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“Ex-boyfriend,” I corrected him.
“Right, ex.” He ran a hand through his hair, “Look, I’m not exactly the poster boy for relationships here, but your guy sounds like an epic douchebag. Maybe you dodged a bullet there.”
My first instinct was to defend Jason and boast about all the good things he’s done, like volunteering and donating to charities. Sure, he could be an epic asshole at times, but who was Blade Eggleston to judge? He was the sluttiest guy at Exley who probably hadn’t volunteered a day in his fucking life. I mean, all he cared about was bagging girls, football and maintaining his reputation as The Bedroom King.
God, I hated that nickname.
Then again, maybe they were more similar than I cared to admit.
I mean, a lot of what Jason did was for his reputation and potential future gain. There was never any nobility in his actions. He was purely calculated in his pursuit of the best future possible—but unlike Blade, he pretended the opposite. Plus, he’d been spying on me which is totally not okay, and he just called me a whore. But still, I didn’t feel right bad-mouthing him to Blade.
Old habits die hard, I guess.
I shifted uncomfortably, “Anyway, um, thanks for looking out for me last night.”
He took a moment to respond as if he was premeditating what he was going to say, but ultimately settled on a simple, “No problem.”
I gave him a silent nod before heading inside, only to be stopped by him lightly grabbing my hand.
“Look, if you’re not busy right now, how about we get a bite to eat? Or even a cup of coffee?”
I could see how dinner or coffee could end up with a late-night snack at his place and then quickly ending with me becoming another notch on his belt. If I wasn’t careful, I could end up one of them, and that absolutely wasn’t going to happen. No matter how much I wanted to cut loose after being freed from the grasp of Jason, Blade wasn’t the appropriate outlet for my frustrations.
“No thanks, I’m not really hungry.”
Just as the words left my lips, my stomach growled loudly. I prayed that Blade hadn’t heard, but the smile on his face dashed my hopes.
“Sounds like your stomach disagrees.”
It was hard not to smile back when he looked at me like that. That was probably how he’d gotten so many girls into bed in the first place. For the first time, I could maybe understand why his charms were so dangerous, but I also knew that I wasn’t thinking clearly. As my best friend always said, the best way to get over someone is to get under somebody else.
But that person surely wouldn’t be Blade. “Thanks, but mentally, I’m tapped out for today.”
“You sure?”
I nodded, “I’m sure.”
Girls all over campus did everything they could to get with The Bedroom King. Not because they wanted to become another statistic, but because most guys our age didn’t know how to please a woman. They got most of their education from porn which did little to truly enhance their skills. Blade wasn’t only incredibly hot, but the rampant rumor mill claimed that he had a twelve-inch dick as thick as a soda can and a tongue that could actually locate the clitoris. And that he also knew exactly how to use both of them.
I don’t think Jason even knew where the clitoris was.
I might have been a free woman with needs and desires, but it wasn’t worth ruining my reputation over. Not even with The Bedroom King himself.
For his part, he continued to pretend to be the noble, chivalrous type. He gave me a slight wave and head nod. “I’ll talk to you later, Isabella.”
I watched him as he walked away, and then watched him for a little bit longer as he made his way down the sidewalk. There was something magnetic about him, but opposites don’t attract. They push each other apart. If Blade and I were magnets, the magnetic force between us would push us to opposite ends of the earth.
But fuck me sideways if he wasn’t one of the most handsome men on campus. It was such a shame that that face was attached to that dick and that ego, because otherwise I could’ve seen myself taking the plunge.
He was tall and handsome. Perfect teeth etched into a perfect jawline with perfect lips and deep blue eyes that are surely responsible for at least half the hookups. Dark, tussled hair on top that cut into a fade beneath. Muscular and strong, and that was enough of that.
I slammed the door of Rho Alpha Xi.
* * *
For the firsttime since my disastrous brunch with Jason and our parents a few weeks prior, I was finally able to absorb what my professors were saying. It had been two days since I broke up with Jason and my mind was no longer cluttered with thoughts about the future, or the tight constraints of everyone’s expectations suffocating me. Freedom was a powerful force not to be discounted.
I answered every question without hesitation on my marketing quiz, and my psychology professor was impressed by how much interest I showed in class. It’d been a while since I felt I was living life on my own terms, and that meant putting in the work when it came to school in order to build a life for myself that I wanted.
