The thought causes a dark laugh to bubble out of me and he smiles.
“What’s so funny, Princess?”
“I just thought you were going to kiss me, then I thought maybe we would get hit by another brick.”
He smiles a little at that. I try to contain my laughter, but I can’t hold it in. I snort so loud, I end up laughing even harder. Miles bursts into laughter, and soon we’re both laughing alone on the dark sidewalk.
My body vibrates with a feeling I’ve never experienced before and it sends chills throughout my body. The sound of his laugh echoing throughout the empty street gives me butterflies, and that smile—he has a smile that’s brighter than a thousand suns. I can’t stop looking at him. He’s absolutely magnetic.
He catches me staring and I look away, clearing my throat. He grabs me by the waist, turning me to face him. I gasp as he slides his large, strong hands down to my hips. I don’t know where to place my hands, so I instinctively place them around his neck.
“Would it be so bad if I did?” His blue eyes darken as he stares intently into mine. I can feel my chest tighten, and I realize that I’m holding my breath. I lick my lips, preparing them for what’s about to come next, and say, “Not at all.”
His eyes deepen and dart back down to my parted lips, hunger written all over his face as if he’s been waiting for them his entire life. He cups my face with both hands and leans in, his breath tickling my cheeks. My eyes flutter shut, anxiously waiting to feel the press of his lips when I feel them gently kiss the corner of my mouth instead. I open my eyes, confused, and see him staring at me.
“I want to kiss you, Maddie, fuck do I want to kiss you. Just not like this, not after a night of drinking. When I kiss you, we’ll both be sober and I’ll have your full consent. I would never touch you without it, and I’ll hurt anyone who tries.”
And with that, he grabs my hand again and we walk down the dimly lit road to my dorm.
7.Madelyn
I wakeup alone in my dorm room again—I guess Gabby didn’t make it in last night. Since living here, I’ve only seen her a handful of times. We haven’t really spoken to one another, which I don’t mind all that much, but it’s kind of awkward when we’re both in here and no one is talking.
I wonder if she doesn’t like me.
I check my phone to see the time and see a text from Kaitlin.
Kaitlin: Morning slut, coffee at 10?
I smile at the use of the word “slut.” She probably thinks I slept with Miles. I’d probably think the same thing if I was her. I write her back and let her know I’ll meet her at the coffee shop we saw by the boutique the other day.
It’s currently eight in the morning, so I have two hours to get myself ready and meet her. I take a quick shower, defuse my curls, and throw my hair up into a high messy bun. I’m wearing a pair of biker shorts with an oversized t-shirt I thrifted and my usual checkered vans. Throwing some mascara and lip gloss on, I head out the door.
The walk to the coffee shop is short, but I had an unnerving feeling that I was being followed the entire time. Once I get there, I rush inside and see Kaitlin sitting at a table, a bowl of oats and an iced coffee in front of her while she texts on her phone. She looks up, her expression morphing into excitement when she spots me.
“Hey, slut! Did you enjoy your night?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me as I sit across from her, shushing her for saying that ridiculously loud in a very quiet coffee shop.
“Be quiet! Nothing happened. He just took me back to my dorm. I would have texted you once I got in, but I crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow.”
“Okay…so was he any good? He’s really tall, so his dick must be huge.”
“Shhh, you are so loud, oh my god!”
She laughs before taking a sip of her coffee, still wiggling her eyebrows at me. There’s an elderly couple at the table next to us that gets up and leaves, and as embarrassed as I am, I’m also grateful for it.
“I’m serious. We really didn’t do anything. We didn’t even kiss.”
“What?! Why not? You looked hot as hell.”
I still haven’t told Kaitlin about what happened last night, thinking it’ll be safer for her if she knows nothing about it. I don't want to drag more people into whatever the hell is happening. But I’m starting to feel like if I don’t tell someone and I end up getting snatched off the street, it’ll be partially my fault for not letting anyone know I kind of, maybe have a stalker.
“Believe me, he tried. We were up in Chase’s bedroom and we were sitting on his bed?—”
“You slut.” Kaitlin smiles deviously at me, and I roll my eyes at her with a grin.
“He was about to kiss me, at least I think he was, but then a brick flew through the window?—”
“What the fuck? Bitch, why didn’t you tell me this last night? I knew you looked spooked.”
