Page 48 of Chasing Xander
Laughing, Kylie shook her head and tossed her phone on the bed. She was determined to get a start on her paper before Celeste returned and they went out for the night. But even after unpacking her books and studying her notes, she couldn’t come up with a single word to write. With a frustrated sigh, she pushed her books to the floor and stood. Her phone dinged with a new message. She assumed it was Celeste again and was surprised to see Xander’s number.
She opened the message, and her heart raced.Hey. Can we talk?
She stared at the text, rereading it a couple times. A nagging voice in the back of her mind warned her this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation. Her fingers trembled as she sent a reply.Sure. When and where?
Xander:Now. I’m on my way to you.
He was on his way here? To her room? She swallowed hard. No one else was here, which meant… They were going to be alone together. She tugged at the collar of her T-shirt, suddenly very warm. It’s not like they hadn’t been alone before. But it felt different this time, more ominous.
The knock on the door startled her.Get a grip, Ky.She took a deep breath and opened the door. Xander stood on the other side, smiling, sexy as ever. His dark hair was mussed, like he’d rolled out of bed not too long ago.
“You didn’t show up for study group,” she blurted out.
“No, I didn’t. I’m sorry.”
She hesitated, waiting for an explanation that didn’t come. “Right. You wanted to talk?”
“Can I come in?”
She stepped aside to let him enter. He took a seat on Celeste’s bed. Kylie sat on her own, across from him. “What’s up?”
He rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands over his face. “I wanted to say I’m sorry, again, for bailing on our date tonight.”
“Oh, that?” She waved her hand as if it were no big deal, refusing to let him know how disappointed she really was. “Don’t worry. Celeste and I are planning to go out.”
Nodding, Xander stood. “Well, I just wanted to say sorry. Have a good time with Celeste tonight.”
“Wait. What? That’s it?” She studied him for a moment, then stood. “You came all the way over here just for that?” She crossed her arms and tilted her head. There was a knot in her stomach, a gut feeling there was something he wasn’t saying.
He stepped up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He bent his knees so he was eye level with her. “I like you, Ky.”
Her breath hitched. That was the first time he’d called her Ky, and the sound of him using her nickname sent a thrill through her. It was so soft and endearing. “I like you, too,” she whispered.
He broke into a sexy smile that was lethal to her senses. He straightened to his full height, dragged his hands down her arms, and took her hands, lacing their fingers. Then he released her just as quickly. She had the urge to grab him and pull him close again. But before she could, he’d reached for the doorknob and opened the door. He stopped and turned back to her.
“I’ll call you as soon as my meeting is over tonight. We’ll make plans for this weekend, okay?”
“Okay.” She nodded. “Is that really all you wanted to talk about?”
Xander caressed her cheek and smiled. “No, but it’s not important anymore.” He dropped his hand abruptly, said a quick good-bye, then left. Kylie stepped into the hall and watched him walk away. She was more confused now than she was before. He said he liked her, but he wasn’t nearly as affectionate as he had been last night or that morning. With a shake of her head, she went back into her room and closed the door. Even though she had no idea what was up with him, at least he hadn’t told her he didn’t want to see her anymore.
Chapter Sixteen
The entire weekend passed without so much as a text from Xander. And now that it was Monday, she sat in Professor Jamison’s class trying not to stare at the door, waiting for Xander to show his face. If he even had the balls to show up. Knowing him, he’d probably ditch and blow her off again. She frowned.
“I’m sure he has a good reason for not calling you,” Celeste said for what seemed like the millionth time.
Yeah, a good reason—like he was hooking up with some other girl. Probably that chick from the party. She gripped her pen so tight, her knuckles turned white. “Are you sure Finn didn’t say anything?” She was desperate for some sort of reassurance that she was only being paranoid.
“Finn said he hasn’t seen much of Xander at all this weekend. Maybe he had some family stuff come up.” Celeste offered a sympathetic smile.
No matter what his reason, he had no excuse for not sending a text, at the very least. Especially considering he said he’d call, said they’d make plans to hang out. Even though she and Celeste had stayed busy all weekend, she’d obsessively checked her phone for messages. And it hadn’t helped her mood any that the few sororities they’d check out had been lame. Ultimately, they’d decided not to pledge, at least not this year. Maybe they’d consider it again next fall.
Professor Jamison cleared his throat, pushed his glasses up his nose, and then moved toward the door to close it. Before he could, Xander slipped in, mumbling what she assumed was an apology, and then he made a beeline straight toward her. He sat in the seat next to her, out of breath. Kylie made a point of shifting her body away from him.
“All right. Did anyone here not do the assigned reading?” Professor Jamison took his position at the front of the lecture hall and pushed his glasses up his nose.
Several hands shot into the air. Xander’s, however, did not. She sliced a look at him. He stared straight ahead, oblivious to her. She slumped in her chair and forced herself to pay attention during class, which wasn’t an easy thing to do. She attempted to take notes, but she kept transposing numbers or missing what the professor said altogether. He might as well have been speaking gibberish. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she closed her notebook and gave up on taking notes.
