Page 38 of Obligation
“They’re not.” Garrett shook his head. “Trust me, you do not want to watch one of their games. You’ll walk away hating the game.” He laughed.
From the corner of his eye, Bradley watched Carissa whisper to Tiffany. The girls laughed, and his heart soared at the joy he heard in Carissa’s laughter. That’s how she should always be—happy and carefree. Not sad and in tears. And God help him, he wanted to be the man to make her happy. So what if she had a boyfriend? Bradley could earn her affections fair and square, without playing dirty.
The game ended with Harmony Falls winning by a single field goal, and excited chaos erupted all round. Even Carissa was on her feet, clapping and cheering. He watched her with a smile, wondering what had caused her mood to change so drastically.
Carissa turned to him and clutched his arm. “Tiff and I have to head to the bonfire to help with setup. We’ll see you there, right?”
“Wouldn’t dream of missing it,” Bradley said, momentarily covering her hand with his, and she didn’t try to pull away from his touch. “Do you need a ride there?”
“No. Tiff has her car. I’ll ride with her.” She still didn’t remove her hand from his arm. In fact, she gave his bicep a gentle squeeze.
“Well, do you need an extra pair of hands to help?”
“Uh, I don’t think so,” she said slowly. “TOP is co-hosting with the Betas, so all those guys will be there.”
So much he wanted to say to that, but he bit his tongue. Carissa wasn’t his girlfriend, and even if she was, he had no right to tell her what to do or who she could hang around with. While he didn’t like the thought of her spending any length of time with an entire fraternity, he was powerless to do anything about that.
“Lucky guys,” he finally said.
Laughing, she eased his hand from his arm and propped her hands on her hips. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that they get to be there with you.” He shrugged, trying to act cool and unconcerned when he was anything but.
She tilted her head, a slow, seductive smile curving her lips. “Are you jealous?”
“Should I be?”
“Do you have a reason to be?” she fired back just as quickly.
He grinned. “You know we could stand here all night and go back and forth with these questions. Which, I mean, I don’t mind, but then you’ll be late…”
Carissa narrowed her eyes, the smile never fully leaving her face. “To be continued, then.” She leaned around him to say goodbye to Garrett and Jeremy, and then she patted Bradley’s chest, spun on her heel, and sauntered away with Tiffany.
If Bradley wasn’t mistaken, he could’ve sworn Carissa added a little extra sway to her hips for his benefit. He wasn’t certain, but he certainly enjoyed the view of her leaving.
“We’re gonna hit the bar downtown, grab a drink, then head to the bonfire. You coming?” Jeremy asked.
Bradley nodded and dug his keys from his pocket. He’d driven tonight, which meant he wouldn’t be drinking. That was fine with him. He’d much rather be alert anyway. Who knew what might happen with Carissa later? And he had a sinking suspicion everything was going to change tonight. For better or worse, he couldn’t say, but he was definitely ready to embrace change.
Chapter Fifteen
Carissa’s phone buzzed in her pocket, one annoying vibration after another with no reprieve. Which meant Danny was either trying to call her, or he was blowing up her phone with messages. She guessed he was probably doing both—and getting angrier with each unanswered call and text. But what was she supposed to do? He knew she needed to help at the bonfire, and the S’mores table was almost as busy as the drink table. She hadn’t been able to stop for even a second since she arrived.
“How many?” she asked the next person in line.
“Five.” He held up five fingers, then a twenty dollar bill.
She handed him five pre-made baggies in exchange for the money. “Let me get you some change,” she shouted over all the noise.
He waved his hand. “Nah. Keep it.” With a wink, he walked away.
Carissa shoved the money into the cashbox, then greeted the next customer. And that was how she spent the first two hours of the bonfire—the sales were non-stop. Not that she was complaining. She certainly wasn’t bored, and the money would go to a great cause.
Regardless of how well they were doing, disappointment hung like a cloak around her shoulders. She wanted to be standing around the massive bonfire, watching the flames dance and flicker, chasing the sparks with her gaze, enjoying the music and laughter. Maybe Danny had a valid point that this sorority was taking too much of her time. She shook the thought away as soon as it entered her mind. The benefits of becoming a Theta Omega Pi sister vastly outweighed the minor inconveniences she had to suffer through during pledging.
“Looks like the S’mores are a hit.” Bradley stood in front of her, grinning.
At the game, he’d been in jeans, sneakers, and a team jersey. Now, he still wore the jeans and sneakers, but he’d changed from the jersey to a HFU hoodie. He looked completely relaxed and like he was having fun. Another wave of disappointment crashed over her. If she weren’t stuck selling S’mores, she could be hanging out with him and her other friends.
