Fate, page 11
“I know what it is, but everyone says you don’t have to spend the evening with your date.”
“Whoever is lucky enough to be paired off with you will want to spend the evening with you,” he said. “I guarantee it.”
His words warmed me. “It doesn’t matter. I won’t be interested in whoever it is.” I touched his stubbled cheek. “I’m interested in you. Only you.”
He smiled, and his cheeks flushed a bit. He was a senior, twenty-two years old, and I made him blush.
It really was destiny.
“I can’t talk you out of this, huh?” he said.
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to disappoint the others. Plus, I honor my commitments. I feel strongly about that.”
He kissed my forehead. “You’re something, you know that?”
“I can meet you after,” I said.
“You got it. Let’s get you back to the dorm.”
Brad gave me a searing kiss after he walked me to my room. Patty was still out with the girls, or maybe she’d met Sean. I had no idea. At any rate, I undressed, wrapped my robe around myself, and gathered my facial scrub and toothbrush, ready to head to the bathroom and wash up. I jerked when someone knocked on the door.
I sighed. Probably Ennis or someone else, saying another party was forming in the lounge. I was just too tired. These three days had been nonstop, and frankly, I wanted to lie in my bed and relive my time with Brad. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I decided not to answer the door. Who would it harm? As soon as whoever it was went away, I’d make my way to the bathroom.
Then a harsher knock. “I know you’re in there,” said a female voice. “I saw you come back with Brad.”
I didn’t recognize the voice, but I’d only just met all these people. It could easily be one of the girls from the floor.
If she saw me, I’d be a liar if I didn’t answer the door. I wasn’t a liar.
I opened the door.
Not one of the girls from the floor. Instead, it was a beautiful woman wearing jeans and a tank top with Candie’s high-heeled slides. Her body was a perfect hourglass figure. Her hair was brown, lighter and shorter than mine, and her eyes a sparkling blue.
“Uh…hi,” I said. “I’m sorry. Have we met? Do you live on one of the other floors?”
She eyed my room. “Cute,” she said.
“What do you want?”
“Nice robe.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m a friend of your brother’s.”
“Larry?”
“Yeah. Can I come in for a minute?”
Say no. But I no longer trusted my inner voice, not after I’d lost so much time junior year. I had nothing to fear from this young woman. She didn’t seem dangerous. Even if she was, I was taller. Of course, I was no fighter. She could do some major damage with those wooden heels alone.
Something pulsed in my head. Something familiar, like I’d been in a similar situation before.
But I hadn’t. I had no idea who this girl was.
“Who are you?” I said again.
“A friend,” she said. “I’m here for one reason.”
“And that is…?”
“To warn you to stay away from Brad Steel. You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”
“I only just met—”
“I know. That’s why I’m here, to help you. I know he’s been with you the past three evenings. He’ll hurt you, Daphne.”
That feeling—that pseudo-memory of violation—pulsed through me again.
This person had been watching me?
My skin prickled with invisible insect bites. My heartbeat drummed in my ears. White noise clouded my mind.
“He uses women,” she said. “I know how you’re feeling. He’s great-looking. You’re new here and the most gorgeous guy on campus has the hots for you. I feel for you, but you’re only going to get hurt.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I know you don’t. You don’t want to, and that’s okay. If you keep seeing him, though, don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ll go now. Looks like you’re ready for bed.” She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
I quickly reopened the door. “Wait! I didn’t get your name.”
But she didn’t hear me as she walked through the door to the stairwell.
My heart still thumped rapidly. Faster, faster, faster…
I shouldn’t be frightened. She hadn’t done anything. But Brad… Brad would never…
Breathe in, breathe out.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Then the curtain fell.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Brad
Murphy came home with a woman who wasn’t Patty Watson. Hey, none of my business.
“This is Sloane,” he said, his voice cracking.
“Hey,” I said.
He grabbed a few beers out of the fridge and then led Sloane and her big blond hair into his bedroom. I figured he was gone for the night, but he returned to the kitchen.
“Wendy’s on the warpath,” he said, his voice still off.
I rolled my eyes. “When is she not?”
“I’m serious. Sloane and I ran into her at the convenience store. She was buying a pack of Marlboros.”
“She said she quit.”
He cleared his throat. Then again. “Apparently not. Anyway, I tried to sneak us out of there before she saw us, but no deal. Sloane had to use the john.”
“What happened? What’s wrong, Murph? You’re not acting like yourself, and you sound like a frog is living in your throat.”
“She asked where you were.”
“Fuck. What did you tell her?”
“I told her you were out, man. I’d never give up your locale. Except…”
“Except what?”
“You won’t believe me if I tell you.” He shook his head. “I can’t even believe it myself. I’m lucky I didn’t piss right there.”
Not a good sign. My nerves jumped inside my skin. “Are you kidding? This is Wendy. I’ll believe anything.”
“She fucking pulled a gun on me!” He took a swig of the beer he was holding. “Held it at my head.”
“A gun?” I raked my fingers through my hair. I’d taught her how to handle firearms. “Fuck, bro. I’m so sorry.”
“Does she even know how to use that damn thing?”
I purposely didn’t respond to his question, though the answer was yes, all due to me. “Don’t you worry. I’ll take care of this.”
“That’s not the point. I told her where you were. I’m sorry, man. I’m going to start carrying my own piece. This is ridiculous.”
“This all happened in the store?”
“No, after I left the store. Sloane went to the bathroom, and I went ahead out to the car. Wendy followed me and pulled out the piece.”
“Sloane doesn’t know?”
“Hell, no. You know women. They take forever in the can. And thank God, because I really need to get laid now. If I tell her what happened, she’ll bolt, and I wouldn’t blame her.”
“Wendy didn’t show up at Tante Louise. Did you tell her I was with someone?”
“No. She didn’t ask.”
“Thank God. She’s a loose cannon when she gets like this. She needs some help. I’ve tried to get her to go to therapy, but—”
“Therapy? She needs to be arrested, man.”
“Why didn’t you call the cops?”
“Because of you, Brad. I can still call the cops now.”
I nodded. “Go ahead and call the cops. She deserves it.”
“Man! I’ve got a woman with curves going into next week ready to spread her legs—”
“Oh, for God’s sake. Call the cops tomorrow, then. I swear, Murph, your dick is your God.”
“I won’t deny it.” He grabbed his crotch and walked out of the kitchen. Seemed okay for someone who’d recently been held up at gunpoint. Either that or he just wanted to get into Blondie’s pants.
Fucking Wendy. I knew she wouldn’t go quietly. At least she hadn’t shown up—
Oh, fuck.
I knew Wendy like the back of my hand. She had showed up, and she had seen—
Daphne.
Damn.
I grabbed my wallet and keys off the counter and raced to my car.
Daphne’s door was cracked.
I opened it. “Daphne? Oh, shit!”
She lay on the ground, her eyes closed, her burgundy robe open with her breasts spilling out. Next to her, her toothbrush, toothpaste, and some skincare products had fallen out of a bucket.
I knelt down and touched her cheek. “Daphne? Daphne, can you hear me?”
She opened her eyes. “Brad? What happened?”
“I don’t know, baby. You’re lying on the floor.”
“I am?”
“Yeah. Can you sit up?” I helped her get into a sitting position and closed her bathrobe.
She twisted her lips, her forehead wrinkling. “I think…someone was here. A woman.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t tell me her name. Yeah, now I remember. She told me… She told me you used women and that I should stay away from you.”
Wendy.
Could only be Wendy.
“Did she hurt you?”
“No. She seemed nice. She sure doesn’t like you, though.”
“She didn’t have a gun?”
Daphne gasped. “God, no!”
Thank God. “What did she look like?”
“Shorter than me, brown hair, blue eyes. Jeans and a tank top. Tight.”
That was Wendy all right.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’ll take care of this.”
“How can you take care of it? Do you know her? She didn’t tell me her name.”
“Yeah. Her name is Wendy, and I won’t let her bother you again.”
“Why would she want to warn me about you?”
“She and I have history.”
Her eyes widened. “Is she the one…?”
“It’s over, baby. I’m not interested in her.”
“Are you sure? She’s beautiful.”
“She’s nothing compared to you. Please don’t believe anything she said about me. She’s lying.”
“She said I’d get hurt.”
“I’ll never hurt you, baby. I promise.”
It was a promise I swore to keep, no matter the cost.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Daphne
Why did I feel so safe when Brad Steel’s arms were around me? I barely knew him.
Fate.
That word kept humming its way into my mind.
“I guess I must have fainted,” I said. “Or something.”
“Are you sure? She didn’t touch you or push you?”
I swept my mind for information. “No, I really don’t think so.”
“I should take you to the ER,” he said.
“No.” I hated hospitals.
“If you fainted, you might have low blood sugar or something.”
“Then I’ll eat a candy bar. There’s a machine at the end of the hall.”
“That’s the least of my concerns. Fainting can mean other things. Worse things.”
I’d fainted before a couple of times. The doctor at home had said it was due to my anxiety, which caused me to hyperventilate. Seeing the beautiful woman at my door warning me to stay away from a man I was sure was my destiny had caused me a lot of stress. It made perfect sense. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to explain all this to Brad.
I also couldn’t explain why I didn’t want to go to a hospital.
I’d seriously have to be dying before I set foot in a hospital again. A hospital had taken nearly a year away from me. Yes, I understood physical ailments were different from mental ones, and I truly had no valid reason to fear a hospital, but I did anyway.
No one would steal time from me again. The faint was bad enough. That was stealing time as well, and I didn’t want to lose any more of the precious commodity. Especially now that I’d met Brad Steel.
I wanted to spend all my remaining time—which was a lifetime—with him.
The thought frightened me more than a little, but I couldn’t deny the truth of it. He was my destiny. I knew it so profoundly that I felt the knowledge had always been with me. I just hadn’t accessed it yet.
I couldn’t say these words to him, though. They’d scare him away. He was young, and I was younger still. Neither of us should be making decisions of such magnitude.
Of course, I wasn’t making this decision. Fate was.
I forced a smile. “I’m fine. Really. It was just a shock.”
“You did wake right up.” He massaged the palm of my hand with his thumb. “I’m going to call you first thing in the morning, though.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’d like that.”
He kissed me sweetly on the lips. “Tomorrow night. After you ditch your first nighter.”
“Absolutely,” I said.
As promised, Brad called me the next morning. I didn’t have a lot of time to talk, so it was brief, but I smiled all day because he cared so much. By the time Patty and I were done with dinner—my first dinner ever in the cafeteria, as I’d been to dinner with Brad the last three nights—first nighter arrangements were underway.
The bathroom on our floor was crowded with women all scurrying to look their best for their “dates.” I didn’t care so much about that, but I did want to look my best for my real date after first nighter. I was meeting Brad outside my dorm at ten.
Ten used to be my bedtime. I’d been on campus for four days, and now my bedtime was midnight at the earliest. Once classes began, I didn’t expect that to change. My guidance counselor had warned that college was not high school, and I wouldn’t be able to slide by on intelligence alone. I’d have to actually study for several hours each night. Oddly, I was looking forward to studying. I loved learning.
I put on more makeup than usual but still kept to a natural look. Then I donned the new burgundy dress with the same shoes I’d worn last night with Brad.
“You look amazing!” Patty gushed.
“So do you.”
She did. She wore an emerald prairie dress that flattered her green eyes. She was shorter in stature than I and wore higher heels, in gold. She’d painted her toenails and fingernails a neutral reddish brown that accented her coloring and clothing choice nicely.
I hadn’t painted my nails or toenails. I almost never did, but now, looking at how polished Patty was, I wished I had. But it was too late. First nighter would begin in a half hour, and we needed to get moving.
“I’m so excited!” Patty gushed. “Aren’t you?”
“Sure.” I smiled. A little white lie wouldn’t hurt. I was more excited about meeting Brad afterward.
“I hope I meet someone great.”
“What about Sean?” I asked.
“Sean is also great,” she said, “but he hasn’t called me.”
“After you…”
She laughed it off, though I wasn’t buying it. “Slept with him? Yeah, twice. But you know, this is college. I plan to have loads of fun. No committing to one guy right away.”
I didn’t get the whole casual sex thing. Maybe because I’d never actually had sex, but I couldn’t get myself to think of sex as a one-time thing. Maybe after I lost my virginity I would, but I doubted it. Not when I felt so strongly that Brad Steel was my ultimate destiny.
“You don’t have any regrets?” I said.
“About screwing Sean? Heck, no. He’s great-looking and a lot of fun. I hope I’ll hear from him again.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“Maybe. You can always put in a good word for me with the roomie. What’s going on there, anyway?”
“Not a lot.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.
“Not a lot? Are you kidding? You’ve been out with him the last three nights.”
“And you notice I made it home each night.” I twisted my lips. Foot in mouth. “I didn’t mean—”
“No worries. I’m not insulted. It’s pretty clear you don’t have a lot of experience with guys, Daph.”
My cheeks warmed, probably making them redder than the blush I’d brushed over them. “Not really.”
“Brad seems like a good guy. I’m really surprised he hasn’t tried anything with you.”
“He says we can go slow.”
“And you’re okay with that? I’ve got to tell you—I couldn’t wait to ditch my virginity.”
I hadn’t been okay with that last night. I’d wanted him to take me, and I’d been ready to let him. Brad had stopped it, and I still wasn’t quite sure why. “Yeah, I’m okay with that. I appreciate him going at my pace.”
“You’re not horny for him at all?”
I laughed. “I didn’t say that.”
For sure, I’d been horny as all get-out last night, but Brad had probably done the right thing for me. How he knew what I needed, I’d never understand.
Or maybe it was all part of our destiny.
“Maybe you’ll find someone great tonight,” she said. “Let’s go!”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Brad
Driving to see Wendy wasn’t what I’d had in mind for this evening, but she had to know what she’d done to Daphne and Murph was unacceptable and I wouldn’t put up with it.
I was the one person who could control Wendy—in the bedroom, at least. I planned to exercise that control tonight, outside the bedroom. Early, before I met Daphne at ten.
Wendy attended a different college but cut class the majority of the time and stayed in Denver to be close to me. Her brilliant mind and photographic memory allowed her to ace classes she didn’t even attend by speed reading all the textbooks. I’d never known anyone quite as brilliant as Wendy Madigan, but intelligence of that level seemed to come with some other issues.
From what I’d seen lately? A lot of crazy.
I’d never known Wendy to be violent. Pulling a gun on Murph yesterday was new, and something I needed to nip in the bud straight away—especially since I was responsible for her knowing how to wield a pistol.
