Page 3 of Learning to Love

I tell him repeatedly that it was a one-time encounter. I probably won't ever see them again. I'd never admit it, but I am still beyond pleased with how I handled the situation. It took all the courage I had, but I did it. I didn't allow myself to feel intimidated.

Toby comes back into the room from getting his shower. "You can say what you want, Dani, but a challenge accepted means that it's not the last you'll see of them. I wouldn't be surprised if they’re trying to find out who you are at this very moment." Little did I know, Toby was right.

Jake

"Dude! Did you see her curves?" Dallas moves his hands up and down, mimicking her incredible shape.

Jaxon’s dreads move with the motions of his hands. "Sure did. As soon as I find out her name, it'll be going on my list. Y'all know I love a girl with a spunky attitude."

"Yeah, you mean, you know how "we" love a girl with a spunky attitude! She's going on my list, too. May the best man win." I take a drink of the soda I ordered.

"Well, since I'm the only man at this table, I'm the only one that can win then." Jaxon shoots back.

I'd been texting one of the chicks I hooked up with before since Georgia left. She works part-time in admissions and has access to the database on her laptop. Not many students go here from Georgia. Then narrowing that down with age and gender, and that was all it took. I lied about her leaving her wallet at the diner, and she gave me all the information I wanted to know.

I promised to take care of her very soon, which was a bald-faced lie. I’m not a long-term guy and the girls I hook up with know that. Everyone knows that. Long term gets messy, and they inevitably turn into stage 5 clingers, to quote one of my favorite movies, The Wedding Crashers.

My sweet Georgia peach is Danielle Constantine, 18, from Toccoa, Georgia. She also gave me her dorm number and what Hall she's staying in this semester. "Read it and weep assholes!" I shove my phone in their faces. "I'm calling rank boys. This one's mine."

They both give me a blank stare. "So what?" Dallas says, still not believing what I just said.

I shrug my shoulders. "I'm the one that told her challenge accepted. I'm the one that's going to teach her what being in Longhorn territory is all about. She'll be calling me Daddy before all is said and done!"

They want to argue but quickly move on to another subject. They are surprised by my weird behavior, but they don't say anything else. I've never laid claim before, but there was something about how her eyes glistened when she said, "prove it." It was a challenge I couldn't turn down. I’ll have her screaming my name before the end of the weekend.

Chapter 3

Invitations

I wait patiently for my roommate to make an appearance. Toby said his goodbye hours ago. I was sad to see him leave, but the sadness quickly dissipated when my anxiety went into overdrive about finally meeting my roommate. I hear a knock on the door making me jump off my bed. That's got to be her! What do I do?? "Come in!"

The door opens slowly and I’m met by a beautiful girl with pecan-tanned skin. She has hair as dark as a raven, and it falls in gentle waves down her back. Damn it, she’s gorgeous. My heart sinks hoping she isn’t a Mean Girl like the gorgeous girls are back home.

I’m greeted with a nervous smile. "Hi, I'm Sasha Hernandez. Are you Danielle?"

I wave back, then remember I should probably use words, so she doesn't think I'm mute. "Yep. That's me. You can call me Dani if you want. Can I help you bring in any of your stuff?"

She beams. "Yes, that'll be great! My parents are coming. They dropped me off at the front entrance so that they could park. Are you going to think I'm crazy if I tell you that I stalked every social media profile that you've probably ever created?"

I laugh so loud, sheer relief plunging through the depths of my soul. She’s nice! "Not at all. At least you had enough guts. I refused to look you up. I was too nervous. I mean, this is a big deal, and to be honest, I don't make friends easily."

"I see right now that we're going to get along just fine. I'm great at making friends, so I'll do all the work. I couldn't tell by your profile who you really were. You seem super private or maybe just shy. I'll have you out of that by the end of the year. You're too pretty to be that way. We’ll rule this school. Just you wait." She shrugs lightly, oozing with confidence.

My eyes grow big. She thinks I'm pretty which is super sweet of her to say. I like her instantly. "I don't know about that because I'm fairly shy. I only have like two friends, not counting family back home. I'm nice to people, but I don't encourage them to talk to me either. There is only so much I can say about the weather." I laugh. “However, I hope this is the birth of a beautiful friendship."

She smiles and nods her head. We’re interrupted from having more conversation by her parent's arrival. I help them bring her stuff in, and before they leave, her Mama asks me if I've ever tasted authentic homemade tamales, and I tell her I've never eaten authentic anything as far as Mexican food is concerned. She shakes her head and puts her arm around my shoulders, "Dani, you must come to our house one Sunday! We always have most of the family there. I’ll cook you the best food you’ve ever eaten."

My mouth waters. "Yes, ma'am! I'll definitely come." If our friendship doesn't work out, I'll become best friends with her Mama. Her food sounds incredible.

Sasha's parents seem so lovely. They kiss and bid us farewell. Mrs. Hernandez got my number, and I have hers. I help Sasha put away her things and hang up her pictures. She's got a lot of friends and an adorable older brother named Diego. I tell her some of my backstories, and she fills me in about some of hers. She's easy to talk to, and she doesn't give me that look of pity that I hate when I tell her about the sperm donor not being in my life. She looks at me and with all sincerity she says, "It's his loss."

I've never really thought of it that way before. I've long stopped believing it was in any way my fault. I know the fault lies within himself. But he did miss out on me, and he also missed out on the best woman a man could ever have, and that's my Mama. It’s 100% his loss.

"I read reviews online about this new restaurant about a mile from here. You want to try it out with me?" She walks super-fast into her room to grab her wallet, not even saying a word. I laugh and go grab mine, too—my kind of girl. I couldn't eat much today because I was so nervous about this meeting so I’m starving. I open the door so we can make our escape and accidentally drop my wallet. When I get back up after reaching for it, I can't believe the two guys that are standing there. Jaxon’s knuckles are raised because he was about to knock.

I looked up the Fearless Five as soon as I got back to my dorm room the night of our eventful meeting at the diner. They are reported to be the best in recent history. I read article after article about them, most think they are truly unstoppable, and that by the end of the year the team will be undefeated.

Dallas is staring at Sasha and so is Jaxon. Used to being the duff, I laugh to myself. She clears her throat. "Y'all going to say anything or just stand there? Because we're late for dinner."