Page 34 of Nodus Tollens
“Wren?” A soft voice materialized from the front of the coffee shop, causing my head to lift in confusion. Vibrant red hair was the first thing I noticed as Imogen, a friend from American literature, sauntered her way toward me with a look of bewilderment across her face. “I didn’t know you came here.” She took the seat across from me and rested her palms on the table. I slowly took in her flawless appearance, the black dress that hugged her hips and breasts like a second skin, and her silky hair hung straight over her shoulders. She must have noticed my probing eyes on her because her cheeks turned a rosy shade. “I’m going on this stupid date and thought I’d stop and get a coffee before I went.”
A date? I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend. The conversations we shared were mostly school related, so it wasn’t like I knew much about her outside of class. Other than the fact that Jesse Martin, the football god, was obsessed with her. He made sure everyone, who stepped foot onto Sutton U’s grounds, knew that Imogen was off limits. Whether she agreed to it or not. Which is why he can’t be her date, right?
“Oh, well, you look beautiful.” I offered a smile in return, hoping that would help alleviate her flushed face.
“Thanks.” She grinned bashfully as she fiddled with a gold bracelet around her wrist. Her eyes shifted from mine to the messily strewn items currently occupying the table. An organized mess is what I’ve been called. Though it may look chaotic to most, it was one of the only things in my life that I could control. I practically brought my whole desk with me. Various blue pens were scattered on the right side of my laptop, and an explosion of sticky notes littered the other side. I didn’t have many meaningful things in life, but I did have my stationary supplies. “Oh, good! I see you got your phone back.” She pointed to my iPhone.
“Yeah, I got it back a couple days ago.” I slowly drew out the words, wondering how she even knew I had lost my phone in the first place. “Wait, how did you know about my phone being missing?” I asked.
Slightly leaning back, I watched as she carefully chewed on her perfectly painted red lips. “Well, I was the, uh, one to find it, actually.” She forced a chuckle that had my eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“What do you mean you were the one to find it?” I replayed the night when Hayes told me he was the one who found it in my head.
“Look.” She sighed. “I was at the rally and found your phone on the ground, but Jesse was there being all possessive and bossy, and when I was about to leave to go to your dorm, he snagged the phone from my hand and gave it to Hayes.”
I couldn’t form words as my mouth dropped in shock.
“I told Hayes to give it back, but the second he heard that you…” She tilted her head side to side as if trying to come up with the right words. “Wouldn’t be thrilled to have a strange man show up at your door, he suddenly wanted to be the one to give it to you.”
I wanted to be mad at her, and I should be for every embarrassing moment that happened that night, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t be when that single-handedly was one of the most heart-pumping experiences I’d ever had. The tangle of emotions and feelings were enough to make me forget about what I couldn’t have. It was a night I wouldn’t forget, even if I tried, and a small part of me wanted to experience many more unforgettable nights with the man who made me question everything.
“I’m sorry, Wren.” She frowned, most likely thinking the worst as I remained silent for several moments after her confession. “Hayes was at least nice to you, right? I mean, he didn’t cross the line or anything.”
“No.” I blurted out. “No, of course not. He just dropped my phone off. I said thanks, and that was it.” I lied, not bothering with the plenty of other laugh-and-cringe-worthy moments we shared together or the fact he’s been leaving gifts and notes at my door. I didn’t want to make it seem like more than it was, and with the way her eyes eased, she believed me.
“Good. I’m glad.” Her shoulders dropped. “I know Hayes is a decent guy, well, from what I heard from others anyway, but I couldn’t help but worry about you.”
“Well, I can handle a lot more than you think. An overly cocky hockey player showing up at my door in the middle of the night was nothing.” Even when the words came out shakier than intended, Imogen didn’t seem to notice.
“Cocky, huh?” She raised an accusing brow as her mouth tilted mischievously. “In what way?”
“You know how Sutton U’s athletes are.” I deadpanned. “Thinking that their God’s gift to women and expecting us all to fall to our knees.”
I had a feeling she knew all too well, especially when she nodded in agreement. Jesse was in a category of athletes all on his own. I didn’t even know the guy, and I knew he was borderline crazy. Especially when it came to Imogen, or Red, as he called her. Hayes was persistent, yes. A little arrogant, too, but there was more to him that resided underneath all that hockey bravado. Venturing into those depths was uncharted territory, especially for someone like me, who lacked any knowledge about men and what really transpired beneath. If anything, I had no business even fantasizing about a man like Hayes, but I selfishly did it anyway.
“You don’t have to tell me twice. Jesse somehow bullied me into going out with him tonight, but he promised if there were zero sparks between us, he’d finally let me go.”
He’d finally let her go? I seriously doubted that, but she seemed to believe he would.
“And you want him to let you go, right?” I questioned curiously because, in all honesty, I didn’t really know how deep her feelings ran for him. I knew she found him stubborn and extremely tenacious, but sometimes those brought out the most intense feelings you desperately wished you could get rid of.
“Yes.” Her voice cracked as she cleared her throat. “Yes, of course. He drives me insane.” She added with a scoff as if trying to convince herself she didn’t want him. A sad, knowing smile spread across my face as I nodded without commenting further. I knew that look. Face flushed, evading eyes, munching on her lower lip. I knew it all too well because I, too, was currently struggling with my own feelings. We weren’t ready to admit our hearts’ slow descent because it would make it all real. “Look, I’m really sorry about the whole phone thing. I should have snagged it back from Hayes…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. What you should be worrying about is your date tonight.” I chuckled as Imogen slouched back in her chair with an exasperated sigh.
“I know.” She pouted.” I’m already late as fuck, and my phone’s been vibrating like hell in my purse. Jesse’s probably going on a rampage right now looking for me.”
Raising her palms, she planted them on the table and lifted herself up to stand.
Why couldn’t I look like her?
She turned heads in the coffee shop almost immediately as she fluffed her hair to perfection and yanked down on the sides of her dress.
“Well, good luck.” I shyly waved a hand and instantly recoiled my hand as embarrassment flooded me. Why did I have to be so awkward?
“Thanks. I’ll let you know how it goes in class.” She winked and strutted herself past tables and patrons until she was out the door.
Once she was completely out of sight, I exhaled deeply. As soon as Imogen disappeared, Hayes magically manifested back into my thoughts as if he belonged there. It wasn’t even anything major that had struck me. Just the simple tilt of his mouth crossed my mind, and that’s when I knew I was completely screwed.
