"So what did he say?" Lucy asked again right in the middle of our class. I tried to ignore her question as I didn't know how to explain it to her.
"He agreed to meet me at the library." I tried to keep it short and crisp but she knew me better than that.
"Come on, there is more. I can see your face. You are blushing," She whispered, making my eyes go wide.
"What? No!" I immediately touched my cheeks and she tried so hard not to laugh out loud.
"You should have seen your face." She sniffled in laughter beside me, earning us both glares from our professor.
"You better tell me now before I snatch your phone," she whispered again.
"Oh my God! You are so annoying, Lu." I handed over my phone to her before the professor could throw us both out.
"That's much better." She grinned and started looking over at my texts. I tried to observe her expressions from the corner of my eye and noticed her jaw-dropping to the floor. We soon heard the bell go off and we started to collect our things to leave for the day.
"What is going on between you two?" She yelled, giving back my phone as soon as we were outside the classroom.
"Nothing. He is being an ass and I'm just being professional." I rushed out, not meeting her eyes.
"Are you really that naive? Tristan Harris is trying to flirt with you." She stated, making me stop dead in my tracks.
"Yeah, sure. As if he is desperate for a girl's attention. We all know that he is a man whore, Lu." I said in an annoyed tone and she shook her head.
"Whatever, maybe this is his way of texting girls but you really need to get laid, Ri. Too much stress is not good for your health," she winked at me in a suggestive manner, making me scowl.
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Hi, ladies." I heard Andrew's deep voice from behind as he wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulders, placing a small kiss on her cheek.
"Hi, Andrew." I greeted him as we all kept walking towards the exit.
"So I heard that you are not coming to the party this weekend," he started, making me glare at Lucy immediately.
"He asked me, babe." She pouted and I groaned in frustration.
"I don't wanna come, Andrew. Parties aren't my scene. You know me well right?" I whined and tried to use my puppy dog eyes, hoping he would show me some mercy. He just laughed, making his crystal blue eyes twinkle. He was a good-looking guy with dirty blonde hair and he was pretty decent also which is a rare combination. I was glad that Lucy found a guy like him.
"How can I have a party without my girlfriend's best friend? She would be alone, Riley." He reasoned and I let out a huge sigh.
"Fine. I'll think about it." I mumbled and Lucy jumped in excitement.
"Yay! Thank you so much, babe." She wrapped her arms around my neck and I hugged her back, rolling my eyes at Andrews who threw up his hands in defeat.
"You guys owe me big time." I pointed my finger at them causing them to chuckle as we walked outside.
"Have fun, babe." She waved me goodbye with a wink and walked towards the parking lot with Andrew while I made my way towards the library.
At around 7.45 pm, I checked my phone to see if I had any messages from Tristan. I hardly saw him at school today and wondered if all this was one big joke. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail as it was falling all over the place. People were leaving the library slowly as it was almost 8 pm. I kept waiting patiently and the clock struck 8.15 pm.
The owner had strictly told us to keep the library open beyond 8 pm only if people were still reading inside. The library was empty now and I had no other choice than to lock it up. I started collecting my things and walked outside in a sour mood. After locking up the place, I started walking down the streets slowly all the while wondering why he stood up on me.
Did he change his mind?
Was this some kind of game to him?
I tried to stay strong and reached home quickly to find my dad in the kitchen, making us dinner.
"You are home early, sweetheart. What happened to the tutoring?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face and I sat behind the counter, watching him stir the sauce in the pan.
"He didn't show up. I should call him and ask later tonight." I replied, picking up a piece of carrot from the bowl.
"So it's a 'he'?" he asked with raised eyebrows and I rolled my eyes.
"He is an asshole, dad. I'm doing this only for money as shallow as it may sound."
"Alright, whatever you say." He laughed and continued, "Dinner will be ready in five. Go freshen up and come," I nodded and ran upstairs to change.
After dinner, I kept wondering if I should send him a text or ask him why he didn't show up but I didn't want to seem desperate. At the same time, I was pissed off and wanted to punch his stupid face. My thoughts were interrupted by my phone going off and I picked it up from my bedside table.
Asshole calling!
Shit!
When did we go from texting to calling?
I attended the call with shaky hands and placed the phone against my ears. The line was completely silent and neither of us spoke a word.
"I know you are there. I can hear you breathing, Adams." His deep voice resonates through the phone and I took a deep breath, mouthing the words 'oh my God!'
Fuck, he sounded so sexy.
"What do you want?" I cleared my throat and tried to sound calm.
"I know you are mad but I had a family emergency and," he paused for a few seconds, "I'm sorry for not texting. I was caught up," he apologized for the first time to me and I went in complete shock.
"Did you just say you are sorry?" I asked again just to be sure and heard him chuckle, making me almost melt into a puddle.
"Yes, Adams. This won't happen again. Can you come over to my house from tomorrow to teach me after your shift? I'm not comfortable at the library." He asked, taking me by surprise.
His house?
I had no idea about his house or his family. I knew he was rich but I've never seen his house. I kept nibbling on my bottom lip, not knowing how to respond.
"I can pick you up and drop you at your home every day," he added and I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion.
"Why are you doing all this? I mean, why go through so much trouble? You could hire a professional tutor considering how rich you are," I blurted out and there was complete silence on the other end.
"First of all, my dad is rich, not me and second of all, I don't like to waste money. Paying you double is actually a good choice for me and I prefer my house because it's more private. Anyone can see me at the library." He explained in one go and I was surprised and hurt at the same time.
Well, he wasn't a complete rich Asshole.
"Are you that much concerned about your reputation?" I scoffed, feeling irritated and I had no idea why it bothered me so much.
"Yup, so do you agree?" he asked again.
"Fine, I need my pay for today also," I stated in a serious tone, making him laugh.
"Of course. God, you are cute, Adams. See you tomorrow and don't worry, I'll be completely 'professional'." He replied in a husky tone, stressing on the last word, making me squeeze my thighs automatically and I licked my dry lips.
Holy fuck!
Did he call me cute?
Tristan fucking Harris called me cute?
"Bye." I squealed in a high pitch tone and cut the call immediately, not before hearing his rumble of laughter.
Talk about embarrassment!
I fell back on my pillow and groaned in frustration. Why am I affected by him?
Dear God! Please get him out of my mind.
I kept mentally chanting in my head over and over again that he is the enemy until I fell asleep.
The next day as promised Tristan picked me up at 8 pm sharp from the library and we were on our way to his house. I couldn't help but steal glances at him from the corner of my eyes. He was wearing a light blue t-shirt under his black jacket followed by his black jeans which were sexy as hell. I noticed his chiseled jawline which had a hint of stubble that made me lick my lips automatically.Ugh! Why can't he be ugly like his personality? I remained silent through the ride and he kept his focus solely on the road ahead of us. He pulled over inside a driveway and I looked outside the window and saw a huge classy-looking mansion.What else did I expect? "We are here." He unbuckled his seat belt and we both walked towards the front door. We were immediately greeted by a short elderly lady who had a warm smile on her face inside the living room."Good evening, Tristan. Can
For the next two days, things between me and Tristan were too professional that even I was getting annoyed by it. We spoke only about Math and there wasn't a single conversation other than that. He used to pick me up from the library, I used to teach him, and then he drops me off at my house. It was like teaching a lifeless person and I found it really hard to focus."Okay, enough of this! Why are being an extra Asshole for these past few days?" I broke the silence in the middle of teaching and he gave me a surprised look."Awww, are you missing our playful banter?" he smirked, leaning back against the chair and I pursued my lips into a thin line.To be honest, I did kind of miss it. "More like annoying banter. I mean, seriously, I'm the one who should be angry with you." I burst out in frustration, making him raise his eyebrows."Why are you angry with me?" he asked in a serious tone
"I look so funny, Lu. I'm just going to wear my jeans and some t-shirt." I whined, trying to pull down the short black dress to hide my knees. The dress was really pretty with a sweetheart neckline and reached just above my thighs. We were currently in her house, getting ready for the party, and Andrew was supposed to pick us up at 7 pm."Are you kidding me? You look smoking hot. I don't know why you hide behind those baggy clothes." She mumbled, making me sit down in front of the mirror forcefully. After doing my hair and make-up that took around an hour, she finally let go of me. I opened my eyes and let out a small gasp.The girl in front of me looked so different but in a good way. My hair was curled at the ends, giving it a nice bouncy look. She gave me a smoky eye effect with a soft nude shade of lipstick that looked subtle and beautiful. I couldn't believe my eyes. I actually looked pretty and wondered why I never put this effort in t
Let me tell you something, I have been kissed only once in my life before and I was thinking that was how a kiss was supposed to feel like but this, Tristan kissing me, the way he brushed his lips softly against mine as if waiting for me to deepen the kiss anytime which only made me want him more, this was exactly how a kiss was supposed to feel like.My eyes went wide in shock at first but then I felt fireworks explode inside my body and I wanted it more. I didn't care that I was kissing my enemy. I didn't care that he was a player. All I wanted to do was to grab his shirt and deepen the kiss and that's what I did. Maybe it was the drink I had earlier or maybe it was me, I had no idea why I was kissing him back.He immediately wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me steady while his other arm cupped my face, nibbling on my lower lip.Woah! Is this how a proper kiss is supposed to feel like?I le
Tristan's POV:'This is over. I'm done teaching you.'- RileyI kept staring at the message on my phone, not knowing what to reply to. I didn't want to fucking end this. Heck, I just had the best kiss of my life and I know for a fact that she enjoyed it too. I could see it from the way she responded. I didn't want to scare her but God help me, I just couldn't control myself when I saw her at the party in that little dress.Christ, she was fucking amazing!I've waited for so long and I was so not ready to give up now. I smirked and threw the phone aside, making up my mind to deal with her in person tomorrow.The next morning, I woke up at around 10 am and decided to pay her a visit at her house. My dad came home yesterday to see us and I guess he was already back on his business trip. I sighed and got out of my bed."Good morning, Tristan." Mrs. Waters, o
I immediately jumped up from his lap and adjusted my clothes. God! This was so humiliating but I was thankful it was just Lucy and not my dad instead."Oh my God! Riley Adams, you have a lot of explanation to do." She yelled, still in shock, trying to process the whole thing."And you, Tristan Harris?" she pointed her finger at him."One moment, ladies." He chuckled and got up from my bed, adjusting his pants before turning around to face us with a proud smirk plastered on his face."Don't you know how to knock?" he glared at Lucy, collecting his books from my study table, and kept walking towards the door.Aww! Was he leaving?"Well, you are one to talk." I scoffed in response and he turned around to look at me with raised eyebrows."I don't see you complaining now, Adams." He winked and opened the door wide, "I'll see you tomorrow then." He left, shutt
"Thank you so much," I smiled at the little kid who was returning the book that she had borrowed two days back from the library.My stomach was already in knots as the clock kept ticking closer towards 8 pm. Tristan would be here any minute and I was freaking out. I knew he had a test today and I really hoped he did well.Besides getting paid, I wanted him to do well and a small part of me wanted to end this whole tutoring as it felt a bit weird to be teaching him and kissing him but at the same time, I was worried he wouldn't want anything to do with me outside of tutoring. Last night's conversation literally left me speechless and I didn't know where we stood exactly. It was like we were having our own private world between the four walls of his room. My thoughts were interrupted by the loud honking of his fancy-ass car and I collected my things to leave immediately.After closing the library, I walked towards his car an
The next few weeks were so amazing that I felt like I was in a dream. Even though I and Tristan weren't hanging out like a regular couple at school, we were enjoying our time together at his house. I continued to teach him and well, we did other things besides that too but it didn't go beyond kissing and I was waiting for him to make the next move. It was sexually frustrating me to the core and I was too shy to ask him myself.At school, I was hardly able to see him as he was busy with his classes and football practice."You need to ask him, Ri. I mean, all this is nice and fun but why is he not making this public? I don't even see him talking to you at school nowadays," she pointed out during lunch and I didn't meet her gaze as she was right and I had no response for that."Well, he did say he wanted no one to know that he was bad at math and that's why I'm teaching him at his house," I explained, more like defended him w
The next morning, I woke up with a smallfrown as the bright rays of sunlight hit my face. I covered myself with the duvet immediately and reached out for Tristan but he was missing from the bed. I woke up in an instant, covering my body as much as I could. Memories of last night came rushing back to my head and I smiled widely. I've never been happier and being with him just felt right.If this is what I would be signing up for, I wanted to be with him forever. I had already made up my mind. I was ready to leave Phoenix with Abby for him. That is, if and if we were going to talk about the future. I noticed my phone on top of the bedside table and picked it up. It was 7 am and I let out a soft sigh.Where was he?"Morning, sunshine." I heard his deep husky voice and turned to my side to find him standing outside the bathroom in just a towel that was hanging dangerously low on his hips, his hair was all wet fr
Tristan's POV:I kept tapping my feet furiously waiting to reach the hotel as soon as possible. Even though I wanted to make love to her right now, I had another stuff planned for tonight.Dammit!"Are we there yet?" she asked, biting her lips andI glanced at her. She looked absolutely breathtaking in that smoking hot red dress. Fuck, she was just perfect and I still saw that cute little girl from high school in her, despite the makeup and hairdo."Impatient, are we?" I let out a small chuckle and kept driving. We were almost there and once we reached the hotel. I gave the car keys to the valet and took her hands, guiding her through the glass doors."Holy Fuck! Are you staying here for the week?" she asked in shock and amazement. I looked down and found her admiring the interiors of the hotel. She was totally mesmerized by it and almost forgot why we were here in the
My phone kept going off constantly, distracting me from doing my work at the officethe next day and I knew exactly who it was.Man, he never gives up.I picked up my phone with a small smile and saw a dozen text messages from Asshole.Of course, it was him.'I want to take you and Abby out for dinner tonight. Please don't say nooooo' -Asshole.I let out a small chuckle and typed out my reply.'Like a date?''Of course, baby.'- Asshole.'You need to get through my dad first.'My phone started to vibrate in my hands as he chose to call instead of responding to my text."Did you tell him already that I'm in town?" he yelled as soon I attended the call. I took my phone a few inches away from my ears, trying to hold back my laughter.
"You are awfully silent. Everything okay, babe?" Tristan asked while driving back to my house. Abby was fast asleep on my shoulders and I kept patting her back softly. I was still in shock with my discovery and couldn't even meet his gaze all evening. I mean, it was unbelievable that he kept the carnival ticket from our first date even after all these years. I was literally blown away and my heart was thumping against my chest wildly."I--I'm fine," I spoke after a few seconds but he wasn't convinced and kept giving me sideways glances now and then."Iknow you better than that. Do you...Ummm...regret this evening?""What?" I asked immediately and gave him a 'are you crazy' look, "Of course not, I'm just so glad that it went well and it wasn't awkward at all. She warmed up to you so fast.""I am her father, Duh! And, yeah, she is amazing. I want to be with her, Riley. I want to get
"Leaving early, I see." I heard a deep voice from behind, causing me to jump from my seat."Jesus Christ!" I shrieked in fear and turned around to meet a pair of familiar crystal blue orbs."Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He raised his hands in defense and I let out an embarrassed chuckle."It's okay, Mr.Reed and yeah, I'm leaving early today," I replied with a small smile and grabbed my things. He was still standing at my desk behind me and I was feeling a bit awkward. I wasn't the type to make small talk and I had no idea why he was still standing right there."Ummm... Is there something I can do?" I asked, trying to keep myself distracted by arranging random things on my desk."Oh yeah, I wanted to ask if you submitted the documents and how do you feel about working here?" he asked, smiling down at me warmly and I let out a soft sigh."I submitted the documents this
"I will bring her to the park tomorrow because it's not safe for you to come to my house right now," I explained through the phone as I settled on my bed, pulling the covers over my body. I was so tired because of the jetlag and just wanted to fallasleep already."Why not?" came his response almost in an instant and I rolled my sleepy eyes."Well, if you want my dad to kill you, you are more than welcome, Tristan," I uttered, earning a deep chuckle from him that made me feel warm on the inside.God, I missed that chuckle so much."I think I can handle him, babycakes but we can meet at the park tomorrow, you know just to be safe." He sighed and I remained silent, trying to suppress my smile.Apart from me wanted to lose my ego and just forget everything. I could understand why he pushed me away and he was really dumb to think that I would want a kid more than being wit
Tristan's POV:I kept driving my car aimlessly that night as my mind was completely fucked up. I was shocked beyond anything when I came to know that Riley had a kid but when shetold me that the kid was mine, I almost had a mini heart attack. God, the reason I pushed her away became the opposite ironically and I still couldn't believe that we had a kid.I was a father.Never in my life, I thought I would father a child. I wiped away my tears and hit the brakes, running my fingers through my hair in pain and frustration.I put her through hell because of my immature thinking. She was right. I should have told her the truth and made her decide for herself. I fucked up big time and the fact that she raised our kid all alone was too much for me to bear. I should have been there with her through every fucking step of it. I should have taken care of my girl.
I kept pacing around in my hotel room, feeling all kinds of mixed emotions. Rage and anger dominated everything else. I wanted to kill him but at the same time, my grandmother's words and Lucy's words haunted me. Abby needs her father and he deserves to know about her no matter howbad and evil he might be. I wouldn't get another chance like this.Seeing him today at school broke me all over again and it was like trying to forget about him all these years made absolutely no sense. He still looked annoyingly handsome and even more hot if that was even possible.Ugh! I hated him so much.Why did I run into him? Of all the places, he had to work at our high school.Un-fucking-believable!I sat down on my bed and picked up my phone slowly. I went through my contacts and there his number stared right back at me.Asshole!
Tristan's POV:"Alright, boys. You may leave for the day and I expect to see you all at 6 am sharp tomorrow. Now go hit the showers," I announced to my team and watched them disperse immediately. I let out a huge sigh and made my way towards my office, wiping the sweat off my forehead. Being a football coach was fun yet exhausting attimes but I loved my job nevertheless. I felt proud to be coaching my team at my own high school.I threw my sports bag on my shoulder as I was ready to leave for the day. Just as I was about to lock my office, my eyes glanced briefly at the hallway and I noticed a woman, taking to the principal with her back facing towards me. It was a very familiar back and there was a sudden curiosity in me to see this woman's face. She was wearing a wine red dress that hugged every curve of her body and her chestnut brown hair fell below her shoulder in waves. I kept walking towards them, trying to be as casual as