Page 59 of Keep Me Still

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She grins at her reflection before turning to me. “If I knew, I would tell you. But honestly, I have no idea. He knows he’s not going to get a hook up from me, so I don’t really know what his deal is. I’ve told him I’m not playing, that I’m serious about not sleeping together. No matter how much I like him, that I’m not going to change my mind.” Corin pauses to fish a dark tube of shimmery lip gloss from her purse, and I wait while she puts some on. “If he’s pursuing me because I’m a challenge, then he’s an idiot who’s wasting his time. But if I can get help with Calc and a place to hang occasionally so you and Landen can have some privacy, then I don’t see the harm.” She shrugs. “His friend’s studio apartment was pretty bad-ass, by the way, so everybody wins.”

“Well, everybody except Skylar.” I snort and shake my head. “I mean, all you can do is be up front with him I guess. But Corin, be careful. He doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who gets turned down a lot.” Or probably ever.

She gives me an impish grin, and I have a feeling she knows this. “Deal. And hey, if you ever don’t want to be alone with Landen, you can, like, signal me or something, and I’ll just refuse to leave the room.”

Now it’s my turn to grin, earning me an eye roll from my roommate. “Um, actually—”

“Yeah, that’s what I figured.”

“Corin’scelibate. You know that right?” I ask Skylar as the girls head to the restroom. I know I’m an ass for repeating something Layla told me in confidence, but if I can help Skylar avoid a painfully awkward situation, then I probably should. He definitely had my back when I needed to skip curfew last night. On top of that, he figured out a way to give Layla and me some privacy, so I kind of owe him.

Though I haven’t forgotten the jab to the ribs before the game.

“Yeah, man. I know she’stryingto be at least,” he says, glancing at the check he took off the table with the waitress’s number on it.

“Layla says she is, like actually is. As in, nottryingshit.”

“I realize this,” he tells me, folding the check and pocketing the ticket.

“So what the hell are you doing?”

“Chill, O’Brien. Look, if you want to give me advice about defending the goal, knock yourself out man. For real—you’re a striker and a pretty decent one, so I’m all ears. But as far as girls are concerned? You were here five minutes, hooked up with your high school sweetheart, and now you might as well be handcuffed to her ass. So you can keep all that lovey advice and shit to yourself. Let me worry about my off-field game.”

“Please tell me you at least see the irony of the situation?” Grinning, I watch as Layla and Corin come out of the bathroom, both smiling. Layla’s smile, the one she’s been using since last night, is kryptonite to my knees.

“No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me, you pussy-whipped bast—”

I cut him off before the girls reach us. “You’re thegoalie,dude, and yet the first girl you try to score with is totally blockingyou.”

“You’re a dick.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“You guys ready?” Layla asks as she comes closer.

Her eyes widen, and I know she senses the tension between Skylar and me. I smile and wink, letting her know everything’s fine. Just dumb guy bullshit. Nothing to see here.

“You guys go ahead. I’ll be out in a sec,” I tell them.

Layla tilts her head, but I just nod for her to go on out with the other two. She shoots me a questioning look as she follows them out.

Layla’squiet after Skylar and Corin leave us alone, heading toward the library. The campus is peaceful as we walk to her dorm and it’s kind of nice, so I don’t make pointless small talk. I’m too in my head to really form any coherent sentences anyhow. Part of me wants to be a gentleman, kiss her goodnight at her door, and go on back to my own room.

My dick is not a fan of that particular part of me.

As her building comes into view, I decide I’ll leave it up to her. I’ll kiss her goodnight, and if she invites me in, I’ll go—obviously. But I won’t keep forcing my way into her life. One day, I will have to tell her about the situation with her Aunt Kate and what she did to get me here.

But today is not that day. New plan is to get her to the point where she knows one hundred percent that she wants me in her life before I drop that nuclear missile on our relationship. Then if she pushes me away, at least I know I gave it my best shot.

Layla turns to face me, and I’m such a goner. Who the fuck am I kidding? If she pushes me away, I will come back. As many times as it takes. Because there’s no way in hell I’m letting this girl slip through my fingers—again. Ever.

“You paid that man’s bill, didn’t you?” she asks, turning abruptly on me.

“Huh?” I’m playing dumb because I don’t want her to think I’m putting on a Good Samaritan act to get into her pants…though I would probably be willing to try that if I got desperate.

She pins me down with her stare. “The homeless man across from us at the diner. I know you noticed him. You stayed behind to pay for his meal, didn’t you?”

I clear my throat, deciding I might as well be honest about everything I can. “I might have.” And I might’ve given him an extra twenty as well. “Or maybe I stayed behind to save the waitress’s number in my phone. She wrote it on the check, you know.”