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I’d managed to sit through a boring as fuck lecture on recessions from our economics professor. Now my grandmother was paying the fees for this stupidly expensive college, I had no choice but to knuckle down and focus on my grades. Any deviation from that path would incur Lily’s rage. And that was the last thing I needed right now.
Stella had been absent from this morning’s lectures, so I’d been more diligent than usual with my notetaking. Amber’s services had been sacked off a while back. She hadn’t been pleased to lose her role as my official study note provider, but Stella’s jibe about being a lazy ass stung more than I liked to admit. I didn’t want her to think I was a lazy, privileged douche. I mean, I was, but I would rather she thought better of me.
Why? I wasn’t sure I wanted to explore the ins and outs of my complicated feelings surrounding Stella. It struck me as a dangerous exercise, especially given Harley had also gone AWOL, according to Quinn, who had not seen him since he left to walk Stella back to her dorm. Quinn seemed more than a bit pissed off about that.
By late afternoon, I was struggling. I needed a strong coffee and some sugar. When I spotted Stella walking across the quad, I sprinted over. She was dressed in her usual outfit of grungy sweatpants and a loose sweater. The only difference today was that her hair was loose, hanging in soft waves down her back.
The deep red color really suited her. It made her blue-green eyes sparkle like spring buds covered in early morning dew.
I was so entranced I forgot to speak for a moment. By the time my brain re-booted, she was staring at me with a mixture of irritation and amusement.
“You look better than expected,” she noted. “I didn’t think you’d be functional for at least a day.”
“Sadly, I am somewhat accustomed to drinking to excess.” I threw her a rueful smile and she nodded.
“Yeah, it’s not the first time I’ve seen you drunk. Maybe next time, don’t get paralytic on a roof terrace, where the dangers of falling from a great height speak for themselves, yeah?”
OK, so she had a point, but all this talk of my failings was distracting me from the real purpose of my conversation.
“I need a coffee, would you like to come with me? There’s a nice independent coffee shop in Aspen Creek. They serve great cake too.”
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Why would you invite me out?”
“I feel bad about whatever happened last night. I can’t actually remember any of it, but I’m sure it wasn’t pretty.” I raked my fingers through my hair, wishing this was less awkward. “I also owe you thanks for helping me back to the apartment. So coffee and cake?”
“Um OK, I guess. I don’t have any money on me though.” My mood picked up instantly, the headache pounding behind my temples receding.
“It’s on me, so you don’t need a thing.”
Stella smiled and the sun came out, both literally and figuratively.
Chapter 38
Stella
The minute I set foot in Brax’s stupidly flash sports car, I panicked. What the fuck was I thinking? Had I been so blinded by his handsome face and washboard abs that all common sense had fled the building? Sitting in a public place with someone as gorgeous as Brax Walker was a huge mistake. He couldn’t help but attract attention, which meant I would too.
The last thing I needed was a besotted teen taking photos of us and posting them online. While I had changed my appearance somewhat, there was always a chance some internet sleuth realized who I was. To my knowledge, there were hardly any photos of me in the public domain. Dad had made sure I wasn’t photographed at events on the rare occasions I attended. The only photos circulating were old ones. Even so, it was a risk.
Thankfully, Brax seemed equally wrapped up in his own thoughts as we drove down into the valley. It was a short ten-minute drive and the scenery was beautiful. I’d seen none of this when I arrived on campus. It had been late and pouring with rain. Today, the sun shone, peeking through the thick canopy of trees either side of the road.
The small town of Aspen Creek was a tourist’s delight. Mom and Pop stores lined Main Street, with brightly colored storefronts. I spotted a general store, a vintage clothing store with cute boho dresses in the window, an art gallery, and a bookstore that definitely warranted a visit at some point. It was picturesque as fuck and despite the anxiety swirling around in my belly, I couldn’t help the small smile that lit up my face.
“They serve the best coffee in a 50-mile radius,” Brax told me as we parked up and headed across the road to Cuppa Corner. Inside, people of all ages sat on comfortable sofas drinking coffee and chatting. Local art decorated the walls, there were several bookcases filled with paperback novels, and a queue of people stood waiting for espressos and lattes.
I desperately wanted to run away and hide, but the lure of good coffee pulled me in. It had been a while since I’d enjoyed my favorite mocha with a shot of vanilla.
“Go grab us a seat while I get the coffees,” Brax said, not batting an eyelid at my stupidly sweet request. There was a table free in the corner, next to a tall plant, so I rushed over and grabbed it. Some guy sitting by the window stared at me as I passed. He glanced at his phone and then back at me with a faint frown. My skin prickled, natural paranoia warning me something was wrong, then I mentally slapped myself for being so OTT. I was anonymous here. Nobody knew who I was. The guy looked away and picked up a mug of coffee, smiling at his companion. The tension eased and I relaxed. Nobody in this coffee shop gave a damn about who I was. I was safe.
Still, I made sure I sat with my back to the room, to avoid attracting any more attention. My phone was full of text messages from Harley. Against my better judgment, he’d talked me into giving him my number before he left this morning. It had been late by the time we woke up and even later before we left my room. Harley was like a bar of the most decadent chocolate. I knew he was bad for me, but I couldn’t resist his particular brand of velvety sweetness.
Harley: Miss you already
Harley: Hope you’re missing me!
Harley: Class is boring, so I’m thinking about you instead…
Harley: Which is a bad idea
