"Hey! Sorry I'm late. It took me longer than I thought." I blabber, plopping myself down on the chair in front of Layla.

I would have been on time, but I decided to stop into my dorm and change my clothes. Seeing Jordan fucking some dude wasn't on my agenda, but I still went in even if I heard them. Showing up at Starbucks in yesterday's clothes wasn't an option. So choosing between Jordan's wrath and Layla's disappointment, I chose the first. Though, I'm not sure the boy was really upset. His smug smile and how he winked at me when I was leaving... Ew!

"I ordered a Honey Almond Milk Flat White for you." My best friend says, shifting in her seat. She grabs her cup, then sets it back on the table and exhales. "I'm sorry."

What?! "I'm the one who should be saying I'm sorry." I reach over the table, take her palm in mine and we interlace our fingers together. "I'm sorry for giving that advice to Colton. Or not... Ugh, look, I'm sorry for how it made you feel, but I don't want to apologize for telling him that."

"You shouldn't apologize at all." Layla smiles at me weakly. "I know why you did it... not because you wanted him, but because you didn't want him to offend me. You saw how clingy I was acting, how annoyed he was with me... it was a matter of time before he snapped at me and you took care of it... You did it for me, proving yet again that you're my best friend for a reason. Thank you, Ava."

"You aren't angry with me?" I cock an eyebrow, chewing on my inner cheek.

"Sounds like a deja vu, but no. I'm not angry with you." She giggles, giving a light squeeze to my fingers and leaning away. "And I'm not angry with Grace."

I roll my eyes, and decide not to say anything. The girl is Layla's roommate, so they obviously need to get along. While me? No. I can be friendly with her, but I will never trust her. Her selfishness is too much for me to accept. That's not how my dad raised me for sure. I have my flaws, but I'm loyal. Always.

"How was the party?" I ask, taking my coffee between my palms. It is a bit colder than I'm used to, but it's all because I was late.

"The party? You really want to talk about the party?"

"Um, yeah... Why not?"

"Bitch, you'd better be joking." Layla huffs, folding her arms across her chest. "I made a distraction, made sure Thompson had a chance to follow you when Drake confronted him... and you want to know how the party was?!"

"What did you do?"

"I saw you leaving, and Colton following you. Then, Drake decided to give him a piece of his mind, lecturing him about the bet. Thompson was being Thompson, so he said some pretty stupid stuff about you and my brother punched him in the face." Layla adds in the details I was missing, and I instinctively want to smile. He really has a problem with putting his foot in his mouth, having no control over his words when he's angry or stressed. He better start doing something about it, because I don't think I have it in me to forgive him all the time. "So I pretended to be an oblivious idiot, who didn't know about your talk with my brother... and asked if you two are still hooking up behind my back. While Drake was justifying himself, Thompson slipped away. He never came back... and you weren't in your room... How was it?"

Bursting out with laughter, I put my cup on the table. My best friend eyes me with a ridiculously funny expression on her face: dilated pupils, lips parted and eyebrows almost reaching her hairline. Keep your nose out of my business, Benson, damn you.

I lean my back on the chair, stretching my legs and allowing my mind to go back to Colton's place. How was it, she asked? It was fucking perfect. He was even better than Drake, and I didn't really think that was possible. Like, my best friend's brother gave me an experience that was hard to forget. I literally saw stars when I was with him. And then comes Colton Thompson and takes over the title of my best sex ever.

"Stop drooling, Mason!" I blink, refocusing my gaze on Layla. A satisfied grin on her face. "Start talking. I need deets, and it's your price for my help."

"Help?"

"Help. Drake would have hit him again, if it weren't for me." She folds her arms across her chest, visibly happy with herself. "So it's only thanks to me your Romeo's face wasn't a mess. Not sure you would have enjoyed it that much as you did if his lips were swollen."

"You definitely know how to get what you want." I scoff, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Apparently not. If I did, my best friend would be way more talkative than this. And I wouldn't feel like I'm pulling teeth when I just want to know how the sex was with her new guy."

"He's not my guy." I retort and she guffaws.

"Hallelujah! At least I now know you had sex with him."

"I hate you."

"Love you too, bitch." She sends me an air kiss, and winks at me. "Start talking, Mason. I'm waiting."

"It was great. Happy?" I exclaim, and Layla scrunches her nose.

"Deets, Ava."

"I'm not going to tell you anything."

"Then it was more than great." She wants me dead, doesn't she? Sometimes, I truly hate how nosey she is, and how easily she manipulates me. I always end up saying things she wants to hear. "How about you answering at least one question? Please?"

"Okay."

"It's my second year here, and I have heard a ton of rumors about him... about his dick to be precise." I roll my eyes at her smiling face with a slight blush on her cheeks. "Is it really that big?"

"Well..." I trail off, taunting her with my silence. Layla takes a bite of her cheesecake, never taking her eyes off me. "You know Manuel Ferrara, right?"

My best friend chews on her cake, a crease between her eyebrows becomes deep. The second her eyes round, I know she figured out what I mean. And she fucking chokes on her food, coughing like crazy and waving her hand at me to give her my coffee to chase it down. I sigh and push my cup into her hands. I definitely need her alive. Who is going to be my partner in crime otherwise?

"For real?" Layla breathes as soon as she stops coughing, and I nod. She whistles, shaking her head. "You hit the jackpot, bestie."

"Maybe. For all I know it could be a one-time thing." I'm such a pathetic liar.

"Yeah, of course." Her voice is dripping with sarcasm and she looks at me. "The guy is whipped, and he truly has NEVER dated a girl in all the time he has been at this college."

Has he ever had a girlfriend? Or a relationship? Or has he ever been in love? We spent a lot of time together, but I still know nothing. Only some glimpses. Some small pieces. It's not enough to make a whole picture. I want to change that. I want him to open up to me. I feel that he needs it, just to have someone he can trust and talk. About anything. I'm not a therapist and not someone who can change someone's life, but I'm a good listener. And I'm not a blabber. I'm... me.

"Okay, Ava, let's change the subject." I meet my best friend's gaze full of mischief. "I want you to focus on being here with me and not in your Colton Thompson oblivion. Turn it off."

"Only for you." I muse, take my cup from the table and spend the rest of the evening drinking coffee and chatting about anything and everything with my best friend. It feels like heaven.

🏒✨🏒✨🏒

I walk out of the cafeteria, smiling like a Cheshire Cat. Turns out, I can't be angry with Clay for too long. As soon as I saw him this morning making his way to me, dressed in a long black dress with a full face of makeup, my resentment disappeared. He didn't owe me anything, but he still did as I told him. He's determined to be my friend, and I appreciate him for that. People like him are rare and should be treasured.

As for Baker... He's not going to leave me alone. I'm a hundred percent positive about that. The way his eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and how clenched his fists were didn't leave me any doubt. He will pretend, he will play games convincing everyone that he let it go... until he gets a chance to make me pay for the trick I pulled on him. Jerks like him have no idea how to be forgiving, they believe in their exclusivity and that everyone should bow their heads to them. He chose the wrong person though. I have way too much self-respect to let myself be fooled. Whenever it happens, I'll be ready to take him down.

As I reach the library, my mind empties. With only one exception. Colton Thompson. Sauntering inside, I greet Ms Lewis who has her nose buried in another romance and go to the farthest table. I put my things on the chair and hear the door open. Looking up, I'm captivated by his enigmatic eyes. The fire I see behind his irises revives, and I feel hot. My skin is basically scorching, and the only thing I want is him.

I move, walking around the corner and disappearing from view behind the rows of books. I lean my back on the bookshelf, waiting for him to join me. I knew he would follow me... even if just for a few minutes.

Colton edges around the bookshelves and stomps to me, his eyes never leaving my body. Winding a hand around my waist, he pulls me close to his chest. His scent hits my nostrils and I'm not okay. Absolutely not okay. It's overwhelming and incredibly familiar.

"I missed you." He whispers, and I try to chuck away my urge to touch myself. The feelings he ignites within me are shattering, effortlessly throwing me off balance.

I stand on my tiptoes, roaming my eyes over his face and pinpointing my attention on his lips. "Then prove it."

Colton chuckles, bends his head down and steals all coherent thoughts I had. His kiss is like a glass of cold water during the heat of the summer... It's full of need, full of compassion and also demanding. He's claiming me, marking me as his, and it's so fucking addicting that I cave in, and I'm not even sorry.

His hands slide down to my butt, and squeeze it firmly. My eyes roll back in my head, and I moan. Colt smiles into our kiss and lifts my skirt up, digging his fingers into my skin. Oh God, this feels so good! I press myself to him, my desire is only growing exponentially. I have no idea how I'm going to study once he goes to practice. My panties are already ruined, and I pant, kissing him back with everything I have.

"How do you expect me to be focused on practice or a game after something like this?" Colton murmurs against my lips, inching closer to my ear and sucking my earlobe into his mouth. He drags his teeth over my earring, and I shut my eyes closed, pain coursing through my body. The strangest thing? It excites me. I love how the pain mixes with my arousal, intensifying my need and making it so strong I'm ready to do anything for him.

"I don't. I'll need a cold shower instead of studying."

"But you hate studying in your dorm." Hate? Not really. Uncomfortable? Sure. "Is your roommate still causing problems?"

"Sometimes." I whimper, as he sucks on my neck leaving a hickey. "We don't get along."

"Do you want me to talk to her? I can make it better." And give her our secret served on the silver plate? No, thank you. It has been four months, and I have gotten used to her and her antics. It's not something I can't deal with.

"No... that's okay." He palms my breast, while his lips leave a trail of light kisses on my neck. His other hand finds its way under my skirt and my tights, and the next thing I know he presses his thumb to my clit through my panties. "Colt!"

"I don't have any condoms with me... but I still can make you feel good."

"You don't have to..." I argue as he massages my spot in circles, slow and gentle, still sending my emotions skyrocketing into my own universe. A universe I named after him... "I didn't mean it in that way... you looked lonely and I... oh my fucking God! Colt!"

I dig my fingers in his forearm, steadying myself because my legs are about to give out. He's no longer just circling his thumb over my clit, he already pushed my panties aside and slid two of his fingers inside me. Catching his gaze, I drown. He has the most beautiful eye color I have ever seen.

"Say my name."

"Colt."

"Again."

"Colt." My vision is blurred, a deep wrinkle between my eyebrows. "Colt-oh-n."

He smashes his lips on mine, silencing my moans and speeding up his movements. I cling to his shoulders, because if I don't, I will fall. The possibility of us getting caught is thrilling. It's even more intoxicating than it was when he fingerfucked me here the first time. One fleeting thought about it, and I'm gone. I come hard, all over his fingers with his name on my tongue in a barely audible whisper.

Colton fixes my panties and takes his hand out, intending to lick his fingers dry. I grab his wrist, stopping him. Just curious to see his reaction. I pull his hand to me, but he brushes it off and sucks his fingers into his mouth. "It's mine, and I'm not sharing."

Damn him! I straighten up my skirt, smoothing it down with my hands. I need a shower, and to change my panties. Nothing else. My studies will wait. He fishes his phone out of his pocket, and smiles looking up at me. "I have 10 minutes before practice, so I have time for shower."

"Lucky you." I sing-song, walking past him but he grabs my elbow stopping me.

"Lucky me is when your pussy is clenching around my dick, wetting it with your juices and my palms are on your perfect tits. That's what lucky me means."

"Kinda hate you right now." I purr, as he bends his head down and gently kisses my forehead.

"Because you want me again?" He chortles, letting me go and we both stroll back to the table to get our things.

"Because I want you again." I scoff grumpily and he guffaws, pulling me to his side and kissing my temple. This affectionate side of him needs to go away... or I could fall in love with him. For real.

"Come to my place later."

"I can't." I pick up my backpack, suddenly feeling a heavy weight on my soul. I want to go to his place. I want to spend my time with him... and it's not even about sex. A little bit about sex, but not really. Even just watching something with him sounds a thousand times better.

"Shopping."

"Shopping." I confirm, biting my bottom lip. "See you around, Colt."

"See you, Ava." He winks, twirls around and ambles out of the library. I follow him, dragging my feet purposefully slow. I'm still floating on the waves of the pleasure he gave me and don't want to break this illusion.

"Ava?" Ms Lewis calls out to me, as I pass her desk. I halt in my tracks, wear my polite smile and turn my head to her. She's around 40, and actually is very nice. She's one of the reasons why I like coming here... we have talked a lot about the books we both like. She even follows my bookstagram now, adding more and more books to my endless TBR.

"Yes?"

"Try to be quieter next time." Jesus Christ! I'm red as a fucking tomato, my skin is sizzling hot from embarrasment. She laughs, shaking her head, and picks up a book from her table. "You were distracting me from my date with Damon Torrance."

She's reading Kill Switch? I wonder who her favorite horseman is? Oh my goodness! Ava! You're unbelievable! The woman just heard you moaning and having sex in the college library, and you're curious about the book she is reading?!

"Sorry. It won't happen again." I mumble and scurry away, hearing her silvery laughter behind my back. If anything, she definitely won't say a word if we do that again... but I'm not sure I want it to be our place anymore. I don't want anyone to pry.

On my way to the dorm, I pull my phone out of my pocket and notice one unread message. Reading it, I grin like an idiot and instantly type my answer.

How about Wednesday?

📱: Yes.

I'm loving our agreement more and more... and only hope I won't get burnt.