Still not into you - Charlotte Byrd Page 0,11

December and I’m taken aback by how beautiful her hair is. Juliet is a voluptuous brunette with porcelain skin and to-die-for silky hair. I don’t know how she makes her hair so shiny, but I’m jealous. She gave me all of her products to use last semester, but my hair never got that lustrous, no matter what I did.

Dressed in high heel boots, a tight turtleneck sweater, and a short black skirt, Juliet is the epitome of chic. I, on the other hand, look like the ‘90s threw up on me. I’m wearing leggings, a shabby t-shirt that’s way too thin for this weather, and a plaid button down shirt.

Dylan hands me a beer. He’s dressed in his usual uniform—a Nautica sweater, loafers, and slacks.

“Hey, Dylan, do you own any other clothes?” Juliet asks as if she’s reading my mind.

“What do you mean?” He shrugs.

“No, he doesn’t.” Peyton laughs.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Dylan asks, looking down at his clothes.

“You look like you just stepped off a sailboat in Nantucket.” Peyton smiles.

She’s making fun of him, but it’s obvious that she loves him and his clothes. He’s an L. L. Bean cover model and she’s the Connecticut queen on his arm.

Come to think of it, Juliet and Peyton could be sisters. They have almost identical chocolate hair, similar disapproving looks, and opinionated, know-it-all, coy smiles. Except that Juliet’s a lot curvier than Peyton. That’s really an understatement. Peyton’s so thin, she’s practically malnourished, and that’s coming from someone who lives in LA.

Dylan and Juliet play beer pong while Peyton’s nose is stuck in her phone. The fact that Juliet and Dylan are still on good terms is shocking to me. I mean, they slept together for over a month last semester after Peyton fell in love with her Resident Advisor at Yale. Yet, here they all are—Dylan and Peyton are back together without bruised egos or hard feelings and Juliet and Dylan are friends again. Honestly, they’re the epitome of some sort of post-relationship awakening—the image of modernity.

“Okay, kids,” Juliet says, finishing her beer. “It’s been fun catching up, but I’ve got to go. I have a date.”

“You’ve only been here a day and you’re already going out?” I ask.

“Hey, mama’s gotta play.” She shrugs.

“So, who’s your date?” Hudson asks.

“His name’s Brayden. He’s a stockbroker,” Juliet announces in her usual way. Name, then occupation or major. I’m Alice, English major. Dylan is Dylan, undecided. Hudson is Hudson, economics major.

As soon as Juliet leaves, Hudson nudges me to go unpack in my room. I smile and tell everyone that we’re going to go unpack. They all nod and pretend they don’t know what we’re going to do.

“You think you’re so mysterious,” I say when we’re both alone in my room.

“No, not really.” He shrugs and pulls me close to him. “I just want to be alone with you.”

Hudson presses his lips onto mine. My knees grow weak again. Shivers run up and down my body.

“No, no, no.” I shake my head. “I do actually have a lot of unpacking to do.”

I pull away from him and unwrap his arms from my body. When I lean over my suitcase, he’s around me again. Holding me tight. Close. I feel my body temperature rising.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he whispers in his most soothing voice. I smile. Turn around to face him. It’s not that I don’t want him. I do. More than anything.

“What do you want?” I ask. The huge smile on my face is so wide, it’s hurting my face, but I can’t make it vanish.

“You,” he says and tosses me onto the bed. “You’re as light as a feather!” Hudson adds, the words that every girl dreams of hearing.

He climbs on top of me, cradles my head. He moves my hair off my neck and kisses my ear lightly. His kisses send shivers down my body and make my feet feel numb.

I lift his head up to my lips and kiss him on the mouth. I bury my hands in his hair. His hands remain at my sides, but his lips move along with mine. I feel him push into me.

I hear footsteps outside the door.

“What’s that?” I ask, pushing him away.

“Nothing,” he mumbles and starts to kiss my neck again. He gives me light little kisses along my collarbone, driving me wild, but something at the door is worrying me.

“What if Juliet comes back?” I ask.

“She won’t,” he says without stopping. “She’s on her date.”

“So, who’s that?