nothing but a gray towel.
Sweet baby Jesus.
The man is tall, lean, and ripped. Sure, I see him shirtless often living with him, but it’s a sight I don’t get sick of. I tell myself it’s okay if I look as long as that’s all I do. No more repeat performances like the night at the bonfire.
Cole catches me looking when he goes to close his door and winks.
A little shriek flies out of my throat at being caught and I hear his laughter through the door.
I cover my face with my hands, wanting to hide, which is pointless. He already witnessed me in the act.
Heart racing, I adjust my skirt, making sure all the necessary parts are covered and slip on my favorite white Converse.
Grabbing some cash from my wallet I stuff it in my pocket, so I don’t have to worry with a purse. Cole’s door creaks open and he steps out of his room in clean jeans and a fresh t-shirt.
“Ready to go?” He pulls a pack of gum from his pocket and takes a piece out.
“Yeah. Ready to hear you sing.”
“Your ears might bleed,” he warns, following me out the door, and down the stairs to the parking lot.
“Hopefully you’re not that bad. If you are, I’ll pull you off the stage.”
His eyes sparkle with barely contained laugher. “I appreciate you looking out for me.”
“Oh, it wouldn’t be to save you from embarrassment. It’s to save myself.”
“Ah, I see.” He opens the passenger door of his truck for me to climb in.
Before he closes it, I say, “Okay, maybe there would be like five-percent of me doing it for you.”
“Mhmm,” he hums, dimples I haven’t noticed before popping out in his cheeks when he gives me a closed mouth smile.
Harvey’s, it turns out, is really close to campus and though from the outside it looks like it would be a dive bar, I’m guessing from the expensive cars lining the gravel lot that it’s far from it.
Cole parks his truck in one of the few open spaces. Picking up his phone, he types out a text to someone and waits.
“Teddy says they’re in the big booth in the back.”
“You know that means nothing to me.”
He chuckles. “Don’t worry I won’t let you get lost.” He winks and my body clenches. He really needs to stop doing that. I don’t need to be feeling anything for him. No tingles. No goosebumps. Zilch. Nada.
Slipping out of the truck, we walk side by side into Harvey’s. The place is packed, wall to wall with people standing, not to mention the crowded tables. Music blares from speakers, some kind of loud country remix. People are dancing, singing along, cheering, you name it. I notice a lot of the girls are wearing cowboy boots and I look down at my Converse. No way in hell would I get caught dead in cowboy boots. No thank you.
Cole’s hand slips into mine and I try to jerk it away, but he only holds on tighter. Lowering his head, he says into my ear, “Don’t wanna lose you in the crowd.”
Reluctantly, I jerk my head in agreement. I’ll just have to ignore how warm his hand is and how the large size swallows mine whole.
Cole pushes his way through everyone, and if anyone gets perturbed by him plowing through they quickly get over it when they see it’s him. I eye him carefully, realizing he must be kind of a big deal on campus if so many people recognize him and bow out of the way. There are also dirty looks tossed my way by several girls when they notice him holding my hand. Alas, ladies, it’s not what you think.
“Mom! Dad!” Teddy yells loud enough to be heard above the noise and the table comes into view. Cole was right, this booth is super-sized. I notice some of the guys I’ve gotten to know over the past month, like Murray, Cree, and even Jude. He’s dropped by a few times with Teddy now and is a pretty cool guy, kind of serious, but hot.
A pit forms in my stomach over even thinking someone else is hot when my brain is hyper-fixated on Cole.
Even though I wasn’t keen on coming, I’m here now and I want to have fun.
Teddy sits down, in the middle like he’s the king and everyone else are his peasants.
I drop Cole’s hand, realizing that we’re still hanging onto each other. He gives me a curious look but says nothing. He