Page 16 of Trusting Tanner
“You’re going to regret that by the end of the semester.” He chuckled. “You’ll get sick of me, I’m sure.”
“I doubt it.” If anything, he would get sick of her. Just like everyone else in her life had. She glanced over to find him staring at her with an intensity she’d never seen from anyone before. Her breath hitched, and her face flushed, but she didn’t look away.
“Good.” He leaned closer and lightly trailed his fingertips along her jaw, the touch so soft, she barely felt it. Yet, at the same time, it seemed to brand her, forever marking her as his. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned even closer. “Jules?” His warm breath tickled her lips.
Her eyes snapped open to find his mouth dangerously close to hers. Was he planning to kiss her?Oh God.Would she have let him? She jerked back, and her heart pounded harder than ever.Stupid, stupid, stupid!Boys were bad, and they were mean, and they caused her too much pain. Yet, here she was, letting herself get swept up by the first attractive, nice guy to pay her attention since Zach. She swallowed hard.
He continued to hold her gaze for a moment longer before breaking away. Gathering their trash, he carried it to the nearby can and tossed it all in. “Ready to go diagnose some bad actors?” he asked.
Relief crashed over her; he hadn’t said anything about their awkward almost-kiss. If that’s even what had happened. She still wasn’t sure, but she knew there was no way a guy like Tanner could be interested in someone like her. She was simply misreading the situation. Slowly standing, she grabbed her bag. “I’ve never been more excited for a class before.”
From the corner of her eye, she noticed him look her up and down. “Me, either,” he muttered.
…
By the time Juliana’s last class ended on Thursday evening, her feet throbbed and each step felt like someone was shoving nails into her heels. There were electives she’d wanted to take above and beyond what her degree program required, so she’d decided to take a few extra classes this semester. What a mistake!
Her backpack, now overflowing with books, weighed her down as she made her way up to her room. Her shoulders ached, and her back screamed for relief. All she wanted was a hot shower, some food, and her soft bed.Please let the room be empty.She let her backpack slide off her shoulder and onto the floor, then unlocked the door.
She stepped inside and sighed with relief. There weren’t a bunch of people in the room, and Rebecca wasn’t naked. But the scent of sex hung heavy in the air.Gross.Rebecca was all dressed up, though, clearly getting ready to go out.Thank you, Jesus.“Hey.”
“Hi.” Rebecca didn’t bother to turn away from the mirror.
“You look nice.” Jules dragged her bag toward her desk. That’s when she noticed the mess. All her pens and pencils were scattered around. Her notebooks were hanging off the shelf, some of the covers were bent and ripped. Her makeup bag was on its side, all the contents spread out. The tips of her ears burned, and her face flamed hotter than an inferno. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, symbolically releasing the anger building inside of her. “Um, what happened here?”
Rebecca glanced over her shoulder quickly before turning back to the mirror. “Oh, I borrowed some of your perfume and lipstick. You don’t mind, do you?”
Unbelievable!“No,” she said, drawing out the word. “But I’d appreciate if you asked me first.” She began to toss items back into her makeup bag. “And if you do borrow something, please put things away when you’re done.”
“Sorry.” Her flippant attitude grated on Juliana’s nerves, and she clenched her jaw to stop from saying anything else.
She grabbed her only tube of lipstick and hesitated. She knew where Rebecca’s lips had been, and there was no way in hell she was going to put this anywhere near her mouth ever again. Turning to Rebecca, she held out the tube. “Here. You can have it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s a little too bright for me, and it looks way better on you.” She smiled.
“Thanks, Jules.” Rebecca took the lipstick and stuck the tube in her cleavage.
“So, where are you headed tonight?” She straightened her notebooks, making a mental note of how many new ones she’d have to buy to replace the ruined ones, and gathered her pens and pencils, returning them to the cup.
“I have a date with Garrett. He’s super yummy.” She laughed then smacked her lips. “Hey, you should totally come along.” Her eyes were bright with excitement.
“You want me to tag along on your date?” She shook her head. “No way.”
“He’s got a single friend who’s looking for someone to hang out with and maybe hook up.” Rebecca winked suggestively. “His name is Evan, and he’s wicked hot. He’s smart, too. I’m sure you two would really hit it off. He’d help you get over that fuckhead ex of yours.”
“Thanks, but no.” She toed off her shoes and sat on her bed, folding her legs beneath her. “Actually…” She averted her gaze and picked at her comforter. “There’s this guy I sorta like.”
Rebecca sat on her bed and grinned like a Cheshire Cat. “Is he hot?”
“So hot.” Jules laughed. “But he’s more than that. He’s super nice and funny and smart. We have a lot of classes together.”
She couldn’t believe she was admitting this out loud, let alone to her roommate of all people. Devon was normally the only one she spoke to about these things, but it was nice to be able to talk to another girl for a change.
Suddenly, Rebecca jumped up and started clapping her hands. “You got this guy’s number?”
“Yeah, why?”
