Page 2 of Forever Yours
She’s my only obsession. -Liam
Liam, 6 months later
I watch as Sophie throws her head back and laughs at something that her friend Reina said. Those two have been thick as thieves ever since the summer started, and today is no exception.
My Sophie. She looks so carefree and happy. Her blonde curls cascade down her back and her yoga pants cling to her, making her ass look delicious. I scowl and look around as it occurs to me that other guys might be thinking the same thing.Fucking perverts.
Nope, no one looking. My shoulders relax. I step off the path across the quad and duck behind a tree as Sophie turns around to point something out.
You have some balls calling other guys perverts. You’re the pervert, following her around like a freak.
I don’t know why I’m following her like this. After all, we’ve been friends since we were little. I can’t even act normal now when I see her. Ever since that damn barbecue, I can’t get her out of my head. I’ve become a fucking stalker and so far, I don’t see an end in sight to this sneaky behavior.
I know she thinks I’m losing it or that I just don’t want her around She came to see me this summer when she arrived on campus for her honors program. I mostly grunted in response to her barrage of friendly questions. Otherwise, I’ve avoided all one-on-one time with her. That’ll become a little harder in a couple of weeks when we start Physics together. That was a nice little surprise when I hacked into her schedule.Fuck, I suck at that subject.And my girl is a rock star at it. I couldn’t find another class that would fit into my pre-med requirements.
Now that she’s here at the same school as I am, the unhealthy quirk of checking in on my girl has quickly turned into full blown obsession. I need to see her and hear her. I need to know that she’s okay. The thought of anyone hurting her causes terror to burn in my chest.
I peek out from behind the tree again and breathe a sigh of relief when I realize she has turned around again and is no longer looking this way.
I shove my hands in my pockets and pull my ball cap down. I’m pretty sure this is not what Brian meant for me to do when he said to look after Sophie. But this is what I need to do. There’s a knot in my chest when she’s not nearby. She soothes something within me.
I nearly run into a skinny freshman as I try to keep up with Sophie and Reina. He mutters sorry and looks like a scared rabbit as he darts around me. I snort at his reaction to my size and then freeze. I fold my arms across my chest as Sophie stops by the big fountain in the quad.
I hear her say something to Reina about making a wish. She pulls a coin from her pocket.
I watch as she tosses the coin into the fountain with closed eyes and mutters something. I close my eyes and make my own wishes.I wish I could make all of Sophie’s wishes come true. I wish I could be the man she needs. I wish I could be hers forever.
Chapter Three
Is it possible to fall head over heels for someone when you’re only eight years old? I wouldn’t believe it if it hadn’t happened to me. -Sophie
Sophie
“Are you sure this is appropriate?” I ask, my voice wavering as I catch sight of myself in the full-length mirror again.
“I don’t know what you’re so worried about, Soph. You look way more covered than me.” Reina giggles from behind me and I swing around to look at her.
She’s right. Her little black dress is definitelylittle. It looks gorgeous on her as usual. I sigh. My chubby body could never look like hers does in that black wraparound dress. The dress is molded to her like a second skin and emphasizes her small waist and the flare of her womanly hips. I feel like a blob in my tight clothes. I smooth my hand over my waist and feel the curve of my rounded stomach.
You know that voice that tells every girl that looks in a mirror that she looks like crap? I’ve been trying to ignore that voice since I turned twelve. I sigh and put my hand on my hip. In high school, I felt out of place among the skinny model-types there. I promised myself when I got to college, I would finally embrace my curvy body. I stick out my chin stubbornly.This is who I am. I love who I am.
She spins me around and cups my shoulders. She looks over my shoulder into the mirror we installed in our dorm room. She must sense that I need a pep talk. “Look at you, Sophie Richards. You’ve got curves most women would kill for. That hot pink shirt shows off your boobs, which I have to say, look pretty fuckin’ great.” She sighs in my ear. “I would kill for any boobs at all. And your legs look miles long in that skirt.” She squeezes my shoulders. “You look perfect.”
I’m so glad I met Reina at the beginning of the summer. We both got into Crestwood’s prestigious honors program and started taking classes this summer. We bonded quickly despite our differences. She’s from a super-rich family and I grew up in a trailer park. Our backgrounds may be very different, but our love of reality television and celebrity gossip made us instant besties. That and the fact that both of us know what it’s like not to be part of popular clique.
I run my fingers through my shoulder-length hair. “You don’t think the haircut and the pink streaks are too much, do you?” I whisper, filled with anxiety. We went to a salon in town today and something made me ache for a change. Pink streaks were a spur of the moment decision.
“No, I absolutely do not. I think they look exactly right. I’m sure you’ll get the attention of every hottie at that party tonight.” She tosses her long black hair over her shoulder. “Just don’t forget me. I don’t want to lose sight of you tonight. It’s our very first college party after all.”
I twist my hands together nervously. “Are you sure we should go? I mean, this is a lot.” I chuckle drily. “You know I’m more of the girl who hides behind books kind of gal, right?”
Reina reaches around me to grab her black purse off the desk. “Yep, and we both agreed that once this semester started, we would get out more. Maybe meet a few guys?”
My eyes dart around the room, panicked at the idea of talking to guys I don’t know.
“After all, you can’t stay hung up on what’s his name forever,” she murmurs.
My heart drops.Liam. The elephant in the room.The guy I’ve been in love with since I was a little girl. Aka, the guy who has been avoiding me since I got to Crestwood. Sigh. I never expected a welcome parade from him, but I expected something. Friendship, at least. My mistake.
