Page 24 of Easy Out

“Me too,” Hart says with a sly grin. He’s in that class too? How did I miss him last week? He was probably hidden by the hoard of beautiful women that is always surrounding him.

“Great. You can sit with me if you want. You don’t have to. But if you do, don’t think you are getting any more bites of my brownie. That was a one-time thing.” He stops me at the door.

“Lauren,” he says, staring down at me. His voice is deep and rich. “I’m not hungry for brownies.” I blink. My cheeks flush. I blink again. He didn’t... He doesn’t mean... “Vamos. We’re late.”

Right. Class. There is no way I’m going to be able to sit beside Hart for the next forty-five minutes and not think about what he is actually hungry for. Because he can’t mean me. Right?

6

HART

Coach was relentless at practice. It’s typical of him. He runs us hard in the off-season to build up our endurance, stamina and to get us acclimated to the heat. He gets off on breaking us down and building us back up.

Coach almost managed to break me during my freshman year. I felt like he was singling me out. Coach Lawson rode me so hard I wanted to walk away. The endless hours of torture didn’t seem worth it. My dad is the one who encouraged me to keep going.

He noticed I was getting better. I didn’t believe him at first, but he was right. My instincts were sharper. My throws were more accurate. I was stronger at the plate.

There’s talk that I could be one of the top draft picks this year. Coach helped get me here. I’ll do whatever he asks without complaining.

It helps that I’m also a little distracted at the moment. I spent most of the practice thinking about my upcoming study session with Lauren instead of the pain my body was enduring.

I’ve gone years without noticing Lauren. I’d see her when she was with Syd, but I never thought about her then.

The gorgeous brunette with soul piercing eyes?

That girl has all my attention.

Suddenly after spending time in her atmosphere a week ago, Lauren is everywhere I look. She’s in my classes, sitting in the quad when I go to practice, in the campus cafeteria when I grab my spicy breakfast burrito. I can’t get away from her, and now she’s my writing partner.

I need things to go back to the way they were before I got put under the spell of Lauren Hickman. I don’t appreciate this new obsession I have. She is monopolizing too much space in my head.

Maybe writing a story about her will satisfy my curiosity. I can get her to answer all my outstanding questions and then move on. I manage to ignore attractive girls on campus every day. I can do this. But those girls aren’t Lauren.

The library is busy for the second week of classes. I had no idea this many people come here to study. How do they get anything done with so many people around? Maybe it’s just me that finds it too distracting to study with so many people watching me.

I can count on one hand how many times I’ve come to the library over the years, preferring the quiet and privacy of my bedroom. I would have suggested meeting Lauren at my place if there was a chance she would agree to it.

On second thought, having Lauren in my room would be a bad idea. The last thing I need is my room to smell like her.

I pull out my phone and fire off a text letting Lauren know I’m on the second floor. I’m hoping it will be quieter up here since it’s away from the help desk and student center.

I claim an empty table in the back corner. I don’t particularly like the idea of private time with Lauren in dark corners of the library, but it has to be this way if I’m expected to talk to her.

I busy myself on my phone while I wait for her. I’m a few minutes early since I came straight from practice.

I’m in the middle of updating my fantasy football team when a bag drops on the table beside me.

I assume it’s Lauren. When the cloying smell of this person’s floral perfume assaults my senses, I know I’m wrong.

“Hey, handsome,” she greets me. The girl makes herself comfortable in the chair next to me. “Whatcha doing all the way back here? I kind of like it.” She leans in close. “No one can see what we’re up to.” The girl places a hand on my arm, and my spine stiffens.

I snatch my arm out from under hers and move my chair away from her. This girl isn’t bad to look at, but I know her type. She’s more attracted to the Knights baseball logo on my hat than she is to me.

I should give her Wyatt’s number and send her on her way. He lives for this kind of hook-up. He enjoys being with the girl who wants to brag about having sex with a Newhouse Knight. For whatever reason, Wyatt doesn’t want the attachment. He doesn’t do feelings. ‘Love ’em and leave ‘em’ as he says.

That isn’t me. Not that I want a relationship. I don’t do relationships either but for an entirely different reason. If I did, I would pick someone who has more depth than a rain puddle.

I need to get rid of her, but she hasn’t stopped talking since she sat down. She is going on about a Kappa party this weekend. She obviously hasn’t done her research on me if she thought I would ever attend that.

---