“Gin, I am honestly gutted about last night, I am really, really sorry. I was just being a dick. I had no right to speak like that to you or Caleb, but jealous guy, can’t stop being jealous guy. I think I have it under control, I locked that beast away. I have spent all night wondering if you would still talk to me. Thinking I nearly lost you as my friend is my motivation to be a really good Dom from now on. I promise I will be the best friend you have ever had,” he says earnestly, his voice still roughened from the early morning.
I take comfort in his words and him trying, being able to say sorry is a big thing in my world. I don’t respond, my actions louder, clearer than my muddled thoughts, but I scoot over closer to him and feel myself relax as he snuggles me close. Last night I shot a late-night text to Tomas, my PT, canceling this morning's session, I know I need a morning off, so guilt-free, we drift back to sleep. I am snuggled deep in the arms of a guy I have only just met, but damn he feels like just what I need at the moment.
“Hello?” Dom’s voice wakes me, it is cracked from him obviously being asleep as well and I move out of the cocoon to hear him, “Hello? Um, maybe try back, I think we have a bad connection, I can’t hear you at all. Hello?”
And without a doubt, my heart rate plummets along with my stomach. I know that it is Hunter checking up on me. He has no right to, despite kissing the living shit out of me yesterday. Despite our childish promises to each other years ago, he barely knows me, he didn’t want me. Regardless, I am awake more than I ever could be in just seconds. Dom is rolling back my way as he hangs up, his arm’s capture me as I am just starting to climb out of bed.
“Too early,” he mumbles.
“Let me up Dom, I still have an early class and I can’t miss it,” I say back, pulling his arm off of me.
“Is your phone broken? Like strange that there was no-one there. Alright, give me two minutes Gin before you run off okay, let me grab our juices, I need to talk to you,” he doesn’t even give me a chance to respond before he is jumping up and running into the kitchen to grab the drinks off the counter, where he dropped them earlier this morning.
He returns in moments, and in that time I have taken the opportunity to sit up with the pillows behind my back. I leave a space for him next to me but he surprises me when he grabs my robe, which looks stupid on him, and sits cross-legged in front of me instead after putting our juices on the bed side table.
“So, we need to talk. But before that I need you to listen,” he drops those big puppy dog eyes of his at me again and I smile, a laugh falling from his mouth. “I said I was sorry and I am. You know that I am interested in you and I know you need time. I am just making a couple of things clear and then I’ll let you get to class. Firstly, sorry for being dick supreme, it’s not me, and I fucked up. Now, I keep telling you I am interested but what I want is to get to know you, like the real Verginius. Lastly, did anyone ever tell you, you have terrible morning breath Ginny?” he says with a straight face, his eyes alight in his mirth.
“Fuck off Dom!” I say with a laugh. A sense of relief filling me. I really don’t want to lose Dom as a friend, I need one more than ever. I just hope he is okay with me keeping my secrets, cause there is no way I am telling anyone about Hunter.
“Deal?” he asks, his face still alight with good humour. He really does have a great smile.
“Deal, stinky breath and all,” I say back with my hand outstretched, so we can shake on it.
He goes to shake my hand and notices my pale scar that runs right over my palm, “Man, what happened here, that’s like gruesome Gin,” he makes a weird face, over the top, to take some of the sting of his words out.
“Childhood thing,” I say pulling my hand out of his, “don’t worry about it.”
“Ewwww!” he says before tackling me to the bed and tickling me like there is no tomorrow, for someone who is hideously ticklish, one finger can have me screaming for mercy, ten fingers and I can’t breathe through my laughter.
My doorbell sounding silences us both and I push him off of me to jump up out of bed, opening the door expecting Hartley, I am surprised that the hallway is empty.
I close the door and start walking back to my room but Dom is coming out of my room, still wearing my bathrobe.
“Where is Hartley?” he asks, totally confused.
“Um, there wasn't anyone there. Maybe the wrong room?” I offer equally bemused.
“Either way Ginny, I am going to run. Thanks for letting me say sorry this morning and I’m gonna be back for more snuggles, that was the best thing to happen to me for a while,” he says with a cheeky hubba-hubba eyebrow. “See you at lunch,” he adds before walking out of my front door.
I stand there for a few minutes taking in the events of this morning and I feel pretty okay about it all. Well, except for the phone call.
Despite it being a Saturday morning at St Joseph’s, we still have a half-day of study with classes running, until early afternoon. I have Corporate Law first up, then IT, surprisingly, I enjoy both of them, so I am looking forward to the day. Hartley and I have arranged to have coffee later and then I need to study. Another one of Grandpa’s special life lessons, Sunday is my day, I get to choose what I do and I currently have a list a mile long for tomorrow, but first I am going to smash today.
The St. Joseph’s uniform is relatively simple and very traditional. Blazers, ties, skirts and long socks, I don’t mind it at all, it takes the guesswork out of what I have to wear each day. This morning though I take extra care, twisting and turning in all directions to make sure that you can’t see Hunter’s hickey. After checking every angle, satisfied that it is indeed buried under my shirt, I grab my satchel and leave, hopefully having time to grab a tea on the way.
The lecture theatre is fast filling up. Tardiness is certainly frowned upon, and this professor is very good, she has a flair for making the banal detail sound exciting, so everyone is keen. I generally sit up close to the front; it just works well for me.
The large lecture theatre is relatively quiet as everyone gets ready for the next few hours, honestly, this professor goes from zero to one hundred in next to no time. We are nearing the lecture start time when suddenly the door bangs open unexpectedly, causing all the seated participants to turn as one and see what the commotion is. Unsurprisingly, it is not our usual professor, she is dramatic but not crass, instead of her, Connor stands in the doorway with a massive, toothy smile on his face.
“Hey folks, sorry I am late. Professor Gibson sends her apologies but was needed at her office so instead, you have me and my amazing, um notes, for the morning. Now drum roll please, we have, Insolvency and Ongoing Obligations for Directors with detailed analysis of a couple of recent court cases, that certainly changed the legal landscape. Thankfully I am using Professor Gibson’s presentation, which you all should have pre-read,” he talks to the whole room as he strides across to the centrally located lectern. Connor’s showmanship shines bright as he presents to us for a few hours. The time flies past as he keeps us focused, entertained, and laughing through a series of very detailed slides that ends in a fiery debate. My brain is totally overloaded and my tummy aches from all the laughing, at the end of our long session, I find I have a real pep in my step, and I move to my next session.
I wish I can say the same for IT. Coding is just something that does not jell with my brain, I suspect it is because it is so heavily maths based and whilst I am good, I am not good at stochastic processes which is integral to the fundamental, basic strategy that we are studying today. As opposed to the last class, this lecture is almost emotionless, people are here to work, not intermingle and it’s daunting the level of intelligence shared by everyone here. It certainly brings out my inferiority complex, coupled with my growing tiredness, it sees me struggling to take notes and follow the presentation. I am pretty sure I just end up staring at the screen. My workload for the weekend has just increased ten-fold which just annoys the shit out of me.
Thankfully I am meeting Hartley for coffee. Her carefree, effervescence is just what I need. I see her as soon as I push inside the campus coffee shop. St Joseph’s is such a weird set up, like a mini town with a selection of small, intimate coffee shops and restaurants, as well as the usual dining area, with everything included in our tuition fee. Weirdly there are still servers to take our orders. This little coffee shop is centrally located on campus and has beautiful views to the gardens. It is always busy and loud in here but Hartley has already gotten us a great table, right at the back, so we sit next to the full height windows, and even better, she already has a mountain of food ready for us.
“I am starving. Bless you for ordering Harts! I missed breakfast and it’s been non-stop since then, and you got my favourite! Love you. OMG, it’s delicious,” I lean down to give her a side hug with a quick kiss before sitting down and breaking into the banana choc-chip muffin, before even looking at her again.
“And why exactly did you miss breakfast Gin,” she asks conspiratorially, leaning in closer, with her cappuccino perched in her hands.
