interrogating me. “Why are you so sullen?”

  “Who invited Aaliyah to come here? Did she invite herself?” I ask her angrily.

  “Huh? … Why do you want to know? Does it matter who invited her?” I give her a shake of my head.

  “Answer my question!” I demand harshly.

  “No, it wasn’t me. Well…”

  “I invited her, is there a problem?” Noah says as he slams the door shut. We all turn to him. “I invited Aaliyah. Why? Does anybody have something against her?” he repeats. I draw closer to him. We’re facing each other, hardly any space between us. I glare at him, then, shaking my head, I turn around and leave for my room.

  “What’s wrong with him today?” I hear right before I close the door. I turn on the radio and pump up the volume to the max. Imagine Dragons’ Radioactive is currently playing. I throw myself on the bed and ponder about Aaliyah and her motives.

  “Yo, man, get up, we have classes.” I am awoken by loud knocking and Marc’s voice that is still echoing through the door. “Come on, grab a quick shower, we’re in a hurry.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” I respond as I sleepily roll out of bed. I put my legs on the floor, my elbows resting on my kn
ees, and rub my hands over my face.

  I step out of the shower, quickly shave and dress, and I’m ready to leave. I grab my bag and phone when I hear Marc urging me to hurry up. “I’m all set, why are you so nervous,” I say lazily as I run through the door to the car.

  Ten minutes on the road, we still have a ten-minute drive ahead of us.

  “What was with you yesterday? Why were you so rude to Aaliyah the whole evening? She didn’t want to cause any trouble. As I could see, she more or less avoided you.”

  “Fuck, now you’re riding me about this, too? I have my reasons, let’s just leave it at that.” My lips form a straight line.

  “Okay, I’ll butt out, but still—you were very rude. She’s a nice girl.”

  Aaliyah

  Addison and I have just arrived at the university, and she rushes to the lockers in the hallway where she’s meeting Jackson. I slowly approach them. They have just stopped kissing as I come closer. I still cannot believe I thought Ryder was Jackson.

  “I apologize for yesterday—I wasn’t feeling well, so I went home.” I reach out my hands to finally officially meet him. His eyes are an interesting shade of green and he has longish brown hair.

  “Don’t sweat it, I’m glad to finally meet you. I’m Jackson, Addison told me a lot about you.” A lot, huh—I wonder what she said, since Addison and I met just recently.

  Three hours of classes pass quickly, and we’re all meeting in the cafeteria that’s a part of the university. Everybody is already there. Addison and Jackson, the twins, Marc, Noah, Ryder. Noah stands up when he sees me, smiles and brings an extra chair, so I can sit with them. They’re chatting enthusiastically, only Ryder is still throwing daggers at me with his glare. I couldn’t care less, I didn’t do anything to him, but he can be rude if he wants.

  “I’m glad you joined us, how are your classes?” Noah instantly asks.