Page 6 of No One Else

And I do mean hard. She has to feel me through my jeans. I’ve waited so long for this, I’m primed for any eventuality. Not that we’ll be getting down and dirty on the dance floor, but my dick doesn’t want to rule out the possibility.

Her body is tight, toned, as my palms roam her curves. She works out regularly, religiously attends the cardio dance classes the gym offers as well as the weight machines. To finally have my hands on her, with her enthusiastic response... my brain must be short circuiting because I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.

We spend untold minutes kissing among the sea of bodies, just two more anonymous college kids hooking up at a club, but it’s so much more than that. It’s the culmination of... everything.

This is it. The moment when I confess my feelings for her. When I finally get the girl.

I pull away gently, cradling her face in my hands, smiling down at the sight of her lust-filled eyes and swollen lips. I created that. It’s all for me.

“I love you, Natalie.”

She blinks slowly. “W-what?”

“I’m in love with you,” I repeat, riding so high on endorphins I don’t notice the sudden tension in her body. How she pulls away from me, the lust in her gaze replaced first by confusion, then concern.

“You’re in love with me?” It’s clear from her tone that we’re not operating on the same wavelength.

My mind goes blank as a dawning horror overtakes me. Did I tell her what I think I did? The thing I’ve kept a secret from her since the moment I realized it all those months ago? That she clearly doesn’t reciprocate? “Uh...”

She takes a step back, wariness and skepticism all over her face. “Did you really just tell me that?”

I sigh, letting go of her and stuff my hands back in my pockets. I put them in there earlier for a reason. So I wouldn’t be tempted to touch her. I knew once I did I’d be unable to stop.

“Evan, I got out of a three year relationship yesterday!” She waves her arms wildly, narrowly missing several people. “I’m not looking for a new one.”

I rub the back of my neck, willing a black hole to materialize in front of me. If I could just warp out of this situation, that’d be great.

“I had no idea you liked me,” she continues. “My God, I didn’t even know I was attracted to you until tonight.”

“So youareattracted to me then.”

She huffs, her brows raising in disbelief. Okay, wrong thing to focus on.

“This was a mistake,” she says, wringing her hands. “We work together, what was I thinking?” She glances up at me, her eyes twin pools of regret. “I- I can’t do this right now.”

She backs away from me, the crowd swallowing her. I make no move to follow her, frozen in spot as all of my dreams come crashing down around me.

What in the hell did I just do?

***

“IFUCKED UP, MAN. WHATdo I do?” I pace the small length of space in front of the television in my friend Luke’s apartment. He and his girlfriend, Charlotte, sit on his leather couch, curled up together watching me with identical expressions of dismay.

“I don’t know if there’s much you can do at this point.” He gives me a pitying smile, his bright blue eyes concerned.

I grit my teeth in annoyance. I don’t need his pity. I need concrete advice. “You were the one who pushed me to do this.”

He shakes his head immediately. “Uh uh. I said you should ask her out. Not profess your love for her the day after she breaks up with her longtime boyfriend. Besides, that was almost a year ago I said that.”

I sit down in the chair to the side of the couch, resting my elbows on my knees, my head bowed. I close my eyes and exhale a long breath, but when I look up again, nothing’s changed.

“Charlotte,” I plead. “You’re friends with Natalie. What should I do?”

She glances uncomfortably at Luke, then back at me, her dark eyes also filled with pity. Am I seriously that pathetic right now?

I had called Luke in a state of panic after realizing Natalie, Samantha, and Levi had left Empire, begging him to let me stop by his apartment for advice. My body was jittery, heart racing. I needed someone to tell me how to fix this. Someone else would have the answer because I sure as hell didn’t.

“Evan, we’ve obviously known you’ve had a thing for her for a while,” she says diplomatically, leaning forward and brushing her long, brown hair back behind her shoulders. “But for her, this is coming out of left field. She’s never said she’s felt anything for you other than friendship or picked up on any kind of romantic feelings. Coupled with the fact that she’s had a major life change in the last twenty-four hours, her reaction makes sense.”

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