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“What?” She looked at me with a blank expression and red cheeks.
“Relax. We just got here. We’re just meeting this people. We have six months to get to know everyone. If Jason is the one, you’ll end up with him. Don’t stress out.”
“I really like him,” A
“You were excited only five minutes ago. Literally five minutes ago, you said he asked you on a date.”
“Well, we both know that was a bit of an exaggeration.” A
“That’s what best friends are for.” I smiled back at her. “Now let’s go back inside and meet everyone else. Then we can leave early and go and pig out on ice cream.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
We walked back inside arm in arm, and I was glad that I had been able to calm her down before she’d gone crazy. I loved A
I was almost the opposite of A
And it had felt magical. Even the sparring with Xavier had elevated everything in my body. I had felt like I was soaring, and the sex had been amazing. I felt like a masochist because a part of me wished that I could have one more night with him—even though he had been a jackass.
“Here are your drinks, girls.” Sebastian walked over to us with a huge grin. “I was scared that you weren’t going to come back in.”
“We’re here.” A
“Thanks, Sebastian.” I gave him a grateful smile, and he nodded his head briefly.
His odd little ma
“So do you?” Sebastian interrupted my thoughts and I looked up at him guiltily, a
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you.” I made a face and looked around the restaurant lounge we were in. “It’s so noisy in here.”
“No apologies needed.” He bowed his head again and nodded towards the group table. “Shall we make our way back? I think Henrietta wants to make some a
“Oh, we can’t miss those.” A
We walked back over to the table and sat down. I sat next to a girl I hadn’t met yet, Sebastian sat next to me, and A
“Okay, great. I think we have everyone here now,” Henrietta said loudly from her position at the end of the table. “Can everyone hear me?”
“No!” a bunch of drunk girls and Jason screamed out, and Henrietta smiled.
“Okay, let’s get started. Welcome to what is going to be the best six months of your life.” Henrietta looked around the table and made eye contact with all of us. “I want everyone at this table to get to know each other tonight. Many of you will be in classes together. Some of you may even sleep together.”
“What?” A
“Ignore her.” Sebastian laughed. “The English can be very blunt in their humor.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Where are you from then, Sebastian?” I asked him curiously, but Henrietta gave us a look before he could answer.
“Now, I want us to go around the table and introduce ourselves.”
“Boring!” Jason cried out and the girls next to him nodded in agreement.
It seemed as if Jason was going to be the big man of the group. I wasn’t sure why all the girls were flocking to him. Granted, he was blond and had the surfer look going on. But he also seemed like a big doofus, unlike Sebastian, who was handsome and polite. I couldn’t understand why more girls weren’t trying to flirt with him. I would be all over him if I weren’t still thinking about Xavier.
“Fine, fine. But I want to let everyone know we have a very special member in the group this year. In fact, I think you should all know that...”
“Hey, Henrietta. Why don’t we all just eat and drink and be merry?” Sebastian spoke up this time, and I looked at him in surprise. His voice sounded calm, but there was a hint of aggression there as well.
“But Sebastian, your brother will—”
“Henrietta.” He said her name firmly, and she shrugged before looking around the table with a tight smile.
“Well, that’s it for tonight, folks. Don’t forget, classes start bright and early on Monday morning. Your professors will not be impressed if you are late.”
“I can’t believe that classes are starting already,” A
“Hey, Lola.” He stopped in front of me and flashed his brilliant white teeth. “I was thinking we should be study partners.”
“Huh?” My jaw fell open in shock at his words. I also felt my skin burning up as I felt at least four girls, including A
“You seem like a bright girl, and I’m going to need someone to go to museums with.” He leaned in closer to me. “Plus, you’re the only one who hasn’t mentioned my Australian accent tonight. I don’t want this year to revolve around my being from Oz. It’s not that exciting. I’m just—”
“Fine, fine, fine.” I nodded and stood up. “Sounds good. I’m sure A
“I don’t know.” She made a face, and I could tell she was upset.
“The more the merrier, right?” Jason shrugged and gri
“Yeah, that would be cool.” She gri
His View
The rest of the weekend seemed to drag on. All I could think about was Lola and the distraught look on her face as she’d fled the hotel room. I felt uncomfortable inside. It wasn’t a feeling I appreciated. I went home and started preparing for the next week by looking at the applications I’d received for my assistant position. My mood changed as I read the applications again. Lola’s name stood out bright and shining. It had to be my Lola. I had another chance with her. I needed to have one more night with her. And the next time I was going to get her out of my system. I smiled to myself as I thought about having her in my bed again. Maybe I’d give her a couple of days to rock my world this time.
Chapter 6
“Catch you for lunch?” A