Page 29 of Obligation
She rolled her eyes. “I was drunk.”
He laughed. “Not that drunk.”
“Okay, then I lied.”
“No you didn’t.” He shook his head.
“Alright.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “But clearly, I was the only one who enjoyed it, because if you had, you wouldn’t have pulled away yesterday.”
Bradley winced at the reminder, and at the harshness in her tone. “I explained why I did that.”
“Mm-hmm.” She took a step back. “Well, this has been fun, but I need to change out of the stupid T-shirt and get to class.”
He had a class, too, but smoothing things over with her was more important than being late to a class he didn’t even want to take. “Carissa, wait.” He jogged after her. “You never answered my texts.”
“I know.” She continued to walk at a brisk pace, almost like she was trying to get away from him. “I was busy.” She shrugged.
He knew he needed to take the hint and leave her alone, but his common sense seemed to have vanished. “Will you at least tell me if you’re mad at me?” He was desperate for any sort of answer from her.
Suddenly, she stopped and spun to face him. “Mad? No.” She shook her head. “Not at you, anyway.”
He tilted his head. “Then who are you mad at?”
“Myself.” She sighed. “I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you yesterday, and I’m sorry I put you in that position. But you’re right. As long as I’m with Danny, you and I can’t be anything more than friends.”
Even though he’d been the one to say that initially, hearing her agree and repeat it back to him was like a punch to the gut. “I take it that means you two worked things out?” His tone took on a hard edge he hadn’t really meant, but the thought of her forgiving that guy grated on Bradley’s every last nerve.
She simply nodded.
“Good to know,” he said, his tone cool. “Guess I’ll see you around.”
With each step he took away from her, his heart thudded painfully, and his anger simmered hotter and hotter until he was seconds away from exploding. He’d bet anything Danny hadn’t bothered to tell her that he’d left Saturday night and didn’t come home until Sunday evening. Granted, Danny had probably been with Carissa during part of that time, but Bradley knew damn well Danny hadn’t been with her Saturday night. So, where had he been?
Bradley’s steps faltered, and he considered turning around, chasing after Carissa, and telling her exactly what kind of boyfriend she had. But he wasn’t the type to tattle on anyone like that. He also wasn’t the type to get in the middle of anyone’s relationship, no matter how toxic it might be. Or how badly he wanted the girl for himself.
He walked into class a few minutes late, but he didn’t care. His mind was elsewhere. Taking a seat in the back of the lecture hall, he pulled the small desk across his lap and lowered his head to his folded arms. Business Law was a class he’d already taken in Texas, but for some unknown reason, the credits didn’t transfer, so here he was again. At least the class would be an easy-A, and he didn’t really have to pay attention that closely.
His phone clucked, and he jolted upright. The professor stopped speaking and glared at the class. No one spoke, but lots of students looked around for the wayward chicken. Bradley really needed to change his text notification sound. When the professor resumed class, Bradley eased his phone from his pocket.
The first thing he did was put his phone on vibrate, and then he opened his messages.
Carissa: I’m sorry I upset you. That wasn’t my intention.
His phone vibrated in his hand.
Carissa: All of us are going to the homecoming game and bonfire this weekend. You’re invited, too. I hope you’ll come.
Eyes narrowed, he studied her text. Who was all of us? And why did she care if he went or not? Surely, Danny would be there to keep her company. The last thing Bradley wanted to do was spend an entire evening watching those two.
Bradley: Thanks. I’ll let you know about this weekend.
Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he attempted to pay attention to class, but his thoughts were too much of a jumbled mess to concentrate. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, class ended. Bradley made a mental note of the reading assignment before rushing out of the lecture hall.
He had almost half an hour before his next class. Needing some fresh air, and a strong dose of caffeine, he headed outside. Winston Hall had a small coffeeshop, complete with calorie-packed pastries—both of which sounded good right then. The line, as usual, was long, and he wondered if he’d have time to order and get to class without being late.
“Yo! Bradley!” Jeremy waved from where he stood near the front of the line.
Bradley wasn’t a line-cutter, and he loathed when others did that to him, but he was in a rush. Not to mention, his mood continued to sour with each passing second. Ingesting copious amounts of caffeine and sugar was in everyone’s best interest.
