Matchplay A New Adult Romance

Four

In Contention

After art history class the following week, I met Aaron at the library. I did just as Olivia and Lucas had strongly recommended and set up our meeting at a very public place. I planned on setting boundaries right away and making sure Aaron realized that nothing romantic would ever happen between us.

However, the moment I saw him standing outside the library, my breath caught. Ugh. How did the mere sight of him manage to do that every time? When he noticed me, he smiled and his face immediately brightened. Maybe he wasn’t crazy for calling me sunshine. I did seem to have some kind of effect on him.

I tried not to read too much into it. I was there for one reason: to get the art history project completed.

“I already reserved a meeting room,” he said when I approached. I had envisioned us sitting at a table out in the open not in one of the secluded meeting rooms. The idea of being alone with him both scared and excited me.

“Follow me,” he continued as we headed into the building.

I waited to see where he would sit before I selected my seat, as far across the table from him as I

could get. He grinned when I sat down. Was he expecting me to throw myself at him like every other girl on campus? If so, he had a long wait. Eternity.

I removed my art book from my backpack and looked at him. He was staring at me with those beautiful brown eyes. Then I noticed he didn’t have his book with him. He hadn’t even brought a book bag.

“Where’s your text book?” I asked.

“I thought we could share yours.” He winked.

What was it with him and winking? I gulped. “Okay. I have some ideas about our project.”

He leaned back in his chair and placed his interlaced hands behind his head as if he was getting comfortable. I found the move a bit offensive but I let it slide.

“I’m all ears.” He still had a bit of a grin on his face. Did he think this was a big joke?

I glared at him. “I was hoping you’d take this project a bit more seriously. Especially when I told you how important it is to me.”

He sat in his chair. “You’re right. Tell me your ideas.”

I searched his eyes and I thought I saw a bit of sincerity behind all of his bravado. I decided to forge ahead. “When I started high school, I already knew I wanted to major in art history in college. So I always tried to talk my parents into planning our family vacations around major art museums I wanted to visit.

Because I’m an only child, they indulged me. The summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school, I begged my parents to take me to St. Petersburg, Florida for vacation. I wanted to visit the Salvador Dali museum. He’s one of my favorite artists. My mother fully supported the idea because she also wanted to go to the beach.”

I had to take a breath. I fought back the tears I could feel welling in my eyes. I didn’t think telling the story was going to make me so emotional. I cleared my throat and continued. “It was the last vacation we took as a family,” I said. I couldn’t believe I was sharing the intimate details of the story, with Aaron of all people. I rarely talked with anyone about my mom. I was only planning to tell him about the Dali Museum.

When I looked at Aaron, his eyes held a tenderness that I wasn’t expecting to see.

“Why was it your last family vacation?” He asked the question so softly I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly.

I studied Aaron’s face. I wondered if all the girls who threw themselves at him ever really saw him, the person inside, beyond the good looking package.

“My mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer my junior year of high school. She just passed away in April.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your mom,” he said softly. He put his hand out and I thought he might grab mine but at the last second he pulled away. “I have no idea what it’s like to lose a parent. I can only imagine.”

I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself. “I didn’t mean to drag you down with all of my baggage.”

“It’s okay. You can talk to me whenever you want about whatever you want.”

I nodded.

Our eyes met and his intense gaze went right through me.

“I mean it. Whenever. Whatever.”

I could see that he was serious. “Thanks,” I whispered. Then I held up the book. Back to work. “The reason I brought up the Dali Museum was to use it as an example of a museum as a tribute to a single artist. I think that’s the direction we should take with our project. I think we should design a museum for a single artist.”

He nodded. “I like it”

“Of course, the tricky part will be selecting the artist. I think we should both do some research over the next week and come up with two or three possible artists. Then we can make a final decision from that pool. And I think we should stick with American artists.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed.

“Great. Then I guess we’ll meet again next week.”

***



I was in the midst of some intense research on artist, Mary Cassett, when Olivia and Marney burst through the door, singing and laughing. They were so loud and boisterous, I was fairly certain they had already started drinking, even though it was only five. The Friday night parties wouldn’t start for another few hours.

“Are you still studying?” Oliva asked, slurring her words slightly.

I nodded.

She got very close to my face and whispered. “You have to come out and have fun with us tonight.”

“It looks like you already started having fun without me.”

She laughed. “Maybe just a little Happy Hour buzz.”

My dad’s admonishment for me to have fun and start acting like an 18-year old rang in my ears so I

saved my work on the computer and shut off my monitor. “What did you have in mind?” I asked.

“The kids at The ArtHouse are having a huge bash,” Olivia replied a bit too loudly. “Everyone on the speech team will be there.”

“Okay, but I’m not on the speech team,” I reminded her.

“Doesn’t matter.” She got a bit woozy when she leaned over, so she sat down on the bed next to me.

“Anyone, who is anyone, will be there,” she assured me.

“And what if I’m not anyone,” I wondered aloud.

That made Olivia go hysterical laughing even though I wasn’t trying to be funny. Most of the time I felt completely invisible and like I didn’t really belong. The only one, besides Olivia and Lucas, who even seemed to notice me was Aaron.

“You’re funny when I’m drunk,” Olivia giggled. “You have to come with us. Please.”

“Okay,” I sighed. “What should I wear?”

“Something cute and sexy but not slutty. Just be you.”

I ended up wearing a pair of low slung jeans and a coral V-neck that accentuated my curves a bit.

Both Olivia and Marney nodded their approval at my wardrobe choice. When it got dark, we headed over to The ArtHouse. It was already packed with students. The party was spilling out onto the ample front porch and I could see through the windows that the rooms downstairs were jammed as well.

I hadn’t gone to many parties when I was in high school. Actually, I only attended a holiday party that the chorus hosted and a graduation party given by the school, which I’m not even sure counted as an actual party. I got a little bit nervous as Olivia and Marney dragged me in the front door.

The interior of the place was colorful and funky, and it sort of reminded me of a David Hockney painting. I immediately liked it.

“I’m going to see if I can find Lucas,” Olivia said. “I want him to protect you.”

I nodded. Having Lucas by my side sounded like a good idea.

Marney waved to a few other students, who looked like her, dressed in black with dyed black hair.

“I’ll be right back,” she said and headed over to join them.

I suddenly felt vulnerable and alone. I hadn’t met very many people yet and everyone else seemed to be in small groups, drinking and laughing.

My anxiety spiked when I felt someone approach from behind me.

When I heard the words, “Hey, Sunshine,” I immediately knew it was Aaron.

I turned to face him and my heart skipped a few beats. He looked absolutely stunning in tight black jeans and white button down shirt. “What’s a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?”

“Does that line usually work?” I asked.

He nodded. “Almost always. But I guess there are exceptions.” He glanced down at my hand. “Do you need a drink?”

I shook my head.

“Do you drink?”

“Not really,” I admitted.

“Are you here alone?” When I looked up at him, he had a look of concern in his eyes.

“Oh, no. My roommate is around here somewhere. She went to find her brother.”

“Is that the guy I saw you dancing with at The Cavern?”

I nodded. “That’s Lucas.”

“So you’re not going out with him?”

I chuckled. “No, he’s a friend. It’s sort of like he’s my brother, too.”

I thought I saw a faint glimmer in Aaron’s eyes. “Gotta know who my competition is.”

“Competition for what?”

He looked deeply into my eyes. “Competition for you, Sunshine.”

A shiver traveled through my body as he continued to stare at me.

The intensity between us was broken when Olivia returned with Lucas. Olivia gave Aaron a look of such utter disgust, you would have thought he was the dirt on her shoe. She grabbed me by the elbow.

“Lucas and I have someone for you to meet.” Then she turned to Aaron and said the next part for his benefit. “He’s in the kitchen.”

I could see Aaron was stifling a smile. He had such an ego, I bet he thought anyone they introduced me to would be no competition for him.

As Olivia dragged me toward the kitchen, I looked back in Aaron’s direction and he was still staring at me. When he gave me his signature wink, I quickly turned away.

In the kitchen, Lucas introduced me to one of the guys in his social club, The Geek Patrol. “This is Josh.”

“Hi, I’m Rainy.”

Josh gave me a look that was typical when I introduced myself for the first time. It was like he wasn’t sure he heard me correctly. “Did you say your name is Rainy?” he asked shyly.

I nodded.

He was tall, probably about six feet, but lanky, like he hadn’t filled out yet. He had dirty blond hair and ocean blue eyes. He was attractive in a boy-next-door kind of way, the type of guy my dad would have liked to see me go to prom with, if I had been invited.

“Let me guess. You’re an engineer.”

Josh smiled. “Good guess. What gave me away?”

“You mean besides the fact that Olivia told me you were in The Geek Patrol?”

He nodded.

“My dad’s an engineer.”

Josh leaned in closer. “Please tell me you get along with your dad.”

I laughed. “No worries. We get along great.”

Josh pantomimed whipping his brow. “Phfew!” Now we were both laughing.

Olivia and Lucas, who had been watching the interchange between us, breathed a small sigh of relief that Josh and I seemed to get along.

Olivia grabbed her brother’s elbow. “Come with me to find Marney.” He nodded and the two of them headed out of the kitchen.

Josh gulped. “Can I get you something to drink?’

“I don’t really drink.”

“It doesn’t have to be beer,” he responded quickly. “I saw sodas and water.”

“A water would be great.”

Josh reached into a cooler on the counter, removed a bottle of water, opened it for me then handed me the bottle and cap.

“Thanks.” I took a sip from the bottle.

When I glanced over at the keg in the other corner of the kitchen, I saw Aaron with a petite blonde on either arm. They were all laughing as he was pouring them beers. I immediately stiffened at the sight.

“Is everything okay,” Josh asked. He had a look of concern on his face.

I turned my full attention back to him and nodded. “Fine,” I lied. I resisted the urge to look back at Aaron and his little harem.

“I know it’s a line but I really do want to know what you’re majoring in.”

“Art History.”

Josh looked a little surprised by my answer. “What are you planning to do with that?”

I realized Art History wasn’t the most practical degree but I really didn’t like having to explain myself.

Josh must have noticed my change in mood, or maybe my expression had given me away, because he quickly started to back-peddle. “I didn’t mean it as an insult. I’m sorry.”

He looked genuinely pained and I immediately felt sorry for him. I could tell he was doing his best to try to impress me.

“It’s okay. I actually have a very serious and particular plan for what I want to do. I have a list of several elite graduate programs to which I will be applying and then after I earn a doctorate, I would like to do a museum internship for my post-doc. Then I plan to teach and research at a university.”

“Wow. I’m impressed. You really have given it a lot of thought.”

I glanced over at the keg and saw that Aaron and his two groupies were still standing there drinking and laughing. The girls were practically throwing themselves at him and he seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. When he caught me looking at him and our eyes met, I saw a flash of something dark behind his rock star façade. Was it pain? Was he not really enjoying all of the attention from the beautiful blondes as it appeared? The look was only there for a moment and then it disappeared when the blonde at his left whispered something in his ear, which made him grin, but Aaron was still staring at me. The scene both disgusted and confused me. When he winked at me and gave me a sly smile, I felt sick to my stomach. Did he actually think he could flirt with me while two girls were hanging off him? I revolted.

“Can we go into the other room?” I asked. “It’s getting stuffy in here.”

“Sure.” Josh looked around. “Or do you want to go outside? You can see the stars in the backyard and it’s a beautiful night?’

The stars sounded really good. The only problem was that we had to walk past Aaron and his girls to get out the back door.

“Let’s go outside,” I said. “If you don’t mind leading the way.”

“My pleasure,” Josh said as he placed his empty beer cup on the counter.

I made sure that Josh was on the side that would be closest to Aaron as we passed. It didn’t stop Aaron from staring at me as we walked by him. The blondes seemed oblivious to the attention he was giving me and I made sure I had the most vile and disgusted look on my face as we passed. For a moment, he looked like I had slapped him but he quickly covered it up.

When we got outside, Josh asked. “Do you know that guy?”

“What guy?” I replied even though I knew exactly, who he meant.

“The guy from The Clubhouse with the blondes hanging all over him.”

I shrugged. “Sort of.”

Josh looked very concerned. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”

I gave a chuckle as if it was the most absurd question in the world. “Why would you ask that?”

“Just the way he looked at you. Even though he had two girls on his arms, it was like he didn’t even care. He was just staring at you.”

I tried to minimize what Josh was saying. “We’re just partners in my art history class. We were assigned to work on a project together. That’s all.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course,” I said but I wasn’t sure at all.

Olivia and Marney were deeply involved in a game of beer pong when I was ready to leave, so Josh agreed to walk me back to the dorm.

He was a perfect gentleman and as we approached the door to the building he said, “I’d like to see you again.”

“Okay,” I agreed and he smiled.

“Would you like to go to dinner and a movie?” he asked.

“That sounds great. Do you want my number?”

He nodded and we exchanged cell phone numbers.

“Good night.” He watched as I unlocked the door with my key card. When he saw that I was safely inside, he turned and walked away.

When I got into my room, I thought about how the events of the evening had played out. Josh was so kind and sweet but I still couldn’t get my mind off of Aaron. What kind of game was he playing? And why was it so obvious to Josh that something was going on between us? If there was something going on, I

wanted to know what it was.

When I got notification of a text message, I expected it to be from Josh. Imagine my surprise when I

saw it was from Aaron.

Aaron: Can we talk?

Me: How did you get my number?

Aaron: I have my ways.

Me: What do you want to talk about?

Aaron: Us.

Me: Us? There is no us. What about the girls you were with?

Aaron: That’s not who I am.

Me: Really? That’s not what I saw. You are what you do.

Aaron: What about the guy you were with?

Me: We were just talking. He didn’t even touch me. Those TWO girls were hanging all over you.

Aaron: Did he walk you home?

Me: That’s none of our business.

Aaron: Did he kiss you???

Me: Again, none of your business. But for the record, I just don’t let anyone kiss me.

Aaron: Good…See you in class?

Me: You better be working on our project.

Aaron: Of course, Sunshine.

When Olivia stumbled into our room a few hours later, I was still looking at the texts from Aaron. I’m not sure why. Maybe I was trying to read between the lines. I was definitely confused. I had so many more questions than answers and it was starting to eat at me. Part of me hoped Aaron was sincere and maybe really liked me while another part of me ridiculed that as an absurd and naïve notion.

“Good. You’re still up,” Olivia said as she plopped down on my bed next to me. She leaned in very close, as if she was going to tell me something very intimate. “So? How did it go with Josh?”

I breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t mentioned Aaron. Maybe Josh was the only one who had witnessed the—well— whatever it was that went on between us.

“Josh seems like a very sweet guy.”

She moaned and fell onto my pillow. “Sweet guy sounds like a death knell. Girls don’t want to get down and dirty with sweet guys. They want sweet guys to be their friends.”

She had a point. As much as I hated to admit it, I was lusting after Aaron. I didn’t have those same feelings for Josh. I didn’t mention those details, though. Instead, I said, “Josh asked me to go out with him on a date and I said I would.”

Olivia lifted herself from the pillow and gave a quick fist pump. “There you go, Girl!”

“Can I ask you a question?” I was curious about her brother but I wanted to tread lightly because I

knew they were close.

“Shoot.”

“I don’t want this to sound weird but why did Lucas introduce me to his friend if he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

Olivia laughed. “Because you’re a little hottie and he thinks you’re way out of his league. Josh is like the king of the nerds. He’s the most popular guy in The Geek Patrol because he’s had a few girlfriends.

Most of the other guys haven’t had that much experience.”

Josh was an attractive guy but I didn’t think he was that much more attractive than Lucas. Josh definitely did have more confidence in himself than Lucas, though.

“For the record, I don’t think I’m out of anyone’s league. Whatever that even means.”

Olivia stared at me. “Come on. Give me a break. You know you’ve got it going on. Even creepy Aaron, who could have any girl on campus, has it bad for you.”

I could feel my face heating up with embarrassment. “I’m more like your brother than you probably think. I don’t have a lot of experience in the dating department.”

“Then Josh is the perfect person for you. He’ll be a perfect gentleman and take things slow.”

I nodded. Maybe she was right. Maybe I did need someone like Josh. Maybe Aaron was just too much for me to handle. Or maybe I truly believed he was out of my league.