Page 15 of Deck of Scarlets

I dug aggressively inside the folder, trying to find the stupid key, only to discover it at the bottom. Closing the packet back up and trying to juggle my suitcase simultaneously, my head slammed into something hard, causing a dizzy spell. Whoever I crashed into grabbed me by the waist just in time before I fell backward down the stairs, my suitcase hitting a few steps on the way down.

“Oh, shit! Are you all right?” he asked.

Stars clouded my vision as I tried to get my balance in order. Solid hands gripped my waist, pulling me back to avoid the treacherous tumble down the stairs.

“Yeah, I think.” Man, that hurt like hell.

“Wait, Remi?”

He let me sit down as the spots started to vanish, and there, right before my face, was Josh, the lead singer of Gods Sacrifice and Nickie’s beau.

“Josh?” This was so fucking annoying bumping into him all the time.

“Yeah! Hey, I forgot she told me you were coming here! Welcome!” He laughed. Josh took it upon himself to retrieve my runaway suitcase and placed it right by my side, then grabbed a water bottle from one of the side pouches on his backpack and handed it to me. “Sorry again.”

His curly brown hair was tousled in a way male models only wished to achieve. Clinging to his skin was a white T-shirt above khaki shorts. Josh stood with confidence, all six feet of him or more.

That was when I spotted the little hoop earring in his left ear. It screamed rock and roll for his aesthetic when he played with his band.

And it was kind of hot.

Jesus fucking Christ.

“No, it’s okay. I wasn’t paying attention.” Taking a seat on one of the stone steps, I sipped the water he offered me; at least he was friendly.

“You do that a lot?” he asked.

“What, exactly?”

“Not pay attention.”

I snorted a hearty laugh as Josh joined me. “I guess lately I’ve been distracted.”

“If you ever need a place to unwind, there’s a little nook on the library’s third floor you can chill in,” Josh offered.

I nodded, giving him a solid thumbs up. “Thanks.”

“I’m guessing this is your dorm hall?” Josh pointed to the building behind us.

“You guessed right.” My head was pounding. Thank God I had a big bottle of pain relievers in my bag.

His smile was bright and inviting as he joined me on the steps. “What’s your major?”

“Uh… Business Management.”

His knee brushed mine. “Oh, nice. Mine is Music.”

I snickered. “I should’ve known.”

Josh bumped his shoulder against mine. “I know, I’m that predictable.”

“No, I think it’s great that you’re applying it to your studies.” And I was impressed.

“Glad to see you recovered,” he commented, ignoring my compliment. His blue eyes traveled down to the large bruise on my arm. Josh gave the impression he cared more about my injuries than the small talk.

My instant reaction was to touch the bruise, but I refrained, the grotesque creature lurking at the back of my mind. “Yes. I’m surprised you remembered.”

“Hard to forget when you came in white as a ghost.”

---