Page 11 of The Right Guy
Turning to the dorms, I ambled thoughtfully toward the entrance. How could I study for exams when my muscles were tense, making me unusually fidgety and unfocused? What was this madness—jealousy? And why was I annoyed he would have sex with the waitress? The guy made it clear he wouldn’t settle. She’ll be off his radar by tomorrow. It was the same pattern over and over. He practically layered them up and tried them out, then walked away. My emotions had switched, flipped, and became curious and wonky.
My cell phone vibrated. “Mother.” We’d spoken only yesterday, but it was still comforting to hear her voice.
“Have you bought a dress for the ball?”
The ride in the elevator to my dorm room was slower than normal, or maybe it was just the antsy knots when she mentioned the B-word.
“No. I haven’t given it much thought. I hate dresses.AndRo will probably take Fia. They haven’t officially announced it yet, but I’d put a hefty bet on it. She’ll twist his arm.”
“Uh-huh,” Mother hummed without surprise. “And, Theo? Will you ask him to go with you?”
Of course not. He hates tuxedoes and swanky parties. “No, Mother. It’s not his thing.”
“He’d make an exception for you; I’m sure of it.” Why did the tone in her voice sound like she was smiling? “That man will go with you, Ada. You only have to ask him.”
“He would go—out of friendship duty. I’d feel guilty compelling him to go with me when he’d hate every second.” Who else would I ask? It’s not like Ro would stroll up to me and ask me to be his date. I played those scenarios out in my head, not in real life.
“I think you should go with Theo. It’s up to you, but you’ll have a better night with him than a boy you don’t even know.” I wasn’t friends with other guys, so I shouldn’t go at all.
“Why are you pushing this, Mother? He’s not rich—he’ll never be a candidate for marriage.”
“Who else would you go with, Ada? Ro doesn’t look at you like that. You’ve told me yourself. Theo is an honorable and very handsome friend, don’t you think? You don’t have to marry the guy, but you can test the mattress, so to speak.”
“Omigod, Mother! Theo doesn’t fancy me.” My hand flew up in despair, slapping my forehead. “I can’t believe you’d even suggest that.” My cheeks sizzled. “He’s in the friend zone. I’m in the friend zone. In fact, he’s planning a date with a sexy waitress later. He’ll kiss her, ask her to be his girlfriend, and they’ll get married and have miniature, adorable Theos together. Unless they resembled her, then the jury would be out on the level of adorableness,” I quipped. Tiny Theos would seriously be cute as hell. “So there, Mother. We’re just friends.”
“I’m telling you to ask him as a friend, that's all. A friend helping a friend,” she said through her usual husky laugh.
I sighed into the phone and selected a pair of Kim’s running shorts. I rummaged through her walk-in wardrobe for a sporty tee to match. I’m not athletic in the slightest, so I had to borrow her gym gear. “Fine. I’ll put it out there.”
“Love you, princess.”
“Yes, Mother. I love you too. You’ve got it wrong about Theo. I wouldn’t risk losing him fora briefone-timething.” Although the idea of a quickie was making my skin sizzle. “He’s a good guy and an even better friend.”
“And Ro? What’s he?” Her tone implied disbelief.“You think Ro is the man you’ll marry?”
“I fancy him.” I suddenly admitted to myself that I fancied Theo too. “I guess I can’t be with Ro when he’s into someone else, huh?”
“It’s time to move on and find a real man. A man who sees you, Ada.”
Mother had a point. She was good at planting thoughts and watching them sprout into actions. Ro simply knew my name because I shared a room with his sister. Their family were super-wealthy and highly established in the yacht design industry. On paper, Ro was the perfect candidate for marriage, aside from the fact I would never step foot on a yacht again in my life.
My addiction to all things Ro-related happened the day he carried a hefty box of Kim’s crap into The Lofts dorm suites. I noticed him straight away, with choppy textured hair and an irresistible wink. Arousal, heat, excitement, and desire had buzzed through me like electricity. I’d never seen a guy like him before.
Ro Huxley was scrumptious, but I had to lock away my fantasy of us being together in a box labelled ‘Never going to happen’.
* * *
The spacious gym was all windows and bright walls, making it hard to hide. A dramatic ocean view conjured serenity, but it only made me feel helpless and far away from home. A brisk run would surely get my head back in the game and help me prepare for a day of studying.
Thankfully, the running machine was unoccupied. Mother had shown me how to use the equipment in our home gym. I wasn’t interested in indoor exercise, but I enjoyed the odd jog once in a while. I selected the best track to gather momentum, popped in my earphones, and hit start.
My mother was right, chasing Ro was pointless. He wasn’t into me, and Theo was my cool best friend, who wasn’t into me either. I had to concentrate on my education and put my efforts into my exams for now—not hot guys.
It was at that very moment when I tried to convince myself Ro wasn’t right for me, that I caught sight of him. Was it a subliminal message not to give up on the dream? He entered the gym with a few of his football team buddies. My gaze followed his swagger in those navy shorts I’d seen umpteen times and would never tire of seeing, and studied his chest, hidden beneath a tight white tee. The guy was gorgeous, even more so in gym gear. I cursed the tingles parading over my skin and glanced down to the dwindling digits on the running machine.
Just one more glimpse. He was lifting weights, and what a sight to behold. Each bench press flexed his biceps, and every leg squat tightened his thighs. When the towel dabbed his forehead, I wished I was the material clutched in his grip, close to his damp skin.
I was obsessively gawking. The surface beneath my track shoes continued to revolve. I extended my strides until my shins screamed. When my lungs struggled for air, I slammed the slow speed button and grasped the handrails to reduce my sprint to a brisk walk. Sweat streamed down my spine, and I panted. When the treadmill finally came to a halt, my legs trembled. I attempted to swallow, but my throat was dry and sticky. I snapped open the water bottle using my teeth and sloshed water down my chin as I guzzled. I half-staggered, half-swayed,totallyexhausted, tipping the bottle to my mouth.
