her. Sure, she let me fester in uncertainty for a whole brutal week before she gave in, but that’s just the type of girl Stone is. She’ll make it hurt first before she makes it better. And like a sucker, I’ve begun to crave both—her pain and her sweetness. But I’ve gone without either for a week now, so I’ve hit the limit on how patient I can be.
Tonight was supposed to be a beginning for us. Of what, I’m not sure, but it was still going to happen. I need it to happen. So where the fuck is she?
I begin to pace the ugly, brown carpet in anxiety. I’m two seconds away from running up these stairs, bypassing miss pigtails altogether just so I can knock on Stone’s dorm room and find out what her deal is. She agreed to go out, and she isn’t exactly the type of girl who says yes to anything unless she really means it. I know that for a fact since all her sweet yeses usually include me being a brutish beast with her.
My doubts start to ease when I finally hear feet rushing down the stairs. When my eyes land on the girl I’ve been waiting for an eternity, my heart cracks a little bit.
Fuck, I’ve missed her.
She looks beautiful tonight. So fucking beautiful that I get a little tongue-tied.
Her long, raven hair is curled in loose waves running down her back, so her face is perfectly in view. A dark blue dress that hits her just mid-thigh is painted on her body, revealing only a bit of her stunning ink, yet showcasing all of her curves. The black army boots with skulls on is the final badass touch to the ensemble. Being a girly-girl is just not her style. But damn, if she doesn’t look like a dark angel, regardless if fallen from heaven or risen from the pits of hell. Either way, I’m still the luckiest asshole there is for being her date tonight.
Shit, I think I’m a little pussy-whipped.
Fuck it.
I don’t even care. Not when I haven’t seen Stone in so long that the very sight of her has me feeling all warm and shit.
“Sorry I’m late, pretty boy. I had some stuff to sort out,” she exclaims, and the worried scowl on her face is enough to take me out of my lust-filled reverie, allowing me to realize that my girl is a mess.
Hold up! Did I really just refer to Stone as my girl?
Snap out of it, you pussy! You’re going to scare her off before you’ve even set foot out of her dorm!
“What’s wrong?” I ask, instead of revealing the chaotic thoughts rummaging around in my head.
“Nothing. It’s sorted. Or at least it will be, once we’re done with this date.”
“Oh no, you don’t! Like hell, do I want you spending our night with whatever shit you’ve got going on hanging over us. I know exactly how this is going to play out. You’ll act like you’re present when, in reality, you’re miles away. Then you’ll do everything in your power to end the night faster and send me packing, just so you can deal with whatever clusterfuck has got you pissed off. Not going to happen, Stone. Whatever it is, out with it. We can deal with it now and go on about our date after.”
“Kind of bossy tonight, huh, quarterback? Just because I’m going to let you pay for dinner, do you think I’m going to let you in on my personal affairs and order me around?” she says teasingly, with no heat whatsoever behind her reprimand.
I eat up the small space between us and lift her chin so she can tell that I’m not playing her little games. Not tonight.
“I haven’t seen you in almost a week, Stone. Now, that shit might not affect you as much as it affects me, but no way in hell am I starting our first date together on a sour note.”
“Okay,” she susurrates, her long lashes batting a mile a minute.
My hand goes to cradle the back of her neck, and for a minute, I get lost in her green meadows.
“Tell me what’s wrong. Let’s see if two heads work better than one, and sort out whatever problem you’ve got going. We’re friends, right? And friends look out for each other,” I explain hoarsely, feeling my eyes smolder as her cheeks begin to flush.
“Friends, huh? Is that what we are?” She mauls at her lower lip, her