Matchplay A New Adult Romance

Two

The Approach Shot

The Cavern was a burger and beer place right next to the campus. The place was huge and looked like, well, a cavern obviously. When we entered, I felt like I was entering the Lascaux Caves, in France, famous for their pre-historic cave paintings. (I had a habit of comparing most things in life to artwork.)

“Cool atmosphere,” I said entering the place with Lucas and Olivia.

“This is the most popular place for students to go for food off campus,” Lucas remarked. “It has been for years.”

The place was packed with students drinking, eating and dancing. Half of the place was set up with tables and the other half had a dance floor.

Lucas leaned over to me and whispered, “They’re very strict about enforcing the legal drinking age.

So don’t even try to use a fake ID in here.”

I frowned and immediately felt out of my league. I had seen kids use fake IDs in the movies but didn’t realize they used them in real life.

I shook my head and whispered, “I don’t drink.”

He gave me a warm smile. “That’s cool.”

“We’d better grab a table before it gets really packed,” Olivia said as she glanced around.

Really packed? I couldn’t image even more people being crammed into the place. It was already pretty crowded.

As Lucas led us to a table near the rear corner, Olivia said, “I’ll be right back. I see someone I need to say hi to.”

Lucas and I sat down and Olivia sprinted into the crowd. She was definitely a woman on a mission.

I glanced around the place and took in everything. The other students were definitely having fun:

eating, drinking and laughing. I noticed the walls were lined with old record albums and framed posters of every imaginable band. The music they were playing was really good. I didn’t realize I was moving my head to the beat until I looked over at Lucas and he was grinning at me.

“Like the music?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Sometimes they get live bands in here.”

“That’s cool.”

Lucas gulped. “Do you like to dance?”

I nodded again. “Yeah.”

“Do you want to dance later? After we eat?”

I noticed Lucas was wringing his hands. Was he nervous about asking me to dance?

“I’d love to,” I said hoping that would put him at ease.

I saw his shoulders relax a bit. “Great.”

When Olivia returned, she had a rough looking girl with her. She was wearing all black and had dyed black hair that was short and spikey. I also noticed she had tattoos like bracelets on both of her wrists.

She could have easily been a double for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

“This is my friend, Marney.” Olivia smiled. “We met over the summer at speech and debate camp.

We’re both on the speech team. She got a scholarship, too.”

When I looked over at Lucas, I saw his mouth was agape. I guess he wasn’t used to girls who looked like Marney either.

Olivia continued. “I hope you don’t mind that I asked her to join us.”

I shook my head. Lucas looked like he was in shock. He was staring at Marney and blinking furiously.

“Lucas?” his sister said. “Are you okay?”

That seemed to snap him out of it. “Sure, fine, whatever.”

Olivia and Marney sat down next to each other. I noticed that Marney pulled her chair over so she was sitting very close to Olivia. I thought that was a bit odd.

“The pizza burgers are to die for.” Olivia picked up her menu.

“The Jalapeno burgers are good, too,” Lucas chimed it.

I didn’t normally eat a lot of red meat, so I picked up the menu hoping to find some healthier choices.

There were plenty of options: veggie burgers, mushroom burgers, soy patties, hemp patties with every possible combination of adornments and sides. It was a bit overwhelming.

After we ordered (I decided to try a hemp patty and everyone else got pizza burgers), the four of us stared at each other for an awkward moment.

Finally, Lucas broke to silence. “So, Marney, where are you from?”

“The City.” Her voice was so raspy, it made me wonder if she smoked.

Lucas nodded. Most students, at EPU, called the closest major metropolitan area The City, as if it was the only place on earth that actually mattered.

That got Olivia talking about their escapades over the summer, when they were at speech and debate camp, which was held downtown.

Olivia dramatically described one particular night when they decided to hit ten bars in one night and have at least one drink at each bar. As Olivia told her story, I noticed a sudden chill run through my entire body. With all of the people packed into the place, it was anything but cold. When I glanced around, I saw a guy a few yards away staring right at me. It was Aaron. He was standing near the edge of the dance floor, leaning against a support beam with his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing dark jeans and a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up mid-forearm. I noticed Evan was standing next to him, chatting with a petite blonde. The petite blonde had a friend with her, also petite but with jet black hair. The black-haired girl, looked like she was trying to get Aaron’s attention but he seemed to be ignoring her. His gaze was set in my direction sending another wave of shivers down my spine.

When I fixed my attention back on our table, Olivia had just finished her story and both Lucas and Marney were laughing. I was sorry I missed the punch line.

Olivia looked in my direction and lifted an eyebrow. “Is everything okay?” she asked. She was extremely perceptive.

“Yeah, sure,” I lied. “Why?”

She stared right through me. She knew I wasn’t being totally honest with her. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Her eyes quickly darted around the room.

When Olivia’s eyes landed on Aaron, I noticed he was still looking at me. I gulped.

“Oh, hell no,” Olivia retorted. “No, no, no.”

“What’s wrong?” Marney asked suddenly concerned.

“See the two guys standing over there by the dance floor near the pillar?” Olivia replied.

Marney glanced in Aaron and Evan’s direction then nodded.

Olivia continued. “They have a contest going to see who can sleep with the most freshman girls.”

“You’re shitting me.” Marney gave a single disgusted laugh.

Lucas cleared his throat. “Please keep that to yourself,” he said anxiously. “I don’t want to get beat up for telling people about it.”

“That’s totally f*cked up.” Marney shook her head.

“Even more f*cked up,” Olivia countered. “They get extra points for virgins.”

Marney looked at me. “Is that why Mr. Hot-and-Knows-It is staring at you? You’re a good girl and he can tell.”

I wondered if there was any way I could crawl under the table to end the humiliation and embarrassment I was now feeling. Apparently it was obvious to everyone but me that I was completely out of Aaron’s league and his only interest in me could possibly be to collect points in exchange for my virginity.

I tried to stave off the tears I could feel welling up in my eyes. Now was not the time or place to cry. I

quickly scanned the area for the nearest ladies room. It looked like I would have to walk past Aaron and Evan to get to it.

I stood. “I have to go to the bathroom,” I managed to squeak out.

Lucas stood and looked over at me. “Are you okay?” He had genuine concern in his eyes.

Not wanting to break down, I just nodded.

Then Olivia jumped up and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Before I could protest, Olivia grabbed my elbow. “Come on,” she said as she pushed me towards the rest rooms.

As we passed by the pillar where Aaron and Evan were standing, I noticed Evan and the petite blond were shamelessly flirting with each other and not paying attention to anyone else. I guessed the dark haired beauty, who was trying to get Aaron’s attention, had given up because she was nowhere to be seen.

Aaron’s gaze was fixed on me as we approached. His stare was so intense I shuddered.

I thought I detected a slight smile form at the corners of Aaron’s mouth. But it was so slight it was nearly imperceptible.

“Hey,” he said with a nod as Olivia and I passed by him.

“F*ck off,” Olivia replied.

I was completely embarrassed until I noticed that Aaron was stifling a grin. Did he really think she was funny? Or maybe he considered it more of a challenge. He seemed to be the type who thrived on challenge.

When we got into the bathroom, Olivia let out a sigh of relief. “That guy thinks much too highly of himself,” she said as she looked in the mirror.

“He does give off kind of an egotistical vibe,” I agreed.

“Kind of?” she scoffed. “I don’t think there’s much there beyond an ego and a penis.”

Why was I so attracted to Aaron when he was obviously an a*shole? Why couldn’t I be attracted to a nice guy like Lucas?

“So, what do you think of Marney?” Olivia asked.

I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t want to say that she scared me, which was the truth. “You two seem to have a lot in common,” I said instead.

Olivia smiled at herself in the mirror. “Yeah, we do.”

I wondered if there was more to their relationship than Olivia was telling me but I didn’t want to pry.

Olivia turned to me. “Don’t let anyone ever make you feel bad about being a virgin. I think it’s cool.”

“Just so you know, I’m not opposed to pre-marital sex or anything like that. I just haven’t had any opportunities in that area yet, if you know what I mean.”

“Why not?” Olivia seemed puzzled. “You’re a little hottie.”

I didn’t know how much I wanted to get into my personal life in the women’s bathroom but I ventured on. “My mom had cancer. I had to take care of her while I was in high school, so I didn’t have time to date.”

Olivia nodded. “I’m sorry. I kinda wondered when it was just your dad dropping you off.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “We’d better get back out there in case the food’s arrived.”

Olivia grabbed my elbow and walked me back out into the main room. Thankfully, when we walked by the dance floor there was no sign of either Evan or Aaron. I breathed a sigh of relief as we headed back to the table.

Lucas had a pensive expression on his face when we returned. “Are you okay?” he asked anxiously as soon as I sat down.

I nodded but he still seemed tense. “Do you still want to dance?” he said. “After we eat, I mean.”

I wasn’t sure I still wanted to dance but I didn’t want to disappoint him. He had so much kindness in his eyes. “Sure,” I said.

That’s when Lucas finally breathed a sigh of relief and I was glad I told him I would dance with him.

The dinner was everything Olivia promised it would be. I noticed at some time during the meal, Marney had placed a hand on Olivia’s thigh. It was discrete but visible from my angle at the table. Lucas, however, would not be able to see the PDA from where he was sitting.

When the waiter took what little remained of the food we had devoured, Marney stood up and declared it “Dance time, Bitches!” Olivia got up with her and the two were on the dance floor within a few seconds. It was a fast song and the two could hold their own. I was impressed.

“Ready to dance?” Lucas asked. There still seemed to be some hesitancy in his voice. Was he really that unsure of himself?

“Let’s go.” I grabbed his hand and noticed his face immediately lit up.

Lucas wasn’t too coordinated but his attempts to keep up were cute and appreciated. He looked like he was having fun, which is what counted.

When the song ended and a slow song began, I saw Marney and Olivia exit the dance floor and head toward the bar.

Lucas pulled me closer to him and we started to dance arm in arm. I felt comfortable with Lucas but I

noticed there wasn’t much chemistry there. At least I didn’t feel any. He certainly didn’t make me feel like Aaron did just by looking at me.

My eyes wandered to the other side of the room and I saw Aaron had returned to his spot by the pillar.

His eyes were on me again and I trembled a bit.

“Are you cold?” Lucas asked.

“No. Why?” I asked even though I knew the reason for my shivering and it had nothing to do with the temperature in the room.

Lucas didn’t respond. I could see that he was now aware of Aaron staring at me. Aaron didn’t even have the decency to look away when Lucas spotted him. Instead, Aaron winked at me.

Lucas gulped then pulled me very close to him, as if he was trying to protect me or shield me from Aaron. When I glanced over at Aaron again, he gave me a wicked little grin then turned and walked away.

When the song finally ended, Lucas released me from his embrace and gazed into my eyes. “Thank you so much for the dance.”

I smiled up at him. “Thank you for asking me.”

“We’d better collect Olivia and get you both back to the dorms. It’s getting late.”

“You’re such a good big brother,” I teased. Now Lucas was the one smiling.

***



At the advice of my academic advisor, my schedule for the fall term consisted mostly of general education classes: English Composition, Statistics for Non-Math Majors, Astronomy for Non-Science Majors, Economics for Non-Business Majors (notice a pattern?) and the first class in my major, Introduction to Art History.

I had always been an excellent student. I knew I’d do well in all of my classes but I was really looking forward to my Art History class. I purchased eTextBooks online for all of my general education classes but I decided to make a special trip to the bookstore to get my art history text wanting an actual paper book for that class because I knew I would keep it for years.

The bookstore had the deconstructivist feel of Frank Gehry architecture. The store wasn’t crowded, probably because, like me, most of the students had purchased eBooks online. I was one of only a few students in the stacks of paper text books. I perused the selection of books as I made my way over to the art history section and was immediately enthralled by the selection of art texts. Some of the books I

recognized instantly because I already had them in my collection. That made me smile and reconfirmed my decision to major in art history. It wasn’t a choice my dad was thrilled about. As an engineer, he would have preferred for me to major in something more applied and practical but he supported my decision nonetheless.

I ran my hand along the collection of books until I landed on the Introduction to Art History. There were only a few copies on the shelf. As I went to grab one of the copies, another hand reached for it at the exact same moment. I had been so caught up examining the books, I hadn’t even noticed another person had walked up right beside me.

I turned to see Aaron staring down at me. He seemed to have gotten hotter looking, if that was even possible. He had on a tight white polo shirt that accentuated his muscular chest and his jeans fit snugly in all the right places. What drew me in, though, where those incredible eyes, dark brown and dreamy. And the guy had magnetism. The only problem was that he knew it and knew how to use it.

“So we meet again.” He flashed me an incredibly sexy grin. My heart skipped a few beats. Ugh. How could I be falling right into his trap? There was no way I was going to be one of the many girls on his score card.

We were still both holding the same text book and staring into each other’s eyes. Neither one of us retreated on either front.

“Why are you taking Art History?” I blurted. Seniors rarely took Intro courses.

He furrowed his brows. “Why not?”

“You like art?”

“Not particularly.”

That wasn’t the answer I was expecting. It made his enrollment in the class even more of a mystery.

“I don’t really get art,” he continued.

“Art is one of the few things I do get.”

He shrugged. “My advisor told me that I wasn’t going to graduate unless I took two arts classes. I had a choice between art and theater. This seemed like the lesser of the two evils.”

He finally let go of the book and I took it into my arms and held it like a treasured child against my chest. He grabbed another copy from the shelf and flipped it around. It physically pained me to see him treating the book with so little care.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“That book’s expensive,” I said as he continued to flip it around like a soccer ball.

He looked down at my book and the way I was holding it. He placed his book against his chest and mimicked the way I was holding mine. “Is that better,” he mused.

I turned to walk away from him and he grabbed my elbow, “Hey, wait, Sunshine…”

I flew back around, enraged. “I never gave you permission to touch me,” I spewed.

He dropped my arm as if touching me now burned his hand. He looked shocked. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.

“Why did you call me that?” I was still fuming.

“Call you what?”

“Sunshine?” I wondered if he had seen my nametag the other day when we had met and was making fun of me.

“It’s a term of endearment,” he said.

“It’s not funny.”

When I looked into his eyes, he seemed genuinely confused. Maybe he hadn’t seen my nametag after all.

I could see a hint of sadness cross his face but then just as quickly it was gone. “For once, I wasn’t trying to be funny. There’s just something about you that radiates such passion and joy. Apparently except when I’m around. You just reminded me of sunshine and the nickname seemed appropriate. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

When I searched his face, he seemed to be genuinely remorseful. I felt a twinge of guilt for getting so upset with him.

“My name is Rainy,” I said. “Rainy Dey.” I spelled my last name for him like I usually did when I met someone new.

He blinked a few times as if he was trying to register what I had just said. Then the corners of his mouth turned up into a small grin. “And I called you Sunshine.”

I nodded.

“You’d never know I had any moves at all.”

“Well, you can keep your moves to yourself or save them for some other girl because your chances with me are zero,” I responded frankly.

“Zero?” He placed his hand over his heart in mock pain. “You’re killing me.”

“I’m not here to date. I’m here to get an education. Besides, girls like me don’t date guys like you.”

“That’s a lot of negativity to absorb all at once.”

“There’s nothing negative about it. It’s just the truth.”

He gave me an intense stare that seemed to instantly melt whatever coldness I had toward him. His beautiful brown eyes were almost too much to bear. Then he bit his lower lip and continued staring at me. I felt like I was being put under a spell. He took my breath away.

“We’ll see about that,” he whispered then he winked at me—again. What was it with all the winking?

Whatever it was, it worked, though, because I thought my knees would give out. Then he turned and walked away.