The Only Exception

Magan Vernon

Text copyright© 2013 by Magan Vernon

All rights reserved

www.maganvernon.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form by or any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author.

For information visit www.maganvernon.com

Summary: Fiercely liberal Monica Remy prefers to blend in. Despite her tattoos, piercings, and outspoken personality, she transferred to Central to escape—before she finds out that her next door neighbor is the uber conservative governor’s son, Trey Chapman.

No matter how hard she tries to avoid Trey, he still finds a way to get under her skin. Monica can’t stand his crisp white shirts or his staunch views on women. But she can’t help counting every freckle on his face and wondering what it would feel like to have him stop talking politics and kiss her.

A class debate project forces the unlikely pair to work together, and the political lines are blurred in late-night make out sessions. But despite their fiery chemistry, Trey’s politics threatens to smother their relationship for good.

First Edition, April 2013

Cover Design by Regina Wamba

www.MaeIdesign.com

Edited by Marcie Turner at Looking Glass Editing

“You can do this, Monica. You are a survivor.” That’s what my counselor always told me. She said I couldn’t see myself as a victim, or that I brought it on myself. I was a survivor and survived the night.

For all of the survivors,

The ones who refuse to be called victims and have survived even the darkest days

Praise for The Only Exception

Magan Vernon hits a homerun with an endearing read that explores the boundaries of both politics and love. What a treat to see two polarized individuals find common ground where it counts—in the heart.

-Addison Moore, New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author

The Only Exception is sexy and challenging and emotional, and FUN to read!

I enjoyed the banter between super-liberal Monica and super-conservative Trey (who is super sexy in a suit!), and watching these two struggle with their beliefs while fighting their chemistry keeps the pages turning.

-Leigh Talbert Moore, author of Rouge and The Truth About Faking

Oh, this is what New Adult is all about!

I loved Monica and LOVED Trey. Come on, a guy in a suit? *swoon*

Fun, sweet, hot, emotional. You don’t want to miss this one!

-Juliana Haygert, author of Destiny Gift and contributor to NA Alley

Chapter 1

Central College was supposed to be my new beginning. A place where I could put my freshman year behind me and move on. That plan might have worked if I hadn’t moved next door to Trey Chapman.

Since I was transferring as a sophomore, everyone already had their roommates picked out, so I was forced to look at the campus forums and find a new roommate. That was what led me to The Pines Apartments. The so-called luxury student apartments were only two blocks from campus and complete with a brick façade, underground parking, and a rent price that was more than my parent’s mortgage payment.

I parked in the underground garage and pulled the first of my boxes out of the trunk of my car. It was one of the heavier ones, without the convenient side handles, and I had to balance it from hip to hip as I trudged to the elevator and up to the second floor.

As soon as I got off the elevator I was stopped by a towering black man who wore a dark blue suit and some sort of wire hooked over his ear lobe.

“Please state your name and purpose,” he said in a gruff voice, staring down at me like I was no better than a common criminal. I guessed The Pines took their security pretty seriously.

“Uh, Monica Remy. I live in apartment 13B,” I stammered, teetering the box between my outstretched arms.

The man held one hand to his ear and then pulled his other arm up to his mouth, speaking in to his sleeve. “Monica Remy. Moving in to apartment 13B.”

The man didn’t look at me. He nodded quickly a few times. “Cleared, Miss Remy.”

He didn’t offer to help, even though I was obviously struggling; moving my box from one side of my body to the other. He just shuffled to the left and let me stumble past.

“Here, let me help you with that.” I stopped a few feet away only to have the box lifted from my hand like it was nothing more than a bag of feathers. I looked up to be greeted by a head of perfectly gelled, sandy brown hair and a blinding white smile. My eyes trailed over his crisp, white dress shirt, tucked into a pair of dress pants. Obviously not the normal college wear. I figured he was the manager or something. A tall manager with a dimpled smile that I couldn’t stop staring at.

“Oh, thanks. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.” I returned the smile, but obviously mine hadn’t been soaked with bleach like his. I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea, so I cleared my throat. “My apartment is right here, so you can just set the box down.”

“Apartment 13B, ey?”

I nodded. “Yes, I’m just moving in. I’m Monica. Monica Remy.”

He shifted the box to the side and extended his hand. “Then I guess we are neighbors. I’m glad to meet you. I’m Trey Chapman.”

“Trey Chapman?” My throat felt like it went completely dry. I had to swallow hard to get some saliva back before I could speak. “As in Governor Chapman’s son?”

He kept his big grin on his face. “The one.”

I should have recognized him right off the bat. He and his brothers were like a constant shadow during the governor’s campaign. All three Chapman boys stood behind him with their sandy brown hair and tight-lipped smiles while the future governor discussed his plans for a new Illinois. One that included a new contraception bill, his pride and joy, that changed the usual liberal, Chicago politics of Illinois and had women’s leagues up in arms. It didn’t mean he stopped his precious bill and just said it was “what was best for his state.”

Of course I only got a brief glimpse of Trey Chapman when he was on TV, but I didn’t remember him being this attractive. Or having so many freckles. I had to shake that thought out of my head. I couldn’t let one guy with a dimpled smile phase me. He was the governor’s son for God’s sake.

“I assume you know of him?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Uh, yeah, can’t forget the guy that basically stomped on every policy Illinois had in place for his own conservative agenda.”

“Ouch, Miss Remy, that seems pretty harsh to say about a guy you haven’t actually met. If you want, I can always give you some literature to read up on regarding his policies and plans for the state.”

I knew all too well about his dad’s policies and not one of them I supported. I didn’t know where his son got the balls to try and jam his father’s political agenda down by throat, but I wasn’t a fan of it.

Quickly, I reached for the key in my pocket, unlocked the door, and then I snatched the box out of Trey’s arms. “Well, it’s good to meet you, Trey, and you seem like a really nice guy, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever support your dad.”

Before he could get in a word edgewise I threw open the door and slammed it behind me as soon as I was inside. I dropped the box down at my feet and leaned back against the door.

“You must be the new roommate,” a smoky voice called.

I scanned the room. To my right was a small kitchen with fake granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. In front of me was a long, narrow living room with a flat screen TV, couch, and love seat. At the end of the room was a set of French doors that led out to small balcony. Out of the left door, off the living room, emerged a girl with long, red dreadlocks and a black t-shirt with a crude looking pot leaf drawn on it.

“Yeah. I’m Monica.” I pushed myself off the door and walked into the living room, kicking my box with me. “And you must be Samantha?”

She nodded, her dark-lined eyes looking me over like I was either a threat or a person of interest. “But most people call me Sam.”

“Okay, Sam.”

She smacked her heavily glossed lips together. “You all right, dude? You look kind of shook up.”

I let out a deep breath I didn’t realize I was holding in. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I just didn’t realize that we would be living in the same apartment complex as the governor’s son.”

She groaned, rolling her eyes before she collapsed onto the love seat. “Ugh, neither did I! Can you believe that pompous asshole? Showing up with his own security team? I hope that isn’t an everyday thing.”

“Yeah, me neither,” I mumbled. I didn’t think he seemed that pompous, but I wasn’t exactly a fan of his dad, who was definitely pompous. I didn’t care for the governor’s views on women in general, but I was sure my new roommate had a few things to say about his take on drug policy. I just hoped she didn’t plan on anything recreational in the apartment.

She pointed a black-painted fingernail at the door to the right of the kitchen. “That one is your room. I’m already basically unpacked, so do what you gotta do.”

“Okay.” I picked up the box and limped it over to the bedroom door. Sam didn’t say another word or offer to help. She just turned on the TV to the Discovery Channel. I knew better than to ask anybody for help, and the more we stayed out of each other’s way, the better. I didn’t transfer to make friends. I transferred to escape.

***

When I finally unloaded the last of my boxes in my room I just stared at them. This was my new start: a full-size bed, desk, and an en-suite bathroom. This was the same four walls that I would be staring at for the next three years, or at least the rest of this year. If I kept my head down and just finished my degree I could get through it. Nothing was going to stop me this time. Except for the giant rumbling sound from my stomach. Unpacking could wait for some food.

I stepped out into the living room to see Sam sitting on the couch where I left her, but next to a guy with long, greasy hair. It wasn’t his appearance I was concerned with, it was the fact that he had a pile of green shavings sitting on the coffee table and was rolling them into white papers.

“Um, hey guys,” I said in the only voice I could muster.

“Oh, hey, Monica.” Sam glanced back at me and then went back to watching the guy roll the shavings into the white paper. “This is Mac.”

I didn’t know what to say so I just stared dumbfounded until the guy looked up at me with bloodshot eyes, and a hint of a five o’clock shadow. “Hey, man, you want to join us?”

I shook my head, holding my hands up. “Oh, no thanks. I was just about to get some food and to see if you guys want to join.”

He laughed a low, lazy sound. “Naw, we’ll probably order something after this. Have fun.”

With that I scrambled for the door and stepped outside, slamming it behind me. I pressed my back against the wall, closing my eyes and letting out slow, deep breaths. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad living with a roommate that smoked pot. If anything, the governor’s security team would catch her at some point, and I could end up with a single. At least that was some sort of a silver lining.

“Hanging out at the place I left you and waiting for my return?”

I opened one eye, looked to my left, and saw Trey standing in the doorway with one hand on his hip and the other leaning against the door frame. Ugh, just who I wanted to see.

“No.” I opened both eyes and shoved off the door. “Just heading to get some dinner and groceries.”

“That didn’t look like what you were doing.” He pulled away from the door frame and took slow, meticulous strides over to me. “But if you were waiting for me to ask you to dinner, I’d be happy to oblige.”

He was so close that I could inhale his exquisite scent. He smelled like the expensive cologne they have samples of in men’s fashion magazines, but keep locked up in department stores. Part of me wanted to pull him against me and take in all of his glorious aroma. But the bigger part of me knew better than to try anything with the governor’s son.

“No thanks. I think I can handle this one solo. I know you conservatives aren’t big on women going out on their own, but I swear I can handle myself.” I turned away from him, sliding my purse higher on my shoulder.

“Conservatives believe in women’s rights. Just seventy percent of them.” He laughed, softly, letting me know that he was joking. It wasn’t that funny because I seriously think his dad actually believed that. I didn’t know if Trey actually shared the same beliefs as his dad, but if the guy was offering me literature on it, then I was pretty sure his views were at least close.

“Well, then I guess I’d better try and stay away from the other thirty percent until you drift off into some sort of Fox News coma.” I wasn’t going to back down. I was one of the Political Science majors that actually sat and listened in all my classes. I also became very attuned to the political happenings after the last election. When a democratic state gets a conservative Republican governor it can change things. Big things.

Before I could make it even two steps, he was right next to me. “I’m just trying to help out the new girl around here. I don’t mind making you feel more welcome; no matter who you are voting for in the next election.”

I turned to face him. I wanted to say something snarky in return, but when I saw the pleading behind his bright green eyes I instantly felt like my knees were about to give out. I had to stand my ground. I didn’t transfer to meet a new boyfriend. I transferred to get away, and that was exactly what I needed to do. “I’m going to have to decline.”

“Can I get a rain check, then?” he asked, running a hand through his hair. I could just see his muscles flinch through his white dress shirt. For a brief moment my thoughts wondered to how much he worked out, and what he would possibly look like without the white-starched shirt.

“I don’t think so.” I muttered before I turned around and ran through the exit to the stairwell. The only sound left was the thumping of my own heart in my chest. There was no way I was going to go on a date with any guy, especially not the governor’s son. No matter how cute he was.

Chapter 2

One of the reasons I transferred to Central was that it was within an hour of my family, and they could be there if I needed support. With that said, I was pretty familiar with the town and knew there was a pizza place a few blocks up the road from my apartment. I didn’t think I could drive anywhere with how fast my heart was pounding and my knees were shaking. Groceries would just have to wait.

Guys used to not have that effect on me. I’d had plenty of boyfriends, but when everything went from holding hands to rolling in the sack, that all changed. I wasn’t about to be added to another guy’s long list of conquests, no matter how gorgeous of a smile Trey had. Though I did wonder if he would even be the type of guy to just hook up with a random girl. His dad was pretty adamant on abstinence-only education so maybe his sons would be the type of guys that just wanted to hold hands and go to the movies. Either way, I wasn’t willing to find out.

The pizza place was called Mario’s and was a small, narrow building with rows of red, vinyl booths lining each side of the wood paneled walls. A kitchen sat in the back, and smells of garlic and marinara wafted to the front of the room. A short, blonde hostess stood at the podium chomping on a wad of gum and staring down at her smart phone. She quickly put her phone away when she saw me standing there.

“Welcome to Mario’s, dine-in or carry out?”

“Dine-in,” I said, looking from the checkered floor and back to her.

“By yourself?” Her mouth practically gaped open.

“Yes, by myself.”

“Okay,” she said, marking an X on a plastic sheet in front of her. “Right this way.” She grabbed a menu and led me to a corner booth near the kitchen.

“Thanks,” I said as she set the menu down in front of me after I slid into the vinyl booth.

“Enjoy.” She walked away just as quickly as she came.

I opened the menu and started to peruse the single-serving pizzas, but stopped when a familiar voice boomed over me.

“Well, fancy meeting you here, Miss Remy.”

I put my menu down with a groan and saw Trey standing in front of my booth with what I’d come to call his ‘signature political smile’ plastered on his face. It was broad, full of teeth, and a little forced. It was the same one his dad had whenever there was a debate, but on Trey it was definitely more attractive.

“More like you followed me here,” I said with a snarl.

He sat down uninvited, across from me, folding his hands on the table in front of him. “Is that any way to talk to someone who was just trying to be neighborly?”

The hostess from the front came back to the table holding a pen and notepad. “Oh, I’m sorry I thought you were dining alone. I’ll get another menu.” She turned to leave, but I stopped her before she could.

“No, he’s not dining with me. He was just leaving.”

He looked up at the waitress. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll have a Diet Pepsi and whatever the lady wants.”

He completely ignored what I said and so did the waitress because she scribbled something on her notepad and kept looking at Trey. “Very well, I’ll be right back with a diet and a water.”

“You know, there is this thing called women’s rights. I know it’s not a part of your conservative agenda, but we do have them,” I snapped.

“I do believe in women’s rights, Monica. I believe that everyone has a right to their opinion. This country was founded on great ideas and people fighting for their rights from a big, looming government.”

I snorted. “That sounds like such a canned answer that the Republican party wrote up for you.”

“And did your liberal party write up one for you?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. His eyebrows were beyond perfect. He had to have gotten them professionally waxed, along with his meticulously cut fingernails. He probably visited a salon more often than I did.

“Just because I believe in women’s rights and didn’t vote for your dad, doesn’t automatically make me some bleeding-heart liberal.”

“I’m sorry for assuming that. If you aren’t liberal, then by all means we can discuss government spending and tax cuts over pizza,” he said, not taking his eyes off me, the smile still perfectly painted on his face.

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. His answers really were all canned. “I’m totally not a conservative.”

“I guessed that from the moment I met you. Probably the red hair and eyebrow ring, not the snarky anti-conservative comments.” He laughed, softly.

I ran a finger over my eyebrow ring and then slid my hand through my hair, suddenly feeling self-conscious. I thought he was a young, political version of Adonis, but maybe he just saw me as a charity case. “It’s auburn,” I muttered.

“I’m sorry for questioning your hair color and piercing choice. It suits you. No matter if it does make you look like a liberal.” His smile went from political to a true grin.

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks and hid my face with a menu just as the waitress brought our drinks and placed them on the table.

“Have you all decided on what you are having?” she said in an overly perky voice that wasn’t there when I first came in.

Trey looked up at her, leaning one arm on the booth. “I’ll have the Italian salad with the dressing on the side, and whatever Monica here wants, she can have.”

I put my hand to my chest in mock sarcasm, lowering the menu. “Oh, gee, really? You’re too kind.” I then rolled my eyes and looked to the waitress. “I’ll have the Fettuccini Alfredo.”

“Okay, I’ll put it right in,” the waitress said, taking our menus and walking away.

“Alfredo? You know that stuff sticks with you forever.”

I narrowed my eyes at Trey. “Are you seriously still here? And now judging me for my eating choices?”

“No judgment here. Just telling you what I know.”

“You’re ridiculous. Do you know that?” I huffed.

“I’m sorry for being offensive. I didn’t mean to be. I’m just looking out for your well-being.” He held his hands out, staring at me so intently that I thought he was scrutinizing my makeup.

“Well, you don’t need to look out for me. I’m not some sort of damsel in distress.”

He let out a deep breath. It wasn’t as much of a sigh as a pause. “Look, Monica, I’m sorry for offending you. I guess I’m just not used to hanging around such gorgeous girls with a mind of their own, and it’s really intimidating.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “So, I’m sorry if I’m being too forward, but I just wanted to get to know you, and I couldn’t think of a better way to do it.”

The heat crept up to my cheeks, and I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Normal guys usually didn’t just pour themselves out to me, especially not a guy that was the son of a governor. I expected him to try and steer me in the direction of the local Republican Party.

“Okay, you can stay, but you’re not allowed to talk about politics or judge me for what I eat. Is that a deal?” I raised an eyebrow.

He put his hand out. “It’s a deal.”

I took his hand and then he gave me a signature, firm hand shake like any politician would. I didn’t know if he planned on following in his dad’s footsteps as a political leader, but he definitely acted like it with all his political talk.

When our handshake stopped his fingers still lingered on mine for a few seconds. His hands were smooth, yet still rough, as if he took care of them with lotion or manicures, but they were definitely still manly.

He finally let go of my hand and folded his on the table. “So now that I’ve made an ass out of myself, can you at least save me here and tell me something about yourself?”

I laughed, taking a drink of my water. “There really isn’t much to tell.”

“Everybody has something to tell. Everyone has a story. I want to know yours.”

That was something I wasn’t about to tell him. I did have a story. I did have a past, but that was just something he would have to get out of a private investigator because there was no way I was going to give him that.

“Um, well, I’m a sophomore, Political Science and Women’s Studies major.”

He raised his eyebrows high on his head. “Political Science and Women’s Studies? So you really are a bleeding-heart liberal.”

I rolled my eyes, setting my glass down. Just when I was starting to like him he had to make a comment like that. “I just want to be educated before I have to defend myself in front of smug politicians.”

“As you can see, I’m not a politician, yet. I’m just another Political Science major here at Central, but if you want to discuss politics and upcoming elections I’d be more than happy to.” His political smile returned, and I wanted to smack it off his face.

“Okay, since you’re going to bring up politics, let’s talk about your father’s political decisions. How can Governor Chapman proceed with the contraception bill when every member of the Illinois Senate opposed it?” I crossed my arms over my chest. I’d done enough research into my candidates to know where they stood on the issues.

Trey leaned back, the vinyl seat squeaking underneath him. “That’s a pretty bold accusation, Miss Remy. As you obviously know, my father won the campaign while moving forward with that bill. I’m sure a Women’s Studies major can appreciate what he is trying to do by keeping the government out of things like contraception.”

Obviously Trey wasn’t a run-of-the-mill guy to argue politics with. He didn’t just get his information from what he found on Fox News. He actually knew what he was talking about. I guess he would, being the governor’s son. He wasn’t just the kid that took what he could from his dad, he actually listened. I used to try and talk politics with some of my friends, and the only thing they would know was what they read on the headlines. It was refreshing to talk to someone that knew their politics, yet infuriating at the same time.

“Yes, I can understand the separation, but how can the governor just lump all women into one box?”

“I’m not following you, Miss Remy.”

I let out a deep breath and the words came out so fast I couldn’t take them back. “Okay, like with the contraception bill he made it so that no one could get emergency contraception. I mean they could, but they had to either go through insurance, which doesn’t always cover it, or pay some ridiculous amount.”

He nodded his head as if he was listening intently. “I didn’t think our conversation was going to veer toward contraception, especially since we just met, but I guess it is a hot-button issue right now.”

“You’re deflecting.”

He held up his hands and then set them back down, slowly. “I apologize.” He took a sip of his drink and cleared his throat. “Emergency contraception is a slippery slope. People want the separation of church and state, but when it comes to any form of birth control, people then want the government to intervene and help them out to prevent contraception.”

“If insurance companies cover Viagra then why not birth control?” I raised an eyebrow.

A laugh escaped his full lips. “That’s the argument that keeps coming back to bite us in the butt, doesn’t it? But if the government can intervene on birth control then men are going to come forward saying that their rights are being infringed on for their medical conditions.”

I scoffed. “A guy not getting up is not a medical condition.”

“But that’s what it’s covered under, isn’t it? Same way that any female can get her birth control covered. If she needs it for a medical reason, which usually emergency contraception is not.”

I wanted to scream, “But what about rape victims? What about the girls that have nowhere else to go?” But I couldn’t bring myself to do it, so instead I just ran my fingers over the napkin on my lap.

Trey opened his mouth to say something, but before he could the waitress was back, placing our dishes in front of us. My fettuccini was in a dish the size of a serving tray, the steam rising from it and covering my face in a fine mist.

“Enjoy,” the waitress said before turning and walking to another table. “I also can’t say I’m used to a girl who actually orders real food at a restaurant,” he added, picking up his fork and stabbing a piece of lettuce, dipping it in his side of dressing.

“I’m not most girls.”

“You’re right about that one.” And that quickly shut down our argument.

***

“How can Governor Chapman blame the economic downfall on the president when it’s our state that has one of the worst employment rates and the highest sales tax?” I may have said no political talk, but the longer I sat across from the governor’s son, the more it just kept coming up. I actually started to feel comfortable talking to him.

He licked a bit of dressing off of his lips, and I tried not to stare. Sure he was gorgeous and I wondered what it would be like to have his tongue running across my lips instead of his, but I had to keep my head in the game. I was sure most girls didn’t have to worry about debating with the governor’s son and keep their libido in check at the same time. “That’s a pretty bold accusation. I’d like to see what evidence you have to back up that our local government hasn’t tried to pass bills to stimulate our state’s economy, but had them turned down by the president’s liberal agenda.”

“Yes, but you can’t blame the president for vetoing certain bills. Especially when he’s dealing with a Republican-controlled house that is just going to go against anything he proposes,” I said, putting down my fork so I’d have something to do with my hands.

Trey shook his head, slowly. “I’m not used to discussing politics with anyone but my dad, especially not a liberal female who knows more than the average person on the street.”

“I do what I can to help out the ninety-eight percent.”

After another round of political debates and fighting with Trey on letting me pay my own bill, we stood outside of Mario’s. The contraception subject wasn’t brought up again, though. There is only so much a girl can talk to a guy about emergency contraception, and I think he had his fill. It was one topic that I was also afraid to bring up too much and have him ask what my interest was in it. I could only hide behind my political arguments for so long before it got personal.

The sun was lower in the sky, casting an orange glow over the small downtown area near campus. It would have been nice to walk around and see the little shops that lined the street, but I didn’t want Trey to think it was some sort of a date that would require window shopping, hand holding, and ice cream.

“Well thanks for sitting with me, even though you were uninvited,” I said, dragging one foot on the sidewalk.

“I still plan on walking you home. If you don’t have some sort of feminist gripe about that.”

I rolled my eyes. “I guess it’s fine since we’re going to the same place.”

He nodded, and we walked alongside each other down the sidewalk. He had his hands in the pockets of his dress pants, and I walked with both hands on my to-go container. I planned on eating a quick dinner and then going to the grocery store, but at least I’d have leftovers for the next day and could just go out after work in the morning.

“Will you let me join you for dinner again?” Trey asked.

I stared at the ground, watching my feet instead of him. “Do you really think I’m your type? Wouldn’t you be better off with some over-stimulated member of the GOP”

He laughed, softly. His laughter was low and deep and had a playful edge to it, like his voice. There was something about the slight teasing tone to it that made me listen to him. “Then I wouldn’t have anything to talk to her about. She would just agree with everything I said. I like talking to a girl who challenges me and just doesn’t accept what I say at face value.”

I tried not to, but a large smile spread across my face. Even though some of the topics infuriated me, it was the most alive I’d felt in months. Normally when I tried to talk politics with people they just rolled their eyes at me. Trey kept talking and kept challenging me. It was like I’d finally been able to crawl out of the hole I’d been buried in, even if I knew I would probably go back to it.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Think about it?”

I looked up from the ground and met his eyes. In the light they were even greener than the first time I saw him. They were like two sparkling emeralds, and they hypnotized me to my spot. “I do have a mind of my own to think if I want to see someone again,” I stammered, trying to regain control of my words.

“Well, Miss Remy, you’re going to see a lot of me whether you like it or not. We’re still neighbors.”

“You do have a point there, Mr. Chapman.”

I walked with him the rest of the way to our apartment, not really talking much but still standing together. As soon as we got off the elevator onto our floor, a smell permeated in the air like oregano and smoke. Trey told me the security team was just there for move-in and it looked like they left before someone started lighting up in their apartment. I wondered if he would call them back to investigate as soon as he got back to his place.

“Looks like someone is having a party,” I said, trying not to inhale the air.

Trey shook his head, not saying anything, just staring ahead.

We stopped at my door, and he turned to face me. The smell was stronger than it had been near the elevator, but I tried to ignore it. Goodbyes were awkward enough, but I didn’t want Trey to think we were on some sort of date and try to kiss me. I couldn’t go and punch the governor’s son if I didn’t want him to kiss me. But then there was the other scary part of me that secretly craved a goodnight kiss.

Then my mind drifted, thinking that he could possibly want more than just a kiss and find a way to invite me into his apartment. I had to keep my breathing in control, taking in slow deep breaths so I wouldn’t tense up. I knew exactly where my mace was in my purse if things did get heated. I hoped that it wouldn’t have to come to that. Trey didn’t seem like the type of guy that would take advantage, the media would have a field day with that, but then again, not everyone was what they seemed to be. And I’m sure his dad knew a thing or two about cover-ups.

Well, thanks for interrupting my dinner, I guess,” I said, rocking back and forth on my heels.

“Anytime.” He leaned his arm on my door frame.

“Okay, well, I have to be up early for work tomorrow. So I’ll see you around.”

I pulled my keys from my purse and quickly shoved them in the door. When I opened it a cloud of smoke pushed out. So much for being able to catch my breath.

Shit.

I ran in and slammed the door behind me. I wasn’t sure if Trey was still standing there or not, but I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea of the giant smoke wave coming from the apartment. In my head I thought maybe Sam had just burned something on the stove. Maybe the green leaves she was rolling earlier were for a friend.

But they weren’t.

Once I adjusted to the smog in the room, I saw that there were four more people sitting in my apartment and one of them was holding a giant, purple bong in their hand.

“Hey roomie, you’re back!” Sam held her hands up in the air, acting like we were the best of friends.

“Yeah, I just grabbed dinner.” I put my leftovers in the fridge and took a few tentative steps into the living room.

Sam sat in the chair, on top of Mac’s lap, and the other four sat in a row on the couch. Each one of them looked more stoned and greasier than the next with their blood shot eyes, torn jeans, and long, brightly colored hair. The girl sitting at the end of the couch pointed the bong in my direction.

“Do you want a hit?”

I put my hands up, shaking them. “No thanks, I’m good.” I turned to my roommate. “Hey, Sam?”

She looked up at me, her eyes as blood red as her hair.

“I’m just going to head into my room. I still have some unpacking to do, and I have to be to work early, but maybe we can hang tomorrow?”

She giggled. “Sounds good, roomie, oomie oh.”

I didn’t say another word and just backed slowly into my room and shut the door behind me. Great, just what I wanted, a stoner roommate. I mentally made a note that we would need to have a conversation about her smoking pot in the apartment. She should have known better since we had Mr. Anti-marijuana-governor’s-son living next door. I wouldn’t be surprised if his security guys came knocking down the door. Maybe it was better to let them handle it.

I took my phone out of my purse and walked into my bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I hadn’t called my mom yet, but I didn’t want Sam or any of her stoner friends to be listening. If the stoner gang was going to be a regular occurrence, maybe I would have to search the apartment ads again.

I sat on the closed toilet seat and dialed Mom’s cell phone number. It went straight to voicemail. Great. She started a new nursing job and was on second shift. I thought it might have been late enough to call her, but I’d probably have to wait another few hours. I tried the home line instead.

Dad picked up after the second ring.

“Remy residence.”

“Hey, Dad, it’s me.”

“Hey kiddo! How are you doing? I assume the move-in went pretty well?” Dad always had a positive tone to his voice, and it was what I needed at that moment.

“Oh, you know, a little sore from moving all the boxes, but good none-the-less.”

“Yeah, we’re real sorry we couldn’t help. But someone had to take Jordan to practice, and you know how your mom’s sleeping is off with this new work schedule.”

I stared at my hands. “No, it’s totally cool. I was able to handle it.”

“Well, tell me all about it. Do you like your new apartment? Is your roommate nice?”

“Yeah, the apartment is great. It’s really close to my classes and my roommate is cool. I haven’t talked to her much.”

That was an understatement. I didn’t want to tell Dad that she was currently in the living room getting high with her friends. He was worried enough about me moving in with a stranger; I couldn’t add to that.

“That apartment should be pretty swanky for what you’re paying for it. That’s almost double what it would have cost you to live in the Kappa house.”

“I know,” I muttered.

I didn’t want to talk about Kappa. I didn’t inform the Central Chapter that I transferred here and I had no desire to. The less people knew who about me and my life at Taylor College, the better.

“Sorry, kiddo, I’m not trying to lecture you. I know this is what you wanted.”

What I wanted was a new start, not to live with a pothead or to be stalked by a conservative douchebag’s son, who I hated to admit, was giving me butterflies. I wanted to hate Trey. He was so smug, but the way he challenged me was almost more attractive than his emerald green eyes. Now, if he just didn’t have such twisted views on women’s rights we could have something. Then again, that required spending quality time with him. Something I didn’t want to do with anyone of the opposite sex.

“It’s all right, Dad. How is everything else going at home? How’s Jordan?”

Dad let out a breathed whistle. “You know Jordan, typical teenage boy. Football has basically taken over his life, but he hopes to be down with us for a visit in a few weeks.”

I clenched my jaw, even though I knew Dad couldn’t see it. I almost forgot about their planned visit. I would have to have a long talk with my roommate before my parents came to visit. Especially about whom she had over, and what kind of celebrations they were having.

“Yeah, can’t wait for that.”

Dad said something else, but I couldn’t hear him because there was a sound like breaking glass in the living room and a lot of crumpling of papers.

“FIVE OH,” a loud, man’s voice called.

“Is everything all right?” Dad asked.

I sprang up from my seat and opened the bathroom door. “Yeah, I think my roommate just needs to turn down the TV. Just tell Mom I called, and I will talk to you later. Love you, bye.”

I quickly hung up the phone and walked to my bedroom door.

There were muffled voices at the other end, but I couldn’t make it out. I cracked open the door just enough so I could see the front door, but hopefully no one could see me. Sam and Mac stood with their backs to me and two police officers were in our doorway with their hands on their hips.

I couldn’t see where the other people had scrambled to, but I was guessing they were either hiding or just staring dumbfounded.

Sam had her hands in the air and her red dreadlocks were waving around her head. “Man, this is bullshit. We weren’t doing anything to disturb anyone!”

“Ma’am,” the taller of the officers said. “I can smell the cannabis in your apartment.”

“Well you can tell that fucking nark next door that I’m not listening to his daddy’s laws, and calling the Five-Oh on me isn’t going to make me listen anymore.”

“I’m going to have to ask you to step outside, ma’am,” the taller officer said, while the other one slowly drew his hand down toward the holster on his belt. God, I hoped there wouldn’t be shooting.

In the blink of an eye, Sam whipped her head back and shot a big loogie on the taller officer’s face. The other officer quickly responded, grabbing Sam by both wrists, turning her around and handcuffing her. “Samantha James you are under arrest for assaulting an officer.”

He read her the rest of the Miranda Rights, and the taller officer soon had Mac in handcuffs next to her. A big thud came as Samantha’s body was pushed up against the wall, but no other obscenities were yelled. The two officers lead her and Mac out of the room and their footsteps carried down the hall. Soon after, I watched the four other people slowly leave the apartment, carrying all their drug paraphernalia with him.

I breathed a sigh of relief watching them go. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to go out there and make them leave. I opened my bedroom door and walked to the front door, locking the deadbolt. I didn’t know if Sam’s dealer or one her other friends would be back, and I couldn’t be too careful. After all that I figured it was time for bed. I had to be up early the next morning for my first day at my new job and maybe needed to spend some time looking for a new apartment. But first, I had to open all the windows and get rid of any other lingering paraphernalia.

I opened the front door a few minutes later and saw that Trey was standing in the hallway on his cell phone. I didn’t want him to see me, so I quickly shut the door and just peered out. I had to get the pot smoke out, but I didn’t want to have another conversation with him. I didn’t know for a fact that he turned Sam in, but if he did, I couldn’t imagine what kind of fire she would have lurking in her when she got back.

***

A loud, clanging sound knocked me out of my sleep. I grabbed my phone from my night stand and saw that it was only two in the morning. I hoped that wouldn’t be a usual occurrence, and maybe it was just someone partying down the hall.

The clanking stopped and was replaced by a loud thud from the living room. I sat straight up in bed. Was I being robbed?

“Not going to answer the door for me, you pretentious maggot? Stupid governor’s son!” Sam’s voice carried over the room.

She shoved open my door and stood there. I could only make out her silhouette by the light streaming in from the living room windows.

“Is everything okay?” I managed to stutter.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she snarled. “Fucking Chapman narked on me, and now he won’t answer his door to face me.”

She stomped through my bedroom until she was at my far wall. The wall that was attached to Trey’s apartment. She pounded both fists against the wall, making my desk shake that was sitting against it. “You hear me! You don’t own me ya fuckin’ elephant ass! I don’t care how many secret service men you have. I will tear you up!” Somehow she knew it was Trey? How? It could have even been me that called the cops. Not that it was. But I think she just needed another reason to take her anger out on our neighbor.

I just stared at her for a minute while she continued to pound and yell. Then I couldn’t take it anymore. I wasn’t going to sit by and watch my roommate go psycho. I threw the blankets off of me and ran from the bed to where Sam stood. I grabbed both her wrists, mid-pound, and turned her to face me.

Her teeth were clenched together, and her eyes were wild like some sort of feral child. “What the—”

“Shut up! Just shut up!” I yelled, tightening my grip on her wrists and shaking them. “This is not your room, and you’re not the only one living in this apartment.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but I interjected. “Don’t even start with me. I have to be up for work in a few hours, and I will not put up with this shit while I’m living here.”

I took a step toward her and then shoved her in the direction of my door while still keeping her wrists in my grasp. “You will not come in to my room unannounced again, and you will not have your stoner friends over here to get high in our living room, or I will make sure that you get kicked off this campus. Do I make myself clear?”

I had at least a foot on the girl, and I doubt she would throw a punch. She was all bark and no bite. If I learned anything in my Political Science classes it was if you confronted someone, face to face, they usually backed down if they had nothing to defend themselves with.

She nodded and I pushed her out of my room, slamming the door and locking it. I didn’t hear any more noise from the living room. I put my ear buds in to drown out any potential noise and attached them to my phone, so I could still hear my alarm. The soft sounds of Bach flooded my ears, and I let my mind wander.

I didn’t know whether to be angry at Trey for reporting my roommate, if he actually did, or if I would actually need to thank the guy. But the latter would probably go to his head more than I would have liked.

Chapter 3

I woke up early the next morning and didn’t hear Sam at all. She was probably still sleeping off whatever hangover that pot left. I got ready for work, grabbed my keys, and slinked out of the apartment hoping not to run into Trey in the halls. I hated to think what he thought of my roommate’s outburst, or worse, if he thought that I was the one smoking pot and banging on his wall.

Brewster’s Beans was the coffee shop in the student center. It was only a short hike of a few blocks from my apartment, and since it was super early on a Sunday, absolutely no one was on the quad. I didn’t instantly fall in love with Central when I visited it the first time. It didn’t have the urban feel that Taylor did with its close proximity to Chicago, but Central had a quaint vibe of its own.

It had a student population that topped 15,000, but with all the main buildings surrounding a centralized, grassy quad it felt more like a small school. As long as my classes were big enough that I didn’t need to stand out, I would be fine.

I crossed in front of the science building and made it to the student center that was connected by a pedestrian bridge to the four-story library. The student center was just as empty as the rest of campus. The smoothie shop and campus store were both closed on the first floor. It was like a ghost town with no one running the shops and not a student in sight.

Quickly, I made my way down the stairs; going past a few meeting rooms and ended up at the back door to Brewster’s Beans. There was a narrow, tile passageway, and when I got to the end of it I was greeted by mounds of coffee bags and a large, steel door. It opened widely and out popped a girl in the regulation uniform: black baseball cap, black apron, black pants, and red polo shirt. She was carrying a large tray of scones, and I couldn’t help but recognize the mound of curly, brown hair from the back.

“Melanie!”

She jumped, but the scones stayed on the tray. Melanie slowly turned around with a big smile on her face. “Hey, Mon, almost didn’t think you’d show up.”

“Of course I’d show,” I said, following her through the back room to one of the giant ovens she placed the trays in. “It’s the least I could do after you got me this job.”

Melanie went to high school with me, but we really got close the summer after high school when we both worked horrible nanny jobs for the brattiest kids in town, who also happened to be neighbors. We bonded by taking them to the same park every day and sitting on the bench while they ran off their energy or just inflicted it on other unsuspecting kids. I called her as soon as I knew I was transferring, and she set me up with a job.

“You’re just lucky that normal people don’t like the early shifts. You could almost get full-time hours if you just took every morning slot.” Which I could possibly need if I had to pay for an apartment by myself.

I nodded, following her out of the back room and into the main area of the store. Brewster’s Beans was the only coffee shop on campus and was full of bistro tables, brightly colored couches and over-stuffed chairs for study spaces. Everything was decorated in the school colors of red and black, even the long counter with shelves of red bags of coffee sitting above all the machinery.

“I guess you’re not much of a partier, either.” She smiled, pouring a bag of coffee beans into the giant grinder, pressing a large, silver button, and then collecting the grounds in a big filter.

“There are better ways I can think of to spend my Saturday night.”

Like having an impromptu dinner with a governor’s son and watching my roommate get busted for pot.

“I think we’re going to get along just fine as co-workers,” she said, placing the full filter in one of the large coffee brewers and moving a big carafe underneath it.

“So, is it usually going to be this busy in the morning?” I looked around at the empty room.

Melanie shrugged. “It’s the first weekend of school. You may get a few stragglers in around eight and then on week days it should get a little more crowded before class.”

I didn’t realize just how empty it would be until we actually started working. We didn’t get a single customer until after I’d already been there two hours, and by that time, I had learned to make every drink on the menu and filled all six carafes of coffee that sat on the counter. Of course, the first customer was just looking for the bookstore and didn’t buy anything. It wasn’t until ten that we started to get quite a line.

I stood at the register, wrote the drinks on a cup, and took the money while Melanie went through making the drinks. The ten o’clock person didn’t show up, so Melanie asked if I could stay until noon. I agreed, knowing that I wasn’t exactly sure what I would have waiting for me at my apartment.

“Why, hello, Miss Remy, it’s a pleasure seeing you here.”

I looked up to see the smug smile of Trey Chapman and next to him stood a moose of a guy with choppy, brown hair and Greek letters across his chest.

“I didn’t realize that cockiness got up this early,” I said, not able to keep my sarcasm in check.

There was no one in line behind him, so I couldn’t use that as an excuse to get him to move on and obviously he didn’t care that I was working.

“I was up early; someone was banging on my bedroom wall at two this morning.”

I blinked hard. “Um, that wasn’t me. That was my roommate.”

He slammed on the charm. “I figured you would have a better vocabulary than she does. I noticed how fluent she was in cursing when she was getting arrested.”

I sucked in a deep breath. At least he knew it wasn’t me, but I also didn’t know our bedroom walls connected. My mind drifted to thoughts of where his bed was, and if he was a boxers-or-briefs type of guy. I quickly had to shake the visions out of my head. It had been months since I had any sexual thoughts about a guy. Not that I was turning into a lesbian, but it was like a switch went off, and I had no interest. Now it was as if someone was slowly turning on the dimmers and I was squinting, trying to find my way back to the light.

“Is this the lib you were telling me about?” The moose guy asked.

“The lib?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, John Boy, this is Monica. She’s my new neighbor who tells me that I need to do some research on women’s rights, but hasn’t told me how she plans on helping our depressed economy.”

“Oh, hey, Lib.” John Boy smiled and waved a thick hand.

“Monica, this is my big brother, John Boy. We were just meeting for coffee to talk about some fraternity business, but if you want to join me for a croissant after your shift I would be happy to tell John Boy to find something else to occupy his time.”

I rolled my eyes. The self-righteousness oozed off of Trey. I wondered if other girls fell for his charm so easy. I hated to admit that there was something about challenging him that I really enjoyed, but I couldn’t get past the dress shirts, belted dress pants, and the major fact that his dad thought every girl should just go without birth control.

“I think I’ll take a pass. Some of us actually have to work. But you probably already knew I was working here and conveniently made it your meeting place of choice.”

Trey flashed his political smile. “I assure you I had no idea this was your place of employment. It’s good to see that someone who lectures me on the depressed economy happens to be gainfully employed.”

I put my hand to my chest. “And us little people thoroughly enjoy how you talk to us. So proper. I don’t know what a little ol’ middle-class girl like me would do without your help.”

“It’s good to see that you see the humor in the way I choose to talk, Miss Remy.”

“And it’s good to see that someone with such a large stick shoved u—”

“Monica!” Melanie elbowed me in the side. “I understand that you have a friend here, but I do believe you should finish taking his order before we get another line.”

I bit my lip to restrain what I really wanted to say. “He’s not my friend. He’s just my neighbor, the beloved governor’s son, Trey Chapman.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Melanie is it?” Trey put out his hand and shook Melanie’s, briskly. “At least that is what your name tag says.”

“Um…yes…yes it is Melanie.” She moved her hand away and stared at him, with her eyebrow raised and her lip slightly curled, as if she was trying to figure him out. I was trying to figure out the same thing. Exactly what was with the governor’s son?

“Are you going to order? Or will you leave me standing here, like I’m sure your dad has done to plenty of union workers,” I asked with extra snark.

Melanie elbowed me again in the ribs. Trey opened his mouth to say something, but John Boy interrupted.

“Okay, that’s enough political talk. I’m hungover as shit and need a large coffee and a glazed donut.”

“One large drip and a glazed donut,” I said through gritted teeth. “And for you, Trey?”

“Besides another date with you?” He leaned in on the counter. He had smug written all over his face. No matter how much I argued with him, he just couldn’t stop.

“We never went on an actual date. You showed up where I was eating. It’s just like you are doing now.” I sighed. “Now please just order something off the damn menu.”

“Okay, I can see when your patience is running low. I’ll just take a large coffee as well and maybe a croissant, and a walk with you for later.”

I pressed a few buttons on the cash register. “Okay, that’s two large coffees, a glazed donut, and one large cup of no-way-in-hell-I’ll-ever-go-out-with-you. That will be $5.35.”

Trey stared at me, his eyes locked onto mine like I was the only person in the room. His gaze didn’t say he was angry, more like intrigued.

A gust of cool air shot out from behind my back followed by the loud clicking of heels. “Sorry I’m late, overslept!”

I broke my stare down with Trey and looked behind me where a tall blonde fastened on an apron. As she lifted her hair I caught a glimpse of a golf ball size hickey on her neck. I was sure that love bite wasn’t from sleeping.

I smiled at the blonde, seeing her name on her nametag was Betsy. “Oh good, you can finish Mr. Chapman’s order here.” I gestured my hand in Trey’s direction.

“Oh, hey!” Her eyes lit up like Christmas morning. “You’re Trey Chapman! The governor’s son!”

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to hear the gush fest and took off my apron. “I’ll see you later, Melanie,” I yelled over my shoulder as I headed for the back room.

“I hope to see you later as well!” Trey’s voice carried over Betsy’s, but I didn’t turn around to acknowledge it.

***

When I finally got back to my apartment I paused, taking in a deep breath before I actually unlocked the front door. I had no idea what shape the apartment would be in or if Sam would even be there. Either way, I wasn’t in the mood for a fight.

I pushed open the door and there was Sam, still in her pajamas and sitting at the breakfast bar with a bowl of cereal. She looked up from the bowl, and we made eye contact. Her face was streaked with mascara, her eyes were blood-shot. I didn’t know whether to feel sorry for her at that moment or to just ignore her.

“Hey,” I said, breezing past the kitchen and to my bedroom door. Just as I put my hand on the doorknob, she spoke.

“Look, Monica, I’m sorry.”

I spun around, crossing my arms over my chest. “Well, this is going to be good.”

She sighed, spinning her stool before she dropped down, her bare feet hitting the tile below with a soft thud. “I should have asked you before having people over, and I really shouldn’t have barged into your room.”

I huffed. “Yeah, you can say that again.”

“I promise it won’t happen again, it’s just...” She sighed. “School’s back in session, and I was finally out of the dorms, so I wanted to have a good time and relax. I guess I was stupid not think the cops wouldn’t show up, especially with Mr. Governor’s son right next door.”

“No shit.”

She took a step toward me, rubbing her elbow with her opposite hand. “Look, I’m not saying that we have to be friends, but I can’t afford this place without a roommate, and there’s no way in hell I want to go back to the dorms. So, if we can just work out some ground rules then maybe we can make this work?”

I stared at her blood-shot eyes and wanted to be mad at her, but we were both stuck in the same boat. I couldn’t afford the place without her, and there was no telling what other kind of weird roommate I could get if I threw myself in the dorms or another apartment search.

“Okay, but no more parties unless you ask me first, no barging in my room unannounced, and definitely no smoking pot in the apartment, but I’m sure after you were released from jail they told you that.” I listed off the rules on my fingers, hoping to get my message across.

She continued rubbing her elbow. “Actually the charges were for assaulting a police officer; they couldn’t find the pot, just the paraphernalia.”

“Whatever, same thing. Look, either way. I don’t want it around.”

She chewed on her bottom lip and then stuck out her hand. “Okay, deal.”

I took her hand and shook it lightly. “Deal.”

She dropped our hands. “But is it still cool if Mac comes over sometimes? At least just to hang.”

“I guess as long as there is no pot or any other random parties.” I pointed a finger almost directly in her face. “And no more pounding on Trey’s wall. I have to deal with enough shit from him, and I don’t want to add to it.”

She widened her eyes. “Seriously? Have you seen that much of him?”

I dropped my hand and groaned. “Ugh, he actually showed up at Brewster’s where I work at and made some cocky remark about it.”

“Ughhhh! What is it with conservative douchebags? Did he give you some speech in that high-an- mighty tone he has? Miss Remy, the drug problem in our country is a very prominent issue for America’s youth,” she lowered her voice for the last part, straightening out an imaginary tie.

I tried to stifle a laugh. “That sounds exactly like something he would say.”

Sam sat back on the stool, and I set my bag down and sat on the stool next to her.

She took a bite of her cereal and then put the spoon down. “Did you know when I first moved in that I got stopped by one of his security guys and then Trey had the nerve to knock on the door and introduce himself? After I get the third degree, he thinks he can just waltz in the apartment with a big smile, and I pretend he didn’t just violate any freedom I have?”

I put my hands to my chest. “I got stopped by those goons too, but I don’t think that’s an everyday thing.” I wasn’t about to tell her that I knew for a fact that it wasn’t. I’d take any little bonding time I had with her, and didn’t want to bring up the fact that I had talked about it with Trey just an hour before he probably called the cops on her.

Sam shook her head, taking another bite of cereal. “I haven’t seen them around since yesterday, but hopefully not. I can’t deal with that.”

“As much as a little extra security would be nice, that would take it to an extreme.”

She nodded her head slightly. “So, does this mean we’re cool now?”

The tough girl from yesterday was gone. I guess a night in jail could do that to someone, especially when their roommate actually confronts them about it. I guess that month of self-defense classes I took actually paid off. Now if only I could confront my real problems as well as I could with my roommate.

I paused for a minute, looking down at my hands. There were coffee grounds stuck under my nails, and I knew there was probably cocoa powder caked on me, but that didn’t matter at the moment. If I wanted to stay in the apartment, I needed a roommate. If I didn’t have one, I’d probably have to pick up so many shifts that I’d be living at Brewster’s anyway.

“Yeah,” I said, sliding off the chair. “For now.”

Chapter 4

My first class of the day was at nine, and luckily I didn’t have to work beforehand. Most of my Gen Ed classes transferred from Taylor, so I was pretty excited to get into my actual major classes. I stuffed my laptop, a notebook, and a few pens in my messenger bag before taking a quick look in the mirror.

Jeans, flip-flops, and a V-neck t-shirt with my hair in a ponytail. I was dressed enough that I didn’t look like I just rolled out of bed and not dressed too much that I looked like I was trying to impress anyone. It was exactly the look I was going for. I was able to run to the grocery store the day before to stock up, so I grabbed a granola bar, and a bottle of water before I ran out the front door for class. I had no idea when Sam had class, but wherever she was I couldn’t be worried about it.

I stepped out of the apartment and into the stifling air. At least it wasn’t in the 100’s like it had been most of the summer, but I still felt like my face might melt off on the way to Brown Hall. I charged through the quad and into the newer building. It had a dark, brick façade like the rest of the buildings on campus, but smelled like new paint and each of the white walls glowed from florescent lights. I quickly checked my schedule again and saw that I was in room 204.

I followed the herd of students up the stairs to the second floor, and with luck, it was the first room at the top of the stairs. It wasn’t a very large classroom with maybe thirty desks facing a long white board. There was only one window in the room and it was tucked away in the upper corner. I took the second seat in the very last row. Not too many people had piled in yet, not even the teacher, so I figured I was safe to eat my breakfast. I reached down in my messenger bag and rummaged through, searching for my water bottle.

But then an all too familiar voice made my heart stop.”Isn’t this another pleasant surprise?”

I grabbed my water bottle and slowly lifted my head. There was Trey in all his political glory with his white dress shirt tucked into his blue dress pants, and even an American Flag pin on his collar. His conservative uniform. On most guys it would have been completely dorky, but Trey pulled it off, looking more like a future leader of America. A future leader with a great smile that I had to keep telling myself I wasn’t attracted to.

“I think I may have to look into a restraining order if you keep showing up at the same places as me.”

I glanced over and caught the few people who were already sitting, and the ones just walking in, already staring at us. Great, just what I wanted to be known as, a member of Trey’s groupies.

I didn’t even want to appear friendly with him. He took the seat next to me with a giant, cheesy grin plastered on his face. “Such anger you have, Monica. You assume that I’m following you when you happen to live next door to me and take the same classes as me. Need I remind you that you are the transfer student, so it may actually appear that I had my apartment first and signed up for this class well before you were even aware of its presence?”

I rolled my eyes and took a long swig of my water, turning toward the front of the room. Maybe if I ignored him enough he would just go away. But I never had it that easy.

“So what’s your next class? Should I expect that you looked up my schedule before you transferred and made sure that we could carry on the rest of this semester with our usual political banter?” he asked.

I slammed my water bottle down and slowly turned back to him. The class was almost full, and I could feel people staring at us. I leaned in, keeping my voice low. “Look, Trey, I just want to get through this class, hell, this semester, with some peace. If you really want to continue on with this stupid little charade then I’m sure it can wait until after I’m done learning.”

“So challenging. Even this early in the morning. I like it.” He folded his hands on the desk and kept his face just inches from mine. That’s when I really noticed the freckles that paraded across his nose and down to his cheek. It gave him a boyish charm that stood out among his usual political facade. What the hell was wrong with me? All I had done lately was argue with the guy, and now I was staring at his freckles. Something definitely had to be wrong with me.

Maybe it was the heated political debates that had my blood boiling. Or it could have been the very delicate curve of his jawline as it dipped down into his chin. I was a sucker for a guy with a great jaw line, especially one with the faintest hint of stubble like he left it there for me to stare at. A guy that prim and proper shouldn’t have stubble, but it set him apart from the rest of his put-together attire and made him seem almost human.

“Sorry to interrupt y’all, but I think it’s time for class.”

I snapped out of my jawline daydream and watched our professor saunter into the room. In one hand she had a large cup of coffee and in the other a stack of white papers. She somehow managed to carry both while wearing a maroon skirt suit and four-inch heels. The lady had it together.

“I didn’t think you would take a class taught by a woman,” I whispered to Trey.

The professor set her coffee down on the desk in the opposite corner from us, her curly, brown hair bouncing with every step.

“I am equal opportunity learner, Miss Remy, and you know I can never resist a woman who loves talking politics,” he said back in a low, husky voice that sent a lingering chill down my stomach. I’d have to stop talking to him in class or not only would people really think something, but I would possibly have to put my libido in check.

The professor turned back around and passed the sheets of paper down the rows. “I’m Doctor Gayle Westerfield and this is Political Science 222, State and Local Government. If that doesn’t sound like the class you signed up for, then I suggest you pick up your things and leave now before you embarrass yourself later.”

“A doctor and a women professor? You must be shaking in your conservative wingtips,” I quietly said to Trey.

“I respect a woman who goes for what she wants, Miss Remy,” he whispered, and I caught the corners of a smile tugging at his lips.

The sheets of paper got to my row and I stared at the syllabus, thumbing through it quickly. The main things that stood out were term paper and debate. Before I could even think on it, Trey leaned over my desk, his delicious scent rolling off of him like a tidal wave. If he wasn’t such a cocky thing I would have wanted to grab him and inhale all of him right in the middle of the classroom. “You know, if you ever want to work together on any of these assignments, I’m sure the neighborly thing to do would be for us to join forces.”

Dr. Westerfield stopped in front of our desks, I snapped my head up in her direction, but Trey still kept one elbow on my desk, leaning into me. “Ah, the governor’s son, Trey Chapman.” Dr. Westerfield stared down at the sheet of paper in her hand. I caught a glimpse of it and saw it was the roster with each of our student ID pictures down it. She ran her finger down the length of the page and then smiled, looking back at me. “And the transfer student, Monica Remy. Since you two seem awfully cozy together, maybe you would like to be partners and pick the first debate topic.”

She thrusted another sheet of paper on my desk and I stared at the topics. There was everything from separation of church and state to unemployment rates. I could probably argue with Trey all day long on any of these topics.

Dr. Westerfield walked back to the front of the classroom. “Each of you will pair up and pick a topic. One person will have the supporting view on it and the other will be the opposition. Before the debate, you will each write a twenty page, double spaced paper on your view point and then use those points in your debate.”

Trey grabbed the list of topics from me, practically ripping it from my hand. “What do you think, Miss Remy? Should we go for local education or the rights of victims versus the rights of the accused?”

I snatched the paper back out of his hands. “I think neither.”

A voice huffed from behind us. “Will you two just pick something and stop flirting, so we can move on?”

I turned to see an Asian girl rolling her eyes behind us. “We are not flirting,” I snapped.

“Whatever,” she said. “Can you two just hurry it up? There are others who would like to get on with this.”

“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. I slowly turned in my desk, and that was when I saw the topic that I knew we had to do. We could both only deflect on it for so long, and I knew we’d each have a good argument. “Access to contraception and I’ll take the supporting view.”

I didn’t even look behind me as I turned slightly and slammed the sheet of paper on the Asian girl’s desk.

Dr. Westerfield nodded. “Very good, now we can move on, unless you two have something else to say?”

Trey folded his hands on his desk. “No, ma’am, please continue.”

I rolled my eyes. It was going to be one hell of a long semester if I would have to deal with him in class every day. I just hoped this class was the only one I’d have to suffer through with him.

***

My next class was for my second major, Women’s Studies, and thankfully Trey didn’t happen to sneak into that class. I swear he was following me. The major only had about thirty credit hours, but enough of them crossed with my Political Science classes that it was the perfect second major. Not to mention I had a soft spot for women’s issues.

The Gerrit Smith Building was stuffed behind the main quad area and smooshed between the brand new recreation center and one of the science buildings. It was like a building they just wanted to hide with its dilapidating structure and lake of air conditioning. I made my way up the two flights of stairs until I found classroom 313.

A set of old windows, that didn’t look like they had been opened in years, lined the whole left side of the room. At the front was an old chalkboard with rows of crumbling wooden desks facing it. There were a handful of students already sitting at the desks toward the front. They were all girls, of course. I took a seat in the second row near the window and could already feel their heads turn toward me. I looked up to see my suspicion was right and two of the girls were just staring at me.

“Um, is there something on my face?” I asked.

The girl with short, spiky hair cleared her throat. “Um, no you just looked familiar, that’s all.”

“Oh.” I paused and straightened out my shirt.

The other girl with hipster glasses spoke up. “Are you Trey Chapman’s girlfriend?”

I couldn’t help it; I snorted and then covered my mouth before another burst could get through.

The few other girls in the room turned to the conversation. Now I had an audience.

I slowly shook my head and put my hand down. “Oh, God, no. Trey is just my neighbor and likes to get under every single last nerve of mine.”

The spiky-haired girl seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Oh, good. Tabitha here saw you two in her last class and was afraid we wouldn’t be able to speak our mind about the governor if his son’s girlfriend was in our class.”

I took out my laptop and then placed my messenger bag on the floor. “Go ahead and talk away. I can’t stand the pompous governor either. His views on women’s rights and contraception are beyond archaic.”

Another girl with long, blonde hair raised her fist in the air. “If I wasn’t an atheist I’d give you an amen!”

The door opened again, two other girls scurried in followed by a woman with a giant mess of blonde hair and a stack of papers cradled in her arms. “Sorry, I’m late; sometimes the copier works and sometimes it doesn’t,” the woman said with a slight Boston accent.

The two girls found their seats near the other side of the room, and the woman dropped the mounds of paper on the podium in front of the room. There wasn’t even a desk for her anywhere. She then looked back at us, straightening out her tie-dye bohemian dress. “Well, everyone, welcome to Women and Gender in Society, I’m Dr. Bailey Santos, but you may call me Bailey.”

She grabbed a few sheets of paper from the podium and passed them around to the small amount of us in the room. “I was expecting a little bit of a bigger class, but when the only room you can get is not air-conditioned and on the other side of campus, people would rather take pottery.”

I studied my syllabus. I browsed the book a bit before class and every topic we were discussing interested me. Originally, I went to Taylor thinking that I wanted to be a lawyer, then after a year of dealing with male-dominated classes and the hell of my last few weeks at that campus, I knew I had a different purpose. When I put in my papers to transfer I added Women’s Studies to my Political Science major. I knew I could make a bigger difference doing something like lobbying for a women’s organization rather than sit in a court room and try to represent people I wasn’t sure I fully believed in. When I knew for sure I believed in everything about women’s rights.

Bailey took her place back at the front of the room and leaned back against the podium. “Basically the format of this class will be that you read the material the night before, and we’ll discuss it the next day in class. We’ll throw in some videos, a few papers, and maybe even get off on some tangents of our own. I don’t always promote going off- topic, but if it gives us a good debate, then I’m all for it.”

I smiled, letting my mind wander to all the things I’d been debating with Trey. I was sure that he would get a kick out of hearing about my Women’s Studies class and probably argue that it was a stupid major. Then I shook the thoughts of Trey out of my head. Why was I even thinking about him? I hated his politics; I hated his smug smile, but I couldn’t deny that some part of me couldn’t stop thinking about that same smile. It was going to be a long year if I couldn’t get over that.

Chapter 5

After another political science class, that thankfully Trey wasn’t in, I grabbed a quick sandwich from the student union and then headed for the library. Sam said she wouldn’t smoke pot in the apartment anymore, but I thought I’d probably get more work done if I just went somewhere else.

Taylor’s library was crammed into one of the many classroom buildings that were all in a city atmosphere. It didn’t have much more than a computer lab and one floor of reference books. Central’s library was like something out of a fairy tale. I walked in and inhaled the scent of leather and dust. There were rows and rows of books, and in the middle, a grand staircase led up to the second and third floor. I wanted to grab one of the ladders and slide across the rows of shelves like Belle in Beauty and the Beast, but instead I just headed up the stairs to the second floor. Bright lights shone in from the long floor-to-ceiling windows and flooded the room with light.

I crept through each row of books until I found a secluded area. There was a small, round table right above a sunken quarter with couches and pillows. I didn’t know what kind of deeds had been done on those couches, so I settled for the table. I set my messenger bag down on the table and sat down in the chair before pulling out my laptop and booting it up. I connected to the wireless Internet and browsed through my email. There were a few spam messages and a coupon good for The Gap, but then a message I didn’t expect to see came up. A message from Brittani Forrester, the president of Taylor’s chapter of Kappa Beta. I hadn’t even spoken to her since I left.

I opened the email and read through it quickly.

Hey Mon,

I hadn’t talked to you since you left. I didn’t actually even know that you transferred until I was sending in roster stuff to Nationals. I notified Central’s chapter that you were coming and talked to their president. Her name is Layla Donaldson and she said she would be happy to have you join their chapter. Her email is Layla.Donaldson@centralschools.edu. I hope everything else is okay, and we miss you! We’d love to hear from you! It’s been awhile!

Love,

Brittani

Chapter President of Kappa Beta

Taylor University

Omega Chi chapter

Brittani.Forrester@Taylor.edu

I couldn’t believe it. I guess the other girls never told her about the party; about the night that would never leave my mind. The one that still made me shutter whenever I thought about going to a party or a fraternity house. There was no way in hell I would be contacting the president of Kappa at Central, and I hoped she didn’t find me. I quickly deleted the email and went on to check my Facebook.

“And we meet again, Miss Remy.”

Ugh, not him, not again. He was the last person I wanted to see. I peered over my laptop and there was Trey Chapman with his hands in his pockets, standing at the other end of the table. He didn’t seem like a real threat; he never actually tried to put the moves on me, but there was a first time for everything. And now he was standing there; just us. I swallowed hard, trying to regain some moisture in my mouth so I could talk.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked.

“Yes,” I snapped. “All of my imaginary, liberal friends are joining me so we can talk about free healthcare for all.”

He didn’t miss a beat, taking the seat across from me and folding his hands on the table. “Why do you have to fight this so much? I thought we had a good time at Mario’s and aside from your roommate’s rants, I think you enjoy having me around.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re just my neighbor and the guy I’m stuck working with on this debate assignment. Nothing more.”

He leaned over, pushing my laptop down so it didn’t close, but so he could get a full view of my face. “I think you want it to be more. You can’t deny how much you like having me around, even if all we do is discuss politics.”

I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right. There was a part of me that loved talking about politics, and a part of me that hated it. The part of me that hated it was because of all the headline readers who didn’t actually know what they were talking about. Trey did know exactly what he was talking about and had valid arguments for his points.

“I can talk politics with anyone,” I muttered. “There is an entire major of people I can talk to.”

He leaned in, his face was so close I could see the trail of freckles that led down his nose and into his lip line. I had to bite my lip and control my urge to run my finger along every single one of those freckles. “Yes, you’re right that there are plenty of other people you can talk to, but I’m the one you want to sit next to on the couch with a cup of coffee in your hand and the nightly news on. You can’t hide the fact that you’ve thought about me more than once since the first time you saw me in the hallway.”

I swallowed. I was never a good actress and an even worse liar. My mind drifted to his idea of sitting together on the couch, drinking coffee, and discussing the war on terrorism and its effect on local politics, but I had to shake off those thoughts. This wasn’t just another guy, this was Trey Chapman. He was the son of the evil, conservative politician that proposed birth control should not be covered in any circumstance and wanted my uterus to be regulated by the government.

“I don’t date Republicans,” I quipped.

The smile broadened on his face, highlighting the dimples on his cheek. He was too damn cute for his own good. “And I don’t usually date bleeding-heart liberals, but for you, I think I can make an exception.”

Footsteps sounded near us and some rustling of papers. I tore my gaze away from Trey and saw two of the girls from my Women’s Studies class near the reference stack. One of them smirked in my direction. I smiled and waved gingerly.

Trey waved as well, which didn’t help matters. “Who are they?” he whispered.

“Some girls from my Women and Gender in Society class,” I whispered back, not even looking at him.

“Women’s Studies and Political Science? You really are a bleeding-heart liberal. I hope you aren’t going to tell me that you’re a part of the feminist group and don’t want to date me because you prefer the company of females.”

I let out a groan and looked at Trey. “Seriously? That is so stereotypical. I’m double majoring because I actually want to do something for women’s rights, not just let some politician control my reproductive system.”

“So, then you aren’t a lesbian, and you’ll finally agree to let me take you out again?” He raised his eyebrows high on his head.

“In your dreams.”

The two girls strolled by our desk, the one with the short, spiky hair spoke loud enough for me to hear. “And she said they weren’t dating.”

I shot my head up to say something, but they were already walking past us and disappeared behind one of the many bookshelves. I should have ran after them. I should have set them straight, but instead I just glared at Trey.

He smiled in return. “So, you’re talking about me in your feminist classes? It can’t be all bad if people think we’re dating.”

I groaned, shutting my laptop the rest of the way and putting it in my messenger bag. “People think we’re dating because you won’t leave me alone. Don’t you get the hint?”

He slowly shook his head. “Miss Remy, I don’t know what kind of signals you’re trying to give me, but the more you challenge me, the sexier I find you.”

I stopped moving. My heart felt like it was doing somersaults in my chest. He just called me sexy. I had to admit that I found him witty and unbelievably attractive, but I wasn’t expecting him to throw out the sexy card. I didn’t know the conservative had it in him.

“Flattery isn’t going to score you a date,” I stammered.

“But I did catch you off-guard enough to think about it?” He steepled his fingers together.

“I don’t think this is an appropriate conversation, Mr. Chapman.”

He laid his hands flat with his palms on the table between us. “Are you telling me that you have a boyfriend?”

“No…”

“Then this shouldn’t be a problem. I enjoy spending time with you; you enjoy spending time with me, and whether you like it or not we’re going to have to work on this project for Westerfield’s class either way. And that is going to require us to spend some time together.”

I groaned and stood up, slinging my messenger bag over my shoulder. “Just because we’re project partners, doesn’t mean I’m going to date you. It’s strictly business.”

Trey stood in front of me. I never noticed how great of a physique he had and tried not to stare. Even with his slightly spiky-gelled hair he only had a few inches on me, but every bit of his body fit like a glove into his well-tailored outfit. I wondered if he worked out, or if he had the knobby things that dipped into his V line. I didn’t know what they were called, but they made smart girls do stupid things whenever they saw a guy without his shirt on. Or any clothes at all. This was no time to picture Trey naked. That was reserved for when I was alone and could pretend it was by accident. It’s not like it would ever go farther than make-believe either.

“A business date it is then,” he said, putting his hand out to me.

I took his hand in mine and shook it. “Not a date. Just business.”

He kept his hand on mine. The shaking had slowed down, but he didn’t let go. “Business that involves a planned outing to study. Possibly at a restaurant or my apartment.”

I wanted to let go of his hand, sort of. I wondered what they would feel like running through my hair, down my back, and even lower. “No restaurant and not your apartment. If I give you my number so we can set up a time to work on the project, will you abuse it?”

The shaking had slowed down so it was nothing more than a slight swing of our hands. He kept his eyes locked on me like there was no one else in the world. “If you gave me your number, I promise to only use it when I really need you.”

He took his free hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out a sleek, smartphone. “Now, what is it?”

I didn’t technically need to give him my phone number, but with his hand on mine and the freckles on his nose calling to me, I had no other choice but to ramble it off.

***

When I finally got back to my apartment Sam was camped out on the couch with her laptop. She had some sort of metal music playing, but turned it off when she saw me come in and took her fishnet stocking clad feet off the table.

“Hey, roomie, how were classes?”

“Fine, I guess,” I said, shrugging my messenger bag onto the counter and reaching into the freezer. The sandwich from earlier barely filled me up and even though it was only five, I was starving, so I grabbed a frozen meal.

“You guess? Does it suck that much here?” Sam set her laptop down and walked over to the counter, her vinyl skirt squeaking against the stool as she sat down.

“Ugh, it’s just a weird story.”

She leaned in. “I’m all ears.”

I popped the meal in the microwave, pressed a few buttons, and then turned back to her, leaning my back against the fridge. “Okay, I know it’s stupid, but I had my first class with Trey, and now I’m stuck working with him on a project.”

Her eyes widened like Easter eggs. “Trey Chapman? Douchebag governor’s son?”

“Do you know anyone else with a stupid name like Trey?”

“Touché.”

“Anyway,” I continued. “It wouldn’t be so bad, but that guy is like everywhere. He sat next to me in class and then when I was in the library he showed up there, trying to convince me to go on a date with him.”

“Wow,” Sam said and then just paused, staring down at her black-painted fingernails.

“Wow what?”

She shook her head. “Nothing, it’s just weird. He’s always been a cocky asshole because it’s in his privileged nature, but I’ve never actually seen him pursue a girl. The closest is when he’s handing out flyers for the Republican student organization. I just assumed he was in the closet or something.”

I blinked hard. Trey never went after another girl? I just figured I was his latest victim. Sam had to have her facts wrong. “That seems silly. I assume he has a flock of girls that are always around him. Chicks dig guys in power.”

Sam set her hands on the counter. “Not that I’ve seen. Sure, there are plenty of stupid-ass girls that chase after him, but I’ve never actually seen him with a girl. There must be something about your red-headed charm that has his dick hard.”

I rolled my eyes; she would make a crass statement like that. “Please. First off, my hair is auburn. Second off, Trey is probably just using some charming bullshit to turn me into a Republican drone.”

She slid off the chair and walked around the island into the kitchen. “That could be true as well. Do you think he’s planning on implanting your brain with some crazy software and turning you into a Stepford wife?” She put her arms out in front of her, like Frankenstein, and pursed her lips into an O shape. “I am Republican woman, please take my rights and then let me blow you, eep, eep, epp.” She walked across the kitchen like some sort of robot monster. I snorted, watching her.

The timer went off on the microwave and I opened it, pulling out the frozen meal. Sam stopped her Stepford robot walk and then leaned against the counter. “Seriously, though, I hope you aren’t falling for his shit. I can deal with not smoking pot in the apartment, but I don’t know how cool I would be living with a Republican.”

I stirred the pseudo pasta in the cardboard container and then looked at Sam. “Don’t worry, if there’s one thing I will never be, it’s a Republican.”

I could have said that I would have never dated Trey either. But thinking about his dimples and the way his eyes locked on me when he smiled; I had to put my body in check to make sure my fantasies were never voiced and just stayed inside my head.

If my counselor knew about my thoughts she would probably be jumping up and down. I spent the summer hiding out in my room and ignoring everything remotely social. I didn’t even expect anyone would want to talk to the transfer student in a school of thousands, but Trey pushed me out into the spotlight. Something my family had been trying to do all summer. I preferred to blend into the crowd, but being on a Trey’s radar probably stopped any chance of that happening.

Chapter 6

On Tuesday I got away with not seeing Trey all day. He wasn’t in either of my classes, and luckily, he didn’t show up at work. But Wednesday was a different story.

“I think we should put all these rumors to rest.” Trey didn’t even say hi. He just plopped down at the desk next to mine and leaned over it.

“The rumors about you liking men?” I asked, fluttering my eyelashes, innocently.

“That’s slander, Miss Remy,” he said, with a hint of a smile.

“You said you wanted to put some rumors to rest.” I smirked in return. I could already hear groaning from the students behind us, but I didn’t care. They could say whatever they wanted at that point. I had to prove that we weren’t together.

“I’m saying that we should put the rumors about us dating to rest and put a plan into action. I think me taking you to dinner is in order.”

I groaned. “We aren’t dating, and we never will.”

I couldn’t believe that it was actually considered a rumor now that we were together. By the way the other people in class constantly whispered about us, it shouldn’t have been that big of a surprise.

“Whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me on this project. So, if you aren’t going to date me, then you at least owe me a study session tonight, so we can figure out where to go with our paper and speeches.”

Unfortunately, he was right about the project. If he would have just kept his cocky mouth shut, I wouldn’t have fed into his banter, and I wouldn’t have had to work with him. But now I was stuck. “Fine. We can meet up tonight.”

“My place?” He raised his eyebrows. “I’ll order in.”

I shook my head. “No, you can come over to my place if you’re going to make it difficult.”

“Is your roommate going to be there?”

I caught his gaze. He was staring at me so intently that I could get lost in his eyes. Every girl says that a guy has beautiful eyes, but Trey really did. They were like the color of jungle grass mixed with the Emerald Palace from Wizard of Oz. I could have easily been hypnotized by his eyes and had to quickly look down at my phone. “I’ll text her and see when she’s out, then you can come over around then. Sound good?”

“Sounds perfect. I can’t wait.”

And I hated to admit it; the butterflies in my stomach couldn’t wait either.

***

Sam had a night class on Wednesday nights from six to nine, so Trey agreed to come over at six. I didn’t want to seem anxious, but every minute that Sam was in the apartment I was waiting for her to leave because that meant it was closer to when Trey would be over. I was probably crazy to have him alone in my apartment, but just for insurance I kept my mace close by. I didn’t think I’d actually have to use it on him, but one could never be too careful. I learned that one the hard way at Taylor. Some guys could turn on you in an instant. Guys who you thought were your friends, but only thought of you as a piece of ass.

Even though we had just moved in, I still cleaned the apartment again, vacuuming every square inch and dusting everything I could see. I didn’t want him to think I was unkempt and there was still the lingering scent of pot, so that had to go. When Sam finally left, I plopped down on the couch, pulling out my laptop, syllabus, and the few print-outs I had regarding contraception legislation in Illinois. I was sure that Trey had his own arsenal of knowledge, but I had to be prepared.

At six on the dot there was a knock on the front door. I jumped up as if I’d just seen a ghost. “Pull yourself together, Monica, this is just a study session,” I whispered to myself and finally walked to the front door.

Trey was leaning on the door frame when I opened it. He wore his usual dress shirt and dress pants. I had to hide my disappointment that I hoped he would actually change into something less professional looking, but it seemed to be his uniform, and damn, could he pull off the dress clothes. Usually once classes were done I changed into my pajama pants, and even though I knew Trey was coming, I decided I didn’t need to make an exception for him.

“Good to see you dressed up for me,” he joked, walking past me into the kitchen.

I shut the door behind us and followed him. “I hope you weren’t expecting pearls and an apron.”

Trey shook his head, walking into the living room and setting his laptop bag on the chair. “It’s really weird, being in your apartment. It looks the same as mine except with different furniture.”

I raised an eyebrow, following him into the living room. “How do you have different furniture, if this is what comes standard?”

“I brought my own from home and put the rest in storage. I’d rather be comfortable if I’m going to be living here for the next nine months.”

“Oh.” He did have a good point.

“You can come see it at my place, if you’d like. I’m sure my leather couch is way more comfortable than whatever material this is.” He swiped his hand over the polka dot monstrosity on the back wall of my living room.

I plopped down on it. The cushions were so hard I swear I felt my ass bone break. “No, I think I’m fine here.”

“Whatever you say.” He took the seat next to me. He wasn’t so close that he was touching me, but being in that close of proximity to him still made me hyper aware of every part of his body. If I moved an inch to the left my elbow would brush against his, or his outer thigh would touch mine.

I shook the thoughts of his body against mine out of my head and picked up the print-out with the objectives for our paper. “Okay, first I think we need to discuss the five supporting topics that we each want to talk about for our points. If we can get the pros and cons to those, I think we should be able to write our paper from there.”

Trey didn’t say anything. I was expecting some witty remark, but there was nothing. I turned to make sure he wasn’t texting or just not paying attention. But he was. He was staring right at me; his broad smile lighting up his entire face.

“What?” I asked. “Do I have something on my face?”

He shook his head slowly and leaned forward. “No, it’s just, well, it’s kind of hot to see you so intent on something and working so hard on it.”

I groaned. “Can you stop hitting on me for like two seconds?”

“What? I was being sincere. It’s really cool that you have so much planned out; it shows that you’re organized and not just remaining idle. I wouldn’t expect that from a liberal.”

“Really?” I sat up, setting down the sheet of paper. “You’re going to throw in the liberal card? Just because I believe in a woman’s right to contraception, I’m some hard core liberal that should also be lazy and expect things to be handed to me?”

Trey held his hands up. “Whoa, whoa, I didn’t say that. I was trying to compliment you by saying that it was nice to see how hard at work you are. Most people wouldn’t work this much on the first week of an assignment; especially when it isn’t due until the end of the semester.”

The tension was still resting on my shoulders, but I let them relax slightly, letting out a deep breath. “I just want to get this working together part over with and then we can both move on with our own part of the assignment.”

The deal was that we had to work together to come up with the points we would talk about in the debate. That was the main part that required partner participation, other than that, we were on our own to figure out our arguments for each of our points. I really hoped to wipe the floor with Trey, but I knew his dad probably paid for private debate classes for him since he spoke his first words, which were probably ‘right to bear arms.’

“Are you saying you don’t enjoy working with me? I think we could be good together.” He raised his eyebrows slightly. I tried not to focus on the slight crinkle of his nose when he smiled that brought out the row of freckles on the bridge of his nose. What I wouldn’t give to be one of those freckles.

“Okay, Mr. Politician, if you’re so into us working together, why do you think we make a good team? Because I haven’t seen it.” I crossed my arms over my chest. Thank God I didn’t change into my pajama top, or I’d have to worry about the no bra issue.

He folded his hands on his lap. “Because you aren’t the type of girl to just bend at a whim. You’ll fight for what you want, but at the same time, you actually know what you’re talking about.” He leaned closer, his lips were so close to me I wondered what they would feel like pressed against mine. “And, unlike a lot of other girls I’ve met, you like to challenge me with facts instead of mindless rambling. All your arguments are valid, and I can actually have an educated debate with you, like we did at Mario’s. That’s the reason I jumped at the chance for us to be partners. I could talk politics with you all day long.”

Everything he said was exactly how I felt about him. I just hated to admit it. I also hated to admit how badly I wanted him at that point; to throw every single one of my morals and reasons for hating him out the window and pounce on him.

“I want to kiss you right now, so badly,” his words were barely above a whisper. At first I thought I made it up, but then he leaned in closer, his bright green eyes staring right into mine.

“Asking, takes away the spontaneity.” I could barely get the words out. I was too focused on the moving of his lips.

“I would never want to force you to do something you don’t want to do. So, I’m asking you. Can I kiss you?” He placed his hand on my cheek, running his finger down the length of my jawline. The feeling of his hand on me sent an electric tingle straight down below my belly button. I hadn’t felt that way for a guy in a very long time. He wasn’t forcing me into anything, just the opposite; he was asking me if it was okay. And I didn’t know what my answer should be.

I didn’t hear Sam come in the door until she screamed, “What the hell is this?”

I gasped, jumping back against the other end of the couch. “Sam! I thought you had night class?”

She set her bag down on the kitchen counter and then stomped into the living room with her hands on her hips. “Yeah, we got out early. I didn’t think the governor’s douchebag son would be here when I came back.”

“We—we—we were just working a project,” I stammered.

“Uh huh.” She rolled her eyes. “Look you have your rules about what I can do in the apartment and I have mine.” She pointed a chewed up fingernail at Trey. “And I say he has to go.”

Trey stood up, putting his laptop bag over his shoulder. “That’s fine. I wouldn’t want to ruin the roommate dynamic.”

“Wait!” I stood up and put my hand on his arm. He looked down at it and then his eyes met mine. I felt a lump in my throat. The moment never faded between us, and I didn’t want him to leave. “We never finished our five points for our assignment.”

“The offer still stands to work on it at my place,” he said, putting his other hand on mine. There was a part of me that wanted to say no and knew it was a bad idea to be so close to a person whose father I hated with every fiber of my being. But there was a bigger part that wanted to go so badly. That part won over.

“Okay, let me grab my things, and I’ll be right over.”

Trey smiled and patted my hand. As he walked toward the door Sam hissed at him, but he kept walking and closed the door behind him. I waited a whole thirty seconds before I let out a huge breath.

Sam turned toward me. “Um, what the hell was that?”

I quickly gathered up my papers and my laptop, shoving them in my messenger bag. “It’s nothing. We’re just partners for a debate assignment.”

“Uh huh, and partners sit that close on the couch.”

“Sam.” I shot a glare at her, throwing my messenger bag over my shoulder. “I’m just working with him on an assignment. I’ll be back afterward. Don’t wait up.”

I didn’t wait for her response and stormed out of the apartment, only to make the few steps to Apartment 12B. I knocked on the door, and Trey opened it just as I finished my knock.

“What took you so long?” he asked, leaning on the door frame.

“Can we just get this over with?”

He stepped back, motioning for me to come in, and I followed as he shut the door behind me. His apartment was the same layout as mine, but his looked like he had a professional decorator. The old couch and chair were replaced by a plush, leather sofa on the back wall and a large picture of the Chicago skyline hanging over it. A matching love seat sat adjacent to it, and instead of the bulky big screen TV, there was a flat screen mounted on the wall with small speakers on either side. Maroon curtains were drawn over the patio doors, and the room was lit by a few lamps on some dark wood end tables on each side of the couch.

I followed him into the living room and got a glance at the open door to the room on my left. I knew it was his when he told me Sam banged on his bedroom wall. Inside was a large four poster bed complete with a big red bedspread that probably cost as much as my rent.

“I think our studying would be better in the living room instead of in my bedroom,” he whispered, his lips almost on my ear.

I jumped, not even realizing that he was there.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” His eyes brimmed with concern.

“I’m fine.” I gulped, walking into the living room and setting my bag on the dark wood coffee table. Even that was better than the glass monstrosity I was stuck with in my apartment. “I was just admiring your decorating.”

He sat down on the couch, and I took the seat next to him. The couch melded around me like butter. It was so comfortable that I could have sunk into it and slept forever. “Yeah, my mom has a penchant for decorating.”

“What do you do with the other bedroom if there is just one of you?” I hitched my thumb in the direction of the closed door.

He shrugged. “Storage.”

“Then why have another bedroom?”

He leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “Because I wanted to live in this apartment complex, and they didn’t have any one bedrooms available. What’s with all the questions?”

So I wouldn’t kiss him. If I just kept talking I wouldn’t think about kissing him.

“Um, just curious, I guess.”

I reached down and fumbled through the papers in my bag. My hands were shaking so badly I felt like I would drop all of them.

“Monica?”

I yanked my head up, blinking slowly. “Yes?”

“Screw being polite,” he mumbled just before he placed both of his hands on the side of my face and crushed his lips against mine. I didn’t want to kiss him back. I didn’t want to like it so much, but his lips were so soft, and his kiss so longing, that I couldn’t help but get lost in it. This was the first kiss I’d had in months, and it was well worth the wait.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he deepened the kiss; his tongue easing its way into my mouth. He tasted even better than he smelled, like sunshine and peppermint. He was so delicious it was intoxicating. His hands slid down my back, resting just above my butt. I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging it lightly. A soft moan escaped his lips onto mine. I tugged his hair again, and he slowly inched forward. I pressed my back against the couch, never breaking our kiss. For a guy that didn’t believe in contraception laws, he was the most sensual kisser I ever kissed. If he was going to keep kissing me like that, he would probably need to start.

I broke the kiss slightly, nibbling at his lower lip. He moaned with pure ecstasy. Turned out I wasn’t that bad either. I licked at the spot my teeth hit and then slid my tongue back into his mouth. He pressed his body against mine, running his hands along the curve of my hips.

I was so lost in the moment that when his phone rang on the coffee table I jolted, severing the kiss and knocking him off the couch and onto the floor.

“Oh my God! I’m sorry!” I put my hand over my mouth and leaned over the couch.

He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling and smiling.

“Are you going to get your phone?”

He raised an eyebrow in my direction and then grabbed the phone from the table, sliding it to his ear. “Hey, John Boy. I’m going to have to call you back. I’m working on a project.”

Trey ended the call and set the phone back on the coffee table. Then he slowly sat up, his face just inches from mine. “Now where were we?”

“Um…” I bit my bottom lip and ran my fingers through my mess of hair. “I think we should probably work on our assignment.”

He shook his head, standing up and then taking the spot next to me on the couch. “I’ll respect your wishes, Miss Remy, and we can work on our assignment. But if you don’t stop teasing me like this we’re never going to get it done.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Chapman,” I said with a slight smile, sitting up on the couch.

“For now, I’ll let you plead temporary amnesia,” he said and lifted my chin to him. “But I’m never going to forget what it felt like when you were biting my lip instead of your own.”

Chapter 7

I don’t know how I made it the next hour without pouncing on Trey, but somehow I did. I was just happy I didn’t have to see Trey in class the next day because I didn’t know what I would have done when all I could think about was kissing him.

“Are you okay?” Melanie knocked me out of one of my many day dreams of the day.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” I said and went back to grinding coffee beans. I didn’t realize I just stopped in the middle of what I was doing. I would have to kick my Trey habit or feed it more regularly if I wanted to get through my days. The problem was, I didn’t know which one I wanted.

“You don’t seem fine. You seem totally out of it. Which would either mean that you’re sick or thinking about a boy.” She held her hand to my forehead and then pulled it back. “No fever, so it definitely means it’s a boy.”

I shook my head, shaking the last of the coffee beans in the filter and then placing it in the coffee pot. “Am not.”

“Is it that guy that was in here the other day? The governor’s son?” I turned to see her eyebrows were raised high on her head.

“No…” I said in a voice barely above a whisper. It may have been the afternoon and the place was pretty empty, but I didn’t want anyone to walk in on our conversation. I went the whole day without running into Trey or anyone that knew us. But I also knew that it seemed like someone would show up just as I started talking about him.

“Oh my God! You’re totally lying! Your face is as red as a tomato!” She shoved my arm.

“It is not!”

Melanie shook her head and placed her hand on the counter. “I wouldn’t believe it unless I saw it with my own eyes. Monica Remy has a crush on Trey Chapman.”

“It’s not a crush. That’s what little girls use to describe their love of boys in math class.” I groaned.

“Okay, then, what would you call it?” She tilted her chin down.

“It’s not anything. He’s just my neighbor, and a guy I’m working on a project with.” I paused and looked down at the ground, whispering, “and he just happens to also be a really good kisser.”

Melanie squealed, shoving my arm. I looked up to see her eyes were wide, and she was covering her mouth. “Shut up, you did not!”

“It was just a kiss, Mel. It’s not like I’m going to marry the guy. He probably kisses a lot of girls.” I may have said it out loud, but inside I was hoping it wasn’t true. Not the marrying part, but I hope he wasn’t going around kissing a lot of girls. Of course, a guy who asked my permission to kiss me probably wasn’t the type to go around and make out with every girl he met.

I didn’t even hear someone come up to the counter until I heard Sam yell. “Who are you kissing now, Monica?”

I gasped and turned to see my dreadlocked roommate standing at the counter with a big smirk on her red painted lips.

“Trey Chapman!” Melanie squealed.

I turned and glared at her.

“Sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t help it, and she’s your roommate so she has to know.”

“Oh, I witnessed the major eye fucking they were doing last night. I just didn’t know it got to kissing, gross,” Sam said the words with disgust as if she were spitting them out.

I walked over to the counter with Melanie next to me. “It was just a simple kiss. When you put two people together in close quarters, sometimes things are bound to happen.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, but if this thing is going to continue with you and Trey, just give me some sort of a warning. I don’t want to walk in on that again.” She set her hands on the counter. “And if he’s going to be your whatever and you want to have him at the apartment, I guess we can work out an arrangement if you can make some room for my hobbies.”

“I’ll think about that one,” I muttered.

“Good.” She smirked. “Now can I get a large white chocolate mocha with two extra espresso shots?”

I squinted my eyes in confusion, typing the order in on the register. “Whoa, that’s some pretty heavy stuff. Do you have a big test or something?”

Sam shook her head, pulling out some crumpled dollar bills from a duct-taped wallet. “No, it’s my usual. I work nights three days a week at a bank call center. It sucks, but it helps pay for my half of our nice, little apartment.”

Well, that explained how someone that wore ripped up t-shirts and fishnets could afford such a nice place.

“That’s cool,” I said, taking her money and putting it in the register.

Sam leaned in. She smelled like nicotine and foundation, not a good combination. “Look, my offer still stands. If you want Trey over, make room for my hobby, and he can stink up the apartment with his Republican musk.”

I bit my bottom lip, mulling over what she said. “How about if you don’t do it every night, and you have to keep it in your room?”

What was I saying? Was I really just planning on having Trey over more often?

She slammed her hand down on the counter. “You’ve got a deal, roommate.”

And it felt like I just made a deal with the devil. But if there would be more nights with Trey, I didn’t know if it was such a bad deal. We did have to work on our project after all…

***

After closing up work for the night, I got back to my apartment. Sam was gone, so I had the place to myself. I walked into my bedroom, setting my messenger bag on the floor and looking down at the coffee grounds on my shirt. It was probably time for a hot bath and some laundry. Gathering the rest of my dirty clothes, I walked into the kitchen. Our washer and dryer were basically in a tiny closet off the kitchen, but it worked for getting my few days worth of clothes in clean condition.

Once the washer was started, I went back into my bathroom and turned on the hot water, drizzling in a few bath salts. Pulling my hair into a bun, I eased into the warm water, letting it soak over my body. It was just what I needed. But just as I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the tub, my phone buzzed. I would have ignored it, but it buzzed again.

I groaned, leaning up and wiping my hand on a towel before grabbing my phone from where I set it on the closed toilet seat. There was a message from an unknown number.

Do you have plans tonight? I was hoping I could take you to dinner.

I didn’t have to know who the text was from; the context was enough to tell me it was Trey. I decided to text back anyway. There was no reason not to have a little fun with him.

I’m sorry, but if this is a telemarketer, I usually don’t accept propositions through text. You will have to call between the hours of eight a.m. and five p.m.

He responded quicker than I thought he would.

Miss Remy, I didn’t know you were going for a career in comedy. This is Trey.

I know. I responded.

Now that you know, and you have my number, how about dinner? I can pick you up in an hour.

The guy didn’t give up. It was a quality that was both a good and a bad thing. I liked someone who knew what they wanted, but sometimes it could be too much.

I believe this number was given to you to discuss our project, not about personal relations.

But this is about our project, Miss Remy. I want to sit and discuss my objectives with you over dinner.

I groaned. He was very persistent.

Mr. Chapman, I am going to have to decline. I have other obligations that I need to attend to. I will see you in our morning class.

With that I set my phone back down and rested my head back against the tub. My phone didn’t buzz again. I was expecting him to respond and felt a tinge of disappointment in the pit of my stomach that he didn’t. If he would have showed up at my door with his charming smile and those dimples…well, he probably could have convinced me.

After a few more minutes in the tub I got out and wrapped my towel around me. The pajamas that I’d been wearing all week were in the wash, but I knew I had another pair buried in my closet. I walked through the room and into my walk-in closet.

“Where the hell are those pink shorts?” I asked myself.

I fumbled through the stacks of sweaters that were at the back of my closet, but the shorts weren’t there. As I reached up to the top shelf my hand hit something hard. I grabbed the object and pulled it down. It was a small, wooden box, about the size of a shoe box. On the front was a crest with the words ‘Kappa Beta’ carved into it.

I sat on the floor and ran my fingers over the letters. I didn’t even remember packing it, and I hadn’t looked at it since I left Taylor. Slowly, I opened the box. The first thing I saw was a silver chain with the letters ‘KB’ dangling at the end, but the thing that caught my attention was the picture underneath it.

Four girls sat on a blue couch, all in Kappa Beta t-shirts and smiling like their lives depended on it. I was one of the four girls. I ran my fingers over the girl in the picture. The happy girl. The girl that didn’t speak sarcasm. After I left Taylor my mom used to ask what happened to her happy girl. As I looked at the date on the corner of the picture I knew what happened to that girl; she died inside the night the picture was taken. The girls sitting next to her were supposed to be her sisters. Her friends. They were supposed to protect her. Instead they just watched and said nothing.

As I felt tears slide down my cheek and onto the picture, I knew that the once happy girl was the reason I couldn’t be with Trey Chapman. His father’s politics were half the reason I would never be the same again and being with Trey would only remind me of that night.

“Um, I’m here to get the morning after pill?”

The pudgy nurse looked up from her copy of People magazine and quickly shoved it under her desk like I didn’t totally catch her reading it.

“Okay, hold on one moment.”

She went behind a few shelves full of bottles, leaving me standing there with my own thoughts. My feet tapped nervously at the ground. I still hadn’t slept. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to sleep again.

The nurse came back up to the counter with a tiny package in her hands and then she typed a few things into the register. “Okay, that will be $101.50.”

“What?” I tried not to scream and looked around to see that there was no one else near me. No one would have been up that early on a weekend to go to the pharmacy anyway. “I thought it was supposed to be free, and I could just fill out a form?”

She held a tight-lipped smirk on her face. “That was before the contraception bill went into effect.”

“The what? What am I supposed to do?” I blinked back the tears fighting to get out. I had cried too much the past few hours, and I didn’t even know if I had it in me to cry again.

“Well, we could try to see if your insurance will cover it, but I’ve had quite a few girls in here that haven’t been able to get it covered.”

I shook my head, closing my eyes and then opening them again. “So I’m just stuck?”

The nurse put her hand on mine, patting it gently. “We aren’t supposed to get involved in politics, but I’ve seen too many situations like yours since Governor Chapman passed this bill. I just wished there was something more. If this is an urgent situation, you can always go to the emergency room, and they should be able to work their magic.”

I shook my head, pulling my hand away. “No, no emergency room. I’ll be fine.”

I put the picture back in the box and slid it on the shelf where I found it. I wiped away the last of my tears and then slid on the first pair of pajamas I found. Whether I liked it or not, I still had to live next door to the guy and at least work with him on our project. I walked out of the closet, grabbed my laptop and turned it on. I figured I would need to at least get started on my paper, because the sooner I got done with setting up our objectives, the sooner I would be able to stop working with Trey.

But as I looked down at my phone, seeing the last of my text messages, I couldn’t deny the butterflies that still fluttered in my stomach just thinking of him. I clutched my phone to my chest. My heart was leaning one way, but my mind would never forget the past. If I hated someone’s politics, could I still fall for them?

Chapter 8

After working on my project, and watching a few hours of reality TV, I finally fell asleep. I went to bed early only to wake up the next morning to face Trey in class. I couldn’t pretend like our massive make out session didn’t happen, especially when he walked into class and just grinned at me like he had a secret.

“Is there something I can help you with?” I asked as he took his seat next to me, folding his hands on the desk.

“You can help me with our assignment. You see, Miss Remy, my partner has been ignoring me, so I could really use some help on getting my side of the project started.”‘

Damn, he smelled amazing. Even better than usual. Maybe he just put more cologne on, or maybe it was because I was trying not to notice him and failed miserably when all I could do is think about what cologne he was wearing.

“Well, you should maybe talk to Dr. Westerfield about switching partners. It sounds like this girl is a real bitch,” I said with a smirk, pulling my laptop out of my bag.

Trey leaned in so close I couldn’t help but stare at his lips. The lips that were on mine just a couple of days before. I could almost still taste them. “I’d say she’s just the opposite. And she’s a really great kisser.”

I could feel the heat crawl up my neck and to my face. He said it softly enough so that no one would notice, but just hearing Trey say that about me made my whole body feel like it was on fire.

I cleared my throat, trying to get my head back in the game. “Well, then, you should probably just leave her alone. Those types of girls are always trouble.”

“I’m always up for a challenge, Miss Remy.” He ran his finger down the length of my arm from where my sleeve met my skin and down to my wrist. It sent a warm chill down my arm where his fingers grazed, and it took everything I had not to react to it. “So how about it, Monica? Will you stop rejecting me and just let me take you on a proper date?”

I glanced up and saw the professor walking in. At the risk of being called out again for flirting, I turned my attention to my laptop and opened a word document. “I’m going to have to decline again, Mr. Chapman.”

He looked over his shoulder just as Dr. Westerfield set her bag down on her desk. Then he faced the front of the room. I thought our conversation was over when he pulled out a notebook and pen, but after writing down something quickly he slid the notebook over to the side of the desk.

I glanced over to see a simple question written out.

Why not?

I shook my head and reached into my messenger bag, pulling out a small notebook I kept around to take notes in case my computer ever died. I grabbed a pen and quickly scribbled on the notebook, placing it at the end of my desk.

Because I don’t date Republicans.

I thought it would be a good enough response and he would actually pay attention in class, but no such luck.

He quickly crossed out his first sentence and wrote a new one. I’ll make an exception for you, if you make one for me.

I let out a puff of air and then scribbled the previous one, shoving it at his desk.

No.

All I needed was the two letter word. I hoped that gave him the hint.

It seemed to do the trick because he didn’t bother me throughout the rest of class, though he was pretty busy arguing the points with others on our readings about local government sanctions. I hated to admit it, but there was something incredibly sexy about the way he argued. Every point he made was followed by silence, as if he was actually listening intently to what the other person would say. Then he would slam them down with another political answer that would have that person scrambling for a rebuttal. He really would make a good politician. And an incredibly sexy one.

***

After classes I was finally able to head back to my apartment. Sam was out, and she hadn’t lit up the place yet. I almost regretted allowing her to smoke in the apartment, but if it was just going to be in her room it wouldn’t be that bad. I tried to fool myself into saying that I just agreed because Trey was close by, and I needed to work on the project with him. When in all reality part of me wanted him to come over more often. Even after looking at the picture with the Kappa girls and thinking how much I hated his dad. Maybe he wasn’t like him, but I wasn’t just going to let a guy in that easy.

All summer I tried to put the past behind me. I saw a counselor twice a week, did Pilates, and even tried some forgiveness techniques that involved sage, candles, and pictures. None of them worked. If any guy even looked at me, I usually ran away. My counselor said I couldn’t let my mind control my heart, but I had been doing it for so long that it became second nature until the moment I saw Trey Chapman. Now I was afraid of what would happen if I let my heart win.

Quickly, I shook the thoughts of Trey and his white dress shirts out of my head and went into the bathroom, turning on the bath water. It had become my new routine to unwind for the day, and I didn’t like to miss it. I poured in some bath salts and then put my hair into a bun before slowly creeping into the warm water. Bach crooned from my iPod, and I could almost forget about the day and everything Trey. Almost.

The thought of his dimpled smile combined with the hot water of the bath, sent a whole new set of electricity below my belly button. I gripped the bathtub and mentally shook my head. I couldn’t think of Trey that way or how much he made every part of my body long for him. He wasn’t just another guy; he was a conservative bastard. His father publicly opposed all forms of contraception, gay marriage, and tax breaks for the middle class. Those were my three big hot-button issues and anyone that wasn’t for them, I figured I was against. But maybe Trey wasn’t like his father. I knew I didn’t share all of the same political views as my dad on every issue.

I tried to put politics in the back of my head and just enjoy my bath, but then I heard a loud knock at the door, followed by another. I could have just let it go, but whoever it was kept knocking. I groaned, sliding out of my nice, warm bath and quickly pulled on my bathrobe.

“I’m coming!” I yelled, wiping water droplets from my legs and walking into the living room. The knocking still continued. Whoever it was, they were going to get a mouthful when I got to them.

I threw open the door to be greeted by a giant bouquet of roses. “What the French toast?”

The roses slid down, and there was Trey’s smiling face. “Are you inviting me in for French toast? Because I’m sure that will go great with these flowers.”

I rolled my eyes, taking the flowers from him, moving into the kitchen, and setting them on the counter. “No, it’s just an expression.”

I tried to look away from the flowers, but they smelled wonderful. The entire kitchen was filled with their amazing aroma. They were all fully bloomed like a big, red ray of sunshine. No guy had ever bought me flowers, but I didn’t want to make a big deal of it in front of Trey. I would gush over them when he left.

“Was I interrupting something?” I turned and saw that he was now standing behind me in the kitchen; a small smile on his face while his eyes trailed down to my robe.

I pulled the top closure tight against my chest and felt my pulse quicken. I prayed he wouldn’t try anything. He never gave me the vibe of being the type of guy that would, but looks could be deceiving. “Yes, I was taking a bath.”

I thought he would be the slimy guy that would ask to join me, but he didn’t. His eyes even stopped scaling my robe and instead they were looking right into mine. “I came over to see if you would reconsider my offer to take you to dinner.”

My throat felt dry, like I had been in the desert for weeks. Between the roses, his dimpled smile, and the way he looked at me like I was the most interesting person in the world, it was hard to resist.

“I…I…I don’t think it’s such a good idea.”

He took a step closer to me, his hands in his pockets. “Monica, I know we may not see eye-to-eye politically, but there is something about you that fascinates me. I love our conversations, and I can’t deny how much I enjoyed having you on my couch the other night.”

I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks just thinking about our kiss. He took another step forward; the mix of his cologne and the flowers was enough to send my hormones into over-drive. I wanted to jump him right there and forget all about politics. But instead I just swallowed.

“Look, I like you. I don’t say that to most girls,” he said, moving one of his hands out of his pocket and onto the counter.

I took a few steps backward until I was against the wall. “You seem like a really nice guy, Trey, but do you think this is what would be best for us?”

“I’m not saying that we have to get married. I’m just asking you for one night out and then I’ll never ask again.” He put both his hands on the wall, on either side of my face. My lips trembled, watching his face move just inches form mine. “I usually don’t have to beg, but there is something about you that makes me forget everything else, so I will ask you out every single day until you say yes.”

He leaned in closer, his words breathing onto my mouth. I wanted to kiss his soft lips so bad. There was no way I could refuse. “Okay,” I whispered.

“Really?” His smile lit up his whole face, from his dimples and up to the adorable freckles.

I bit my lip and nodded to keep from throwing myself on him and kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

“Great.” He moved his hands off the wall and stepped backward. “I’ll pick you up here tomorrow? Does six sound good, or is that your usual bath time?” He raised an eyebrow.

My face felt like it was a million degrees. “Um, no six works. I’ll postpone my bath.” Or I would possibly need a cold shower.

He took a few more steps back and put his hand on the doorknob. “I look forward to it, Miss Remy.”

He winked and was out the door before I could respond.

One minute I was hating the guy and the next I agreed to go on a date with him. It was like my heart was torn in two different directions, and the horny part was winning out.

I covered my face with my hands and let out a slight giggle. I hadn’t been on a date in a long time, and I couldn’t help but be giddy. I removed my hands and walked over to the flowers, inhaling a large whiff of their beautiful scent. A date with Trey could be dangerous, but then again, it could also be just what I needed.

Chapter 9

I had to work early again on Saturday morning, but most of the students were gone for Labor Day weekend, so it was pretty much just me and Melanie “sampling” the different drinks on the menu.

“So, what are your plans for this weekend?” Melanie asked after downing her newest creation, a vanilla and peppermint latte.

I squirted a few pumps of caramel into a foam cup and glanced up at her. “I need to head to the mall after work and then I have dinner plans tonight, but that is about it.”

“Dinner plans?” She walked over and leaned on the counter beside the pumps of syrup. “With who?”

“Trey,” I said it quickly, pouring some milk in a steam pot, hoping she wouldn’t make a big deal of it. No such luck.

“WHAT?” she squealed. Luckily we were the only two in the place, but I’m sure everyone heard her across campus.

“Shhh!” I put my finger to my lips. “It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just dinner.” I put my finger down and steamed my milk.

“Not that big of a deal? You’re going on a date with a guy that you have said you hate, but always flirt with, and he’s the freaking governor’s son!”

Once my milk heated to 140 degrees, I pulled it out and poured it into my cup of syrups. “How do we really know he’s the governor’s son? Maybe he is just a cyborg that is an illusion of the real Trey Chapman.”

Melanie scoffed. “Seriously? I would think you would have figured that out by now if he was real or not. We have the Internet for a reason.”

She was right. Even though I recognized him from his dad’s campaign trail I still did a few background checks and stalked his Facebook page more than once. Unless his father had someone erased all of Trey’s past and replaced it with a new one, there were no arrest records, and the guy really was an open book. He didn’t seem to hold back what he was feeling, and as far as I knew he didn’t leave his apartment at night to live some double life. Nothing that I could find, anyway.

“Yeah, he doesn’t seem to be hiding anything shady.”

“And now you have a date with the non-shady guy that always looks like he just walked out of a JCrew catalog.”

“I know. That’s why I need to go to the mall after work. I have to find something to wear.”

I looked over my cup at Melanie’s smiling face. “Well, if this isn’t a big deal then I should definitely go with you, so I could help pick out something to wear for this date or non-date.”

“Fine.” I rolled my eyes, but was secretly a little relieved. I had no idea what to wear for dinner with the governor’s son and could use all the help I could get for shopping. I would have asked Sam, but her wardrobe contained more vinyl than denim, and she probably wouldn’t have been happy to hear about the non-date anyway.

***

Taylor wasn’t far from Chicago, so there was a ton of different places to go shopping. Not that I could really afford any of them. There was a mall a few miles from Central’s campus, a Target, two Wal-Marts, a few thrift stores, but not too much else. We decided to try the mall first and see what we could find at the department stores. My budget was fifty bucks, so I would have to stretch it.

Melanie picked up a short, sparkly number that looked like a big disco ball. “How about this? I think it screams that you aren’t interested but still shiny!”

I giggled. “Seriously? Is this what normal girls wear?”

Melanie shrugged, putting the dress back on the rack. “I guess homecoming dresses have gone a little over the top. Maybe we should get out of the junior section?”

I looked over the mounds of tulle and sequins. “Are you trying to say that I’m too old for the junior’s section?”

Melanie picked up another red number that was even shorter and had a corset top. “I’m just saying that none of these seem like an appropriate outfit to wear on a date with the governor’s son.”

“Fine.” I sighed. “Adult clothing it is.”

We took the escalator to the petite section. I’d never actually shopped in the women’s section before, and it felt like going into a completely different realm. Instead of bright colors and stacks of jeans, it was full of business suits and sweaters neatly stacked on shelves. I guess it was probably a better section to be in if teen pop stars weren’t on the posters behind each rack.

“Okay, now the object will be to find a dress that doesn’t make you look like a mom,” Melanie said, heading toward the back.

I picked one dress off a rack that was gold with a bolero jacket. “I think my mom wore this to my cousin’s wedding last summer.”

“If the message you want to send to Trey is aunt-of-the-bride then maybe that’s the one.” Melanie laughed.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so.” I then looked at the tag, $120. “And this is also out of my price range. Maybe I should browse the clearance rack.”

“Clearance clothes, away!” Melanie pumped her fist in the air.

The clearance rack was everything it should be: full of last season’s clothes, a lot of ugly sweaters, and not too much else. But then I found it. The perfect dress among the orange capri pants and yellow shorts.

“How about this?” I held the dress up for Melanie to see. It was a black, three-quarter-length sleeve wrap dress with a lace overlay.

Melanie’s eyes lit up when she saw it. “I think that’s totally the one.”

I looked at the price and instantly my smile faded. “How is this clearance? It’s still seventy-five bucks!”

Melanie looked at the tag. “But it’s marked down from one hundred and fifty!”

I stared at the dress, feeling the lace between my fingers. It really was perfect. It looked like something an English princess would wear to an afternoon tea or in my case, out to dinner with a politician’s son, wherever he would take me. He didn’t exactly say where we were going, but I didn’t think Trey ever went half-ass on anything.

“But it’s still more than I have to spend. Remember I have the expensive apartment to pay for as well.” I sighed, setting the dress back on the rack.

Melanie quickly picked it up. “Okay, I think there was a twenty-five percent off coupon in a flyer I’m sure we could get at the checkout, which after tax would take it down to like sixty and then I could loan you another ten.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Seriously?”

Melanie smiled. “I’m not going to let you go on your first date with this guy in just a t-shirt and jeans. After all the shit you’ve been through, you deserve to have one night to feel like you deserve to be with a politician’s son.”

Melanie didn’t know all of the details from my days at Taylor, but she knew the general gist of it. One day over the summer, after her high school boyfriend cheated on her with some chick he met at a concert, we spent the night eating ice cream and watching chick flicks. It was then she admitted that she only dated him to escape from her alcoholic father, and I admitted that I transferred to Taylor to escape a guy as well.

“Thanks, Mel, you’re the best.” I stared at the dress as she handed it to me. Maybe it wasn’t a million dollar dress that would be worn by his mother or some senator’s mistress, but to me it was perfect. And hopefully the night wouldn’t disappoint either.

My mind drifted to the last time I went out. The last time a guy smiled at me before pushing me to the ground and leaving me with bruises both inside and out. I told myself that Trey wasn’t like him. That not every guy would do that to a girl; just like my counselor and my mother kept telling me over and over. But I knew that just in case I would always have my mace handy, and always be ready for the unexpected.

Chapter 10

The dress fit perfectly, hitting right above my knees and showing just a tiny amount of skin where it dipped into a V at my chest, but not enough that it was inappropriate. I curled my hair, put on enough makeup that I still looked like my natural self, and then slid on my knee-high black boots. When I walked out of the bedroom, Sam and Mac were sitting on the couch watching some slasher movie. Sam turned as soon as my feet hit the kitchen tile.

“Whoa, looking hot roomie. Where are you going?”

I fiddled with the black clutch I borrowed from Melanie, sliding in a tube of lip gloss next to my mace. “Just out to dinner with a friend.”

“Dinner with a friend doesn’t require fuck-me boots,” Sam said, smacking her lips so loud I could hear them across the room.

“These aren’t those kind of boots. They’re Steve Madden.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “So who is the lucky friend?” She made air quotes when she said friend.

“Just a guy from my classes.” I scanned my dress for any lint.

Before Sam could get in another word edgewise there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!” Sam jumped up from the couch and ran for the door. I tried to stop her, but she was quicker. She swung it open to another three dozen roses. I knew exactly how many there were, because that was the same amount Trey brought the last time, and these were identical.

“Whoa!” Sam yelled.

The flowers moved down, and, of course, Trey revealed his smiling face. “Hi, Samantha.”

Sam put her hand on her hip. “A guy from class, ey? I guess that explains all the flowers.”

Trey stood in the doorway staring from me to Sam. “Yes. Monica, these are for you.”

“Thank you, Trey.” I took the flowers and placed them on the counter next to the other set.

Sam gave me the once over and then her eyes widened as I stood in the doorway next to Trey. He was in his usual white dress shirt and blue dress pants with his hands in his pockets, looking like a sexy politician.

Sam smacked her lips. “Seriously? You’re going on a date with Trey?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Sam, I’m going to dinner with Trey.”

“You’re going to have to give me the deets about how this came about when you get home.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I will,” I said with my hand on the doorknob.

Before I could close the door Sam yelled, “I won’t wait up!”

When I shut the door, Trey stood there grinning, making me melt even more than when he gave me the roses. “You look beautiful.”

“Oh, thanks.” I kept my head down for fear I was probably blushing. The guy had a thing for making me blush, and if he was going to continue with complimenting me then my face would be permanently red.

I followed Trey down to the parking garage where he pulled his keys out of his pocket and a bright red Mustang beeped.

“Seriously? You drive a Mustang? I was expecting something like a Range Rover or an equally over-compensating SUV.” I walked alongside the sleek car and slid into its plush, leather seats.

“We’re in a recession. I need to drive something more fuel efficient and American made to help our local economy.”

He pulled out of the parking garage and out onto Willow Avenue. He had one hand on the steering wheel and the other sitting on the console as if he was expecting me to put mine there with his. I wasn’t that easy, and it took more than a few smiles to hold someone’s hand. No matter how damn attractive he was, or how good of a kisser he was. If he said the right words, though, he probably could have convinced me. He really would make a good politician someday.

“So, where are we going?” I asked as he got on the highway going north. “I hope you don’t plan on driving me all the way to Chicago to some fancy restaurant with a valet and fifty different forks.”

He shook his head, his dimples making an appearance. It took everything I had not to reach over and kiss each of his dimples and then trail up and kiss every single freckle. “Not Chicago. I wanted to take you somewhere special.”

“So what is so special that we had to go out of town? Am I dressed appropriate?”

His eyes briefly flitted over me. “You could wear anything, and it would be fine. You’re absolutely stunning no matter what you’re dressed in.”

“Stop it, Trey!” I gently shoved his arm. I’d never actually seen his bicep, but from what I felt it was like solid muscle underneath his dress shirt. I actually stayed away from the gym inside our apartment building for fear of running into him. To have that good of a body he had to work out, and the last place I wanted to see him was where I would be sweaty and in gym shorts.

“What? I can’t I compliment you?”

I bit down on my lip, trying to keep my libido in check. I wanted to tell him to pull over so that I could grab him and glide my tongue all over his body from his freckles down to his, probably designer, underwear. I had to get a hold of myself. I hadn’t had those feelings for a guy in months and now my body was working in overdrive. My mother always said there was a thin line between love and hate, and the way Trey pushed my buttons, sometimes I didn’t know what side I was on. But at that moment, the good side was winning out.

“Uh, well, it’s hard to believe it when I’m always sitting next to the guy who is dressed like he’s running for office.”

He clenched and unclenched his mouth, bringing out the lines of his jaw. I had to stop staring. “I just like to look nice. I was never one of those guys who walked around in faded jeans and band t-shirts or some random sports gear. Swag is for boys. Class is for men.”

I swallowed hard. Whoever said that a man in a nice suit is to women what lingerie is to men was right. Trey did always look good in his dress clothes. Polished. He wasn’t like the other guys in class that just rolled out of bed and threw on a hat. I was starting to really understand the full sex appeal of it. “Very well said, Mr. Chapman.”

“Thank you, Miss Remy.”

Trey turned off the highway onto the exit for Lake Central. The only restaurant I knew that was near there was a little dive bar they called The Lake Shack. It was a throw-peanuts-on-the-floor type of place that served drinks out of mason jars and usually had a country band playing. I didn’t take Trey for that kind of guy.

But when he passed The Lake Shack, I was thoroughly confused. I hoped he wasn’t planning on taking me out in the middle of nowhere to have his way with me. He didn’t seem like that type of guy, but I had been wrong before. Thank God I brought my mace with me.

He turned down a residential road full of lake houses that weren’t so much houses as they were mansions; sprawling houses with manicured lawns and full views of the sun setting over the lake. He then stopped at one of the last houses in a cul-de-sac, leading us down a cobblestone path to a circular driveway. My mouth gaped open when I spotted the house. It was a long L-shaped building made of stone and gray brick. Black shudders flanked each of the country-style windows, and I could see a baby grand piano in one of the larger ones.

“Is this your parent’s place?” I asked, breathlessly.

Trey parked the car in front of the front door, turning off the engine. “No, it’s one of my dad’s friend’s places, but they aren’t coming in this weekend, so they said I could borrow it.”

“Oh.” It was all I could muster as I got out of the car and stared at all the beauty surrounding me. The lot was lined with weeping willows, pine trees, and rows of colorful flowers. Behind the house I could just make out the lake with the orange and red tinges of the sunset over it.

Trey went around the back of the car and then came back beside me with a folded up blue blanket in one hand and a picnic basket in the other. I tilted my head, staring at the basket. “We’re having a picnic?”

He nodded, putting his hand at my back and motioning me toward the rear of the house. My body tensed up from his touch, and he quickly removed his hand like it was on fire. Keep it together, Monica. Don’t freak out.

I didn’t think I was wearing the right shoes since they poked through the green lawn with every step. But I was too busy noticing the beautiful house to care. Once we got around to the back we were greeted by a large deck with a gazebo at the end. The deck extended down to wooden dock that stretched almost the entire length of the house.

“This is gorgeous,” I said, staring at the water. It was so crystal clear I couldn’t believe it was actually a lake. I swore I could even see the tadpoles swimming.

When we got to the dock, Trey spread the blanket out and then sat down, patting the seat next to him. “I thought I should try something different. You didn’t seem like the type of girl that would be impressed with a fancy restaurant, but I thought this might do it.”

“Mission accomplished,” I said with a small laugh before I carefully sat next to him, making sure to keep my legs crossed in front of me. I didn’t usually wear dresses and was very aware that I could show my lady parts at any moment. “Now what did you pack for our picnic?”

“I’m glad you asked,” he said, opening the basket and pulling out two wine glasses.

“Uh, I, uh don’t drink,” I stammered. Bad things happened when I drank, and I didn’t want those bad things to happen with Trey. I hadn’t had a drink in over four months and I wasn’t about to start again.

“Relax.” His charming smile crossed his face as he pulled out a bright yellow bottle. “I don’t drink either. This is sparkling lemonade. My mom used to get it for me and my brothers when we were kids and when I saw it, I couldn’t resist.”

“Oh, good.” I breathed out a sigh of relief.

He poured it in the two glasses and then pulled out a large box of sushi, two long sushi plates, chop sticks, soy sauce, and two little bowls for dipping. “I took a guess and just hoped you were a fan. I got some of everything, so hopefully there should be something you can stomach.”

“No, it’s great; I love sushi.” I watched as he opened the box and every single one of my favorite rolls stared back at me. “I just didn’t expect this to be the first choice for a picnic dinner.”

“I’m full of surprises, Miss Remy,” he said, his eyes locking on mine.

The butterflies were back in full force, knocking on my stomach and putting my libido to work. I was going to have to stop staring at him so much, or I would lose control. To stop myself from turning into a horny mess, I took the chopsticks and a plate, grabbing a few volcano rolls and some Philadelphia rolls, putting them on the plate.

“So, tell me something about yourself,” I said, pouring the soy sauce in one of the little bowls.

“Something about me? I’m sure you’ve already done plenty of Internet searches to figure out everything you want to know.”

That was true. I did do a lot of Internet searches on him, mainly to make sure he didn’t have any sort of arrest records. Luckily, he seemed to be pretty clean cut.

“No, tell me something I can’t find on the Internet. Something real.”

He twirled his chopsticks between his fingers. “How about you tell me something real. Something no one else knows about you?”

I shook my head and pointed a chopstick at him. “You first.” After I said it I popped a piece of sushi in my mouth, so I wouldn’t be able to say anything else.

“Okay, fine.” He looked at the blanket and then back at me. “My dad didn’t want me to go to Central.”

I almost choked on my sushi and had to pat my chest and take a drink of lemonade before I spoke again. “What? Why not?”

“Well, I didn’t expect that reaction.” He took a small drink before he spoke again. “My dad and both my brothers went to Dartmouth, but I wasn’t like any of them. Trigg was the star football player in high school, and Tripp was the honor’s student who could have any girl he wanted. I was just Trey. I didn’t want to continue to be compared to them, and I knew how bad it would be at Dartmouth if I didn’t live up to the expectations of my brothers and father before me.”

He pushed a piece of sushi across his plate before he continued. “I told my dad I wanted to go to a state school and said something about it being good for his campaign. He didn’t buy it, of course, but eventually agreed that I could come to Central. So, naturally even though I went somewhere other than Dartmouth I still had to join the same fraternity as my father and brothers, and now they’re sort of getting used to the idea of the youngest Chapman son not being an Ivy Leaguer.”

I widened my eyes. “So, you don’t actually want to be in a fraternity?”

He shook his head. “I never said that, Miss Remy. But I already answered one question anyway. It’s your turn.”

I popped another piece of sushi in my mouth, pondering my answer as I chewed. Once I swallowed it, I finally spoke. “When I was in sixth grade I purposefully misspelled a word in the state spelling bee competition.”

“Whoa, conceding to your opponent,” Trey joked.

“It’s not funny,” I said, but couldn’t hide the smile on my face. “Okay it is sort of funny, but my parents were so pissed. They wanted me to go on to the National Spelling Bee in DC and had all these big plans, but I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to deal with all that pressure, so I purposefully misspelled xylophone.”

“I’m sorry for making fun of you.” Trey put his hand on mine. It was so warm that it made the rest of my body feel like it was on fire. For so long I just focused on the political side of him that I hated, but there was a very real side, a softer side that I was really starting to fall for.

“It’s okay, fraternity boy, I’m sure I’ll come up with more things to make fun of you for.”

He leaned in, locking my eyes with his. “Don’t tell me you’re going to say you can’t be with me because I’m the governor’s son and in a fraternity.”

I shook my head slowly, biting down on my bottom lip to resist the urge to kiss him. “I think I can get past all of that if you can get over the fact that I’m not the middle school spelling bee champion.”

He leaned even closer. “If you don’t stop biting your lip, I’m not going to be able to concentrate on a word you say.”

I unhooked my lip from my teeth and moved forward, nibbling at Trey’s lower lip and then letting it go, running my tongue across it. “Is that better?” I whispered.

He didn’t say a word, instead he put his hand to the side of my face and pulled my lips to his, gliding his tongue along mine and running his fingers through my hair. I put my arms around his neck, deepening our kiss. He pushed aside our picnic with his free hand, breaking down the barrier between us. His tongue continued its dance with mine while his hands roamed my body. Everywhere his fingers touched sent electricity straight through me. Once his lips moved from mine and down my neck, I let a soft moan escape.

“Oh Monica, you’re beyond amazing,” he whispered in my ear before gliding his tongue along my earlobe.

I wanted to give myself to him, right there on the deck. I needed to put the brakes on, but he was the one to do it first. He pulled back, putting his hands on either side of my face. “If you don’t say you’ll be with me, I’m not sure what I’ll do. I’d probably still send you flowers every day until you say that you will. What you do to me is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced, and I don’t want to go another day without being with you.”

I ran a finger down the length of his jawline. “I don’t know if I’m ready for something serious.”

He let out a puff of air through his nose. “We can take it as slow or as fast as you want. I’m not going to force you into anything you don’t want to do. I just can’t stop thinking about you since the first day we met, and I don’t want to stop.”

I swallowed. I hadn’t put myself out there in awhile, and I’d never had a guy profess anything like that to me, not even previous boyfriends. “Okay, we can see where things go from here.”

“I can take that answer, Miss Remy, for now.”

I could pretend I had it all together, but if Trey knew the real Monica, I wasn’t sure if he’d still be saying all the things he was.

Chapter 11

By the time I got home, Sam was gone, and she wasn’t there when I got up for work the next morning, which was fine with me. I packed my messenger bag with books and prepared for another day of work, but as soon as I set foot in the coffee shop I knew Melanie wasn’t going to let me do anything.

“Oh good! You’re here! I want to hear all about last night!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, putting my bag under the counter.

Melanie leaned against the espresso machine. “Don’t play coy with me. I didn’t help you pick out a dress not to get the deets.”

I sighed dreamily thinking about Trey’s arms wrapped around me, and the sun setting over the lake. “It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

“And?” Melanie raised her eyebrows so high they disappeared under the black baseball caps we were forced to wear.

“We drove out to Lake Central and went to one of his dad’s friend’s lake houses. He packed a picnic, and we talked and laughed and—”

“Annnnnd?”

“And not that far, but there was a lot of kissing,” I said, hoping that everything wasn’t revealed in my face which was probably already turning crimson.

“So does that mean you two are, like, boyfriend and girlfriend now? Did you make it all Facebook official and what not?”

I shrugged. “He never asked me to be his girlfriend, but it was basically implied. I don’t think anyone ever actually asks that question anymore. That’s reserved for notes in middle school or something. Besides, I told him I wasn’t ready for that step yet. We are just taking it slow.”

“So what happens now?” Melanie pushed off the counter and shook one of the bags of coffee beans and then poured it in the grinder.

I tilted my head. “What do you mean what happens now?”

She turned on the grinder, catching the grounds in a coffee filter before shutting it off and placing it in the coffee pot. “You know, are you going to start wearing pearls and attending political rallies with him?”

I laughed so hard I practically snorted. “Oh, God, no. I’m just seeing the guy. It doesn’t mean I’m going to turn into some political wifey type overnight. I could never pull off the Jackie O look.”

Melanie put one of the big carafes of coffee in the brewer and turned it on before she looked at me. “Seriously, if this guy is some political mogul, you’re going to have to get used to those types of things. How can you even date someone with different views than you?”

I’d thought about the same thing. Many times. But Trey was a good politician-in-training and a very good kisser. It was a fiery combination that always kept me on my toes and left me wanting more.

I swayed from one side to the other. “We’re both pretty well-educated on our sides of things. We can have a real discussion about our political views without it going down to an all out spar. I like someone who challenges me, and I think he feels the same way.”

“And what about when daddy dearest finds out about Trey’s liberal girlfriend with the eyebrow ring?”

I instinctively reached under the brim of my hat and touched my eyebrow ring. It was never a big deal to anyone in Kappa and now Melanie was the second person to bring it up. As if it were a big sign that ousted me as some sort of liberal troublemaker. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

My cell phone vibrated from my bag so loud it made me and Melanie jump.

She put her hand to heart with a gasp. “Let me guess, the boy toy?”

I rolled my eyes and slid my phone out of my bag, unlocking it to reveal one missed message from Trey.

Just woke up, and all I can think of is how gorgeous you are when you smile. Do I get to see that smile again tonight?

“What did he say?” Melanie reached for my phone, but I was faster and darted out of the way, quickly typing back my response.

Maybe, what did you have in mind?

“This is cruel and unusual punishment!” Melanie squealed.

“He just asked what I was doing tonight. That’s all,” I said.

Before she could respond my phone buzzed again.

Some of my fraternity brothers are hanging out at the Alpha Mu house.

Normally I hate these things, but I have to show up once in awhile.

Come with me?

“What did he say now?” Melanie whined.

I turned the phone toward her, it was easier just to show her rather than explain it.

“Seriously?” Melanie’s voice rose slightly. She knew I wasn’t a fan of fraternity parties or parties in general. “What are you going to tell him?”

I turned my phone back to me and typed back the first thing I could think of.

That doesn’t really sound like my sort of thing.

“I said it wasn’t my thing. We’ll see what he says.”

Melanie shook her head. “A conservative fraternity boy. I think you just broke every single one of your dating rules.”

“I guess he’s the exception to my rules.”

My phone buzzed with another quick response.

It’s not mine either. We’ll spend one hour there and then I’ll take you to a movie, your pick. Does that work?

Melanie was hovering over me, probably reading every word of the text, but I said it out loud anyway. “He asked if I would just go for a little while and then he’ll take me to a movie. Should I do it?”

“Do you think you can do it?” Melanie knew me too well. For someone whom I never talked to in high school, she quickly became one of my best friends. I guess a night of ice cream and baring secrets could do that to two people.

The thought of even going near a fraternity house made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The last time I went to any sort of a party left me in tears. I wasn’t the same girl I was at Taylor that never missed a party. My whole body tensed up just thinking about it.

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

I’ll think about it. I texted back.

What was there to think about? I was either going to go, or I was going to decline. But if I didn’t go, what did that leave for our future? Would I always be left out when he went out to parties? If neither of us drank then I wouldn’t have to deal with having someone hold my hair while I puked or waking up with a giant hangover. The possibility of going could help me to face my own fears, just like dating again did. Maybe it was time I tried.

I sent another text before he could respond.

See you after work.

***

After a few hours of work and only one customer, I made the walk back to my apartment where Sam was waiting on the couch, painting her toenails a hideous dark color. She stopped painting them as soon as she saw me walk in and practically sprang up from the couch. “I have been dying to talk to you!”

I groaned, setting my bag down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar and my hat on top of it. “You aren’t here to lecture me about seeing Trey, are you?”

She shook her head. “I mean, I don’t understand it, and I think it’s weird, but oh my fucking God, the guy bought you six dozen roses!”

I glanced at the counter behind me in which all my roses gathered like a giant, red army. “Yeah, it is pretty cool.”

“The last time Mac got me flowers was my corsage for senior prom,” Sam said.

“I guess Trey likes flowers.”

“And he must seriously like you. I mean, I seriously thought the dude might be gay, but wow.” She tapped her bare foot on the tile floor.

“He’s definitely not gay. He’s actually pretty great.” I couldn’t hide my smile. Just thinking about Trey made every part of me feel happy from my fingers to my toes. He was the ray of sunshine that finally poked through the dark clouds hovering through my life for the past few months.

“You aren’t going to turn into some Republican Barbie now, are you? I can deal with the flowers and him hanging around here SOMETIMES, but I don’t want to sit here and argue about gay marriage and gun control.”

“Why does everyone just assume I’m going to turn into a good political darling? We just started dating. I’ve never changed my political views for a guy, and I’m not going to start now.”

She held up her hands. “Whoa, just checking.”

“And if I did turn into a Republican Barbie with a pink suit and blonde hair?”

Sam put her finger to her chin, tapping it and staring at the ceiling. “That all depends. Slow and torturous death or quick and painless?”

“Hmmm.” I went into her same thinking pose. “That depends. If I start talking about cutting welfare and wearing only designer sunglasses, then probably just get it over with.”

She put her hands down. “Deal.”

“But seriously,” I said, thrusting my hands in my pockets. “You aren’t going to freak out on me or Trey, are you? That time in my room was not cool at all.”

She sighed. “Yeah, I know that was really bitchy of me, and I was too hyped up to even realize what I was doing. I’m still really sorry about that, and I promise that I won’t interfere with your relationship, no matter what I think of the guy.”

“You know, he’s actually not that bad once you get to know him. He’s really smart and funny.”

“And good in bed?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Oh, please! I’m not the kind of girl that jumps in bed on the first date.”

She shrugged. “You never know.”

“Yeah, okay.” I walked into my room shutting the door behind me. I pulled out my phone and texted Trey.

Need to get ready, what time do you want to hang out?

I set my phone down and turned on the hot water, ready for my decompress bath. The phone vibrated against the sink and I picked it up, reading the message.

About an hour?

I responded back.

Sounds good, will be at your place then.

I set the phone on the counter and pressed the bathroom mix on my iPod, letting the music of Chopin flood the room. My counselor suggested classical music as a way to unwind at the end of the day. The baths were always just an extra bonus. I figured if hot water could help sore muscles then they could also help a sore mind. And if I needed to be relaxed for a party with Trey, I would need a very long bath.

Chapter 12

I got rid of all my going out clothes when I left Taylor, but somehow I didn’t think Trey would really appreciate it if I showed up in a short skirt and backless shirt anyway. Instead I put on some dark, skinny jeans and a blue tunic. They were the only semi-cute, going-out-appropriate clothes that I had left. Since Sam made the comment about my boots, I decided to put those aside and just wear a pair of sequined flats. They would be easy to run in if I had to get away.

I stared at myself in the mirror, taking slow, deep breaths. “You can do this, Monica. You are a survivor.” That’s what my counselor always told me. She said I couldn’t see myself as a victim, or that I brought it on myself. I was a survivor and survived the night. But now I felt like someone that was going back into the battlefield, armed with mace and a guy that hopefully wouldn’t try anything. I found it easy to trust him with my body, but my secrets were a different story.

I applied some lip gloss and let my hair fall loosely around my shoulders. It always fell somewhere in between wavy and messy. I liked to call it beachy, but really it was because I was too lazy to either straighten it or go all out and curl it. Grabbing my ID and keys, I shoved them into my back pocket and walked out into the living room. Sam was sitting on the couch, per her usual, with a bag of chips on her lap.

“Big plans for tonight?” she asked between chomps.

“Just going out with Trey,” I said, stopping between the kitchen and living room. “What about you? Is Mac coming over?”

She shook her head. “Naw, I have to be to work at midnight, and he’s delivering pizzas for Mario’s. So until then it’s just me and my chips and possibly a nap.”

I didn’t know if it would have been the good roommate thing to invite her along to the party, but she made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t the biggest fan of Trey’s and I didn’t think a fraternity party was exactly her scene. Who knew? Maybe the dreadlocked girl actually had a thing for guys that wore letters, and Mac was actually an Alpha Mu himself, but I didn’t ask. I probably should have asked someone else to join us, maybe even Melanie, but my trust in girls wasn’t exactly the greatest either. A guy would be up front with what he wanted, and a girl would stab you in the back the first chance she got. At least from my experience.

“Okay, well I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I said, walking to the door.

“See you!” she yelled.

I closed the door and walked the few feet to Trey’s apartment, knocking on the door. He swung it open, and I caught the sound of some news channel on in the background. I thought he might have dressed down for a fraternity function, maybe even worn letters, but instead he was in his usual button-down dress shirt and pants.

“Do you ever just wear a t-shirt and jeans?” I asked as I walked in and followed him into the living room.

“Like I said, that stuff is for boys. I prefer to wear dress shirts,” he said, turning off the TV.

“But how do you always have them so neat and readily available?”

He nodded his head in the direction of the door, near the kitchen, that I knew housed the washer and dryer. “For some stuff I can still wash it on cold and air dry, or I send it to the dry cleaners. It’s not really that big of a deal.”

I widened my eyes. “You wash your own clothes.”

He put his hands in his pocket, leaning to one side. “Monica, do you think I’m too good to do my own laundry?”

“I, uh, didn’t say that.”

He took a few steps toward me, pulling his hands out of his pockets and placing them on my upper arms and then let them trail down until he intertwined our fingers. “I may have grown up privileged, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t launder my own shirts.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume…”

“That’s the problem. People assume that because of my dad that I’m some jerk who thinks that everyone should cater to his every need. I hope you’ve realized by now that I’m not that guy.”

I smirked. “Says the guy who assumed I was a hardcore liberal because of my eyebrow ring.”

He leaned in, and I was able to inhale his mesmerizing scent. I would have to sneak into his room and figure out what expensive cologne he had because it had to be bottled by God himself to smell that heavenly. “But I never said that I didn’t think you still made it absolutely alluring.”

I touched my eyebrow ring and then let my fingers fall back down. He had a way with words that always left me grasping at straws, and made my face feel like it was on fire. “You’re too much sometimes, Mr. Chapman.”

He brought his lips to my forehead, placing a very chaste kiss. “And you as well, Miss Remy. Now shall we head to the Alpha Mu house.”

I groaned. “Do we really have to? Can’t we just hang out here,” I said, putting on my best pouty face. I know I wanted to face my fears, but suddenly it was becoming very real and if I had a chance to get out of it, I would. “We can rent a movie, cuddle, and all that fun stuff.”

He flashed his dimpled smile. “You drive an awfully hard bargain, but unfortunately, I promised John Boy we’d be there.”

“Ugh.” John Boy; the moose of a guy I met at the coffee shop. The one Trey said was his big brother. I couldn’t even remember the last time I talked to my Kappa big sister. There were so many girls in my pledge class that we all just got thrown in with someone. I don’t think she even talked to me except for the weekend of my initiation. She graduated that December and never kept in contact with me. Maybe if I actually did have a supportive big sister, I wouldn’t have had all of the problems that I did. But I had to learn to move on from the past and going to the Alpha Mu house was just the beginning. No matter how hard I could feel my heart beating in my ears.

Trey took my hand and led me out of the apartment, locking the door behind us before he slid his keys in his pocket. It was still warm for early September. Autumn was just starting to peak in as the temperature dropped and became more comfortable. That, and it was also close to nine o’clock. No one ever went out in college before then.

The Alpha Mu house was only two blocks from our apartment, along Greek Row. It had to be one of the bigger fraternity houses with three stories of windows and two large pillars that flanked the front door. Between the first and second floor large, red letters spelled AM and each window next to it was framed with black shudders. There didn’t appear to be any lights on inside, but a large spotlight lit up the whole front of the house.

I concentrated on my footsteps, stepping to the same beat as my heart. The last time I followed a path to a fraternity house I was alongside my sisters, linked arm and arm and laughing. That’s back when it didn’t seem like a big, brick prison that stole something from me. I didn’t want every fraternity house to feel like a prison, and if I ever hoped to move on, I would have to follow those steps on my road to recovery.

Trey walked right up to the front door and pulled his keys from his pocket. He took one that looked like an antique skeleton key and wriggled it in the giant, black door; it opened with ease.

“Oh, look at you with your own key,” I mocked.

He slid his keys back into his pocket. “Don’t patronize me, Miss Remy.”

Trey kept his hand locked on mine as he pushed open the door. It looked like the place was empty. There was a large, paneled wall full of paddles and framed photos to the left, and to the right was a large living room that I could barely make out in the darkness, but from what I could see there were a few couches and possibly a television. Trey pulled my hand, leading me down the hallway until we approached an open door where some annoying remix blasted. Obviously that’s where the party was.

We went down a narrow staircase and into a large, open area with cement floors and wood paneled walls. There was a ping pong table set up with people throwing ping pong balls into red cups across it and another table beside it where people were in a line drinking and then flipping their cup over. In the far back was a guy standing behind a laptop and surrounded by speakers. There were a few girls toppling in high heels and short skirts swaying in front of him. From my count there were less than thirty people there; nothing like a full-fledged party.

“Hey, you made it!” A voice called.

As we got to the bottom of the stairs I turned to my left and saw a few couches. John Boy was sitting on one of them with two giggling girls on each side of him. He stood up when he saw Trey and ran over to us, shaking Trey’s hand briskly with his free hand that wasn’t holding two beers.

“I told you I’d be here,” Trey said. Gone was his dimpled smile and instead he had on his usual political smile. I was beginning to think the sexy smile was only for me, and I was okay with that.

“And you brought the lib!” John Boy released his hand from Trey’s and switched to holding a beer bottle in each hand while he stared at me with his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised.

Trey put his arm around my waist, pulling me tight against his side. “Yeah, I couldn’t necessarily come without bringing my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” John Boy asked.

Girlfriend? I guess we were official. I told him I wanted to take it slow, but at the same time I couldn’t ignore the butterflies in my stomach that were doing somersaults. He was showing me off as his girlfriend. I didn’t want to be used as a trophy, but for a guy that made me weak in the knees, I was okay with a little showing off. Especially if that meant I was off limits to any other guy who wanted to try something.

“Yeah,” Trey said, running his free hand through his hair. I didn’t know how he even got it through all of his gel, but I loved when he ruffled it up. “It took a lot of convincing on my part, but she finally gave in to my charm.”

I smirked. “Or I just got tired of your begging.”

“Oh! Burn!” John Boy put a fist to his lips, laughing.

“And I need a girl that keeps me in line,” Trey said, squeezing my side.

A brunette in a very short, sequined dress saddled up to John Boy’s side. “Hey Trey,” she cooed in a voice that sounded like a baby doll’s.

“Hey Missy, have you met my girlfriend, Monica?” Trey was unaffected by the girl’s obvious flirty attitude, and he called me his girlfriend, again. Inside I was a bubbling little girl that just wanted to giggle and squeal, but I kept myself in check, forcibly keeping my mouth shut. So far I hadn’t freaked out and ran away from the house, if I turned into a giggling idiot that probably wouldn’t be any better.

“No, I haven’t…” She gave me the once over, her dark green eyes trailing over me like I was a piece of meat. “You’re dressed too well to be a freshman, are you a transfer?”

I nodded, swallowing to regain my voice. “Yes. I’m a sophomore. I transferred from Taylor.”

John Boy finished off one beer, throwing it in a nearby trash can and then took a swig of the other. “Missy here is a Kappa, our sister sorority, she could totally put in a good word for you if you’re looking to rush.”

“Oh, uh, no, I don’t think so,” I said, shaking my head.

“Why?” Missy crossed her arms over her chest, her voice turning from baby doll to snarky Barbie. “Do you think you’re too good for sororities or something?”

“No, not at all.” I put my hands up. “I’m just concentrating on surviving this semester before I think about any extracurricular activities.”

Trey rubbed my side. “Yeah, we’ve got this massive debate assignment, and Monica’s a double major, plus she works at Brewster’s in the student center. I don’t know how she does it all.”

Thank God he came to my rescue. If Missy was anything like my sorority sisters back at Taylor, she would be notoriously good at convincing me to do anything she said, even worse than Trey. I didn’t want her to figure out that I actually was a Kappa or to let Trey know. That would then lead to more information about my life at Taylor, and I wanted him to stay as far away from that as possible.

“Can I get some water or something?” I asked, looking up at Trey.

He took the hint and nodded. “Yeah, there should be something up in the kitchen.”

John Boy was too busy fondling Missy to even let him know we were leaving, so Trey just took my hand and led me back up the stairs. When we were out of earshot he leaned down and whispered. “Sorry about that. I should have warned you about her. There are some vulture girls here that will prey on the weak.”

“I think I can manage,” I said, following him down another hallway into a large kitchen.

On one wall there were two commercial grade stoves and on the other were three stainless steel fridges. Between them was a long counter with a big farmhouse sink and white cabinets. In the middle of the white tile floor and walls was a big, red island and sitting on it was a girl in a short, white skirt and teal halter with a tray of Jell-o shots in her lap. There were a few other guys leaning on the counters drinking beers and another couple of girls standing next to them. But as soon as Trey and I went in the room, the girl swooped down from the island and came at us with a big smile on her face.

“Hey y’all, want a Jell-o shot? They’re only a dollar each and all the proceeds go to the Kappa philanthropy, leukemia research,” she said in a voice that was as sugary sweet as her smile and mounds of curly, blonde hair.

“Thanks, Layla, neither of us drink, but I’ll still donate to the cause,” Trey said, pulling out his wallet and handing her two singles.

She smiled, taking the money and putting it into one of her tiny pockets. “You’re always such a sweetie, Trey.” She then looked at me, her eyes lighting up like the Fourth of July. “And who is this hottie?”

“This is my girlfriend, Monica. Monica, this is Layla, president of Kappa sorority,” he said gesturing his hand between the two of us.

Layla. The girl Brittani emailed me about. She knew about me. She was supposed to get in contact with me about joining their chapter. I couldn’t let Trey know. I felt like all of the butterflies died in my stomach and now were sitting there turning to lead.

“Monica, honey, are you all right?” Layla stared at me, tilting her head. “You don’t look so good.”

I shook my head. “Um, no, all of a sudden I’m just starting to feel a little sick to my stomach.”

She put her tiny, tanned hand on my shoulder. “Oh, no, honey do you want me to take you to the bathroom? I can see if any of the girls have some aspirin or something?”

First off, aspirin would probably not help a stomach ache; second of all there was no way I was leaving Trey at a party; especially not with a Kappa. I didn’t expect him to cheat, but who knew what would happen if I was left alone and cornered by a guy that didn’t have Trey’s manners. I didn’t want to think about it.

“No, I think I just need some air.” I looked at Trey with pleading eyes.

“Say no more,” Trey said, putting his hand on my back and leading me past the hordes of people and out a back door onto a small deck that opened up to a parking lot filled with cars. There was a picnic table at one end and a propane grill at the other, with just enough room for me and Trey in between.

I slumped down on the table, putting my head down. It felt like it was a jumbling mess, and all I wanted to do was get away. The past I thought I was getting away from seemed like it was slowly creeping back up to me. I’d eventually have to tell Trey everything about Kappa, but I didn’t want to when we were still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. I couldn’t let him think any differently of me.

I felt his arm on my back and his hand rubbing my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I think it was just really hot in there.”

He continued rubbing my shoulder. “I get the same way at these parties, even when they are just kickbacks.” He pulled me closer, running his hand from my shoulder down my arm. “I always try to be the good guy, but it’s just annoying to watch everyone else act like drunken idiots. I don’t really care who the flippy cup champion is or what girl wants to try and dance up on me just to spill beer all over my pants, so that I’d have them to get dry cleaned right away.”

I couldn’t help it, I giggled. “Trey Chapman, you seriously crack me up.”

I looked up meeting his gorgeous, green eyes. Even in the faint light of the moon I could make out the freckles that always consumed me whenever I looked at him.

“And you, Monica Remy, were the most gorgeous girl in that house.”

“Stop it.” I swatted at his stomach, feeling a bit of his abs underneath his shirt. I knew it would be awhile before I found out exactly how ripped he was, and there was no way I was going to give into my urges that easy, but it never hurt to appreciate his physique.

He raised his eyebrows. “What? I can’t tell my girlfriend how attractive she is?”

“So, I’m your girlfriend now?”

“I assumed so, after last night and everything in between. I guess I was hoping that’s what you were.”

I wanted to take it slow. I told him that, and while I knew I shouldn’t have moved this fast with him, there was something about Trey that made me feel safe. I didn’t feel like I needed to escape when I was with him, he was better than an escape.

I lightly kissed his lips. “I think that’s a pretty good assumption.”

He pressed his forehead to mine. “And should I also assume that you are too ill to stay, and I need to take you home?”

“If it’s not too much trouble,” I said.

“Trouble is what you’re good for, and that’s what I like about you.”

He leaned in to go for another kiss, but was stopped in mid-air when the back door burst open and out came two guys in letter shirts laughing and chugging beers. “Hey, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” the taller of the guys said, holding his hands up.

His words struck a chord, bringing me back to a place I had hidden deep down inside.

“Whoa, sorry Jdawg, didn’t mean to interrupt.”

The light streamed into the dark bathroom, and I could see the outline of bodies melded together behind the doorframe. I thought he would stop. I prayed for it, but he just kept pushing harder.

“It’s cool, bro, wanna join?” His voice was hoarse and every time he spoke his beer gut jiggled onto my back.

I looked up at the guy in the doorway with pleading eyes, hoping he was my knight in shining armor. Hoping he could see this wasn’t what I wanted. I should have told him. I should have screamed and ran, but my whole body felt like it was stuck to the cold cement floor.

“Naw, it’s cool. Have fun, bro.”

And then he left, shutting out the light in the room and on my life.

“Monica, are you okay?” Trey’s words took me out of my trance.

I nodded slowly. The two guys had left, and it was just me and Trey sitting on the picnic table. “Yeah. I think I just need to go home.”

“Okay, Monica. Let’s go.”

Chapter 13

I thought I could handle the house, but the memories were too thick. Luckily Trey believed I was sick, and we left right away. I feigned sickness the next morning, so I didn’t have to face Trey or try to explain why I wanted to leave early and didn’t want to go to a movie. I was just glad I dodged the bullet with the Kappa girls and was able to get out of the party, but I was afraid I wouldn’t get away from the sorority that easy. After waking up the next morning, I found a Facebook message waiting for me from Layla Donaldson.

Hey girl!

I thought your name sounded familiar! Brittani from our Taylor chapter emailed me about you! We would totally love to have you around and it would be great to add another Alpha Mu gf to our chapter! Message me back asap, and we’ll get all the deets about meeting up and getting your paperwork filled out.

Kappa love,

Layla

Shit. She found me. I deleted my old account and got a new one as soon as I transferred; hoping the Kappa’s wouldn’t find me. I didn’t count on Trey being friends with Kappa girls.

Dammit.

I didn’t respond back, and since it was a long weekend, I was able to dodge any sort of a run-in. But I couldn’t hide from Trey that easily and we spent the day hanging out at his apartment where for every hour of Fox News I had to sit through, he had to sit through an hour of reality television. There was a lot of kissing, but he didn’t push me to go any further; that was just how I wanted it. Cuddling and reality TV were enough. For now.

Tuesday morning I got up as usual and headed into Brewster’s for work. I thought I could hide from the Kappa girls, but it turned out the campus was a lot smaller than I realized.

Layla’s voice was even perkier when she yelled. “Hey, y’all! Missy thought she heard that you worked here!”

There she was with her giant hot pink Kappa letters staring me in the face while she ran up to the counter. I wanted to crawl under the espresso machine, but I’d already been spotted.

“Hi, Layla.” I put on my best fake smile.

“Well, it’s been a long enough time since I’ve heard from you. I was afraid you were trying to avoid me,” she said in a voice that was so sugary sweet it could have given someone a toothache.

I caught Melanie raising an eyebrow at me from the pastry case. I knew I’d have to explain the story to her later, but at that moment I had to deal with the big, blond train at the counter.

“Oh, no, just been really busy,” I said, trying to sound sincere, but I just wanted to scream and tell her to go away; that I had no interest in joining their chapter.

“Well, I hope you aren’t too busy this afternoon. It’s Fall Festival on the quad and all of the student groups have tables set up. It’s a lot of fun! There is food, some games, and of course us Kappa’s will be there on Greek Row.”

She pulled out a post card from her expensive looking purse and handed it to me. It had a picture of around thirty girls in red dresses standing in front of a white brick house with “Kappa Beta: Sisterhood and Classy Women” written across the top in a frilly font. “That has some information for our upcoming activities, but you should come by the booth today and meet some of the other girls. I know they’d at least love to meet the girl that finally nailed down Trey Chapman.” She winked a heavily mascara coated eye.

“Um, yeah, I’ll totally do that,” I lied, sliding the postcard under the counter. “Is there anything you want to order before you head back to the quad?”

She waved a manicured hand. “Oh no, I just came by to see you, but have fun at work and hope to see you later!” With that she turned and swayed out the door while a few guys walking in watched her walk away.

Melanie practically bolted over to the counter. “What the hell was that?”

I could have played coy and pretended like I didn’t know what she was talking about, but I was a terrible actress and an even worse liar. “Some Kappa I met while out with Trey the other night.”

“And she’s trying to recruit you?” I looked over and Melanie had her hand on the counter, leaning onto it for dear life.

“I guess. It’s probably just because I’m Trey’s girlfriend or whatever,” I said as nonchalant as I could, stacking the foam cups next to the espresso machine.

“But you were a Kappa at Taylor, right?”

I looked around, making sure that no one heard her and put a finger to my lips. “Shh, no one is supposed to know that!”

“What aren’t people supposed to know?” Then Melanie’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, you haven’t told Trey yet, have you?”

I put my hand down and shook my head. “No, I haven’t, and I don’t want to. It’s a part of my life that I’d like to forget about.”

“You can’t just forget about the past, Mon; it’s what makes you who you are.”

I glared at Melanie. She didn’t know the entire story of my Taylor experience, but either way I wasn’t about to relive it. “You sound like my counselor.”

“Have you seen one since you’ve moved here?” she asked, not accusingly, but like she was genuinely concerned.

“I can’t, Mel. This is about me starting over. I saw one for the past few months, which has to be enough. I don’t need to keep going in and sitting on some guy’s couch three days a week and hope that it will make my problems go away.”

“And keeping it hidden from the world seems to be doing wonders.” She took a step toward me, lowering her voice. “You put on a great front with your smiles and sarcastic wit, and I’m sure the counselor helped, but you haven’t tried to get to know anyone here. Trey practically had to hunt you down like a puppy with a tennis ball to get your attention. Not everyone is out to get you. Some just want to get to know you.”

I wanted to say something. To come up with some sort of witty come back, but she was right. I’d been hiding everything inside for so long and it really had been wearing on me. Maybe it was time I looked into other options.

***

After work I threw my apron off and couldn’t wait to get home to get a shower in before class. With everyone bouncing between Fall Festival and classes, that only meant they needed more coffee; which made it a very busy day for us. My hair was matted flat from wearing a hat all day, and I was covered in spilt milk and coffee grounds. I looked like a hot mess and just wanted to get home. But of course that was hard to do when I had to go through the quad, and it was filled with hundreds of students gathered at different tables.

I zig-zagged through booths from student organizations and clubs for different majors, but then I heard an all too familiar voice.

“Hey, Monica!”

No, not Trey, not now. He was standing in front of the Alpha Mu booth, right at the top of the line of Greek tables. Some of his other fraternity brothers were talking to some unsuspecting freshmen who were signing up on a sheet of paper and looking at different pictures that they had displayed on a poster board. Obviously they didn’t know what they were getting in to.

I froze on the sidewalk while Trey jogged over to me as fast as his expensive dress shoes could carry him. He had on his charming, political smile and stopped only a foot in front of me.

“Hey, Trey,” I said, wishing I could disappear. Not only did I look like hell, and smell like sour milk, but I could just see the top of Layla’s blonde head at the table across from Alpha Mu’s. I was praying she didn’t see me.

“Just getting off of work?”

“Gee, no, I just like to wear my uniform covered in coffee making supplies,” I said with more snark than I intended. Maybe if I was mean enough he would think it was PMS and let me go.

“Well, since you aren’t doing anything maybe you’d like to walk around to some of the booths with me. The college Republicans always have good snacks, and they load me up with them.” He unbuttoned the buttons on his shirt sleeves and then rolled them up.

I shook my head. “Um, no, that’s cool. I just want to get home and shower before my next class.”

“You sure?” he asked, sliding his hands in his pockets. “I’m even willing to go by the student organizations you want to.”

Before I could even get in a word edgewise, Layla came bounding up next to Trey. I’d been caught.

“Hey y’all!” She beamed

“Hey, Layla.” Trey nodded in her direction and then shook her hand firmly, like the good politician-in-training he was.

When she let go of his hand she turned her full body to me. “Hey Monica, I was hoping you’d come! I was just telling the other girls about the email from Brittani at Taylor. Our secretary said she could easily get you all registered before recruitment starts.”

I couldn’t even look at Trey. I didn’t want to guess the expression on his face, or what excuse I could make to him. “Um, gee Layla, that’s great, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to really participate much in anything this year.”

Layla giggled, an honest to God giggle like a little schoolgirl. “Of course you can, silly, once a Kappa, always a Kappa. Even one that has transferred.”

I did it. I shouldn’t have, but I did it. I glanced at Trey who looked like he was deep in thought. I didn’t exactly lie to him about it, but I never told him. I could feel the tears of embarrassment welling in my eyes and I blinked hard, trying to squish them away. “I have to go,” I stammered, quickly pushing past them and jogging around the other tables.

“Monica, wait!” Trey yelled after me. I kept running until I was inside my apartment and only then did I rest my back against the wall and let a single tear roll down my cheek. They found me. The Kappas found me, and I didn’t know how I would get out of joining again. Maybe Melanie was right. Maybe I should have gone back to counseling.

It wasn’t even a minute before a knock came at the door. “Mon, it’s me, Trey, open up.”

“No,” I protested, wiping my wet face.

“Monica, come on. I’m not mad I just want to talk.”

“No.”

“Monica…”

“Fine.” I groaned and threw the door open.

He stood with his arm leaning against the door frame. The charming smile was wiped off his face and replaced with a blank slate. He wasn’t exactly scowling, but he didn’t look happy either. “Can I come in?”

I held my arm out and stood to the side. He sauntered in, and I closed the door behind him. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I was a Kappa at Taylor. It was stupid and it was my mistake, but I don’t want to join again now that I’m here,” I blurted it all out like word vomit.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, staring down at the floor. “Well, it makes sense why you wanted to leave the party so early.”

At least I convinced him that was the only reason I wanted to leave the party. If I had this type of reaction from running into Layla, who knew what would happen if everyone found out about the other part. I would have to be institutionalized.

“I know. I should have said something earlier. I’m so sorry,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself and rubbing my elbows.

He looked up from the floor, his eyes meeting mine. I was afraid he would look at me like a child that should be reprimanded, but instead his eyes were filled with genuine concern. “Mon, you don’t need to lie to me. All you had to do was tell me that you were a Kappa, and you aren’t anymore. It’s like politics. You can try to hide something, but eventually it comes out, and it’s even messier when it does.”

I swallowed, nodding.

Trey took a few steps closer, putting his hands on my arms. “I’m not mad at you. It was just a huge surprise when Layla came running over to us. I don’t like to be caught off-guard.”

I sighed. “I don’t either.”

“Can we try not to keep secrets from each other anymore?” he asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.

I nodded. “I can try.”

“And you’re going to have to tell Layla you’re not joining Kappa if that’s what you want. I don’t want you hiding out all the time,” he said, rubbing his hands up and down my arms.

“Do I have to?” I whined.

He pressed his forehead to mine with a small smile crossing his lips. “Either that or we run away to some island off the coast and spend the rest of our days drinking fruity drinks and hiding from the world.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him against me. “Mmm, that sounds way better.”

He gave me a quick kiss, but I wouldn’t let him pull away, and slid in another kiss right after the other and lightly ran my tongue along his bottom lip.

“Monica,” he breathed onto my lips. “As much as I’d love to stay here with you, I do need to get back out to the quad and then to class.”

I poked out my bottom lip. “Can we continue this later?”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said, giving me another quick kiss before he headed out the door.

I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the door shut. It turned out better than I thought with him finding out about Kappa, and I knew exactly the email I’d have to write to Layla. As far as not keeping things from one another, well…there was one that I just would have to keep hidden and hope that no one else brought up my other secret. The one that I knew would change the way he thought about me forever.

Chapter 14

After another week of classes, Trey and I were no closer to getting our objectives done for our papers and needed to get working. He agreed to meet me in the corner where he first bothered me in the library. I was checking my email when I heard him plop down at the table.

“Miss Remy, how do you expect me to work on my assignment when you are wearing that shirt?”

I knew exactly what I was wearing, but I looked down anyways. It was a blue scoop neck shirt that showed a hint of what little of cleavage I had. I ran a pen along the collar of my shirt and looked at Trey. “Oh this shirt? I don’t think it’s that bad.”

He bit down at the corner of his lip, slowly shaking his head. “This is a library, Miss Remy, there is no room for flirting here.”

“I’m not flirting, Mr. Chapman, I’m trying to work on an assignment.” I put the pen down on the table and then pushed it off. “Whoopsies,” I said with a small grin.

I slowly got up, circling to the other side of the chair. Then I dipped down low, with my butt raised in the air and picked up the pen, slowly inching back up and throwing my hair back. I shot a grin in Trey’s direction. He was squirming in his seat. Some politician-in-training he was.

Our relationship had slowly been progressing, and when I was with him it became easier to push out the past. As long as we stayed away from his fraternity and the Kappa girls. Instead of seeing them we’d spend nights on the couch watching movies or kissing. He never pushed me to go any farther, but the more time I spent with Trey the more I fell for him.

“I guess I need to keep my hands steady,” I said in a low voice. “Maybe I should just check some reference books out over there behind that big book case.” I pointed to the stack of reference books behind us and nodded in their direction.

Slowly, I walked over, swaying my body ever so slightly and hoped he would get the hint and follow. Once I was at the other side of the bookshelf, I pressed my back along the books and waited. It was only a few seconds before I heard Trey’s slow, methodical steps approaching the shelf. I pulled the collar of his shirt as soon as I saw his feet, dragging him behind the shelf until he was flush against me.

“Do you suppose we could just absorb these reference books by osmosis, Miss Remy?” he said, putting his hands on either side of my waist.

“I just needed a little study break,” I whispered, running a finger down the buttons of his shirt.

“But, Miss Remy, we have barely started,” he said, teasing me and letting his lips hover just above mine.

“Mr. Chapman, I’m just trying to make the study process go a little smoother. This book case that keeps us hidden from the rest of the library should help,” I said with a coy smile and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

“Miss Remy, I wouldn’t want to start anything to affect your studies.” He ran his hand along the low collar of my shirt so delicately slow it made my whole body tremble. “Especially when you’re wearing such a nice outfit.”

I couldn’t take the teasing anymore. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed against him, kissing him hard. He moved his hands to my lower back, running his fingers up and down my spine. Slowly, I moved my hands from his neck and down to his shirt, unbuttoning each button. I wasn’t planning on having sex in the library, or sex at all for that matter, but I didn’t want the button marks that I usually had all over me from his shirts.

Once I got the last button undone I pulled him back to me. The material of his undershirt was so thin I could feel every ripple of his abs on my stomach. He really was a fine specimen of a man. His lips trailed down my neck and to my collarbone. I moaned softly when he nibbled at the sensitive skin above my chest.

He pulled his lips back up to my ear and whispered, “This is a library, Miss Remy.”

“Sorry, Mr. Chapman, it won’t happen again.”

He nipped at my ear lobe and then licked the same spot. “But I love it when it does.”

I gasped and then buried my face in his, trying to keep quiet but it was hard when my entire body was aching for him. It had been too long since I’d been with anyone. I hadn’t wanted to, but with Trey, it was all I wanted. He was all I wanted. I hadn’t had any flashbacks since the party and I thought I would possibly be ready to move on with my life.

“Trey Chapman, you make me crazy,” I whispered.

“And you love it,” he said placing a quick kiss where my neck met my shoulder and I squirmed, trying not to squeal.

“And I know how to make you crazy.” I pulled his lips to mine, acting like I was going to kiss him and then nibbled at his bottom lip, slowly and tenderly.

His eyes rolled back into his head, and I could feel him harden beneath his pants. Two could play at the teasing game. I let go of his lip, placing a soft kiss where my teeth had been.

“You’re too good at that,” he whispered, running his hands down my ribcage and landing at the bare skin where my shirt rode up slightly.

I froze. Trey’s hands usually stayed above my clothes, and this was the first time they had gone somewhere else. I sucked in a deep breath and hoped that he didn’t notice how loud my heart was beating in my chest. I thought he might continue his hand trailing, but his fingers stopped when a vibration jolted from my pocket, and Trey jumped against the other book shelf. Saved by the phone. I didn’t know what I would do if he would have tried to go farther. I thought I was ready. Maybe I was just fooling myself.

My mom’s face smiled back at me. I answered and put the phone to my ear. “Hey, ma.”

I glanced up at Trey who was busy buttoning his shirt.

“Hey, Monica! I hope you weren’t in class.”

“Ma, I wouldn’t have answered the phone if I were in class.”

She breathed into the phone, causing some static. “Oh, I guess that makes sense. I was just checking to see if it was still a go for us to come Saturday. I have the day off, but have to work until eleven on Friday, so we probably won’t be in until late morning.”

I almost forgot about my parents. I even planned it on a weekend that I knew Sam was going to be out of town, so they wouldn’t question my dreadlocked roommate. I just didn’t happen to mention it to Trey or actually tell my parents that I was seeing him.

“Yeah, that’s still fine.”

“Oh, good! I was going to make your favorite, lasagna.” She kept talking as I cradled the phone against my shoulder while I smoothed out my clothes and walked back to our table.

I sat and Trey took the seat across from me. I looked up at him and mouthed “Sorry it’s my mom.”

“Oh, okay.” He nodded.

Shit. Mom stopped rambling. “Who was that, Mon?”

I didn’t think he was loud enough that she would hear him, but obviously I couldn’t get away with it now. I wasn’t that great of a liar. “Um, it’s no one.”

I glared at Trey.

“No one? That sounded like a boy?”

Trey smiled that charming smile that always made me melt before he leaned closer to the phone. “It’s Trey Chapman, Mrs. Remy.”

“Did he say Trey Chapman? Is that the governor’s son?” Mom asked, her voice getting higher with each question.

I mouthed to Trey “I’m going to kill you.” He just grinned. “Yes, Mom, it’s Trey Chapman. The governor’s son. He’s kind of my boyfriend and also kind of a pain in my ass.”

“Monica Louise Remy!” she squealed so loud I had to pull the phone back from my ear. “You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend! Especially one who is a celebrity.”

I groaned. “He’s not a celebrity, Ma. And I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to overreact.”

“Well, are we going to meet him on Saturday? Would he like to join us for lunch?” My mom’s voice was so loud that I had to slightly pull my ear back away from the phone.

“I’d love to meet you on Saturday, Mrs. Remy,” Trey said, still leaning over the table.

“Oh, this is wonderful, Monica! I haven’t met one of your boyfriends since high school!”

I rolled my eyes at Trey. I was going to have to kill him now. “Great, Ma. But, hey, we’re studying now, so I will call you later.”

“Oh, studying, I know what that’s code for. I’ll let you to have at it and see you Saturday!” She disconnected the call. I put my phone down, and threw a pen at Trey.

“You’re in so much trouble, sir!”

He took the pen hit and put his hands on the table, smiling like the cat that ate the canary. “Enough trouble that you’ll take me behind the bookcase again?”

I adjusted my shirt and made sure I wasn’t falling out anywhere. “You’re grounded from book cases, Mr. Chapman.”

He jutted out his bottom lip. “Oh, come on, Miss Remy.”

“You should put that lip away, because I will not be nibbling it,” I said with as straight of a face as I could manage.

He tucked his lip in, and his face grew serious. “Are you really that upset about me meeting your family? Are you embarrassed of me?”

I hesitated. “I’m not embarrassed of you, more of the situation. My parents are kind of blue-collar middle Americans that say whatever is on their mind. And my brother is the typical high school jock that has nothing to say unless it involves football.”

“Miss Remy, I’m practically a politician, they sound like my target audience.”

I rolled my eyes. “This isn’t politics. This is my family.”

He put his hands on mine and then brought my knuckles to his lips. “And if they’re your family, part of you, I’m sure I’ll love them.”

Chapter 15

Sam left right after classes on Friday, which left me the whole night to clean the apartment from top to bottom. I lit every single candle I owned and hoped to get out any lingering pot smell. I vacuumed all the carpets, scrubbed the countertops, and dusted every square inch that probably hadn’t been dusted since the place was built.

Trey came by at nine the next morning, already dressed for the day and carrying a tray with two foam coffee cups and a white bag with something in it that smelled like fresh-baked bread and rosemary. It made my mouth water.

“I love a woman in some overalls,” he said, walking into the apartment and setting the white bag on the counter, then handing me a steaming foam cup.

I had on a pair of overalls I wore to clean in that I bought at a thrift store, a white tank top, and my hair was pulled back in a bandana. It was my usual cleaning outfit, but I never expected someone would actually see me in it.

“You’re lucky you brought me coffee, or I wouldn’t take your sarcasm so easily.” I took a sip and it wasn’t coffee, but a pumpkin latte; which was my favorite.

“If I would have known you would be up scrubbing the floors, I would have just sent over my cleaning lady, and I could have taken you out instead,” he said, opening up the bag and retrieving two little packages wrapped in aluminum foil.

“Not all of us have that luxury,” I snapped, harsher than I intended.

Trey put his hands up. “Whoa, I know you’re nervous about your parents coming, so I’ll let that one slide. I was just offering to help.”

I put my cup down beside his and then slid my arms around his waist. “I’m sorry. You’re right. That wasn’t cool of me.”

He kissed my forehead. “That’s better, now come have a breakfast sandwich with me.” He scrunched up his nose. “Or you could take a shower first. You kind of smell like bleach.”

I kept my arms wrapped around him and pulled him tighter against me. “Does the smell of bleach turn you on?”

He let out a small smile but still shook his head. “Not in the slightest.”

I released my grip and stepped back, letting out a sigh. “Fine, I guess I need to get ready. Will you be fine out here alone?”

“I should be able to take care of myself, and I’ll keep your drink and food warm until you get out,” he said, holding up my coffee.

“I can live with that.”

I should have been more worried about having Trey in my apartment when I would be naked in the next room, but I didn’t feel like I could just kick him out. I locked my bedroom and my bathroom door just in case. I didn’t like surprises or people walking in on me.

***

Thirty minutes and it was probably a record for fastest time I ever got ready. The weather was starting to get colder, so I put on one of my favorite cable-knit sweater and some skinny jeans with knee-high boots. I blow dried my hair and walked out to see Trey sitting on the couch, watching some news channel.

I took a seat at the breakfast bar where he had my latte and breakfast sandwich waiting. “Do you ever watch anything besides the news?”

He got up and walked over to the counter, leaning on it and standing next to me. “Do you ever not look so breathtaking?”

I unwrapped the mouthwatering sandwich and took a big bite, flooding my taste buds with the flavor of egg whites, honey glazed ham, and spinach, all on sourdough bread. I found myself moaning at its deliciousness.

“And if you’re going to have that reaction when I bring you food, then I’m coming over in the morning more often,” he said.

I swallowed. “If you’re going to bring my sandwiches like this, then you can compliment me all you want.”

***

My hometown was only about an hour from campus. It’s the reason I originally didn’t pick Central, because of the proximity, but later figured it was the best place since I could go home whenever I needed. Of course, I didn’t expect I’d have a boyfriend that my parents would need to meet.

I was cuddled up on the couch with Trey’s arm around my waist, and trying not to smell his cologne too much when a knock came at my door. It was only eleven, and I wasn’t expecting them to be on time. I jumped up and ran to the front door opening it up to see my parents smiling faces.

My mom looked just like me except with an additional fifty pounds, some gray streaks in her hair, and a pair of large glasses. She also was blessed with straight hair that she always kept cut short since she said the babies in the pediatric ward liked to grab it when she would give them shots. My dad was where I got the curl in my hair from, even at his age he still had a gray fro to go with his graying mustache. He was taller than me and very skinny, probably because my mom was always too busy working to cook that often.

“Hey Monica!” Mom gushed, handing me a container of lasagna and walking into the apartment.

Dad patted my back. “Hey, honey.”

Mom stopped and giggled. “And this must be the famous new boyfriend.”

I turned around to see Trey standing there with his trademark political smile and his hands in his pockets. “That’s me, Mrs. Remy.” He extended his hand out to her, shaking it briskly. “Mr. Remy.” He did the same to my dad, shaking his hand like a politician-in-training.

“And such manners,” Mom cooed.

“Don’t let him sign you up for any fundraisers, Mom,” I said, putting the lasagna in the stove and turning it on. Mom took some class in which she learned how to prepare all her meals for the freezer. I knew the drill since high school that everything we had for dinner needed to be cooked in the oven for an hour before it wasn’t a frozen tundra.

Dad looked around the place, eyeing it like something would pop out and grab him. “This is a nice place, Monica, glad to see it’s worth the rate you’re paying.”

“It is one of the best places on campus, Mr. Remy. It has great security and walking distance to all our classes. I even live next door.” Trey pointed to the wall of my bedroom.

“Oh, dating the boy next door!” Mom fluttered her arms.

I groaned, rolling my eyes, but dad was right there patting my back. Mom was the one that was there when I needed comfort and dad was there when mom was getting to be too much for me. “You know how excited your mother gets, and now we can talk to your new boyfriend about his dad’s ideas for local government.”

I put my hands up. “Whoa, I talk enough politics all day in my classes, I think I could go a day without it.”

Mom nodded. “Good idea!”

Dad took his hand off my back. “Well, maybe me and Trey will have a discussion about it later.”

“Dad, where’s Jordan at?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

“Oh.” Dad cleared his throat. “He had practice today, so he couldn’t make it. He said he was real sorry, though.”

Jordan was more awkward than I was in social situations. He probably heard that I had a new boyfriend and made up an excuse as soon as he could. He may have been a big, popular jock at school, but that didn’t mean he associated with anyone besides his close group of friends.

“It’s all right, Mon, my brothers never visit me at school either.” I looked up to see that Trey had on his sexy smile. The one that always made me melt.

“Oh, you have brothers?” Mom said, folding her hands and swaying like some sort of teenage girl with a crush.

He nodded, his eyes staying on mine a second longer before he looked at my mom. “Yes, ma’am. Two older brothers, Trigg and Tripp. Trigg is an investment banker in New York and Tripp is a senior at Dartmouth.”

“Oh, how interesting,” she swooned.

I clasped my hands together. “Okay, guys, how about I give you a tour of the apartment and then after lunch we can do a tour of campus?”

The only thing we had was a breakfast bar with three stools and no kitchen table, so instead we ate in the living room; Trey and I sat on the couch, mom on the chair, and dad on Sam’s papasan chair she brought into the living room.

“So tell me,” Mom said between bites of lasagna. “How did you two get together? It’s obvious how you met with being neighbors, but how did you fall for each other?”

I almost choked on my lasagna and had to take a drink of water, leaving Trey to answer.

“Well, ma’am, your daughter is sort of stubborn.”

Dad laughed. “No shit on that one.”

I glared at Dad, but Trey took it all in and just smiled. “We were assigned to work together on a debate project and I kept asking her out, but she kept turning me down. It took a lot of persuading and a few dozen roses, and then she finally agreed to take me up on my offer.” He put his hand on mine, rubbing his thumb along the bridge of my knuckles. “And I couldn’t be happier.”

Dad cleared his throat, and I snapped my head in his direction. “I have to tell you, Mon, I was sort of surprised when I heard you were dating Trey, here. No offense, but I was pretty sure you were a starch liberal and with his dad’s traditional values, I just didn’t think you would have much in common. Unless you aren’t doing much talking.”

Again, I almost choked on my lasagna, but luckily Trey was there with another answer. He had to have an arsenal of great answers somewhere.

“Well, sir, I like a girl that challenges me, and Monica definitely does that. She’s very intelligent and we can have a very civilized conversation about our views, but no matter how heated it gets, we still know that the other is entitled to their own opinion. I value her for having such an open mind and a critical eye. You should see her in the classroom. I swear she made a guy cry.”

That didn’t actually happen. Some guy in our class tried to argue with me about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and I sort of verbally attacked him until the professor finally made me stop. He never actually cried as far as I knew. I took a big gulp of water before slamming my glass down on the coffee table. “And who doesn’t like a guy that likes your daughter for her mind?”

Dad nodded, and I set my plate down on the coffee table.

“Okay,” Mom said after taking a deep breath. “Now that we’ve eaten our fill, how about that tour of campus?”

I jumped up, anything to get out of the small confines of my living room. There was only so much ass kissing from Trey to my parents I could take, and so many questions from my dad, before I thought I would lose it.

“Sound good,” Dad said, standing up and smirking.

Luckily the weather was decent. Fall in Illinois was an unpredictable mess. One day it would be ninety degrees and the next it could snow. It was comfortable sweater weather with a bit of a breeze. The quad had a few students gathered on benches or sitting under the trees whose leaves were just starting to change colors.

“This really is a beautiful campus,” Mom said, looking up at the business building. It was the newest building and funded by an insurance company, so it was a massive brick structure filled with large windows and even a butterfly garden in the middle.

“Yeah,” Dad said. “I guess it’s good to get out of the city.”

I saw Mom elbow him in the side. I should have ignored him, especially in front of Trey, but enough was enough. He spent the day grilling Trey and the past month bothering me about transferring colleges. I finally had to say something. Dad knew I came home early from my last semester at Taylor and that I started counseling. He never really asked why. He just seemed to accept that it was something I had to do.

“Yes, Dad, it is nice to get out of the city. It’s nice to have a boyfriend who cares about me for more than the Greek letters on my shirt, and I think everyone could use a fresh start once in awhile,” I said, putting my chin down. I didn’t challenge Dad often, but every time I did he either blew up or just smiled.

This time he decided to talk. “You’re right, Mon.” He glanced at Trey. “Everyone does deserve a fresh start and a second chance. First impressions aren’t always what we think.”

He raised his eyebrows. I knew exactly what he was talking about, but knew there was no way in hell Trey would catch on. He knew about me crying the first day I went to Taylor about how none of the sororities wanted me, and yet, I wanted to be a part of one so bad. Dad told me that same thing; that maybe their first impression of me just wasn’t right and they had to get to know me. We got to know each other all right and that left me looking for my fresh start. My own second chance.

Trey took my hand and squeezed it. “The first time I met Monica, I thought she was breathtaking, but I also kind of knew she hated me just because of who I was. First impressions aren’t everything.”

“And I thought you were a smug, arrogant, governor’s son. I wasn’t completely wrong.” I laughed.

“I try.” Trey smiled.

“Awww,” Mom said, leaning her head on my dad. “Young love.”

I bit my bottom lip, glancing at Trey and he shot a wink in my direction. I didn’t think we were to that word yet, but at least he didn’t go running for the hills.

Dad cleared his throat. “Well, it’s getting pretty late, and I have to work tomorrow. We’d better head back.”

“Okay.” I nodded, swinging Trey around and walking the short distance back to our apartment building.

My parents’ sedan was parked on the street, and Mom gave me an extra long hug when we got to the car. “Don’t be a stranger now! I hope we’ll see you soon. And Trey?” She walked over and threw her arms around him, embracing him in a big hug. “You don’t be a stranger either.”

Trey smiled when she let go of him. “As long as you keep making that amazing lasagna, I’ll be around.”

Dad patted my back, and I turned toward him. “It was good to see you, Mon.”

“Yeah, good to see you too, Dad.”

He pulled me into a hug and then leaned closer, whispering so only I could hear. “He’s a good kid, Monica.”

My eyes widened. I wasn’t expecting that from dad. He seemed like he was too busy scrutinizing Trey to really try and get to know him. “I know, Dad.”

“Just be honest with him and the rest will fall into place.”

I nodded as he let go of me. I knew what he meant, but there was no way I could be completely honest with Trey. I wasn’t ready for that. And I didn’t know if I ever would be.

Trey put his arm around my waist as we watched my parents’ car disappear down the street.

“I think I left something in your apartment, is it okay if we go back up there?” he asked.

“Um, sure.” I said. I figured I would invite him back up anyway; he didn’t need an excuse.

We took the elevator up to the second floor then walked down the hall to my apartment. He watched me put my key in the lock like he was waiting for me to grow horns or something. I took his weirdness as just being horny and unlocked the door.

A trail of rose petals led from the front door into the living room, the whole place was lit only by candles. I half-expected the trail to lead to the bedroom for some cheesy first time set up, but instead they trickled into the living room. I followed the petals until they ended. My coffee table was pushed aside and written out in white and red petals on the floor were the words “Barn dance” with a big question mark.

“What? When? How...did...wow...”

Trey took my hand and whirled me toward him. His eyes were lit up like the Fourth of July, and he was grinning from ear to ear. “I made sure the door was unlocked when we left, and texted some of the pledges to come by while we were gone. I know you’re against all of this fraternity stuff, but I have to go to barn dance since they need a sober person and, well, I was hoping if I made enough of a show that you would agree to go with me.”

I looked down at the display and up then back up at Trey’s expecting eyes. Melanie was right; I needed to face my fears. After spending the afternoon with Trey and my parents, I knew I owed him for everything he had to deal with from my dad’s grilling questions. It wouldn’t hurt to spend one night at a fraternity function with him, and I had a feeling he would be adorable dressed in plaid.

I put my arms around his neck and kissed the tip of his nose. “How could I say no to a guy who has to work this hard for his stubborn girlfriend?”

Chapter 16

It had been almost a week since my parents came and Trey asked me to barn dance. I stressed about the idea of going to a fraternity function; especially one that was all about drinking beer at some barn in the middle of the woods, but the thought of being there with Trey made it not seem as bad. I barely got out of the room when I heard Sam hacking a lung from the couch. She really needed to lay off smoking.

“What the hell are you wearing?”

I guess it wouldn’t be that easy to sneak past her. I slowly turned to where she was spread on the couch with a bag of chips in her hand. It wouldn’t be long before she either had her friends piling in or was out somewhere half-baked.

I grimaced. “It’s for a barn dance.”

She sat up, raising one of her painted-on eyebrows. “You’re seriously going to one of those stupid fraternity functions with Trey?”

Sam appeared to have gotten used to the fact that I was seeing Trey, or at least tried not to make too many comments about him when I was around, but I guess his fraternity was up for grabs.

I sighed. “Yes, Sam, I’m going to his stupid fraternity barn dance. I’m not thrilled about it, but sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and do it.”

Before she could get in another word edgewise a knock came at the door. I ran for it and quickly opened it to see Trey standing there with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and his legs bowed like an awkward cowboy.

“Howdy, Miss Remy,” he said in a horrible, fake country accent that sounded more like a kid with a cold.

I put my hand to my mouth, trying to stifle my laughter. It was the first time I’d ever seen him in jeans, but he couldn’t get away from tucking his plaid shirt into them and wearing a pair of cowboy boots that probably came from a fancy department store. “You look like some sort of designer cowboy.”

“And you look like a liberal farmer,” he said, dropping the accent and pulling at the straps of my overalls.

“Ugh, you two are just too damn cute,” Sam scoffed from the couch.

“Nice to see you too, Samantha!” Trey waved.

I didn’t even look back to see her reaction. “All right we’re going, bye!” I quickly pushed him out into the hallway and closed the door behind me.

“Seriously, where did you get those things? You wear them to clean, and now you have them all dressed up with this fine plaid shirt.” Trey slid one arm around my waist and guided me to the elevator.

“A thrift store uptown. You’ve probably never heard of it. Only us liberal farmers hang out there.”

“If you’re there, then that’s where I want to be.” He nuzzled my neck before leaving feather-light kisses down it.

Originally the idea of being a couple was something I was reluctant to do and I was never big on PDA, but with his soft lips on my neck all I could think about was what else he could do with those lips.

“You sure you still want to do this?” I asked for the millionth time, walking in step with him through the underground parking garage to his bright red Mustang. Last time we did an Alpha Mu function I had to leave early and had been able to avoid going to anything else since. I’d also successfully avoided the Kappas and knew they would probably all be there as well.

“You know the answer to that, but you know we’re going any way. Do you know how many fundraising events Dad goes to in a day? He probably doesn’t want to go to half of them, but he does. The least I could do is show up to an Alpha function every once in awhile.”

“If you’re going to use your political voice with me I’m staying home.”

“Fine.” A large grin spread on his face before he turned me around and pulled me against him. I inhaled his scent, a mixture of his expensive cologne and mint. “I’ll just use the crazy-for-you voice.”

He pressed his forehead to mine, his words a whisper on my lips. “I don’t enjoy any of this. The drinking, the hanging around a bonfire and yelling random slurs, and I can’t stand half the guys there. But I do it because I made a pledge to be loyal to these guys. And as long as I have you by my side; I can be happy anywhere.”

“I’m sure we can be just as happy sitting at your apartment and watching a Western.”

He groaned. “Monica, look, I don’t want to do this either, and I’m tired of fighting you on this. You always expect the worse in everything, but sometimes everything doesn’t need some grand expectation. Once in awhile you just have to jump in with both feet, and if you come up knee-deep in a situation you don’t think you can handle then you know what to do for next time.”

I let out a deep breath. That was easy for him to say. He probably never had to face his fears head on. He probably didn’t have any. I survived my first night with him at the Alpha Mu house and didn’t have too bad of a break down. Maybe I really was on the road to recovery, and this could just be another stone on that path.

***

We pulled up to the Alpha Mu house, and it was in all its natural glory. Guys in cowboy hats stood on the front lawn with a beer in one hand and the other on the ass of some girl in a short skirt with a tied up plaid shirt.

Trey parked out front and ran around, opening the door for me before I could even protest. At that point I wouldn’t have. I felt like all eyes were on me as soon as I got out of the door. Maybe it was because I was the only girl who was actually covered.

“Hey, little bro, you made it!” John Boy shuffled over to us, holding onto his cowboy hat.

Trey briskly shook his hand. “Yeah, I never go against my word.”

John Boy stumbled back a bit, spilling some of his beer on the ground. He widened his eyes at me. “Holy shit, and you got the lib to come with you!”

I smirked, noting the sarcasm in his voice.

Trey took it all in stride, taking my hand and intertwining our fingers. “I couldn’t very well leave her behind. We’ve seen what happens to republicans when they do any sort of left behind acts.”

John Boy laughed like a rabid hyena, and I rolled my eyes.

“You’re too much, son,” John Boy said before downing the rest of his beer and tossing the can in a nearby trash bin. “Now, come on and mingle before the bus gets here.”

Trey squeezed my hand, and I reluctantly followed him and John Boy to the waiting crowd. I recognized some of the Kappa girls hanging around a small space heater on the porch. It served them right for not wearing any clothes when it was thirty flipping degrees out. Not that it wouldn’t have been me doing the same thing a year before.

“Hey, lib, you want a beer or something?” John Boy asked, completely ignoring his blonde, short-skirt-wearing date that saddled up to him.

I shook my head. “Um, no, I’m good. I don’t drink.”

“We got other shit than beer. Some of the Kappas made that fruity jungle juice shit that you girls like,” he said, grabbing another beer from a nearby cooler.

“No. I mean I don’t drink at all.”

He tilted his head back, laughing. “Oh man, never thought I’d see the day Trey would meet a liberal girl just like him. Looks like we’ve got our sober monitors and DDs for the after party.”

I opened my mouth to say something but before I could a noise that sounded like the General Lee, blasted from behind me. I turned and saw a giant, white school bus glowing from the inside like a cheesy disco ball; pull up to the front of the house.

“Looks like our ride’s here!” John Boy chugged his beer and then threw it to the side before charging after the giant, white bus.

I glanced over at Trey and saw his political smile plastered on. It looked like we were thinking the same thing. How did we ever get roped into going?

***

If the bus ride wasn’t bad enough, sitting on ripped vinyl seats while a guy who smelled like a bar sat next to us; the actual barn dance wasn’t looking any better.

We drove for thirty minutes of drunken songs before the bus pulled down a gravel path and in to a clearing where a large, looming red barn stood. It was open on both sides and a roaring bonfire blazed in the back while a DJ spun music on a wooden dance floor inside.

We were one of the last ones off the bus, but by the time we got off everyone was gathered around a plethora of kegs near the opening to the barn.

“If we’re going to do this, we might as well make the best of it.” Trey grabbed my hand and pulled me past the kegs and onto the hay-lined dance floor. “Let’s dance.”

The DJ played some sort of random dance mix I’d heard on the radio. I usually hated the song, but when Trey pressed his hands on my lower back it made every part of my body aware of his touch and warmth of his fingers. There was no way I could say no. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, pressing my hips against his. He guided my body along to the beat of the music; his hands firmly pressed on my back. If there was one thing Trey could do that I didn’t expect, it was that he could dance.

Other people made their way to the dance floor, bumping against us and spilling beer all over, but with Trey’s emerald eyes locked on me, I felt like I was the only girl in the world.

Another song picked up and I turned my back to Trey, pressing my back against the hard contours of his stomach. He moved his hands down to my hips and pulled me as close as possible. His face was buried in my hair, and he placed light kisses down my neck, making my libido do somersaults below my panty line. I kept my lips pressed together to keep from moaning. My body didn’t seize up from his touch anymore but did the opposite and I became acutely aware of every part of him pressed against me.

“You move like you’ve done this before.” His breath was hot on my ear.

I grabbed his hands, intertwining our fingers and then moved my hips in a small circle, grinding my butt against the ever growing bulge in his pants. “You can say that.”

I felt his smile on my neck before he kissed it. “You amaze me.”

We moved together for another few songs before Trey pulled back and had to yell into my ear over some random auto-tuned mix. “I’m going to grab a water. Do you want one?”

“Yeah!” I yelled.

He released his grip on me and pushed his way through the crowd. It wasn’t very long before I felt a body pressed against my back. I didn’t think Trey made it back that fast and that was when a pair of calloused hands reached around my waist and pulled me against his beer gut.

That was when I remembered that I left the house without my mace for the first time since I started Central. I froze. His hands fumbled over my hips, circling very dangerously close to my thighs.

“I like the way you move, and I know I’ve got some better ones than your preppy-ass boyfriend,” the voice was wet on my earlobe.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. His calloused hands made their way down until they were right on my pelvic bone.

“Please, stop,” I whispered. But he didn’t. His hands didn’t stop until they found the treasure. His hips rammed against my back while his hands gruffly scratched at my front. I tried to wriggle away, but the more I struggled the harder he pushed.

“Please, stop,” I begged, the tears pricking at my eyes.

“Damn, Monica, those long legs look good in that skirt.” His hand moved up my thighs until there was a rough push onto my panties. “Does the carpet match the drapes?”

My body was stiff. My throat closed up, and I couldn’t breathe. I prayed if I didn’t respond he would just stop. He didn’t. Instead he slipped another gruff hand up my shirt. The only sound that could escape my lips was a rocky gasp when his cold fingers made their way under my bra and tweaked at my nipples.

“Hey, get a room, JDawg!” someone yelled from the crowd.

I looked at the girls dancing around me, pleading with my eyes and mouthing ‘help,’ but none of them did. They just turned their backs and kept dancing as he pulled me into the basement bathroom. I wanted to cry, to scream out, but my voice and body failed me. I was trapped.

“What the hell is going on?” I looked up to see Trey standing in the middle of the crowd with two water bottles in his hand. The crowd parted, leaving us standing in the middle of a small circle.

The calloused hand let go of me and pulled away. “It’s cool, man. We were just dancing.”

“Dancing?” Treys eyes were lit like a fire was brewing in them. “It didn’t look like that’s what you were trying to do to my girlfriend.”

I took a step away from the guy, toward Trey. I tried to keep my head down, but Trey put his hand on my chin, tilting it upward. “Are you okay?”

“Come on, man, your liberal bitch is fine,” the guy said, putting his hand on Trey’s shoulder.

In one fell swoop Trey pushed the guy’s hand off his shoulder and then his fist connected with the guy’s jaw. I heard a snap and then the ‘oomph’ of his back hitting the hay floor.

The DJ stopped the music and everyone stared at us, like a zoo exhibit.

Trey put his arm around my waist. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 17

We stood outside of the barn until a cab arrived. No one came out to bother us. No one left the party. Trey spent all the time he wasn’t asking me how I was, clicking buttons on his phone and staring down at it like it would give him the secrets of life. I didn’t know what kind of damage control he would have to do, but no one wanted to be around him.

As soon as we got back to our apartment complex, Trey tipped the cab driver heavily and then led me into his apartment.

“Are we going to talk about this, or sweep it under the rug?” I asked, slowly sitting on his plush leather couch.

He shook his head, looking down and taking the seat next to me. “I’m sorry. That never happens. I never lose control. I just saw his hands on you and the tears in your eyes, and I lost it.”

“It wasn’t just him,” I said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Trey looked up, concern brimming in his eyes. “Please, don’t tell me you wanted him to do that.”

“No, it’s not that.” I swallowed and took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. It was time that Trey knew about my past, and if he wanted to break up with me then at least I was honest.

“I used to go to Taylor, as you know, but there is a bigger reason that I transferred instead of just to be closer to my family.”

Trey put his hand on mine. “I’m listening.”

“I was a Kappa, and I loved it. I wore the short skirts and got wasted at fraternity houses every weekend, but there was one weekend that changed all that.”

I bit down on my bottom lip, tears threatening to prick my eyes. Trey squeezed my hand and somehow that gave me the strength to continue.

“It was one of the last weekends of school, so I went with a few of my sisters to a party at the Alpha Mu house. We had all pre-gamed before, and after another few shots and games of beer bong, I could barely even stand.”

I swallowed, remembering the event as if it were yesterday.

“We were all dancing in the basement when this guy, who I’d been friends with in the house, came up behind me. We started dancing and everything was blurry. His hands found their way up my skirt and down my shirt right there on the dance floor. I froze. None of my sisters stopped him, and I felt like I didn’t have the voice to stop him.”

I looked down at my lap, not even glancing at Trey as I finished.

“Someone yelled for us to get a room. He pulled me off the floor and into the basement bathroom. His hands were replaced by other things, and he raped me right there on the floor while the tears poured down my face.” I paused, unsure if I could go on, wiping a few tears from my cheeks. I’d never told anyone what really happened that night, not even my counselor. I had to get it out. I took a deep breath before I continued.

“It only took a few minutes, but when he was done he pushed me off of him and onto the cement floor. He then whispered, ‘You were okay. Guess it’s good I didn’t use any of that latex shit, or it could have been even worse.’“

“I laid there for what seemed like forever until I finally pulled myself out of the bathroom and back to the party. I asked the girls I was with if they wanted to leave. They all said no, and then one of them said, ‘just because Joey said you were a bad lay doesn’t mean you have to make it a bad night for the rest of us.”

We sat there in silence for what seemed like forever, the only sound was my sniffling. Then Trey finally spoke.

“What did you do? Did you report him?” Trey asked, his voice quiet.

I shook my head, finally looking up at him as tears flowed down my face. “No, I was going to, but I got a call from the fraternity president the next day saying ‘If you try and report this no one is going to believe you because you’re such a slut.’ I went home soon after and finished off my last few weeks by correspondence and immediately put in for my transfer.” I let out a deep breath. “And I can understand now if you don’t want anything to do with me. I’m damaged goods.”

Trey immediately wrapped his arms around me and pulled me onto his lap. “Of course I still want to be with you. I can’t believe that asshole would do something like that, and I promise that I would never do that to you or let anyone else. Even if they’re my fraternity brothers.”

“But that’s not the worst part,” I said, gathering my courage. “I went to Student Health Services the next day to get the morning after pill. I couldn’t afford it. The nurse told me about the contraception bill and how it wouldn’t even be covered by insurance. I counted the days until my next period and jumped for joy that I wasn’t pregnant. That’s the reason why I’ve had a thing against your dad for so long. I may not have been pregnant, but I couldn’t even prevent it. That was taken away from me.”

He put his thumb to my cheek wiping my tears away. “I don’t care that you don’t like my dad’s views on contraception. I love you, Monica, with every fiber of my being. I don’t care about your past, or how liberal you are. I just love you.”

I couldn’t believe that he was saying the words. Even with his conservative views, he still loved me. All the broken parts of me.

“I love you, too. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

I laid my head on his shoulder, and he kissed my hair. I didn’t expect anything that transpired that night to happen, but there was one thing I was for sure of. I was truly in love with Trey Chapman, the son of the governor I had a grudge against.

“Do you want to stay here tonight?”

I slowly lifted my head up. “With you?”

He swallowed. “You can sleep in my bed, and I’ll take the couch. I can even grab a set of my gym clothes for you to sleep in if you don’t want to go back to your apartment.”

I nodded, slowly. I didn’t want to leave him, and as great as it would be to sleep beside him, I respected him enough not to ask. And after spilling my story I wasn’t in the mood for what could come from sleeping in the same bed.

“Okay.”

***

Like a gentleman of his word, Trey slept on the couch and left me alone in his big four poster bed. I even got to see what cologne he wore, Clive Christian No 1, the most expensive cologne in the world. I guess I wouldn’t be buying a bottle for myself.

I awoke early when I heard Trey pacing in the living room.

Slowly, I crept from the bed and stood at the door, cracking it open just enough to see Trey running his hands through his hair with his phone to his ear.

“I know, Dad, but you didn’t see the guy. Uh, huh. Yes sir. I know.”

Oh shit. His dad.

With another few ‘yes sirs’ he said goodbye and set the phone down.

“Monica, I know you’re listening from the door, so you might as well come out now.”

I opened the door to see that Trey was already showered and in his usual dress shirt and pants with his hair gelled, while I was still in one of his under shirts and gym shorts he let me borrow.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Trey looked down at the floor, slightly shaking his head with hands on his hips. “Someone had a camera phone and got a video of me hitting that guy last night. I guess it’s all over the Internet and Dad is pretty pissed.

I swallowed, unsure of what to think or say. Trey was always careful of what he did. He always said that his actions reflected on his dad.

“And he wants me to come up there to have a meeting. He said to bring you.”

“Me?” I pointed to my chest, feeling like my heart literally stopped. It was one thing to deal with Trey’s views, but meeting the governor himself? Oh no.

“Yeah.” He nodded, looking up at me. “And I’d like you to be there. We can leave whenever you’re ready and come back tomorrow.”

I glanced at the clock over the stove. It was only seven and a Saturday.

“I have to work on Sunday morning,” I said.

Trey took a few long strides until he was right in front of me. He grabbed both my hands and then slowly brought them to his lips. “You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do. You can call in sick, or I can tell Dad that you can’t make it. But just so you know, I really want you there.”

And that was all it took for me to run to my apartment to get ready to meet the parents.

***

I spent an extra long time in the shower, shaving my legs and making sure I washed every inch of myself. After I got out, I blow dried my hair and straightened it, smoothing it down repeatedly. I had dated a lot of other guys and met their parents, but the thought of meeting Governor Chapman shook me to the core. Not only that, but I was the reason there was a video of his son punching someone on the Internet.

As I went through my closet searching for the perfect thing to wear and packing my overnight bag, I decided it was probably time to call Melanie.

“Hey lady, how was the barn thing?”

I groaned. “If you’re asking that then you probably haven’t seen the video of Trey punching a guy on the Internet.”

Melanie laughed. “Oh, I totally have. I just didn’t want to bring it up.”

“We’ll, speaking of that. I won’t be able to make my shift at work tomorrow. We’ll call it a family emergency.”

“Emergency?” Her voice got higher with a hint of a squeak to it.

I sighed. “Yeah, Governor Daddy saw the video and now Trey wants me to go with him up north to help with damage control.”

“Whoa, Mon, you just started dating the guy, and now you’re already in on political rendezvous sessions?”

I balanced the phone between my shoulder and ear as I dug through the back of my closet trying to find something presentable that wasn’t my normal jeans and t-shirts. “Look, are you going to let me off the hook for my shift, or do I have to call back tomorrow with a sudden case of food poisoning?”

She let out a crackling breath into the phone. “Okay, I’ll put in that you had a family emergency, but just this one time. If there are any more government meetings you better hope they serve some bad shellfish so you have a better excuse.”

I grinned, even though I knew she couldn’t see it. “Thanks, Mel, you’re the best!”

“I know. So you better give me all the deets on Monday!”

“I will. I promise. Talk to you then.”

I disconnected the call and slid my phone down to the ground. Now that work was figured out, it was time to tackle my wardrobe. I couldn’t show up to meet the governor in some skinny jeans and a sweater; that just didn’t scream girlfriend worthy. The only thing I could find in my closet was the outfit I wore for my last job interview, which was a high-waisted, black pencil skirt and white blouse. I threw it on and slid into my only pair of heels, which were, luckily, black and looked myself over in the full-length mirror. I stopped when I caught the glint of my eyebrow ring. I reached up and unscrewed the balls from either side and placed it on my desk. The holes were still there from the piercing, but it was better than meeting the governor with a giant ring in my eyebrow.

A knock came at my bedroom door, and I figured Sam had let Trey in since it had been almost two hours since I left his apartment.

“Come in. I’m decent!”

But instead of Trey, Sam’s dreadlocked head slowly crept in. “Whoa, do you and Trey have some sort of Young Republicans brunch or something?” She stared at me wide-eyed, wearing her makeup from the night before and her ratty pajamas.

I shook my head, tossing my brush into my overnight bag. “I wish. I’m going with him to see his parents.”

“Dude, that’s nuts. Is it because of that video of him sucker punching that dude?”

I rolled my eyes with a groan. “Has everyone seen that video?”

“Uh, yeah, it’s like all over Facebook. That’s nuts. I thought he was Mr. goody-two-shoes, but it looked like he has a killer right hook. That dude must have really done something to piss him off.”

“You can say that again,” I replied, zipping up my bag.

Sam crossed her arms over her giant chest, rocking from side to side. “That’s why I came in here. I noticed you didn’t come home last night and just wanted to make sure everything was ok. I hoped he didn’t have some sort of secret dark side and was keeping you locked up in his room.”

I slid my bag over my shoulder. “As much as you’d like to think the opposite, Trey is actually a really good guy. One of his fraternity brothers put the moves on me, he took care of it, and I stayed at his place last night because I was pretty shook up about it.”

“Oh...sorry...I didn’t know.” Sam kept her eyes on the floor as she followed me out of the bedroom and into the living room.

“Not a big deal. Well, I mean it is a big deal, but you didn’t know.”

She sighed, finally looking up at me. “Look, I came to your room to apologize for being a bitch these past few days about the Trey stuff. Yeah, he comes off as a douchebag, but my preconceived notions were no reason for me to take it all out on you.”

If Sam could articulate herself better, she could possibly have a career in politics herself with her genuine apology that really wasn’t much of an apology.

“Thanks, Sam, I appreciate it.”

“So I’ll see you later?” she asked, but it was really more of a statement.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later.” With that I was out the door and over to Trey’s apartment; ready for my first round of political crossfire.

Chapter 18

Trey’s door whooshed open, and he stood there with his hair disheveled, probably from raking his hands through it so many times. His face was flustered, but he smiled when he saw me.

“Well, Miss Remy, you do clean up well.”

I smirked. “Can we just get this over with?”

He grabbed a small suitcase near him and closed the door, locking it behind him. With his free hand he took my hand and we walked to the elevator. “I see you even lost the eyebrow ring for the day.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think the governor would appreciate seeing your girlfriend with a facial piercing.”

He squeezed my hand, watching the elevator doors open to the underground garage. “You don’t need to try and change yourself to impress my dad. You never did that for me, and that’s what I love about you. That you are your own person.”

I put my hand to my chest in mock shock. “My, my, Mr. Chapman I do believe you just admitted that you love me for my liberal ways.”

He shook his head and stopped at his Mustang, opening the trunk and tossing in our bags. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself. I said that I love you for you, not for your politics.”

***

Trey’s family lived in a wealthy suburb of Chicago. I tried to do a quick Internet search about where they lived before we left, but I got nothing more than a suburb with an average income that was over twice the amount of what my parent’s house cost.

Trey was pretty silent for most of the ride; only making a few comments about the songs on the radio and keeping his hand on mine. We took the north suburbs exit off the highway and after a few more miles of driving, Trey pulled onto a long, tree-lined road full of perfectly manicured lawns and houses made of all brick and had large, white pillars in front of them. I was sure that one of them had to be his, but he kept driving. He finally turned down another road and pulled up to a large, wrought iron fence that stretched as far as the eye can see.

“Do you all live on a golf course or country club community or something?”

Trey stopped at the gate, rolling down his window and pressing a few numbers on the keypad. The gate slowly cranked open, and Trey rolled up his window. “No, this is just my house.” He didn’t have his normal, slightly cocky tone; more like he was defeated.

“Is everything okay?” I squeezed his hand and watched his jaw clench. He always had a poker face, but I’d never seen him so tense.

“It should be. After we talk to Dad.” He glanced at me and flashed a small smile. Not his usual big grin. Everything wasn’t okay.

I turned and looked out the front window just when Trey’s house came into view. Let me rephrase that, it wasn’t a house but more like a McMansion that was probably bigger than the White House. A circular driveway curved around a large fountain that added to the house’s palatial feel. There were three floors of French windows, each with black shudders and even a balcony off of several of the windows on the second floor. My parent’s house was white, but not like Trey’s house. This one was stark white and looked like someone power washed it every day.

When Trey pulled around to the side it revealed an expansive six-car garage, and from the cobblestone driveway I could see the edges of an in-ground swimming pool and a yard that was the size of an eighteen hole golf course. It probably could have been one with how perfectly green and landscaped the yard was with a rainbow’s array of flowers.

Trey pulled the car into park and stared out the front window. “Just please don’t make any smartass comments about the house.”

My mouth gaped open. Was that what he thought of me? “I wasn’t. I think it’s beautiful,” I stammered.

He turned off the ignition with a big sigh and then turned to me. The weight of the world looked like it was all reflected in his green eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a jerk. I’m just nervous. This has never happened before. I’ve never done anything to qualify a meeting with Dad.”

I put my hand on his thigh and squeezed it lightly. “Look, whatever happens we will get through it. We can’t change what happened, but we will move forward. We can do this together.”

Finally, his smile made an appearance. “Did anyone ever tell you that you would make a great politician?”

I leaned in closer, inhaling the scent of his expensive cologne. “The Democratic Party has been calling me every day.”

He nuzzled his nose against mine. “You had me until the D word.”

I placed a quick kiss on his lips. “Then we better get inside before my phone starts buzzing off the hook from all my advisors.”

He pushed his door open and climbed out, running over to the other side of the car and opening my door. I let him take my hand to help me out and followed him to get our bags out of the trunk.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Trey asked, slinging our bags over his shoulder and grabbing my hand with his free one.

I let out a deep breath that I didn’t know I was holding in. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

I followed him along the rose-lined path to the front door. It was framed by white columns and a balcony sat overhead. Trey rang the doorbell and chimes that sounded like “Hail to the Chief” rang from inside. I thought the song was just reserved for when the president walked into the room, but it could have been for any political figure, or the governor was just very cocky. I didn’t want to think which one it was.

I was surprised when a woman I recognized as Trey’s mom answered the front door. I figured they would have servants for that. She looked just like she did on TV with bottle-blonde hair, a big white smile, and a meticulously cut, pink skirt suit.

“Trey, it’s so good to see you!” She gushed and then her green eyes trailed over to me. “And this must be Monica Remy, who we’ve heard so much about.”

I was hoping all good things, but by the tone of Trey’s conversation with his dad that morning, I doubted it.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Chapman.” I extend my hand and she took it, shaking it briefly.

“Oh, please, call me Mindy!” she said, taking a step back and motioning us inside.

I followed Trey into the impressive foyer with wooden floors at my feet and a large, crystal chandelier above us. To my left was a grand staircase and to the right was a formal parlor with furniture that looked like it was straight out of a nineteenth century tea room.

Trey scanned the room. “Where’s Dad?”

Mindy rung her hands together. “He is in the study right now, but he should be joining us for lunch then you all can talk business.” She turned toward a small hallway, her heels clicking as she walked down it. “Nadia made hummus wraps and Niçoise salad.”

Trey took my hand and we followed Mindy down the hallway until we entered a large living room. The room was so big it could have fit an entire college lecture hall in it. Floor-to-ceiling windows stared back at me, letting in the afternoon sunlight. There were two L-shaped leather couches and two recliners that faced a huge, brick fireplace that was framed with the two built in bookshelves, full of books. Above that hung a giant flat screen TV. I mentally wondered how much governors made and then remembered from my Internet search, that his dad was some sort of a hedge fund guy before he got into politics, and his mom came from money. I gulped, wondering what they thought of Trey’s redheaded girlfriend wearing a skirt from the clearance rack at Target.

Trey dropped our bags on one of the couches and then put his arm around my waist, pressing his lips to my ear. “Don’t let all of this intimidate you.”

“I’ll try,” I whispered, hoping his mom didn’t see us. She didn’t look at me with disgust exactly, but I didn’t want her to think Trey was dating a big slut either by putting my arms around him or even thinking about kissing him in front of her.

He squeezed my side and led me to the dining room, which also had floor-to-ceiling windows that faced out onto the sprawling backyard. The white dining room table was covered in a linen tablecloth with a crystal chandelier reflecting off an array of white plates and clear bowls full of salad, fruits, and some things in small bowls that looked like tar.

“Is it just going to be the four of us for lunch?” I asked, staring down at the assortment of food that adorned the table. It looked like it was enough for an army.

“Yes, it is, I believe.” Mindy tilted her head like I just asked her the most off-the-wall question.

“You remember, I told you Trigg is working on the East Coast and Tripp is at Dartmouth,” Trey covered nicely, sensing my faux pas..

“Oh, heh, right, silly me.” I took a seat next to Trey and quickly put a cloth napkin on my lap. I needed to stop talking. I was already afraid to ask which fork I was supposed to use, and I didn’t want to make an even bigger fool of myself.

Just as Trey and Mindy sat, the governor walked in. Just his very presence took my breath away. He exuded power with his navy three-piece suit, salt and pepper crew cut, and slightly orange tan. His facial lines were drawn in what looked like a permanent scowl, but when he turned and saw Trey a smile lit up his face that looked eerily similar to Trey’s trademark, political smile.

“Trey, my boy, glad to see you here!”

Trey stood up, and they briskly shook hands as if they were some sort of business partners instead of father and son.

“And this must be the lovely Miss Remy.” The governor’s dark green eyes locked on me, and I instantly sprung up from my chair, knocking it back into the large china cabinet behind me. It caused a few of the crystal dishes inside to rattle.

I winced and put my hand out. “Yes, I am. It’s nice to meet you, Governor Chapman.”

He took my hand and shook it firmly, like I expected a politician would with the large, bleached grin still on his face. “No need to be nervous, Miss Remy, and please call me Kirk.”

I nodded my head up and down rapidly like a bobble head. “Okay.”

He let go of my hand and then walked to the head of the table, taking his seat. I waited until he sat down before I pulled my chair back from the wall and sat down as well.

I watched the governor meticulously pick out a hummus wrap from a plate garnished with parsley and scoop some salad onto his plate. He put everything on it counter clockwise, and Mindy never took something until after the governor had already put it on his plate.

“Miss Remy,” the governor’s deep voice carried over the table.

I was so lost in the trance of watching the food being served that when the governor said my name I gasped and jumped in my seat. He had to think I was a bumbling idiot. I needed to keep my cool, but I’d never been in the presence of someone that probably had a preconceived notion that I was trouble.

I cleared my throat and made sure I was firmly in my seat before I responded. “Yes, sir?”

“No need to be scared. I’m not going to bite.”

I swallowed hard, nodding profusely. “Oh, I know. I’m sorry. I’m just a bit nervous. I don’t usually sit down with a governor for lunch.”

“There is no need to be nervous. Just think of me as any other guy.”

That was easy for him to say. He wasn’t in my shoes. I also secretly thought he knew I didn’t vote for him and was waiting to take me down like he was vetoing a bill.

“Okay, sir, I’ll try.”

Trey put his hand on my leg and squeezed it under the table. That didn’t do anything to help my nerves. It just made every fiber of my body aware that his hand was on my leg, and his parents were still in the room.

“Dad, I’ve told you that Monica is also a Political Science major, and she double majors in Women’s Studies.”

Oh great, he had to bring that up. Now the governor probably had it in his head that I was a liberal feminist who burned my bras at pro-choice rallies.

The governor nodded, tilting his head ever so slightly. “That’s an interesting choice of a double major. What do you plan on doing with that?”

I fiddled with the napkin on my lap, my knees shaking. I knew what my answer usually was, but I didn’t know how he would take it. So I just blurted it anyway. “I want to do something with women’s issues in a non-profit arena. Possibly lobbying for NOW or a group like that.”

I actually knew that NOW didn’t endorse the governor and was a huge opposer of his, but I couldn’t think of a women’s organization that supported him.

“That’s a bold choice of a career path. Have you set up any internships or job shadows?” He didn’t miss a beat. It was like he already had his questions planned before I could answer.

I looked at Trey, hoping he would save me, but he was busy stuffing his face with one of the orange globs on his plate.

“Oh, no, not yet. I’m just trying to get through my sophomore year before I start looking.”

The governor seemed to take that as a good enough answer, nodding and taking a bite of something on his plate.

The rest of the lunch conversation focused around Trey and his classes instead of on me. I was waiting for the big punch line, for someone to bring up the fight, but no one said a word. I could barely eat just waiting for the governor to ask what the hell I was doing with his son and kick me out. But the more I didn’t eat the longer I just sat there while everyone finished their meals.

The governor clasped his hands together. “Well, it looks like you’re done, Trey. Would you join me in the study?”

“Sure, Dad.” He flashed his political grin and stood up, leaving his plate in front of him.

I reached over and grabbed the empty plate. “Don’t worry I’ll get your dishes for you.”

Mindy laughed, her soft voice carrying over the table. “Oh, honey, don’t worry about that. Nadia will get them.”

Nadia? The same lady who made the food had to clean it up? I set Trey’s plate back down slowly.

Trey leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “Don’t worry, we shouldn’t be too long.”

The governor was already up from the table and standing behind his chair. “Yes, hopefully this should be quick and painless. Mindy can show you to your room in the meantime.”

“Okay.” I slowly stood up and faced the smiling men. I didn’t know what awaited Trey in the study, but I was just as nervous about what would happen after.

Chapter 19

I followed Mindy up the grand staircase and down a long, beige hallway that was lined with oil paintings that definitely weren’t like the ones they sold at Goodwill. Mindy made small talk, telling me about the paintings and random details about the house that I didn’t care about, like crown molding.

She stopped at one of the last doors on the left and opened it. The light streamed in from a set of French doors that had to have led out to one of the many balconies I saw when we drove up. In the middle of the room was a cherry wood sleigh bed with a dark green comforter that matched the dark green walls. If it wasn’t for the extensive doors and windows, the room would have felt like a dank dungeon with the dark walls and furniture. My bags were already sitting on the bed when I walked in behind Mindy. I wondered if Nadia brought them there or if another servant did. I pondered how many they actually had.

“And just over here is your en-suite bath. There should be plenty of towels in the linen closet, and Marcella just put in some new shampoo and soap.” Mindy extended a perfectly manicured hand to the open door where I caught the glimpse of beige walls and a granite countertop.

“Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate it.”

Mindy’s lips formed a tight smile, and she took a small step toward me. “Monica. You can stop with all the niceties. We both know that you’re just as nervous to be here as we are about having you .”

I tried not to let my eyes bug out of my head. The perfect governor’s wife was nervous?

She looked down at the wooden floor. “We were surprised when we first learned Trey had a girlfriend. He’s not like his brothers. Trigg has been with his girlfriend for years, and it seems as if Tripp has a new girlfriend every weekend. But Trey was always the quiet one. He took more interest in his schoolwork than girls.”

She looked up at me and I nodded, unsure of what to say. Somehow I didn’t believe Trey was the quiet type, but maybe he came out of his shell at college.

“It was as if no girl was ever good enough. Then you came along and we get reports of him getting in fights with his fraternity brothers.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disappoint you,” I muttered.

Mindy put her hand up. “Honey, you aren’t a disappointment to us.”

Say what?

“Yes, we worry about Trey and his future, but we can’t expect him to be a saint. The truth is, while Kirk was upset about the video, I was just relieved that Trey finally found someone he was so passionate about that he would go to such lengths to defend her.”

I didn’t know what to say. I was beyond speechless. I was expecting to be reamed out for corrupting her baby boy, but the woman was actually thanking me.

“But you probably have some homework or something to catch up on. I’ll leave you be and send Trey up when his meeting is done.”

With that she was out of the room and left me standing there. Dumbfounded.

***

I decided that since I had some downtime I would try and call my mom. At least let her know where I was.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mom. How are you doing?”

She breathed into the phone and I heard crinkling noises in the background. “Oh I’m fine! I’m just cleaning. But I can take a break for you. How was the barn dance?”

I sighed, plopping down on the bed. It was like lying on a cloud. It had to be the softest mattress ever. Not like my parents’ guest futon. Trey had to have thought I was some sort of pauper compared to the grandiose of the Chapman place.

“It was okay. Trey ended up getting in a fight with some guy, so now we’re at his parent’s house to get away for awhile.” That seemed like a good enough reason. I imagined the governor had every resource on speaker phone to make the whole thing look like a set up and pay off the jerk from the dance.

“You’re at the governor’s house?” Mom couldn’t contain the excitement in her voice. She squealed like a little girl.

“Yes, Mom. I’m in his house. I had lunch with him and his wife, and they asked about my future career choices.”

“Uh oh. Feminist Monny didn’t come out, did she? Did you cause a scene?”

“Mom,” I groaned. “I’m not that bad.”

“Mon, you know I love you and your strong headed opinions, but it never hurts to tone them down once in awhile.”

A knock came at the door.

“Come in,” I yelled, pulling the phone receiver away from my mouth.

Slowly the door opened and Trey inched his way in. “Is this a bad time?”

I shook my head and pulled the phone back toward my mouth. “Mom, Trey’s here. I’m going to have to call you back.”

“Okay, well have fun and behave!”

I set the phone on the bed just as soon as Trey sat next to me.

“So, how did it go?”

He grinned. Not his political smile, but the one he usually had right before he made a smartass comment. “Did I ever tell you how sexy you are when you’re nervous?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m serious.”

“And so am I.” He got on all fours, crawling on the bed until he hovered over me. “The whole time we were at the table I kept thinking how cute it was when you would stumble for an answer. It’s not like the bullheaded Monica that I’m used to.”

I leaned up, resting on my elbows, so I was just inches from his face. “Everyone gets nervous sometimes.”

He moved his hand to the side of my face, cradling my chin in his palm before caressing my cheek with his thumb. “But you’re usually the exception. My cool as a cucumber liberal. It was nice to see your soft side.”

“I can bring out the bullheaded side if you miss it. Especially if you don’t tell me how things went with your dad.”

He groaned and slid back from hovering and then rolled on his back to lie beside me. “He just asked me some questions. We talked about it, and now everything is fine.”

I turned to my side to face him. “He couldn’t have asked you those questions over the phone?”

He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “He said he wanted us to come here, so he could see if there was really something between us. If I really loved you, or if this was just something to pass the time.” He finally let his gaze trail to mine as he turned over, leaning on his side. “His words. Not mine.”

“And what did he figure out...”

He leaned in, and I could make out every freckle on the bridge of his nose. He was beyond beautiful, and he was in bed, next to me. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the things we could be doing in the bed besides talking, and the butterflies did somersaults in my stomach just thinking about it. “That this is as real as it gets.”

I bent forward, parting my lips ever so slightly when the clicking of heels knocked me out of our almost kiss. Trey sprang up from the bed, standing with his back to me and his hands fumbling at the front of his pants. I rolled over and sat up just before Mindy walked in.

“Hey Mom,” Trey said, cool as a cucumber.

“Hello, dear, I was just seeing if you wanted to give Monica a tour of the property. Your father has a conference call, and I have book club, so I didn’t want you to feel like we were completely ignoring you.”

“That sounds great. Thanks, Mom.”

I stood up, and Trey took my hand as we followed Mindy out of the guest room and down the grand staircase. I guess it was frowned upon for us to be in the room alone together. I hadn’t actually been with anyone in that way in quite a long time. I wasn’t a virgin, by any means. I had a few boyfriends in high school and there was a three month long relationship at college, but I wasn’t a slut either. After the incident at Taylor, I didn’t have any feelings for another guy and couldn’t think about a boyfriend, or want to be with someone in that way. But Trey brought out new feelings in all the right places, and I was getting anxious to explore them.

Trey led me out the back patio door to a large veranda. A big pergola hung over us with different vines and plants, all meticulously kept. The back yard faced the east and the sun glimmered over the large infinity swimming pool that looked like it spilled over onto the green grass.

“As you can see, this is the back yard.” Trey spread his arms out and walked to the side where an outdoor kitchen was set up, complete with a stainless steel grill and even a full-sized fridge. Just to the front of that was a large patio table with eight bronze colored chairs around it.

“I think this is nicer than my whole house,” I muttered.

Trey put his hands down. “Don’t say that.” He took a few steps back to me and put both my hands in his, looking into my eyes. “I didn’t bring you here to show off my parent’s house. You know this isn’t me. I’m not some braggart.”

“Well, you kind of do like to showboat,” I teased.

“I’m serious.” His eyes were dark and steely. “I don’t want you to feel like this is something that I expect. I’ve been born with a silver spoon, but you’re the girl who doesn’t care about this.”

I squeezed his hands to let him know that I was still listening.

“One of the things that I love about you is that you don’t care about my family or my money. Heck, I think those are actually the things you don’t like about me.”

“It’s grown on me, I’ll admit.”

He turned so that he was at my side and continued down the veranda and onto the grass, dropping one of my hands, but still holding tightly on to the other. “You know what I mean. That’s part of the reason I chased you so hard. You weren’t interested at all. Most girls around campus throw themselves at me as soon as they hear who my dad is. Not because of me or my politics, but they thought they might get a ride in my car or a trip to the family lake house in Michigan.”

I put my hand to my chest and dropped my bottom jaw in mock shock. “You mean you aren’t going to take me to the famous Chapman lake house?”

I didn’t think it was that famous. It had its own Wikipedia page but all it said was “In the style of the Hampton’s, a row of politician’s homes line a secluded beach that includes the Chapman’s, and the senators and congressmen from most of the Midwestern states.” If it was half as impressive as the governor’s friend’s place we had our first date at, I wasn’t sure I’d have the correct swim attire to go anywhere near it.

Trey furrowed his brow, looking straight ahead. “I’m being serious.”

I squeezed his hand. “I know, I’m sorry.”

He led me through the grass. The lawn reminded me of what I thought a royal palace would look like with lush flowers, perfectly trimmed hedges, and even a koi pond. The whole thing was beyond amazing. All my parents had in their backyard was my old wooden swing set and a deck with a grill that was practically rusted through.

Trey stopped and turned toward me. “My dad asked me what I saw in you. What it was that made me choose you, and of course, punch out one of my fraternity brothers for you.”

I bit down on my bottom lip. Did the governor not like me? Was this about to be a huge blow to my ego? “And what did you tell him?”

He took a step closer, pressing his forehead to mine and wrapping his arms around my waist. I inhaled Trey’s wonderful fragrance; freshly laundered shirts and expensive cologne. “I told him that the moment I met you, I knew there was no one else I’d rather be with. That you’re the girl who challenges me more than anyone and makes me want to be a better person.”

“You actually said that to your dad?” I had to keep my jaw from dropping to the ground.

He brushed a stray strand of hair out of my face. His touch made my lip tremble. It was as if his fingers had a direct line to my libido, and the more he touched me the more I didn’t want him to stop. “I’d never been so angry that I would actually punch a guy, until last night. It showed me that I could actually have pure, unadulterated passion in my life and not just believe in something because it’s one of the principles I’ve been raised on.”

“I love it when you give me your pseudo-political speeches, because they are more real than any other bullshit you would otherwise spiel,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling his body flush with mine.

“I love you, Monica Remy. You’re the only girl I’ve ever fallen so hard for. I never thought I’d love a bleeding-heart liberal with facial piercings, but you’re truly the only exception.”

With that I did the only thing there was left to do and pulled him into a kiss. It felt like forever since I had and his lips were warm against mine, his tongue gliding inside and instantly making my body aware of his. I raked my fingers through his hair, tugging it lightly. His kisses became more passionate, more eager, and full of desire. They were short and then fast, each move of his tongue made my body tremble. He reached his hands lower down my back until he cradled my butt in them.

I felt a low moan gather in my throat and travel out of my lips into his mouth as his hands caressed me, almost better than any massage I’d ever had.

He broke the kiss slightly and his lips trailed down to my neck, nibbling at the delicate skin that met my shoulders. I gasped, his fingers working their way up and down my back. His bulge was now prominently pressed right against me. My whole body responded, and I shivered underneath his touch, rocking my hips against his. I wanted to rip his dress clothes off right there in the backyard.

A loud, throat-clearing sound came from behind Trey. I jumped back, letting go of him and smoothing out my hair. Trey quickly adjusted the front of his pants and turned toward the noise. A short, Latin man in a pair of overalls with a straw hat, holding a garden hoe stared at us.

“Señor, Chapman, sorry to interrupt. I just need to get to the begonias,” he said with a heavy accent.

Trey looped his arm around my waist, ushering me away from the flowers behind us, keeping his head down. “Oh sure, go right ahead, Manuelo.”

“Gracias, Señor. Have a beautiful day!”

I covered my mouth to try to stifle my giggles as we quickly walked back to the house.

“It’s not funny,” Trey said with his head down and his cheeks slightly flushed.

“Oh my God!” I stopped and tilted my head. “Are you embarrassed? I thought I’d never see the day the great Trey Chapman got embarrassed.”

“It’s not funny,” he muttered, stepping onto the veranda.

“It kind of is. It’s not every day one gets caught making out by the gardener.”

Trey opened the door and ushered me into the living room. Before he closed the door behind us he squeezed my butt, and I let out a loud squeal.

“Trey Chapman!” I spun toward him and he picked me up with a devious grin on his face. “This is no laughing matter, Miss Remy.”

I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he hungrily pressed his lips to mine, like he was savoring every bit of me. He took a few steps forward and then we tumbled onto the couch. I kept my legs wrapped around him and pushed my hips against him. One of his hands ran through my hair, and he slowly slid the other one up the length of my leg, making every bit of my skin prick with goose bumps.

I didn’t know when his parents would be home, but every part of me ached for him. I took his hand on my leg and moved it down under my skirt until his fingers reached my panty line. He just let his hand sit there, his fingers gently rubbing against the silk fabric of my underwear. This wasn’t like at the Alpha Mu house. This was something I wanted after all this time. I couldn’t take the waiting, and I moved his hand underneath my panties. He kept his hand there, brushing it against my bare skin before he slid one finger inside me, curving it slightly. He left it there for a moment and then, delicately slowly, he twirled it over and over, and my body quivered underneath him. I arched my back and then he went deeper, hitting every spot just right.

I moaned softly, unable to contain myself. Making out and over the clothes fondling was one thing, but actually having his digits inside me was a whole new, mind-blowing game.

“Oh Monica,” he breathed into my hair.

I reached down and undid his belt with urgency. With every twirl of his fingers I wanted him even more.

“Señor Chapman? OH I SO SORRY!”

Trey pulled his fingers out of me and rolled off the couch. I snapped up, pulling my skirt down and hoping no one got a show.

A short, stout Latina woman in a white apron, carrying a mop stood there with her hand over her mouth.

Trey quickly buckled his belt and cleared his throat. “Hello Nadia, sorry about that. Me and Monica were just...enjoying each other’s company before my parents came home.”

Nadia moved her hand from her mouth and shuffled into the living room. “I not telling you what to do, Señor, but I would suggest that you may do a better job of enjoying each other’s company behind closed doors.”

Chapter 20

After being caught, twice, it put an end to our make out sessions; no matter how bad I wanted him. I settled for three games of chess instead of lying on my back. Every time I turned my head it seemed as if there was some sort of servant watching us. It definitely killed the mood.

Mindy came home after Trey won for the third time. I heard her heels on the wood floor of the entryway before I saw her.

“Trey, I don’t believe I’ve seen you play chess since high school,” she said, her voice overly cheery.

Trey stared down at the crystal set. “I thought this would be better used than just a decoration in the parlor.” He glanced up, shooting a wink in my direction. “And it’s nice to see that I can actually beat Monica at something.”

“Well, don’t beat her too bad; we wouldn’t want her running off before dinner. I instructed Nadia to prepare duck a l’orange. Your favorite.”

Mindy stopped right next to the chess set. “Monica, are you a fan of duck?”

“Um, I honestly can’t say that I’ve ever had it, so I don’t have an opinion.”

Mindy smiled. “That’s such a political answer.”

My eyes connected with Trey’s. “I learned from the best.”

Mindy placed her hand on Trey’s shoulder and he broke our contact, looking up at her. “He does have a great way with words. I think he will definitely follow in his father’s footsteps.” She patted his shoulder and then retreated down the hall.

I waited until I couldn’t hear the clicking of her heels anymore before I spoke. “Do you want to be a politician like your dad?”

He thumbed the chess piece in his hand and then set it back down before his eyes were locked on mine again. In the fading light that streamed in from the large, French windows they looked even brighter. “The canned answer would be that every boy aspires to follow in his father’s footsteps.” He paused, moving the chess piece across the board. “But the official Trey Chapman answer is that I want to make my father proud and keep my girlfriend happy.” He stood up, putting his hands in his pockets. “Checkmate.”

Before I could respond, Nadia came shuffling down the hall with her purse slung over her shoulder. “Goodnight Señor Trey, Señorita Monica. I hope you got to enjoy each other’s company.” She nodded in our direction before shutting the front door behind her.

I stood up, covering my mouth to stifle the giggles that were threatening to escape. “It looks like I made quite the impression on her.”

Trey reached his hand out to me and I took it, walking with him down the hall to the dining room. “I think you make an impression on everyone you meet, Miss Remy.”

“As do you, Mr. Chapman.” I had to bite my lip to keep a straight face once we made our way into the dining room.

The plethora of food was even more plentiful for dinner than it had been at lunch. A giant silver platter sat between two large, lighted candles. On the platter was a duck that had to be some sort of a mutant because it was bigger than a house cat. On either side of it were trays of more food, but three plates were already sitting at each of our place settings, piled with a large hunk of duck, caprese salad, mashed cauliflower, and tiny phyllo shells filled with something that could have been seafood. It was decadence to the extreme.

“There are only three plates,” I said, standing behind the chair I sat in earlier that day.

Mindy walked in from the kitchen behind us and took the seat across from Trey. “Yes, Kirk said he was very sorry, but his meeting is running late and will not be joining us for dinner.”

“Oh.” It was all I could muster as I pulled my chair out and took my seat next to Trey. As soon as I sat down, he held his hand out me.

We didn’t hold hands at lunch and especially not on top of the table, which had to be some sort of rich person faux paus. I stared at his hand until he finally spoke. “It’s time for grace.”

I looked over and saw he was already holding Mindy’s hand across the table, and she was reaching her other one out to me. Great, another thing I didn’t pick up on. I quickly grabbed their hands, and they bowed their heads, so I followed suit.

“Trey, will you do the honors?” Mindy’s tinny voice carried over the table.

Trey cleared his throat. “God our Father, we thank you for bringing us together for this bountiful feast and for bringing Monica into our lives. We ask that you bless this food that we are about to eat as you have continued to bless our family. Amen.”

Trey and Mindy let go of my hands, and I put them on my lap. I couldn’t believe I made an idiot of myself, again, in front of his mom at the dinner table. Hopefully, the Chapman’s wouldn’t hold my dinner etiquette against me, or the other laundry list of things that had been piling up.

***

After the extravagant dinner, another short, Latina woman came in and cleared our plates. This time I didn’t protest and let Trey lead me into the living room. Just as I sat on one of the plush couches, the governor sauntered into the room and took a seat at the other end of the couch.

Trey sat next to me and put his arm around my waist. I felt awkward showing any kind of affection in front of his dad, but I hoped it was his way of showing the governor that I was worth something.

“Hey Dad, how was the meeting?”

The governor nodded and Mindy practically flowed into the room, taking the seat next to the governor. “The city comptroller never sleeps. Not even on a Saturday. I’m sorry about that, son.”

“It’s fine.” Trey lifted his hand ever so slightly.

The governor looked right at me. His stare used to scare the bejeezus out of me whenever I saw him on TV, but up close I realized how many of Trey’s features he got from his dad, especially his smile. “I’m mostly apologizing to you, Monica, I’m sorry I didn’t get to spend more time getting to know you. My son seems to think very highly of you, and I would have loved to get to know you better.”

Trey squeezed my side. “There should be plenty of time for that. She isn’t going anywhere for awhile.”

My breath caught in my throat. I knew Trey loved me, but to express that he wanted me around for a long time, in front of his family, set our relationship on a whole new level.

The governor nodded, patting Mindy’s knee. “Good to hear, son, and we’re happy to have you anytime, Monica.” Then he winked. A genuine wink! I didn’t know what he meant, and it was so fast it could have been something in his eye. He turned away and grabbed a remote, turning the TV on to the nightly world news.

I didn’t usually mind watching the nightly news, but sitting with a family of conservatives and watching was completely different.

The blonde news anchor’s voice rang over a shotty video that looked like it was taken from a camera phone; it was of a large brick building, some sand, and lots of gun fire. Another shooting at another embassy.

“And what do you suppose the president’s response will be to this devastating tragedy?” The governor held his hand out to the screen. “More gun control laws on our end for something that was caused by terrorists?”

I clamped my mouth shut, not willing myself to respond. Usually everything that came out of the governor’s mouth sounded like it was written for him by a guy in one of the back rooms with a typewriter. To hear him actually say what he was thinking was refreshing and maddening at the same time. Mainly maddening because I didn’t agree with his view points at all.

The next story was about healthier school lunches, another program the governor thought was on the president’s liberal agenda, and used money that could have been put toward job creation instead. I was about ready to excuse myself when another video played on the screen. One I was all too familiar with.

Another reporter’s voice called over a very grainy video, but there I was, clear as day with a guy standing at my back before Trey punched him in the jaw. “Trey Chapman, son of Illinois governor, Kirk Chapman, recently came into some hot water after putting a fellow student in the hospital when he caught him dancing with his girlfriend at a private fraternity function.”

“This is bullshit,” I muttered.

Trey squeezed my side and bent his head down to my ear, whispering, “Just keep your cool. The news likes to over-exaggerate things.”

A picture of the governor popped up on the screen with scrolling words next to him that the reporter read off. “It is with my sincerest apologies that my youngest son had a lapse in judgment. He has since apologized to his friend, and his fraternity will be handling this matter as my son would like to keep his personal matters private.”

Then, something I didn’t expect happen did. My high school senior photo replaced the governor’s picture and the reporter kept talking. “The relationship the governor is talking about is Trey Chapman’s new girlfriend, Monica Remy.”

The pictures shuffled on the screen. They were random shots that they must have somehow gathered from my high school yearbook, mostly pictures of me in class or at pep assemblies. “Her classmates at Central College have said that she is outspoken and a perfect match for the governor’s son.” The last picture faded and the governor clicked off the TV. He turned to me, his eyes dark and his brow furrowed.

“I’m very sorry about that, Monica, I didn’t know they would bring up that much about you.”

I sucked in a deep breath and then released it slowly. “I guess, it’s fine. I mean, it’s weird they had so many pictures of me, but I guess it could have been worse.” They could have really dug into my past. The news could have spun that in a way so that I came out looking like the bad guy. The liberal girlfriend who had to go to the clinic after a night of partying.

My phone started buzzing the minute I stopped talking. I slid it out of my pocket and there was a text from Sam.

Holy shit, dude, you are like famous.

And then another text from Melanie.

Was your family emergency to get those yearbook photos to the news? Txt me ASAP!

And then came the phone call from my mom.

“Um, I should take this!” I sprang up from the couch and darted to the front of the house. When I hoped I was out of ear shot, I finally answered.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Trey punched a guy and put him in the hospital for you?”

I groaned, I guess the situation didn’t call for a ‘hi, how are you’. “No, Mom, he didn’t put the guy in the hospital, that was just an exaggeration.”

She ignored my statement and just kept talking. “I swear we didn’t give the news those pictures of you. You don’t think they will start knocking at our door now, do you?”

I sighed. “I don’t know, Mom. I’m hoping it will all blow over soon. Maybe some congresswomen’s daughter or member of the royal family will have a sex scandal, and that will be the big news.”

“Is that really going to happen? Do you have insider information on that?”

“Moooom.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I was just curious,” she said. “I was just calling to make sure everything was okay.”

I heard footsteps and looked up to see Trey in front of me, his hands in his pockets. He wasn’t smiling and he didn’t ask me to hang up, but I knew I needed to talk to him.

“I will be okay, Mom. But I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow. I love you, bye.”

I hung up the phone and slid it back into my pocket. Trey took another few steps, closing the distance until we were toe-to-toe. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t think all that would end up on the news. But you’re right. Hopefully it will all be over soon.”

I nodded, unsure of what else to say.

“Hey.” He put his fingers under my chin and lifted it so I met his eyes. “I meant it when I told my dad that you weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. As long as this didn’t scare you off, I want you to stay around.”

I sighed. “As much as this all sucks, I know even if I tried to leave you, I couldn’t. If any other guy dragged me to their parent’s house and I had to sit and watch myself on the nightly world news, I’d be running for the hills. But not with you. You’re the exception to all of my rules.”

Chapter 21

After all the excitement of the news and listening to Trey and his dad talk politics, I finally turned in for the night. Well, I tried to turn in, but I couldn’t sleep. I just ended up lying there and staring out the open window, watching the shadows cast on the wall by the light of the moon.

A soft knock came from the door. I didn’t know if it was for me or for one of the other millions of doors, so I stayed quiet. Slowly, the door creaked open and Trey’s head poked through.

I sat up, quickly, covering as much of myself as I could with the blanket. I didn’t know if he was alone or if it was a late night family meeting.

“Mon, it’s me. Can I come in?” He said in a voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah.” I dropped the blankets slightly.

He slipped in, closing the door behind him. Once he walked closer to the open window I finally got a good view of him. I never saw him out of button-down shirts and dress pants, but this time he was in a plain, gray cotton shirt and plaid pajama bottoms. The shirt clung to the contours of his chest, and I realized that he definitely spent some time in the gym. The hint of biceps I thought I saw under his dress shirts were defined muscle.

He sat down at the edge of the bed. “I just came in to apologize for dragging you into all of this.”

I shook my head, dropping the blankets and crawling over to him. “You don’t need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. That guy deserved to be punched in the face.” I sat in front of him so that we were facing each other.

He sighed. “I meant I’m sorry that this had to turn into such a political fiasco. I wish it were simpler.”

“I knew this when we started dating. I knew that you weren’t just some run-of-the mill guy. I didn’t expect to be on the nightly news, but if that’s what it takes to be your girlfriend, then I’m up for the challenge.

A small grin crossed his face. Not his political one, but the one he had before he pounced me in the living room. “How am I supposed to have this conversation with you when you are dressed like that?”

I glanced down at what I was wearing, even though I knew very well that it was a pink tank top and some gray cotton shorts. I then looked back at Trey and traced my fingers along his abdominal line, over his shirt. “Because you’re wearing that.”

“Oh, Monica, what you do to me,” he whispered before leaning over and crushing his lips to mine.

I pulled him on top of me, deepening the kiss and sliding my hands under the back of his shirt. His back was warm and rippling with muscles that I didn’t even know existed. His kisses trailed from my lips and down my collarbone until they were at my chest.

I pulled back, sitting up slightly. “Here, let me help you.” I pulled my tank top over my head and tossed it on the floor. Since I wasn’t wearing a bra to bed, it left me completely nude from the waist up.

Trey’s smile broadened, and he cupped my breasts with his hands, gently running his fingers over my nipples while he brought his lips back to my neck. I tugged lightly at his hair and a muffled moan escaped his lips on to my neck. His breathing tickled at the sensitive area and still turned me on at the same time. He moved back and then sat in front of me before he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. I wasn’t disappointed by what had been hidden under his crisp white shirts for so long. His tanned flesh was well-defined and chiseled, not in the body builder sort of way, but in the way that every time he flexed there was actually muscle there. I ran my fingers over the lines of his six pack, wanting them against me.

He hovered over me, but his eyes trailed down to my shorts. “What’s this?” His fingers traced the ends of my tattoo of purple flowers barely visible over my shorts.

I yanked my shorts down, making my underwear come into full view, along with the rest of the vibrant purple flowers that rested just above each side of my pelvic bone. “They’re princess flowers. They grow out of volcanic rock. If something so beautiful can grow from such destruction, I figure I can survive anything.”

Not many people saw them and that was usually how I liked it. I got the tattoos right after I left Taylor as an inspiration to pull through. I never wanted another guy to see that part of me, but with Trey it felt right.

His fingers gently rubbed over the purple markings as if they were delicate silk. I didn’t want to be delicate; I just wanted him. I pushed my hand forward and rested it on his hip before I tiptoed down to the waistband of his pajama bottoms. Slowly I slid my hand underneath them and felt his sizeable hardness in my hands. He briefly closed his eyes while I ran my hand up and down his length.

Trey then put his hand over mine, stopping my movement. “Monica, before we go any farther, I need to tell you something.”

“What’s that?” I didn’t know what to expect. At that point I was so ready he could have told me he was actually part of an evil alien colony sent to destroy the world, and I still would have given myself to him.

“I’ve never done this before...”

“Done...?”

He sighed, his eyes holding mine. “Sex. I’m a virgin.”

I blinked hard, quickly pulling my hand out of his pants. “Oh, God, sorry I didn’t know. I just figured...”

“That I wouldn’t be a nineteen-year-old virgin?” He sat up, now sitting in front of me on the bed. The mood was definitely gone, and I scrambled to cover myself with a blanket.

“I guess...I just assumed...”

He blew a big breath out of his nose and raked his hands through his hair. He usually kept it cut neatly and gelled, but it was starting to grow out and he had slight case of bedhead. “I had girlfriends in high school, but nothing like my brothers. We were always lectured about making sure not to tarnish our reputations, and you know my dad’s views on birth control with his abstinence-only education plan.” He stopped talking and scooted closer to me, taking my hands in his. “I’ve never felt like this with any other girl. You’re the first girl I’ve actually wanted to even come close to doing this with. After the couch this afternoon, and the way you worked your hands...well...it’s the closest I’ve ever came to the actual deed.”

Holy shit balls. He hadn’t actually done anything with a girl. That did explain his hesitation with moving to third base, but at that point I didn’t know what his next move would be. I didn’t think unprotected sex was an option, not another scandal we needed, and I doubt a conservative virgin carried condoms.

“So...are we just going to play chess now?” I asked, slightly raising an eyebrow.

Trey’s smile returned, and he crawled back over until I could feel his breath on my lips. “I’m sure you can teach me some other things that don’t go all the way...”

I dropped the blanket and put my hands on Trey’s back, pulling him down on top of me. His lips eagerly returned to mine; his hands back on my chest.

I didn’t even hear the door creak open, but I did hear Mindy’s voice loud and clear. “Trey?”

Trey broke the kiss and jumped off of me as if my body were on fire. I pulled the blanket over my topless self, and he quickly adjusted himself with his back to his mom and then picked up his shirt.

Mindy stood in the doorway, wearing a pink silk robe with her arms crossed over her chest. “I heard you two talking and wanted to make sure that everything was all right.”

Trey pulled his shirt over his head and moved a few strides to the door, keeping his head down. “Everything is fine, Mom.”

She nodded. “Well, I can see that, but I don’t think this is the time or the place. Your bed seems to be a better location for you to be at Trey Reagan Chapman, and I’m sure that Monica will be fine here alone.”

She turned to the door, with Trey right behind her, but she stopped, glancing back over her shoulder. “And one more thing. It would be better if the governor didn’t know about this talk. You two are very lucky it was me in here and not him.”

I nodded in agreement, watching her walk out the door. Trey turned slightly back toward me and whispered, “Sorry.”

All I could do was smile. Someday I would look back on the situation and laugh, but at that moment, I was just happy that I didn’t drop the blanket.

Chapter 22

A virgin. Trey was a freaking virgin.

I couldn’t get it out of my head. Not when I tried to get back to sleep and not when I got ready the next morning. Even worse, I had no idea how I would face his mom after she caught me with my shirt off and underneath her youngest child.

A knock came at the door just as I finished brushing my hair. I only had one outfit that was ‘meet the parents’ appropriate, and I hoped Trey’s family wouldn’t judge me for my khakis and gray sweater. The only time that I actually ever saw Trey wear jeans was the night of barn dance, so I had to grab my only pair of non-jeans and hope that it was good enough.

“I’m decent,” I said.

Trey slowly opened the door. As usual he was in a button-down shirt and dress pants. I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to what he looked like standing in the room only a few hours before in his pajamas and then in just his bottoms. If he was going to keep his virginity intact I would have to stop thinking about him naked every second.

“I was sort of hoping you would still be in your pajamas, and I could get a quick glimpse before church.” He winked, taking a few steps into the room.

“We’re going to church?”

Trey stopped only a couple feet in front of me. “Of course. Did you really think the conservative family that says grace wouldn’t go to church on Sunday?”

I gulped. “Uh, if I would have known that I would have probably dressed better.”

Trey closed the space between us, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. “You look fine. You worry too much.”

Of course I worried too much. We’d been ousted to the world as a couple by the nightly news, and I was going to look like the pauper in khakis next to the beautiful Chapman family.

Trey let go of me and then took my hand, leading me out of the room. “Come on, Mom and Dad are downstairs. We wouldn’t want to be late.”

***

My family was Catholic, but more like the Christmas and Easter Catholics. We were never ones to consistently go to church. The Chapmans were the stars of their Protestant mega church.

The whole congregation seemed to stare at us as I followed Trey and his family down the long aisle and to the very front of the church. I did a quick Internet search of the church on my phone on the car ride over, mostly because I couldn’t make eye contact with Mindy. I found out that the church was actually used for a ton of major movies in the Chicago area. And with the brick facade and mounds of ivy, it did look like something out of a movie set. The inside was just as gorgeous and looked like something out of England with the high-vaulted ceilings, cylinder lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and the large stained glass window behind the pulpit.

I’d never been to another church other than a Catholic one, not even for a wedding, so I just followed Trey’s lead and refrained from doing the sign of the cross or kneeling. The preacher looked closer to my dad’s age with a hint of salt and pepper in his hair and a few laugh lines around his eyes. The priest at my parent’s church was ancient. Some days I thought the only thing that held him up was the pulpit. But this preacher smiled at the crowd and walked around the front of the room with a spring in his step.

“Good morning, today I’m here to talk to you all about love,” the preacher spoke with a slight southern twang.

Trey squeezed my hand, and I was able to get out a little bit of a smile.

“People are always throwing out that word. They say they love their family, love their God, and even love rocky road ice cream. But what is love?”

He walked from one end of the stained glass window to the other, never standing in one place for too long. “The Bible tells us that love is patient, and love is kind. But I think my wife will tell you that she isn’t always patient with me.”

A small bit of laughter came from the crowd.

The preacher put his hands behind his back and continued. “As Christians we believe these truths that The Bible tells us about love, and while we know that God had so much love for us that he sacrificed his only son, we know that isn’t the way everyday Christians show love to each other.”

The preacher stood in front of our row. I thought he was going to keep talking but instead he looked right at me. “Young lady, I don’t believe I’ve seen you in my congregation before. What is your name?”

I gulped, widening my eyes. I agreed to go to church, but I didn’t think I’d have to speak. “Um, my name is Monica,” I barely squeaked out.

The preacher smiled and pointed at Trey. “And Monica, is our church member here, Trey Chapman, your fella?”

“I, uh, guess you can call him that.”

Another muffled laugh escaped from the crowd behind us, and Trey squeezed my hand.

“Now, Monica, tell me what you love about Trey. Don’t be shy.”

I bit down on my bottom lip. I knew what I loved about him: all the ways he challenged me, the way he put his hands in his pockets whenever he was nervous, and the way he whispered my name whenever we were fooling around. But none of those seemed appropriate enough to say in front of a preacher, so I said the only other thing I could think of.

“When he knows one of my favorite reality shows is on TV he always records it for me, even though he says he hates the show. He still always has it waiting on his TV for me to watch.”

The crowd really erupted in laughter behind us. I kept my head down, hoping I didn’t embarrass myself too bad in front of his parents. Once the crowd died down, the preacher then turned to Trey. “And what about you, young man? What do you love about Monica?”

I looked up just as Trey glanced back at me, locking my eyes with his. “I love it that when she listens to music she always hums along to it, like she thinks no one else can hear her, but it’s pretty loud and clear.”

I felt my face flush, and Trey squeezed my hand.

The preacher put his hands in the air, and walked back to his podium. “And you see, that there is love. It’s not about what we sacrifice or what we buy, it’s about the little things that show we care. Now when you leave here today, I urge you all to go off and show your friends and family that you love them. Whether it’s by recording their favorite TV show or listening to their music. Show them you love them.”

And as I kept my eyes on Trey, I knew that despite everything, I still did love him. And if he was willing to keep me around even after all the drama then there was no reason I couldn’t show him some love as well.

After church his parents asked us to brunch, and I refrained from jumping for joy when Trey declined and said we had to get back to work on homework.

Trey was saying goodbye to his mom when I felt the governor’s presence behind me. I didn’t know what to say to the guy that I had spent the past few months hating and also was the father of my boyfriend. Slowly I turned toward the governor, trying to plaster a smile on my face.

“Thank you for having me, sir.”

He nodded, his mouth in a straight line. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, Monica. I assume we shouldn’t be having any more problems?” He raised an eyebrow.

I swallowed. It was one thing to talk to Trey about what was going on, but the governor was another thing. “Uh, no sir.”

“Good.” He nodded. “Whether you like it or not, Monica, we are all in this together. None of us are out to get you. If you or Trey needs anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“O-o-okay, sir.”

A small smile finally appeared on his face as he patted my back. “And don’t forget to call me Kirk.”

It wasn’t until we said our goodbyes, and pulled out of the driveway, that I could finally breathe a sigh of relief as long as the Chapman mansion was in the background.

“So, that all went pretty well, I think,” Trey said, taking his hand off the steering wheel and placing it on mine.

“I guess it could have gone worse. Your dad could have said you couldn’t see me anymore, and your mom could have caught me with my hand down your pants.”

He shook his head slightly. “As embarrassing as that all was, it could have been much worse. They don’t seem to hate you for it.”

I sighed. “I just hope they don’t think I’m the evil liberal who is corrupting their little boy.”

He ran his thumb over my knuckles. “Is that what you think? That you are corrupting me?”

“Well, before me you never actually punched a guy out or got caught by a round of housekeepers and your mom for fooling around.”

“Mon, you didn’t force me to do any of those things. I wanted to do them. You’re just the first girl who has made me want to punch another guy and the fooling around, well, hopefully that doesn’t stop anytime soon.”

I caught a hint of a smile on his lips. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Chapter 23

Trey had to wake me up when we got back to Central. I’d fallen asleep with my head against the car window, and I swore he probably even caught me drooling. “We’re home,” he whispered.

“Can I just sleep a little longer?” I moaned, adjusting myself in the seat. Sleeping in the car was never comfortable, especially a sports car like the mustang.

I thought he was going to leave me there once he got out of the car, but instead he walked to the other side, unbuckled my seatbelt, and then cradled me in his arms like a baby. With my lack of sleep the night before, I didn’t complain until we got to the elevator, and I felt his body shake slightly.

“I can walk,” I mumbled with a big yawn, sliding down to my feet. He put his arm around my waist and guided me to the elevator and up to our floor. He walked right past my door and opened his, ushering me in.

“I should probably go back to my own room,” I said, stretching my arms over my head.

“Or,” he said, taking a step closer and put his hands on my hips. “We can hang out here for a bit. You can nap, do homework, or whatever.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t been back to my own room for awhile.”

“Do what you want.” Trey pressed his forehead to mine. “But I’d love to hang out with you the rest of the day. Just us. No housekeepers, no parents, and no roommates.”

“You had me at do.”

He kissed me gently as if my lips were a fragile flower and then let go, walking toward the kitchen. “Are you hungry? I can order Chinese?”

I raised an eyebrow. I was starving but figured he would have something in his fridge I could munch on. “I can just eat whatever you have here.”

He raked his fingers through his hair, digging through a drawer near the stove. “That’s the thing. I don’t really cook, so there’s nothing here to eat.”

I shook my head walking to the kitchen and standing in front of the fridge. “That’s ridiculous. You have to have something.”

I opened the fridge door and he was right, the only things in the fridge were a carton of orange juice and a box of baking soda, not even milk for cereal. I opened the freezer, and it looked like nothing had ever been in there. It was just a frozen ice block. I closed the door and stared at Trey who was holding a menu for China Bistro.

“Do you want General Tso’s chicken?” He held up the menu.

“How can you have absolutely nothing in your fridge? What do you eat?”

He shrugged. “I go out or order-in.”

“Even breakfast?”

He groaned. “Yes, Mon, even breakfast. I don’t cook. Now can we just move on and order lunch?”

I pulled the menu down, meeting his eyes. “Okay, I’ll deal with your take out today, but tomorrow night I get to pick up groceries and make you dinner.”

Trey raised his eyebrows. “You’re not buying my groceries.”

“Fine,” I huffed. “I’ll get my groceries and just happen to put in whatever you want for dinner, and then I’ll make it.”

“Isn’t that against some sort of rules of feminism? To cook your boyfriend dinner?”

I took a step closer so that we were toe-to-toe. “No, because we’re going to cook together.”

His eyes widened. “You’re expecting me to help cook?”

“If you’re expecting the future women of America to vote for you, then you have to get a little domestic.” I took my hands off the menu. “Now tell me, what is your favorite food?”

“Duck a l’orange.”

I groaned. “We’re not making duck.” I had no idea how to even begin to prepare a duck, and I doubted they sold that at the local supermarket.

“Sushi?”

“Try again.”

He placed the menu down on the counter and then wrapped his arms around my waist, rocking our bodies from side to side. “Okay, since we are having Chinese tonight, how about we try Italian tomorrow? Can you swing that?”

I nodded. “I think I can manage.”

He kissed my forehead and moved his hands to the counter, picking up the menu. “But for now I’m cooking, so pick out your food and then while I order I’m sure you’ll want to catch up on whatever bachelor or pseudo celebrity reality TV show I recorded.”

I kissed his cheek. “You’re the best.”

***

After my third reality TV show and a carton of schezwan chicken, I felt like I overstayed my welcome. “I should probably go...”

I went to stand up, but Trey put his hand on mine, pulling me back down next to him. “I think you should stay.”

“Stay? The night?” I widened my eyes, pulling my legs underneath me and turning to Trey, so I could fully understand what he was saying.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

I had spent the night after barn dance, but I had a feeling he didn’t mean in separate quarters.

I put my chin down. “Like sleep together?”

Trey took my hands in his. “Yes, I mean sleep. Not sex. I want to hold you as you fall asleep and I want you to be the first thing that I see when I wake up.”

“But isn’t that against some sort of conservative rule?”

He shook his head. “Forget any preconceived rules. I’m not saying we’re going to be doing something kinky. I just want to spend the whole night with you. We may both hate it, or it may become a regular thing. I don’t know, but I know that I just want you to stay.”

“Okay, then I’ll stay, but I do have a nightly ritual that I need to do. If that’s okay with you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Some girls’ moisturizer thing?”

“No...” I looked down, feeling the heat in my cheeks. “I like to take a bath.” I looked up, gathering all the courage I could. “But you can join me if you’d like.”

Now it was his turn to get embarrassed. He tugged at his collar and cleared his throat. “Well, I guess that shouldn’t be a problem.”

I swallowed hard. I didn’t expect him to say yes, but my libido was in full force. “Okay then, let’s take a bath.

***

We stood in the bathroom, facing each other like a standoff at the O.K. Corral. The bath was full and steaming, and I used the last of my body wash that I brought to Trey’s parents to make it into a bubble bath.

“I guess we better get in before it gets cold...” I said, pulling off my sweater while I still had the courage to.

“Yeah, probably a good idea,” Trey said, swallowing so hard that I saw his Adam’s apple bob.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” I slipped my khakis down my legs and stepped out of them.”

He pulled off his socks, his eyes roaming over my body. “Believe me. I want to.”

I reached into my bag for my iPod, put on my classical music list, and then set it on the counter near the sink.

“Beethoven?” Trey asked.

When I turned around his button down shirt was off, and he was just in his midst of tugging off his undershirt and tossing it to the floor.

“I like classical when I take a bath.” I reached around and unhooked my bra, tossing it on top of his shirt.

He took a step closer, putting his hands on my back and pulling my bare chest against his. He was so warm it felt like his body was on fire. “How am I supposed to concentrate on the music when you look this good?”

I tilted my head up and kissed him softly on the lips. He gently kissed me back, sliding his tongue in my mouth. I reached to the front of his pants, unhooking his belt. He didn’t stop me; not even as I fumbled over his buttons and zipper.

I broke the kiss and pulled back, watching him step out of his pants. Thin wisps of hair trailed from his belly button down to the waistband of his boxer briefs, brandishing the expensive logo. I’d never seen this much of Trey Chapman. He looked even better than the male model did in the ad for the same boxer briefs Trey was wearing. I had to keep from drooling.

“I guess it’s bath time,” I said and pulled down my panties, tossing them on our pile of clothes.

His eyes widened like two saucers, and he just stood there, not moving. “Okay.”

I let a coy smile cross my lips and stepped into the tub, easing into the warm water and rested my back against the wall opposite the faucet.

Slowly, Trey pulled down his boxer briefs and tossed them aside. He was fully erect and was definitely well endowed. I tried not to stare, but there was only so many other things I could look at; especially when it was my first time seeing that part of him. He took a few steps forward and slid into the tub, easing his way across from me. “This is nice,” he said, letting out a deep breath.

“It’s my daily decompress,” I said, completely aware of his legs against mine and another part that was dangerously close to mine.

“So you just sit here and listen to music?”

I shrugged. “Basically.” Then I took a hand full of bubbles and blew them in his direction.

A mischievous grin crossed his face, and he took another handful of bubbles, brushing them on my cheek.

“Do I look sexy with a bubble beard?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.

“I think you look sexy no matter what.”

I took another handful of bubbles. “When I was younger I used to make myself into a bubble monster and put bubbles all over.” I moved my hand down to my chest, placing the bubbles on there and took Trey’s hands, moving them to replace mine. His fingers grazed my nipples, making every hair on my body stand on end.

I pulled him closer, kissing him hard and pressing my hands on his bare back. He moved forward, deepening our kiss and putting his hands on either side of my butt. I pulled my legs up, letting his body slide closer to mine while I pressed my thighs to his waist. He cupped my breast with his hands, caressing them slowly, each finger roaming freely against my bare skin. I ran my hands down his back, then up to his broad shoulders. His massive erection was pressed against my belly button, if he moved slightly downward he would be there. I didn’t know if he was ready, but his very nearness was making every part of me turn to gelatin. I opened my mouth, a slight moan escaping my lips before I nibbled at his bottom lip.

I thought it was his favorite, but he pulled back, sitting on his knees and wincing like he was in pain with his hands clasped below the water. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Oh.” I sat up. At first I was disappointed that I did something wrong, but then I saw that his hands were clasped over his member. “Um, did you just finish?”

He kept his eyes shut tight and nodded slowly.

“Okay,” I said, slowly standing up. That was one way to stop. “I’ll just let you clean up, and I’ll see you in the living room.”

He just nodded while I grabbed my clothes and ran into the bedroom. At the time it wasn’t that funny, but when I closed the door behind me, I couldn’t help but let a little giggle escape. It could have counted as our first time, but I’d like to think he would possibly have a little bit better stamina for the second attempt.

***

It took Trey forever before he finally emerged from the bathroom in just his boxer briefs and his undershirt. I was sitting on the bed, already in my pajamas, and reading through my email when he sat down at the end of the bed. I glanced over my laptop, and his eyes were focused on the bedspread. “I’m sorry about that. It’s never happened before.”

I set my laptop down and leaned forward, putting my hand on Trey’s arm. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal.”

“Monica, I finished before we even started. It’s one of those nightmare situations you usually only see in cheesy comedies.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” I rubbed his arm, but he still kept his head down.

“It’s embarrassing,” he snapped. “I’m usually in full control of everything, but all this sexual stuff just has me out of whack. It’s like I don’t know what to do with myself.”

He put his head in his hands. I didn’t know if he would actually break down and cry or what he was going to do, so I just stayed silent for awhile, watching him shake his head in his hands for a few minutes before I finally spoke.

“Um, do you want me to go?”

Trey slowly lifted his head up. “I’d love to still have you here with me, but I completely understand if you want to leave.”

I moved his hands and crawled in front of him so that we were facing each other, placing his arms around my waist while I sat in his lap. “Like I said, it’s not a big deal. I’m not going to hold it against you, but I would love to spend the night holding my body against yours.”

“Still? Even after I did that?” He looked at me with big, puppy dog eyes.

I nodded, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. “Yes. If you can still love me with all my faults, I can handle one stupid little thing.”

“Okay, it’s a deal,” he said, his smile slowly coming back.

“But I’m still really tired, so if it’s okay, I’d actually like to go to bed.” I raised my arms above my head and yawned for good measure.

“Sounds great,” he said, and I scrambled off his lap and crawled back to the head of the bed.

Trey got up and went to his dresser across from the bed, tugging on one of the drawers. I stopped from pulling the covers over me and raised an eyebrow at him. “What are you doing?”

“I’m putting on pajamas.” He held up a pair of folded plaid pants and a plain green shirt.”

I shook my head and motioned a finger toward me. “Just take your shirt off, and get in here.”

“You mean sleep in just my underwear?” He asked it as if I just suggested he skin a cheetah.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, sleep in your underwear, please. I promise it won’t kill you.”

“I don’t know. It’s not something I usually do. What if someone tries to rob us in the middle of the night?”

I groaned and flopped on the bed, turning to my side. “Do whatever you want.”

He didn’t say anything. I heard the drawer close and then some fumbling, but no words. The left side of the bed got heavier and then he lifted the covers. His warm arm draped over my side and then I felt his bare chest press against my back. I cuddled up close to him, pressing my butt against his groin and my hand over his. I heard him suck in a deep breath as his body reacted, and I felt the rumbling in his boxers. I silently prayed we could lie together without him finishing again.

“I wouldn’t do this for anyone else but you,” he whispered in my ear before kissing it gently.

“I hope not,” I whispered back.

He reached over and turned off the lamp on the nightstand and shut my computer before cuddling back up to me and burying his face in my neck. “Goodnight Monica, sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight, Trey.”

I knew I would have the sweetest dreams I had in a long time because there was nothing better than falling asleep in Trey’s arms.

Chapter 24

The next morning I woke up feeling like I had slept for days. I finally felt refreshed, and waking up next to a guy who probably never had morning breath in his life was also a plus. I crept out of his apartment early, but by the time I was ready to go to class, Trey was standing at my front door with two foam coffee cups in his hands.

“It looks like you’ve been busy this morning,” I said, taking one of the cups.

“I slept pretty great,” he replied.

I took a sip of my drink and realized it was a pumpkin latte, again. “How on earth did you know this was my favorite? I know you got it for me when my parents were here, but it’s just crazy.”

He shrugged, taking my hand in his and swinging it while we walked to class. “It was a lucky guess. You’ve told me how much you love fall and all the foods associated with it, so I just figured anything pumpkin flavored would be a good option.”

“I guess you’re pretty perceptive.”

He shrugged. “I try to be.”

We walked through the quad, hand in hand. Usually we were both on our own schedules and never walked to class together, but there was something that felt amazing about being with Trey. It was like magically overnight we’d gone from a casual relationship to a more serious one. It was a combination of meeting his parents, the L word, and probably our first time spending the night together that just made me feel like our relationship was finally real. I didn’t want to hide it and after being plastered all over the Internet, and the nightly news, I didn’t think we actually could.

But by the time we walked into class, my heightened love bubble was burst. The people that were turned in their desk and talking all stopped as soon as we entered the room. They stared at us like we just interrupted a very important conversation, or they were talking about us. I guessed the latter.

Trey didn’t miss a beat and pulled me along to our desks and took his seat while I stood for a moment before I slowly slunk into mine. He leaned over, keeping his voice low. “Either they’ll get bored of us and stop talking, or they’re going to keep up their gossip forever. Whatever it may be, you can’t let it affect your life, or it will consume you. That’s what I’ve learned to live with all my life.”

I swallowed, nodding slowly. He was right, as usual. Every day Trey probably has enough people talking about him whenever he’s in a room; both good and bad things. If he could handle all the gossip, especially when a lot of it was about him, then I would have to learn to suck it up, too. At least this time I had an ally.

Dr. Westerfield clicked into the room, carrying her portfolio and immediately set a sheet of paper down at the first desk with a student in it and started talking over everyone and their conversations. “The sheet I’m passing around has your group names on it. It also has the date your debate is scheduled. Since classes are only an hour long, I’ve scheduled one group per class. This should put us up until Thanksgiving. I expect your papers to be handed in after Thanksgiving break. You can email them to my grad assistant early, but just make sure they are in by midnight on the night before break.”

I watched the students look through the list and either their faces fell with dissapointment or they fist pumped in the air. Trey and I tried to work on our assignment, multiple times, but we always ended up making out instead. I opened a notebook and scribbled out a quick note, shoving it toward Trey’s desk.

We seriously need to work on this thing.

He nodded and mouthed, “I know.”

I took the paper back and furiously wrote. Like tonight. We are writing our objectives and then we can do whatever.

He just smiled and didn’t say a thing. But when the paper came to him, his smile faded, and he pushed it onto my desk. We were the first group to debate. In two weeks!

“Tonight,” he mouthed.

“Tonight,” I whispered.

***

I should have been paying attention to the lectures in my classes, but instead I was busy writing down possible objectives for the debate. It was a good distraction; especially since I was pretty sure most of the girls hated me in my Women and Gender Studies class. Ever since I started actually dating Trey they acted like I was some sort of a traitor that lied to them. I wanted to set them straight, but it wasn’t my place. I learned that we were all more than what people’s preconceived notions were, and I couldn’t worry what everyone else thought of me.

By the time classes were over my brain was fried, but I still had to go to the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner. If we stayed in, then I could guarantee we could try to get some work done, and if I happened to spend the night again, then we could work as late as needed. As I got to the end of the canned goods aisle, picking up stuff for sauce, I saw that the next aisle had a big sign reading ‘family planning.’ Did I dare look? The aisle did also carry toothpaste, and I could always use more of that.

I pushed my cart down the aisle, slowly, looking behind my shoulder to make sure that no one was following me. There, right in the middle, was a display of condoms. Technically, I’d never bought them and had no idea which brands were best, or if I wanted ribbed or glow-in-the-dark or even flavored. Trey’s family was very much against emergency contraceptives, like the morning after pill, but surely condoms didn’t count. I wasn’t planning on having sex with Trey anytime soon, but one could never be too careful. Especially since I planned on staying at his place as often as he’d let me, and I couldn’t even imagine what kind of political scandal would happen if I had to run to Student Health Services for the morning after pill after a night with the governor’s son.

I heard the squeaking of wheels and gasped, hoping someone wouldn’t catch me. I grabbed the first box I could and shoved it in the cart, then skidded down the aisle and almost crashed into the bakery case; just hoping no one saw me. I somehow made it to the self-checkout without injuring anyone, and no one watched me walk out with a couple of grocery bags; one that had a box of condoms sitting at the bottom.

When I got back to the apartment complex I didn’t even stop at my apartment. I had all my school stuff and enough grocery bags in my hands that I felt like I had everything that I needed to just go over to Trey’s. If I really did need something, all my stuff was right next door, which is why his apartment made for the perfect place to spend the night.

My hands were full, so I tapped on the door with my foot and Trey opened it, grabbing a few of the bags in the process. “Whoa, couldn’t make two trips?”

“Never!” I shouted and pushed past him, dropping the rest of the bags on the counter.

“What is all of this?” Trey asked, setting the remaining bags next to mine and pulling out a small can of tomato sauce.

“Ingredients for Carbonara,” I said it as if it were a common fact and pulled out a box of pasta from one of the bags.

“And does Carbonara require this?”

I snapped my head up and saw an economy size box of glow-in-the-dark condoms in Trey’s hand. But even worse than the condoms was the scowl on his face.

“I, um, just picked up the first ones I could find. I didn’t mean to get a huge box that were glowing,” I stammered, trying to grasp at what I could say. I was hoping to put them in my messenger bag before he saw them, but I must have forgotten in my rush to make sure no one saw me buying them.

“But you don’t exactly seem thrilled that I bought them.” I put one hand down on the counter and the other on my hip “Look, I’m not saying that I want to use all of these right now. I’m just saying that when the time is right, I want to be prepared.”

“Are you sure no one saw you?” He raised an eyebrow.

I tilted my head to the side. “And what if they did?”

“I’m sure that somehow this would get out, and we’d have another trip up north to discuss why the governor’s youngest child’s girlfriend is buying condoms when he is trying to advocate for abstinence-only education.”

“And is that what you believe? That people shouldn’t know about sex? That people shouldn’t know that if two people do have sex then they could get pregnant and then would be denied by their insurance company if they did want to get on the pill?

“I know where this is going, Monica, and it doesn’t have to go there. Let’s just forget it happened.”

“No, let’s discuss this. You wanted to make sure no one saw me buying condoms because you are embarrassed people will think we are sleeping together. That it is going to ruin your father’s precious political image.” I felt a fire boiling in me, and it was hard to get it to simmer.

“But we aren’t sleeping together, so we don’t need to worry about it.”

“Yet. It could have happened the other night and then what? What if we would have had unprotected sex? Then what?”

He shook his head. “But we didn’t, and we won’t.”

My shoulders tensed up. I hadn’t had an argument with Trey in awhile and usually it was on subjects like healthcare or taxes. Not something I was personally attached to. “No, we wouldn’t because I’m not on any sort of birth control, and there is no way in Hell that I could afford the morning after pill if we did.”

He took a step forward, putting his hands up. “And you think that’s okay? Just to possibly terminate any kind of child we could have? Even if it is out of wedlock?”

“I’m not having a kid with you right now. I have too much going on to worry about getting pregnant.”

He closed the distance between us and put his hands on my arms. “I’m not saying that I’m looking to have a child with you, but I don’t think it’s fair for any guy to be left in the dark on these situations.”

“Have you not been listening to anything that I’ve said this past week? I could have gotten pregnant by some guy in the basement bathroom at a fraternity house. He took away any choice that I had, and I don’t think he deserved a say in what happened to my uterus.” I was fuming. A romantic dinner with my boyfriend was turning into an all out war over a stupid box of condoms.

He sighed. “I’m not saying what he did to you was right. I understand your situation at Taylor was different. But I think you are being unreasonable.” He rubbed his hands up and down my arms, which was probably meant to comfort me, but it just made me angrier.

I threw his hands off of me. “I am not being unreasonable. I’m being real. I’m not saying I want to have some meaningless sex with you. I love you, you fucking idiot. And if we’re going to take the plunge in our relationship, at some point, I don’t want to be stuck without protection and then worry every day if I’d get my period or not! This is not about politics; this is about you and me.”

He shook his head, raking his fingers through his hair. “We can’t keep going around in circles about this. You know I love you, and we both know that we don’t see eye to eye on this topic. I agree that neither of us want to worry about having a child right now, but I also believe that we don’t need to be in an environment that is open to handing out condoms and pills to people like they’re candy on Halloween.”

The fire burning inside me was so strong that I felt like I was going to combust. I pulled my hands into tight fists at my side. “I’m not having sex with someone that won’t use a fucking condom. I don’t care what your father thinks about sex ed classes; I care about my boyfriend getting me pregnant if I want to sleep with him.”

“So what choice did I have when you went out and bought condoms? Did you think maybe to ask me about it? Does it make our relationship not real if we don’t have sex like everyone else that is in line for free birth control?” He asked, more accusingly than anything else.

I swallowed hard, trying to fight back the angry tears that were threatening to emerge. “I never said that. You’re putting words in my mouth. How can you even say that after we got in the tub last night together? If you don’t want to have sex, I’m fine with that. Just don’t act like I’m some kind of criminal for wanting to be prepared.”

“Then what do you want, Mon?”

I snatched the condoms and threw them in his fancy, stainless steel garbage can. “Nothing. I don’t want a damn thing.”

Before I could move his arms were around me, my head buried under his neck. I wanted to scream, to pull away, but he just held me tighter. “I’m so sorry. I got carried away with politics. I know how you feel about all of this, and I’m sorry for being an ass.”

I buried my face in his chest, trying to will away the tears. It brought me back to that day at Taylor. I thought about the nurse leaning over and asking me if I was all right and telling me about the governor’s contraception bill. I hated him for that. I blamed him for all the harm that came from it. The weight of his politics stayed on my shoulders for so long that I didn’t know what it would be like to let go.

“I don’t want to keep fighting about this,” I mumbled.

Trey put his fingers on my chin and lifted it up. His green eyes weren’t cold like a man fighting in a debate, but warm like the boyfriend that really did love me. “I don’t want to fight with you either. If this is what it’s going to be like in class, I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“What do you mean?”

He let out a breath of air, right on my face. It was heavy and filled with the weight of the world. “I’m not going to stand in front of the class and fight with you. I usually love having these political discussions with you, but when they get this heated it makes me want to bury my head in the sand.”

“So, what are we supposed to do about it? This is our grade.”

He put his hand down and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we need to figure out a way to separate our relationship and our politics.”

I nodded, though I didn’t know how it would be possible. We wound ourselves up so much in our political views that it had become a major part of our relationship. Without Trey’s strong opinions on the things he cared about, he wouldn’t be the Trey that I loved. If I wanted to keep him around, I’d have to learn to keep my feelings in check. At least until one of us would change our politics.

Chapter 25

Dinner never got made, and I slept in my own bed that night. I faked a migraine soon after our fight, and Trey didn’t stop me from leaving. I woke up for work the next day and tried to put everything in the back of my mind, but Melanie could read something was wrong the second that I walked through the door.

“Whoa, you look like hell.”

I rolled my eyes, putting a stack of foam coffee cups behind the counter. “Thanks, dear.”

She shook her head. “I’m serious. I heard about all of that shit that went down at Trey’s parents, but I didn’t think it would hit you this hard.”

“It’s not his parents. It’s his politics; that’s the problem,” I muttered.

“Is it his politics, or how you feel about his politics?”

“Don’t start.”

Melanie held her hands up. “No, listen, hear me out. I know how you feel about some of the sticky subjects, but maybe if you finally went and talked to a counselor, you wouldn’t let these things bother you so much.”

“I’m fine. I don’t need to go back to a counselor,” I muttered.

“Really?” Melanie arched a brow. “Then tell me you aren’t still carrying the mace in your purse. Tell me that you didn’t stalk Trey’s Facebook account to make sure he wasn’t anything like that other guy. Tell me that guy isn’t the reason that you transferred here and anytime he’s brought up you change the subject.”

I gripped onto the counter; my breath coming out shallow and ragged. She was right. About all of it. It had been months since I’d seen a counselor, and even though I thought I was getting better by seeing Trey, last night proved maybe I wasn’t fully healed.

I hated to admit it, but her words struck a chord. My argument with Trey wasn’t just about buying condoms, it was about my own fear that I would be in the same situation as I was at Taylor. That I would be stuck, afraid and alone. If I was ever going to get past those fears I had to get help.

“Is it okay if I take the rest of the day off?” I asked.

I looked up and Melanie nodded. “Do what you have to do.”

***

Student Health Services was right behind the student center. I only had to walk outside a few feet before I was actually at the building. It was a newer structure with three floors. The first floor was the place everyone went when they were sick and usually got sent home with a mask and a ZPack, the third floor was administration, and the second floor was my destination.

I stepped off the elevators and faced a bulletin board full of inspirational posters with messages like ‘Hang in there’ and ‘It gets better’. Yeah, that was easy for the stock art photos to say.

There were a few offices and a lot of windows, but it was the room at the end of the hall that I was the most interested in, Student Counseling Services. I opened the door to be greeted with the warm fall scent of baked apple pie and pumpkin. They must have burned candles to make it not feel so sterile. The whole waiting area looked different than the rest of the building. Instead of fluorescent lights and linoleum floors, it had dark brown carpet, beige painted walls, and different microfiber sofas covered with throw pillows around the room.

A woman in a white lab coat sat behind a desk at the far wall, and I slowly made my way up there. She smiled and looked at me from behind a giant pair of wire-rimmed glasses. “And how can I help you?”

“Um, does the rape survivors group still meet here?”

She gave me a warm smile. “It sure does. Every Tuesday at four. Are you interested in signing up?”

I nodded, slowly. “Yes, ma’am.”

She pulled out a small tablet and pressed a few buttons on it with a stylus pen. “If we can just get your information in here, then we’ll get you all set.”

“Thanks.” I smiled. It was my first step in a new direction, and I was ready. Ready as I would ever be at least.

***

I stayed around the student center and Student Health Services until four finally rolled around. I could have tried to get in to an appointment with a counselor beforehand, but I wanted to give the group a try. I saw a poster for it when I first transferred, but never wanted to admit to myself that I needed it. After talking with Melanie, I knew it was finally time. If I wanted to keep my relationship with Trey, I had to do it. I couldn’t keep having meaningless arguments with him or have him punch out a guy every time I freaked out. But mostly, it was for me. I needed the closure. I couldn’t keep all of my fears bottled up inside. I needed help.

I checked in at the front desk at exactly four and a short, Asian woman with a black pixie cut came to the door. “Are you Monica Remy?”

I nodded.

She extended a pale hand. “I’m Loretta Jones. I’ll be leading the group. Come in.”

I followed her through the door and down a small hallway. She opened a door directly to our left that was lit by two small lamps in opposite corners. Four girls sat in folding chairs in a circle, a box of tissues sat on the table in front of them; already being used. Their eyes all followed mine as I entered the room.

“Ladies, this is Monica, and she will be joining us today,” Loretta said with a warm smile and took a seat in the circle, so I took the chair next to her. “Now you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but this is a safe zone. We aren’t allowed to talk about anything that was brought up here in our discussions outside of this room. We are just here to listen.”

I nodded. I wasn’t ready to talk. I just wanted to get a feel if it was right for me. Maybe hearing other people’s stories would make me feel better.

Loretta spoke again. “We’ll just give some introductions and then everyone will give a brief little tidbit about why they are here.” She turned to the girl to my right who had dark, glossy hair and even darker rings under her eyes. “Leslie, why don’t you go first.”

“I’m Leslie,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. “I’m here to deal with the anger from my ex-boyfriend, and his using sex as power over me.”

Loretta nodded and the next girl, with the brown braids, spoke. “I’m Jessica. I’m here because my female best friend raped me.”

My eyes widened. I didn’t want to show my shock, but I’d never actually heard of female-on-female rape.

Jessica snorted. “Yeah, that’s the reaction I usually get.”

I shook my head and waved my hands in the air. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

Jessica smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve learned to live with the reactions.”

The next two girls had similar stories about dealing with date rape at parties and then Loretta spoke. “I’ve been a psychiatry grad student here for two years, and my rapist still haunts my dreams. I chose to lead this group to help other women to survive. There are some days I don’t want to get out of bed because all I can think about is him. There are days that I won’t even let my husband touch me. But then there are days, mostly the days that I come to this meeting, that I know I’ll survive.”

Survive.

That’s what my counselor always said back home. I wasn’t a victim. It wasn’t my fault. I was a survivor, and to be a survivor I had to go on living. I could go through the motions of life and pretend like everything was fine, but deep down I was just the scared little girl that was always tapping my bag to make sure my mace was there. I was able to get my story out to Trey, and it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Now it was time that I told someone else; the other survivors.

I felt the tears brimming in my eyes, and I let out a deep breath before I spoke. “I’m here because I transferred to Central to run away from the guilt I felt after I was raped. It never solved the problem. It just made it worse.”

It was the first time that I’d admitted it out loud, and finally the weight that I’d been carrying felt like it was lifted off my shoulders. I was going to be all right. I hoped.

***

After a lot of tears and a box of tissues, I felt like I could finally breathe again. But I also had a grumbling in my stomach and knew I was starving. When I got up to my apartment door I could hear Sam laughing. Great, I didn’t want to have to deal with her and Mac being stoned on the couch.

But when I opened the door it wasn’t Sam and Mac, but Sam and Trey. I was surprised to see Trey sitting on the chair and Sam on the couch, laughing and slapping her knee.

“Um, what the hell is going on?” I asked.

Sam gasped and stood up. “Oh, hey! Trey had been coming by all day looking for you, so finally I just let him in. He was just trying to convince me that I’m a closet conservative. He’s actually kind of funny.”

My eyes trailed to Trey. He stood up slowly, straightening out his collar. He didn’t look like my usual put together conservative. He had a sadness in his eyes I’d never seen.

Sam knocked us out of our trance with a loud, throat-clearing huff. “And on that note, I think I’ll leave you two alone.”

She grabbed her purse off the counter, and I heard the door slam behind us, but I didn’t watch her leave.

“Hey, Mon,” Trey said, taking a few steps toward me.

“Hi.”

He put his hands in his pocket, taking another step in my direction. “Look, about last night.”

I lifted my hand up. “You don’t need to say anything. I was out of line. I freaked out, and I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, finally making it across the room, so that he was standing in front of me. “No, I was wrong. I was an insensitive jerk. Sometimes life isn’t all about what is politically correct. It’s about what’s right. And what’s right is that I love you, no matter what happens. I overreacted about the condoms. If it’s something we are both ready for, then there is nothing wrong with being prepared. Even if my father is the spear header for abstinence-only education, that doesn’t mean my politics have to align with his. If you care about someone, there is no reason not to use precautions, so you don’t get put in a situation in which you have to make a choice. And I care about you, Monica, and want to make these choices together. I don’t want to lose you. You bring out the best parts of me, and I don’t want to be without you.”

He put a tentative hand to my face, running his fingers through my hair. “You’re the most amazing woman that has ever walked into my life. After all the shit you went through at Taylor, you still put up with me. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but obviously someone is smiling down on me if you say that you’ll still keep me around.”

I swallowed hard. “I love you too, Trey. I want to make this work.”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine with such passion I thought I would melt underneath them. I tilted my head back, parting my lips ever so slightly, letting his tongue slide in between them. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling my body against his. I wanted to forget about the world. To forget everything except for Trey.

He kissed me with a fire like no other, as if he were afraid that breaking the kiss would break us. I found myself gasping for breaths of air. His fingers were urgent, running through my hair and down my back. Then his hands were on my butt, lifting me off the ground and pulling my legs around him. He carried me all the way to my bedroom, his kisses more pleading with every step. Kneeling down, he pushed me back onto the bed, crawling on top of me and kissing down my jaw and to my neck.

I wanted him so bad. Every part of my body was aching for him, wanting to push it farther. But I couldn’t. There was still a part of me that was broken and unprotected sex wasn’t going to fix it.

I grabbed his face, stopping our frenzy before it got any farther. “Trey, I’m not sure what’s gotten into you, but I’m not going to have sex with you right now.”

His breathing was heavy and ragged. He took a few shallow breaths before he finally spoke, his gaze locked on me. “I’m not trying to make you do anything. Just waking up without you, made me realize how much you meant to me. I don’t want to lose you again.”

I shifted so that I could prop my elbows up and rest my body underneath him. “You’re not going to lose me if we don’t have sex.”

I saw it in his eyes. I was so worried about my own fears for so long that I didn’t even think about Trey’s. I had voiced his exact fear. He didn’t think he was sexually up to par for me. I thought I would lose him because of sex and my opposition to his father’s politics, and he was afraid he would lose me for the same reason.

“I hope not,” he said, pushing a stray strand of hair out of my face.

I kissed his lips gently. “We both have to get over our fears. No more politics, no more fighting, or worrying so much. Let’s just enjoy each other.”

“Sounds like a plan, Miss Remy.”

I smiled. “But there is one more part to this plan.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And that is?”

“Kiss me like you mean it, Mr. Chapman.”

And he did; his smile evident with every peck on my lips. We may not have been perfect. We may not have agreed on the same things politically, but together we would get over our fears. And falling asleep in his arms was better than anything I could have ever imagined.

Chapter 26

It was as if the last few nights never happened, and things were back to normal. Trey went back to his apartment early the next morning and then showed up at my door with two pumpkin lattes before class. He passed me notes during lectures and the girls in my Women and Gender Studies class still looked at me like I was a traitor. Another week and we had fallen into a routine that I was happy to be in.

I was ready to get back to my apartment after a day of classes, but I couldn’t get that lucky. As I walked through the crowd of students on the quad I was stopped by none other than Layla Donaldson and Missy from Kappa. Layla wasn’t her usual all-smiles, cheery self; today she was almost scowling

“Um, hey guys,” I said, doing a small wave and tried to walk around them. But everywhere I tried to step they went in front of me. “Okay, what’s going on?”

Layla crossed her arms over her chest. “You never responded to any of my Facebook messages or emails. If you didn’t want to join our chapter you could have just said something.”

I blew a strand of hair out of my face. I completely spaced on emailing her. “Oh, yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been really busy.”

As I tried to step around her, Layla put her hand out stopping me. “Since you didn’t respond, I decided to give Taylor’s chapter president a ring. She wasn’t available, but another member answered. Turns out you weren’t completely honest with everyone, Miss. Remy.”

I gritted my teeth. “Look, whatever you heard from them is probably bullshit. But I’ll send an email to Nationals and drop the stupid organization as soon as I get back to my apartment.”

Layla tilted her head and let out a small laugh. “Oh, I’ve already talked to Nationals, honey. They already know you haven’t paid your dues for this year, so they were going to send you a warning anyway, but that’s not what concerns me.”

Then Missy piped in. “Does your perfect boyfriend know what a slut you were at Taylor?”

I snapped my head in her direction so fast that I probably sprained something. “You’ve got a lot of nerve.”

“Does she?” Layla said in her cutesy tone that made me want to deck her. “Tell me, Monica, how sisterly is it for you to hook up with half the Alpha Mu house and skip town before your sorority sisters could talk to you about running to Student Health Services for Plan B after a party?”

“You ignorant bitch,” I spat. “You don’t even know the situation, so don’t talk to me like I’m some low-life trash.”

Layla and Missy both giggled like two school girls. Then Layla spoke. “You seriously think I give a shit about you? We needed numbers and with you fucking the governor’s son, it could have given us a leg up during recruitment. But seeing that the media isn’t portraying you in the best light, I think we’d be better off without you.”

I balled my hands into two fists, trying as hard as I could not to solve the situation with violence. “The governor’s son has a name. It’s Trey, and he’s better than some damn scandal. I will not take your bait,” I snarled.

The two girls just went back to laughing, and I took it as my chance to push past them. I kept up the pace all the way to my apartment. I couldn’t look back and see their smug faces. They thought they had won. They weren’t going to stop talking about me and Trey. No one was going to. But if I could learn to rise above my problems, maybe I could finally survive them.

***

I couldn’t go back to my apartment. I was too upset. I silently said a prayer all the way up the elevator until I was at Trey’s. He opened the door with a wide grin as soon as he saw me. “Hey, Mon, I was just doing some homework. What’s going on?”

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, sure.” He stepped aside, and I walked over to his bedroom where he had his homework laying across the bed, and I plopped down beside it with a big huff. He shut the front door and then tentatively walked into his room and took the seat next to me at the end of the bed. “Is everything okay?”

I could feel the tears in my eyes. I didn’t want them to come. I’d held them back long enough, and I refused to cry. “Layla and Missy from Kappa found out about why I left Taylor, except they talked to someone that twisted the story into making me look like the walking one night stand of Taylor.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “Do you want me to talk to them about it? See what I can do?”

I shook my head and put my hand on his. “I’m not going to let this get to me anymore. I need to move past that part of my life, and if I keep letting girls like that bother me then I’ll never get over it.”

He squeezed my hand. “Are you sure?”

I nodded slowly, biting down on my bottom lip. “I’m going to try. The only way to get over something is to try and face your fears and then move on from it, right?”

“You’re exactly right.” His eyes flitted to mine, and a hint of smile played on his lips.

“What? What did I say?” I asked.

He slowly shook his head. “I just can’t concentrate when you bite your lip.”

“Hmmm.” I slid closer, running a finger along his jawline. “Are you saying that I’m a distraction, Mr. Chapman?” I moved my head toward his and then tugged at his bottom lip with my teeth.

Trey moaned and then ran his tongue across my lips before we both let go. “You’re making it very hard to have any sort of a serious conversation, Miss Remy.”

“I don’t want to talk anymore,” I said into his lips. I said everything I needed to say. I didn’t have to defend myself to anyone. The people who cared about me knew the real story, and the guy I loved was making me forget all about the Kappas and think more about kissing.

“Then what do you want to do?”

I leaned in to his awaiting mouth. He kissed me fully, pulling me onto his lap. I pressed my legs on either side of him, and felt him harden in his pants. I had faced my fear for the day, but I wasn’t about to press him on his. Unless he wanted it, of course.

He ran his fingers along the spot where my shirt didn’t meet my jeans, making small goosebumps appear everywhere his fingers touched. “You’re absolutely perfect,” he breathed.

“You are,” I said gasping as his hand slid from my lower back and up my shirt.

I pushed him back on the bed and straddled his waist. Slowly, I peeled my shirt off and tossed it aside. Thank God I was wearing a black, lacey bra and not just one of my faded sports bras.

The grin spread across his face and he pulled me down on top of him, running his hands down my bare back, sending shivers through every part of me. Slowly, I unbuttoned his shirt while he trailed kisses down my neck and to my chest. I didn’t expect it to go any further, especially when he stopped kissing and whispered, “Monica?”

I pulled my head up, not wanting the moment to end. “Yes?”

He winced. “Um, open the top drawer of my nightstand with the lamp on it.”

I raised an eyebrow but climbed off of him anyway and crawled to the top of the bed. I opened the drawer and staring back at me were gold foil wrappers. I picked one up, setting it down on the bed. I felt Trey press against my back before he spoke. “I asked John Boy to get me some at the student center.”

I grabbed the condom and turned toward Trey. “Does this mean?”

“I didn’t know when it would happen, but after my reaction on Monday, I realized how stupid I was being. That didn’t mean I could necessarily go out and buy them, but when the moment came, I didn’t want to miss a thing.”

“But what about all that talk with family values?”

He raked his hands through his hair. “I’m not saying that I’m any more for condoms being handed out like candy in public schools or sex education to the masses, but this isn’t politics. This is about me loving you and knowing that you are the only person I want to be doing this with.”

“Are you sure?” I bit my bottom lip in hesitation.

He leaned in, catching my lip between his teeth and pulling back slightly before releasing it. “When you pull a sexy move like that, there is no way I can refuse.”

I reached behind my back and unhooked my bra, tossing it to the floor. “Oops.”

He grinned, pushing aside his homework before he grabbed my waist and pulled me down on the bed, rolling over so that he was on top of me. I took the opportunity to pull his shirt off before his hands went to work, teasing and toying with my chest. There were things he was very good at, but when it came to my nipples he had a lot of work to do. I grabbed his hands and slowly made circles with them on my breasts. He got the hint and stopped with the nipple tweaking.

Grabbing the bottom of his undershirt I yanked it off and then ran my fingers over the ripples of his chest. He was my own personal Adonis. My fingers trailed down his chest and then undid his belt, but then his hand shot in front of his pants. I gasped, hoping he wasn’t about to stop at that moment.

“If you do that, I might finish early. I think I should do it myself,” he said with a hint of a smile. He unzipped and unbuttoned quickly before he kicked his pants off, his massive size already pitching a tent in his boxer briefs.

“But that doesn’t mean you get an excuse not to do mine.” I said lifted my hips.

He quickly moved his hand down to the waistband of my jeans, fumbling with the zipper and buttons as if he didn’t just work them himself a minute ago. He tugged off my jeans and threw them to the floor, leaving only our underwear between us.

“I’ve never wanted this so bad,” he whispered, sliding his fingers under the lace of my panties. I moaned when I felt his fingers inside of me.

I arched my back as he slowly slid his fingers in further. He hooked a finger and twirled it slowly until I cried out, arching my back as my whole body tingled. He then pulled his fingers out, gliding off my panties and tossing them to the side. He tugged at his waistband, sliding his boxer briefs to the floor. There was absolutely nothing between us. It was just me and Trey.

I grabbed the condom from where it fell out of my hands and onto the bed and ripped the foil. “May I?” I asked raising a brow.

He didn’t say a word, but I watched his eyes slightly roll back in his head as I rolled the latex onto him.

“Do you, um want me to take top?” I asked once he was primed and ready.

He positioned himself between my legs and then rocked his body forward to mine. “Maybe next time,” he whispered. I sucked in a deep breath. He may have been ready, but I didn’t know if I was ready yet. I flinched and stood still as he slid inside me with one long thrust. My body instantly reacted, heating up and sending a shock wave of pleasure all the way down to my toes. It wasn’t like the last time. I didn’t have anything to be afraid of. This moment was ours, and damn, did it feel good.

He moved in a gentle rhythm that made my whole body pulsate underneath his. He wasn’t like a jack hammer that just wanted to get it over with, but every movement was like a carefully thought out plan that he was savoring every moment of. His face was buried in my neck, his lips leaving a trail of kisses down my neck and collar bone.

“I want to look at you,” I murmured and tugged at his hair, pulling him back so that his beautiful green eyes met mine.

“If I have to watch your reactions, I’m going to finish quick,” he said with another series of thrusts that made my toes curl. I gasped, pushing my hips up to his.

“Like that,” he said in a strained voice.

I could feel my body close to the verge of eruption, and I pressed down on his lower back, pushing him deeper inside me. I reached pure and unbridled ecstasy and rolled my head back with a deep moan. His body soon followed, shuddering above me before he collapsed onto my chest.

I felt his heart beating wildly against mine, and for a moment we just laid there; our breathing and heartbeats in sync with one another. Then Trey leaned up, resting on his elbows. “That was amazing. You’re amazing.”

I leaned up and kissed him lightly. “You aren’t so bad yourself, Mr. Chapman.”

“I think it’s time that I re-think my politics, especially in the bedroom.”

I put my finger to his lips. “Let’s not talk politics. Especially when you’re still in me.”

A sly grin spread across his face, bringing out the dimples that I loved so much. “Then we should probably move this discussion to the bath tub.”

I bit down on his bottom lip. “I think I can handle that.”

I felt him come to life again inside me. “Miss Remy, if you’re going to keep doing that, there is no way we are ever going to make it out of this bed.”

“Maybe that’s how I like it,” I whispered, pushing my hips up and pressing them against his.

“You drive a hard bargain, Miss Remy.” He reached over, opening the night stand and pulling out another foil wrapper. “But I’m happy to oblige.”

Chapter 27

All it took was one tryst in the bedroom, and Trey’s sexual god opened up. Nights of cuddling to sleep turned into collapsing onto the bed after rounds of pleasure. I wasn’t complaining. I hadn’t even thought of a guy touching me until Trey came along, and now I couldn’t get enough of him. Finally, someone who loved me and made me realize that sex wasn’t just something that could be used against me.

It was hard to get back into it. Sure, Trey was amazing in every sense of the word, but there was still something nagging at me. I wanted to give all of myself to Trey and I was, on a normal basis, but there were times when Trey would sneak up behind me and I would jump when his hand got to my breast. He would have to wait for me to make the first move or else I would flinch when it was unexpected. I didn’t like the fear I had with my own boyfriend, but I didn’t know what to do to change it.

I came back from class on Friday and immediately went to Trey’s apartment. He was sitting on the couch and watching the news, as per usual, but he jumped up with a huge, dimpled grin on his face as soon as I walked in. I was afraid he was hoping for a quickie, and I was still sore from his idea of trying something he heard one of his fraternity brothers talk about. My back would never be the same.

“Hey, you.” He sauntered over, wrapping his arms around my waist and swaying back and forth.

“Hey.”

“What are you doing this weekend?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Um, I assume working and hanging out with you.”

He stopped swaying, his eyes catching mine. Even his eyes were practically smiling and bringing out the freckles that paraded on his nose. “How about we spend the weekend up in Chicago? I already booked us a room for tomorrow night.”

“Chicago? This weekend? But we have our paper and debate on Monday.”

“All the more reason to go,” he interjected. “Look, I know we’re both stressed about it, and a weekend away could do us some good.”

“But I still have to go over my notes, and I have another assignment for foreign policy,” I stammered. I tried to work on all of those things the weekend before, but since it was the first weekend after our first time, Trey wanted to spend the whole time in bed. The bedroom is definitely not the best place for studying.

He put his hands on my shoulders. “I promise that you can work on all of that tonight and on the car ride there. Can we please just do this, for me?”

With his pleading eyes and dimpled smile, there was no way I could ever say no to him. I hated to see what the future of America would hold if he was an elected official. If he could make me melt with his looks, then he could probably turn everyone else into putty. Luckily, he was more than just a pretty face...and a great kisser.

***

The next morning I didn’t wake up in Trey’s arms, but rather to an empty side of the bed. I slowly sat up, stretching my arms over my head. There were perks to sleeping with my boyfriend every night, but I also missed being able to wake up and not have to worry about all my popping joints and him wondering if there was something wrong with me.

I didn’t have to worry where he was for too long because in he came, already fully dressed and with two foam coffee cups in his hands. “You’re finally up!” he said with a grin plastered on his face, handing me one of the cups.

I glanced at the alarm clock on his night stand. “It’s only seven, and it’s a Saturday.”

“But it’s our Saturday. You can’t just sleep the entire day away.”

I groaned, taking a sip out of the foam cup. I knew before I even tasted it that it would be my favorite pumpkin latte. It had become Trey’s new thing to get one for me every morning.

“We have dinner reservations at Alinea, and if you don’t get moving we won’t make it there by then.” He pulled me to my feet and kissed my forehead.

“Alinea? Seriously? I think it costs an entire month’s rent to eat there.”

The grin spread across his face, and I could count every single one of his freckles that were even more noticeable when he smiled. My last count was thirty-two. “But for you, it’s always worth it.”

“Am I going to have to repay you in sexual favors for the dinner and hotel, Mr. Chapman?” I wrapped my fingers through his belt loops and pulled him closer.

He put his hands on my shoulders, keeping the distance between us. “Not right now, Miss Remy. Go get ready.”

I pouted. “You’re going to refuse me?”

He groaned. “I don’t want to argue with you right now. There will be plenty of time for that on Monday. For now I just want to get on the road and enjoy the weekend.”

“Fine,” I mumbled and stomped off to the bathroom like a two-year-old with a temper tantrum.

Somehow in the few weeks post staying at his parents, I managed to spend less time at my apartment, but a lot of my stuff still managed to get over to Trey’s. I had a drawer full of my clothes, a spare hair dryer, tooth brush, and I learned to just carry my makeup with me, so I would have it at his place.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Trey already had on a tweed, double-breasted jacket and was checking his phone.

“Are you that ready to get out of here that you couldn’t wait to put your coat on?”

He didn’t answer right away, so I took that moment to check myself out one last time in the mirror. I didn’t know what he had planned for Chicago, and my wardrobe wasn’t as nice as his in the first place. With what little I had in my drawer, I had to settle for a pair of skinny jeans and a long, gray and black striped sweater. It didn’t look too bad, but I always felt like I looked like a bag lady standing next to the guy in designer dress shirts.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” he said, and I turned to see Trey finally stuffing his phone in his pocket.

“Checking your Fantasy Congress stats?”

“Yep.”

I wasn’t used to Trey’s one word answers. He was distracted beyond anything I’d ever seen him. Maybe a trip out of town would be good for him. “So, are you ready to go then?” I grabbed my packed messenger bag and threw it over my shoulder.

“Ready.”

He took his small suitcase and my hand, leading me out of the apartment and down to the underground parking garage. We put our stuff in the back seat and slid into the car. Chicago was almost three hours from campus, so I put together a mix on my iPod and plugged it into the car as soon as Trey started it up. The first song hummed through the speakers, Bob Dylan’s “Times are a Changin’“.

Trey’s smile finally made another appearance. “What is this?”

I turned down the music slightly. “It’s my political mix for the ride. All of the great political songs for our trip.”

“And what kind of music did you find for this? Is it a bunch of protest music from the 1970s?”

I rolled my eyes even though I knew he couldn’t see it and clicked my tongue. “Um, no, I didn’t think you’d appreciate that, so I found a nice mix.” I clicked a few buttons on my iPod screen and scrolled through the play list. “Besides Bob Dylan, we also have some Tracy Chapman, Bob Marley, John Lennon, and a little Ol’ Dirty Bastard.”

“So, what you are telling me is that they are all liberal musicians playing protest songs?”

I gently shoved his arm. “What would you prefer? Do you want me to find some monotone music that would be played in the elevator of the Washington Ritz Carlton?”

“I actually prefer your bathtub mix.”

“Classical is only reserved for the bathtub. I don’t need it for a car ride. Instead I’m going to sing along to some “Ghetto Superstar”, just for you.”

Trey shook his head, but the smile stayed on his face. “You’re something else.” He took my hand in his and placed it on the center console. “And I love you for it.”

The music went from “Revolution” to “Strange Fruit” and everything in between. It really was my most eclectic mix, but by the time it changed around to “Black Parade”, Trey put on his turn signal for the eastern suburbs exit.

“Um, are you taking some back way instead of going through the city?” I asked.

His face was stiff as a statue with his jaw clenched. “We are taking a little detour before we go to our hotel.”

“A detour to where?” I asked, fear suddenly rising in me. I knew Trey wouldn’t do anything to hurt me, but I was afraid that I was in for another meeting with his father or some other political mogul, and he didn’t warn me.

Then I saw the sign as clear as day, one of the billboards for Taylor that I used to pass every time I went back to school after visiting my parents. It was of a blonde girl smiling with a hand full of books and the campus in the background. It said something stupid like “Taylor: City life without the city price.”

We couldn’t be. He wouldn’t make me go back there. I stared at Trey, hoping he wouldn’t say what I feared he was going to.

“I wrote a few emails to some people at Taylor,” he said, tentatively.

“I hope it was about starting a College Republicans chapter.”

He shook his head ever so slightly. “No, it wasn’t.”

Trey took the turn down Main Street, the one I knew lead to campus. He couldn’t be going there. No way he would do that to me.

“Trey, please tell me where we are going.”

He let out a deep breath. “We’re going to meet with the Alpha Mu’s.”

“WHAT?” I shrieked. “Why the hell would we do that?”

He winced and didn’t say anything.

“Dammit, answer me, Trey.”

He stayed silent and then put on his turn signal, pulling into one of the many parking lots. He put the car in park but didn’t turn off the engine and then slowly turned toward me, his eyes warm, but his face stern. “Mon, I didn’t know how much this all affected you until I really saw it. I know that you’ve been going to group counseling, but that doesn’t stop you from flinching every time I go to touch you. At first I thought it was because you were repulsed, but then I noticed it every time that we’re about to have sex. You close your eyes and suck in like you are expecting me to hurt you.”

I never thought he could actually see any of that. I didn’t even realize I was still doing it. I thought the first time broke down that invisible barrier.

He raked his hands through his hair and then took both my hands in his. “You refused to get to know me because of what some guy did to you. We’ve constantly fought about contraception, and I punched a guy out for touching you. I’m not going to let this guy who hurt you get away with affecting our relationship anymore. We’re meeting with the president of Alpha Mu today, and we’re going to get something done.”

I felt the tears pricking at my eyes. I didn’t want to admit that everything he said was true. I loved Trey. There was no doubt about that. He also turned me on like I didn’t think was ever possible, but I still couldn’t put that night out of my head. I still thought about that guy more than I cared to admit. I just didn’t know if I could handle being in the house and reliving the experience all over again. “I-I-I can’t go to that house.”

“Hey.” Trey leaned over the seat, cupping my face into his hands. “We aren’t going to the house. We’re meeting with him at the Greek advisor’s office, along with the guy who did this to you.”

“What?” I sniffled, snapping my head back and out of his hands. My heart felt like it was going to leap through my chest, it was beating so fearfully. I hadn’t seen him since it happened. “How, how did you even know who it was?”

Trey heaved a heavy sigh. “When we started getting intimate, that’s when I noticed the problem. Then I figured out that the only way to get through this would be to go back to the source. When I contacted the president of Alpha Mu he tried to play dumb at first, but then he finally admitted that he knew everything.”

I shook my head, the salty tears stinging my eyelids. “I don’t know if I can do this,” I whispered.

Trey put his hand to my face and wiped away a fallen tear with his thumb. “You’re one of the strongest women that I’ve ever met. I know you can do this.” He moved his hand and placed it on top of mine. “And I’m going to be right there with you every step of the way.”

***

I hadn’t been on Taylor’s campus since spring, but it hadn’t changed a bit. It wasn’t much of a campus, but more of a few buildings mixed in with other retail shops along a busy street. They always boasted about having the city atmosphere without actually being in the city. What that really meant was that I’d just have to wait at crosswalks every time I wanted to go to class and had to take a bus or get a ride to my sorority house, which is a few miles outside of campus.

The student center was the biggest building that was set on the square. It was like a big park in the middle of the city with a looming brick building complete with clock tower at the center. Last fall it looked gorgeous among the Oak trees and their changing leaves, but today it looked like a prison waiting to swallow me whole.

Trey squeezed my hand. “Are you ready?”

“No.” I took a deep breath and let out slowly. “But I’m going to do it.”

I didn’t have a choice. I could have screamed and cried and begged him to take me back, but that wouldn’t have solved anything. We would have been back to square one. I couldn’t keep running in fear.

We walked hand in hand down the cobblestone pathway and past the few students who were reading on benches or throwing a Frisbee around the courtyard. None of them knew what I was there for. None of them even took a second glance at me and Trey.

Trey opened the front door for me, it led into a grand, marble entryway. It used to be the town’s courthouse before the college bought it and turned it into the student center. On the first floor was a Starbucks and a few lounging areas, but we took the back stairwell up to the second floor where the administration offices were, and Greek Affairs.

I let Trey lead me down the small hallway to a frosted glass window with the word “Greek Affairs” set in an old English font. He pushed the heavy door, which opened to a small room without any windows, an old oak desk and a few chairs sat on the opposite wall. There were framed posters from different recruitments throughout the years and pictures with famous alumni. But none of it looked warm or inviting to me. They all felt like they would fall off the wall and bury me.

A woman with short, black hair wearing a brown pant suit emerged from a door behind the desk. “You must be Trey Chapman,” she said with a thick Chicago accent.

“I am, and you must be Barbara Brown.” He put his hand out and gave her his political handshake.

After shaking his hand her dark eyes locked on me. It wasn’t a look of anger or concern, just a blank stare. “And you must be Monica Remy.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I managed to squeak out.

“You must be an awfully important person for me to get a call for a meeting on a Saturday.”

“This is a very important matter, Mrs. Brown,” Trey said, putting a protective arm around me.

She nodded. “So it is, Mr. Chapman. The other two men are already waiting in my office. Won’t you come in?” She stepped back, holding her arm out to the door.

I followed Trey, slowly. I didn’t want to see them sitting there. I didn’t want to face the boys that I’d been trying so hard to run from. But there they were, sitting with their heads down, their hair combed, and probably wearing the only suits they owned. They didn’t even look at me when I entered. The president, Josh, was on the left. I couldn’t forget his trademark bed head that was always talked about because everyone said he never left the bedroom. And then there was Joey, the bastard that ruined me. His hands were folded in front of him, and his knee shook slightly. His hair was cut short, not hanging in his eyes like the last time I saw him. Too bad, I would have wanted to grab him by the hair and push him to the ground before I stomped on him.

Barbara closed the door behind us and then took a seat behind a giant oak desk. The room was just a small box with floor-to-ceiling windows at one end that looked over the square. But I wasn’t in the mood to look at the square. I kept my eyes on Joey’s head as I took my seat next to Trey. I had to be strong. I wouldn’t let him see me falter. My hands shook, and my heart beat so wildly in my chest that I thought it was going to burst out. I was glad that I was sitting because my legs didn’t feel like they could move. Like they were still pinned underneath Joey.

Barbara shuffled some papers on the desk, and I slowly turned to see her put on a pair of reading glasses and look over the papers at me. “Now, Mr. Chapman has brought me here because Monica Remy would like to bring up rape charges against one Mr. Joseph Elder, and that president Joshua Franks knew about this situation.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Trey said, folding his hands on his lap and crossing his ankles. “Miss Remy has voicemail messages and emails that were exchanged between Mr. Franks and her that said, and I quote, ‘If you bring this up to anyone, no one will believe you because you are such a slut.’“

Trey must have gotten to my emails when I left my computer open, and probably the voicemail that I thought I deleted. I would be furious, but he had the fuel that would set the fire in motion, and I couldn’t be mad at that.

Barbara shifted her gaze to Josh. “Is this true, Mr. Franks?”

I had only talked to Josh a handful of times. He always hit on me whenever he saw me. He didn’t look like the guy that walked with extra swagger through campus. In the light of the office he didn’t look as threatening as I thought he was. More like he was defeated and just waiting for the final blow. He knew what was coming.

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but he never looked up. “Yes, ma’am.”

“And Mr. Elder,” Barbara continued, shifting gears to Joey. “Are you aware of the accusations that Miss Remy is bringing forth?”

Joey hesitated, shifting back and forth in his seat before he wiped his hands on his pants. I knew they were sweaty because that was how they felt when he had them pressed against my back and pushed me down. I closed my eyes trying to ram those memories to the back of my mind. Trey put his hand on my knee, and I tried to concentrate on my breathing instead of looking at Joey.

“Yes, ma’am,” Joey squeaked. He wasn’t the guy that I had been afraid of for so long, but was now a scared little boy. I knew at that moment that I was in the power position. I finally didn’t have to run scared anymore but would have redemption. I opened my eyes and saw that Joey’s head was down as well as Josh’s, like they couldn’t bear to face the facts.

Barbara looked at me, her eyes slightly squinted. “Now, Miss Remy, are you looking to press charges against Mr. Elder?”

Trey opened his mouth to speak, but Barbara put her hand up. “I asked Miss Remy, Mr. Chapman.”

I looked over at Trey and he nodded, squeezing my knee. Slowly, I shifted my gaze back to Barbara. My hands shook, and I had to think about every movement that I made, hoping that I didn’t break right there. I swallowed hard before I finally nodded. “Yes, ma’am, we will be heading down to the precinct after this meeting.”

“Very well,” Barbara said, taking out a pen and scribbling on one of the sheets of paper in her hands. “I will report our findings to the station as well, and will contact Alpha Mu Nationals regarding the removal of these two members and the suspension of their charter.”

I widened my eyes. That was all that I had to do for them to be punished? It couldn’t be that simple. I glanced over at Josh and Joey, and they just kept their heads down, still not saying a word.

“Mr. Elder, Mr. Franks, do you have anything to say for yourself?” Barbara asked. They both shook their heads and Barbara looked back at us, standing up and putting her hand out. “Mr. Chapman, Miss Remy, you are free to go. I still have some matters to discuss with these two gentlemen, but good luck at the precinct.” As she shook our hands she offered the only smile I’d seen her with all day.

Trey stood up first and gave me his hand to help me to my feet. I was still shaking, but able to stumble to a standing position. I took once last glance at Joey and Josh, the fear still creeping into my body. It was that easy? For months I’d been living with the memories, and now they were finally going to be punished.

“You know, it hasn’t been easy these past few months,” I said, my voice coming out as a whisper.

Trey grabbed my shoulder, but I didn’t look at him. Joey and Josh didn’t look at me either.

“I’m glad it was this easy for you two to cave when someone finally called you out on it, but just know that just because you got away with it for a few months doesn’t make it right. I hope that you both remember this moment the next time you think it’s okay to take advantage of some girl.”

The tears stung in my eyes, but I kept going before someone would stop me. “Joey, I thought you ruined me forever. I never thought I’d get over it. You may get thrown out of the Alpha’s and maybe even thrown in jail, but that doesn’t even feel like enough. I hope someday you actually realize what you did was sick and that someday you can actually live with yourself; because I wouldn’t be able to if I did what you did.”

“Okay, Miss Remy, I think that’s enough.” Barbara stepped in between me and Joey. Before she could completely block his face he looked me in the eyes. The eyes that had once haunted my nightmares looked like nothing more than hollow shells.

“Thank you, Mrs. Brown.” I nodded and turned, walking out the door with Trey by my side.

Chapter 28

I was in a daze as Trey led me down the stairs, but as soon as we exited the front doors he scooped me up in his arms and hugged me close, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around. I laughed for the first time in what seemed like forever and then he put me down, placing his hands on either side of my face. “You did it, Mon. You faced your fears, and now those guys got what the deserved.”

I shook my head slightly and leaned in toward him. “No, you did it. You’re the reason I’m here; the reason I’m going to be okay.” My lips trailed to his in a brief closed-mouth kiss that still ignited all the passion that was flowing through me. Trey loved me. He helped me face my fears, and now I wouldn’t have to be afraid anymore.

I broke the kiss and took his hands. “Now, how about we get the report out of the way and get on to Chicago?”

His smile wasn’t the all out dimpled one, more like a tight-lipped forced one. “Well, we still have one more stop after the precinct.”

“One more stop?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Come on.” He tugged my hand, and we walked back to the car.

“Where else could we be going?” I drilled him with question after question, but he didn’t answer, even when he put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. I kept wondering where we were going and could barely concentrate on my report at the precinct. I wasn’t expecting any sort of an engagement, too early for that, but he had something else planned.

When we left the station, he didn’t get back on the highway, but turned onto North Avenue. I knew exactly where we were going.

“You aren’t seriously taking me to the Kappa house, are you?”

Trey swallowed, nodding slowly. “I talked to Brittani as well; she is expecting you.”

“WHAT?” I shrieked and Trey winced, gripping onto the steering well.

“Look, it didn’t turn out as bad as you thought it would facing the Alpha Mu’s, so this shouldn’t be as bad either.”

I scraped my fingers through my hair, my breath coming out in slow, shallow breaths. “Seeing those guys was one thing, but you want me to go back to my supposed sisters who abandoned me?”

“Mon, a good politician knows that whatever they do in their past will always be brought up during election time. You have to know what skeletons are in your closet and exactly how you want to face them. If someone else finds out about them, then it’s just ten times worse.”

I shook my head. “But I’m not a politician. I’m just freaking Monica.”

He looked at me from the corner of his eye. “The same rules apply in life. You can’t run from your problems and expect them not to catch up with you.”

***

Greek Row was nestled off campus in what was probably, at one time, a residential neighborhood but now was lined with Greek houses and other student apartments. The Kappa house was an old, purple Victorian that was kept up by the large number of members they recruited and generous alumni. It sat in between two other sorority houses that also were former residential homes. They all had their perfectly manicured lawns and big signs with their letters, but the Kappa house always stood out to me.

Trey pulled the Mustang in front of the house and suddenly it didn’t look like the beautiful, purple wonder that I saw during recruitment, but more like a haunted house from the movies. Trey came around the side of the car and opened my door, helping me out. My legs felt like gelatin, and it became hard to breathe.

“You can do this, Mon, I believe in you,” he whispered into my ear and placed a small kiss on my cheek before he put his arm around my waist, and guided me up the stone path to the house.

We walked up the small, white porch and faced the stained glass door. It was a gift from one of the alumni years ago that had the purple dove symbol painted on it and the Kappa Beta crest with our letters. Every time I saw it, it usually brought good chills, but this time it just brought me a sense of dread.

Trey rang the doorbell, and it seemed like forever before I heard footsteps behind the door. It swung open and there was my former house mom, Dorota. She was a short, chubby Ukranian woman who was always like a second mom to all of us.

“Miss Remy, I haven’t seen you in forever and a day, as they say!” Dorota said in her thick accent.

“Yeah, I’ve transferred to a new school.” I tried to force a smile.

“Oh, well, it’s understandable,” she replied, but I could hear a twinge of hurt in her voice. When I left I never said goodbye to her either. I just sent her an email that I was leaving.

“Hi, I’m Trey Chapman.” Trey extended his hand to Dorota.

She shook his hand slowly. “Ah, you must be the new man in Miss Remy’s life. If you hurt her, Miss Dorota will come after you.”

Trey released her hand and put his arm around my shoulders. “I wouldn’t dream about it, Miss Dorota.”

“Now you come in. I’m sure the girls will be excited to see you.” Dorota moved away from the doorway, and we stepped into the foyer.

Trey and I followed Dorota down the small hallway to the common room, which was a former parlor, off of the entryway with a big bay window. The room was decorated with purple period couches and framed photos of alumni. Sitting on one of the couches was Brittani, the president, and Amanda, the vice president, who was one of the girls that was at the party with me.

“I’ll leave you all to chat. Call me if you need me. Good to see you again, Miss Remy.” Dorota patted my back before she shuffled out of the room.

Brittani and Amanda were every bit the same Barbie dolls they were when I left. Brittani had her long, blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and even though she was in sweats, they were designer sweats, and her makeup was perfect. Amanda was no different with her blonde hair styled into a pixie cut and wearing a pair of fitted jeans and a pink letters shirt.

“Hello, Monica, and this must be the boyfriend that we’ve been hearing so much about,” Brittani said in her baby doll voice, but didn’t move from the couch.

Trey moved forward and extended out his hand like a good politician-in-training. “Trey Chapman, good to meet you.”

They both shook his hand and put on their best fake smiles. The same ones they had for recruitment every year. I didn’t want them to be fake in front of Trey. I wanted them to be real.

Amanda cleared her throat and stared at Trey. “I hope you don’t mind, Trey, but even though you set this up, I think we’d like to talk to Monica alone.” Amanda’s tone was no nonsense and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Trey swallowed and looked back at me. “Only if that’s okay with Monica.”

I nodded, slowly. I didn’t want him to leave, but I didn’t think I had a choice.

“Okay,” he said and walked back over to me, placing a quick kiss on my cheek. “I’ll be out in the car if you need me.” He then turned and waved to the girls. “It was nice to meet you.”

They smiled and waved until he disappeared around the corner.

“Monica,” Brittani said. “Won’t you have a seat?”

I leaned against the window. “I think I’ll stand, thank you. I hope this won’t take too long.”

Brittani put on a tight-lipped smile. “Very well. Trey emailed me and said that you want to talk about what happened last year. I got a text from Gabe at Alpha Mu saying that you brought charges against Joey for rape? What the hell happened, Mon?”

I let out a small breath and put my head down, plopping on the window seat. “It’s a long story.”

“We’ve got time,” Amanda pushed.

I wasn’t sure if I was ready to tell them. At one time I told these girls everything, but times had changed. I was different. They were different. But just like I had to face Joey, I had to face them. I took a deep breath in to steady my beating heart and then recounted the details as best as I could; trying not to let the tears flow from my eyes. I couldn’t go into all the nitty gritty, but I told them what happened with Joey at the party and even about trying to get the morning after pill.

When I finished the air felt so thick between us that it was like a giant wall. Brittani finally spoke. “I’m sorry, Mon, we really had no idea.”

“I know you didn’t, Britt. I’m sorry I ran away without talking to anyone.”

My gaze flitted to Amanda. She was there that night. She saw me mouth ‘help me’ and just turned her back to keep dancing. I was never really close with her, but now that I was looking back on it, I felt like she should have done something.

“Amanda, you were at that party, weren’t you?” Brittani tilted her head to the side like a confused Cocker Spaniel.

Amanda’s voice cracked. “I was.”

“Do you remember any of the other girls that were there that night, maybe the ones that would have seen something happen? It could totally help Monica with the charges.”

Amanda bit down on her lower lip, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. I didn’t think she would admit it, and I couldn’t wait for life to pass me by.

“You were dancing with me and some of the others that night, weren’t you, Amanda?”

Amanda let out a big sniffle before she finally spoke. “At first I thought maybe you wanted to sleep with Joey, but then seeing your face when he took you in that bathroom spoke volumes. I didn’t want him to hate me by saying anything, so I kept my mouth shut.” She sniffled and then spoke again. “Layla from Central contacted some of us, and I was so pissed at you for leaving, so Tara just told her that you were embarrassed because you were a slut. It was stupid and childish, and I wish we could all take it back.”

I felt the tears prick my own eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”

Brittani shook her head. “I’m sorry, too. When you left I should have reached out to you. I should have done something. I can promise you that Tara will be sent to Honor Council for what she did.”

I nodded slowly. “Okay, but no one has to be punished because of me.”

Brittani tilted her head. “Well, isn’t that what you came here for? Redemption?”

I shook my head. “No, I came here to heal. I’d been holding all of this in for so long that it was affecting my life. Now I can finally let it go and move on.”

Brittani’s eyes trailed to the window where Trey’s red Mustang was in clear view. “It seems to me like you’ve moved on pretty well. I just didn’t expect the wild child of the house to end up with the conservative governor’s son. Are you turning into a Republican now?”

I bit my bottom lip, which did nothing to stop the smile from spreading across my face just thinking about Trey. Yes, he was conservative and the governor’s son, and he drove me crazy with his politics, but he still loved me and today showed it. “No, still the classical liberal, but Trey is the exception. The only exception.”

***

Hugs and tears were exchanged between us and then finally I bounded down the steps and into Trey’s car.

“Hey, how did it g—”

Before Trey could finish his sentence I grabbed his face and pressed my lips to his, crackling the fieriest kiss I could. At first he just sat there but then his lips slightly parted letting my tongue in while he wrapped his arms around me. I was in love with Trey Chapman, and it wasn’t just about our banter or the sex. He really got me. He tried to make me a better person even when I was reluctant. He really was my exception to every rule.

Trey broke the kiss and looked at me, his breathing shallow. “Well, I take it that went pretty well?”

“Why don’t you get us to Chicago and once we get up to that hotel room, I’ll show you how thankful I am for what you did.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Mon, it was all you. You’re the survivor.”

I placed another kiss on his lips and then pulled at his bottom lip with my teeth before I slumped back into my seat. “And you are the best thing that could have happened to me.”

He grinned an all out dimpled grin before putting the car in drive while I put my seatbelt on. “To Chicago?” he asked.

“To Chicago,” I said, putting my hand in his.

Chapter 29

Chicago was everything that I hoped for. Trey booked us a fancy hotel suite downtown that gave us breathtaking views of the city. We dined on expensive food, held hands through Lincoln Park, and took pictures at the ‘Bean’. But as magical as the weekend was, when we got back to campus I knew that I had to finish working on the debate.

For the first time in weeks I slept in my own bed. I could have stayed with Trey, but it didn’t feel right when I was getting ready to try and beat him in a debate the next morning. That didn’t stop him from showing up at my door the next morning with two steaming foam cups in his hands.

“You know, I’m not sure many political opponents show up with a latte for the person they are about to debate against,” I said, taking the cup and stepping out of my apartment.

Trey took my hand and we walked to the elevator. “Maybe they do and maybe they don’t. We don’t actually see what happens before the debates.”

I squeezed his hand. “I guess you would know more about that than I do.”

We walked through campus still hand in hand. It didn’t feel like it was different than any other day walking to class, but it was. We hadn’t talked about our debate since we argued about the condoms, and now we were using them regularly. I didn’t know what would happen afterward. If it would be such a fiery debate that we wouldn’t talk for awhile, or if it would ignite some passion to watch him talk politics, and I would pounce him right in front of the whole class. I would have settled for a happy medium.

When we walked into the classroom there were two podiums sitting at the front of the room, just waiting for us. My hands felt sweaty, but Trey still never let go, leading us to our seats. I felt like everyone was staring at us, but I tried not to let it get to me. This was a huge part of my grade, no matter if I won or lost, I still had to at least not throw up and make it through.

Dr. Westerfield came bounding in not long after we did, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor. She stood at her desk, rifling through her papers as the rest of the class slowly came in. It was the first time since the first day of class that everyone was in attendance. It looked like everyone was ready to see the show. I had a feeling someone would be out with their camera phone and have the whole thing on YouTube by the end of the day.

As the last person finally walked in, Dr. Westerfield stepped between the two podiums with her glasses perched on her nose. “Well, there are a couple of firsts with today’s debate. It’s the first time I’ve ever had a governor’s son in my class debating and the first time I’ve ever had a romantic couple go against each other.” She paced between the two podiums. “The rules are simple. The two debaters emailed me their list of five objectives. I will ask each of them as the moderator. One will respond first and the other will rebuttal to each question. I ask that you all hold any applause until the end and to remember to respect your fellow classmates.”

She then walked over to an empty desk in the front and took her seat, bringing a small stack of papers with her. “And now, Trey, Monica, if you would like to take your places for your debate on contraceptive coverage.”

Trey stood up first, and I slowly followed. It was like pushing through wet cement with each step, but I had to get to the podium. I took my spot behind the podium closest to the door and looked out into the classroom. Some people were actually paying attention and some were already looking down at their phones, probably ready to make video recordings.

“Are the debaters ready?” Dr. Westerfield asked.

“Yes,” we both responded.

“Very good,” she said with a nod and looked down at her sheet of paper. “First question will go to Monica and then Trey will rebuttal. With rising health care costs, why should college campuses and clinics still offer free options of birth control to students and those who could not otherwise afford birth control?”

“Thank you, Dr. Westerfield.” I took in a deep breath. “The Federal Affordable Care Act, provides wo—”

I looked down at my note cards that were sitting on the podium. I had a canned answer planned and all written out, but all I saw was Joey’s face when I looked down at the note cards. I knew what my response had to be.

I took a deep breath and then started again.”Six months ago I was just another student at Taylor and didn’t care one thing about politics or even if someone would be covered for birth control. Then I was raped.”

A collective gasp came from the students in the audience and their attention was no longer on their phones, but directly on me.

I swallowed hard. “No one ever goes right out and talks about their experience and you never really put a face to the person that tells their story. But I’m here to say that some guy at a party took advantage of me and didn’t use protection. I was scared. I didn’t know what to do, so I went to Student Health Services the next day and asked for the morning after pill.”

I knew Trey’s argument on the morning after pill. He didn’t think it should be used as a form of birth control, the same way he felt that abortions were being used. That it was a person and not the child’s fault for someone else’s mistake.

“I couldn’t get it. Since the contraception bill went into place, it wasn’t free for college students. I would have had to pay $100, and I didn’t have that. So instead I had to wait a month and pray I wasn’t pregnant. My opponent will argue with you that it’s about a child, not about a choice. I didn’t have a choice when that boy raped me. He took that choice away from me.”

I saw some people shift uncomfortably in their seats. It wasn’t the easiest thing to talk about, but I knew I had to continue. “No one should have to feel like their free will is taken away and when it is, they should have the choice. If clinics and student health services didn’t provide those things, that takes away their options. Then what are they left with? Would there be more abortions? Would people find another way to extinguish unwanted pregnancies themselves? I can’t say. But I can say that once you take away choice, then there is nothing left.”

Dr. Westerfield nodded, her expression not changing as she turned to Trey. “And your rebuttal?”

Trey folded his hands on the podium and let out a deep breath. “When Miss Remy and I signed up for this debate, I thought I knew my stance on the topic. I was for sure my views wouldn’t change. I still believe in family values and am extremely pro-life, but then something changed. I’ve learned there are exceptions to every rule, and you can’t just put down a set of decisions that will affect everyone if you don’t look at those exceptions.”

He shook his head, twiddling his thumbs in his hands. “I never thought I’d be the one to say that maybe emergency contraception isn’t a bad thing. Do I think that it should be handed out like candy on Halloween? Not necessarily. But when a girl has her choices taken away and is left with nothing, then that’s not right either. There are exceptions to every rule. The morning after pill and other contraceptives may not be everyone’s answer, but sometimes they are needed. And I can’t disagree with Miss Remy, that in a case in which a beautiful girl has her own choices taken by someone else, then there should be exceptions. Monica Remy is the exception.”

I widened my eyes staring at Trey. He just looked back at me with a huge dimpled grin on his face. Not his political one, but the secret one he had for me. He just threw the debate in my favor. Not only that, but after all our arguing about contraception, he finally agreed with me on it.

Dr. Westerfield didn’t seem too fazed by our responses and went on with the questions like nothing happened. Trey’s responses were all similar in which he stated his views, but basically still agreed with mine. When the applause erupted at the end I wasn’t sure if it was real or people were just too stunned to know what else to do.

I grabbed my bag and went to leave the classroom, but then Dr. Westerfield called out to us. “Trey? Monica? Can I have a word with you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Trey said and took my hand and we went to Dr. Westerfield’s desk.

Dr. Westerfield looked up at us, setting down her glasses. “When I paired you to together, I was expecting a fiery debate that would have the students thinking. I wasn’t expecting the love bug to bite the two of you.”

I sucked in a deep breath. Shit, we were in trouble.

Trey spoke first. “Dr. Westerfield I can explain.”

She put her hand up. “There is no need to explain. You both did a fantastic job on your speeches. I actually sometimes wish that more politicians could learn to get along as the two of you have. You’ve crossed party lines and came to a conclusion instead of just butting heads. That’s what politics should really be about.”

Dr. Westerfield smiled and Trey’s dimpled grin was so contagious that I couldn’t help smiling either.

“Now get out of here before the other students start suspecting something,” she said, shooing us out of the room.

As soon as we stepped outside the doors of Brown hall, Trey lifted me and twirled me just like he did that day at Taylor. When he set me down he gave me such a passionate kiss that I saw fireworks. It was definitely not appropriate for school, but I didn’t care. I kissed him back anyway.

He took both my hands in his. “Not too bad for a first debate, Miss Remy.”

“Not too bad, Mr. Chapman. Good to see that you are up for exceptions.”

He pulled me closer, leaning his forehead against mine. He smelled exactly like the first day that I met him; peppermint and expensive cologne. I could never forget the way he looked at me with his eyes glowing and each one of his thirty-two freckles present. “You are the only exception, Miss Remy.”

Epilogue

We stood behind the large, blue curtain. I could hear the muffled sounds of the speaker on the other side, but didn’t know what he was saying. I was forced into wearing a red shift dress, and a girl with auburn hair never looks good in red. I kept adjusting the long sleeves and pulling down the skirt to make sure it wasn’t showing too much leg.

“Will you stop fidgeting; you look breathtaking as always,” Trey whispered in my ear.

Trey’s brother, Tripp, smacked the back of Trey’s head, and he turned around. All three of the Chapman boys wore matching blue suits and could have been triplets, if they weren’t all a few years apart. Trigg’s wife was there in her red dress, carrying their daughter. Tripp didn’t have a wife, but Trey was permitted to bring his longtime girlfriend. It made me feel special and nervous all at the same time.

“Are we ready?” A lady came around the corner with a microphone attached to her ear.

Governor Chapman adjusted his red tie and took Mindy’s hand. “A quick prayer first?”

The lady nodded. “But make it quick.”

We all held hands in a circle. The first time I prayed with the Chapmans I couldn’t say a word and was nervous that I would mess something up. But after years of being part of their world, I finally felt comfortable in their circle.

“Dear Lord,” Governor Chapman began. “Please help to guide us on our new journey and to protect our family. All of our family.” His green eyes flickered to mine, and I shot him a wink. “Amen.”

“It’s time, governor.” The woman came back out.

The governor nodded and let his gaze fall on each one of us. “Are we ready?”

Trey squeezed my hand. I still wasn’t used to the shiny ring on my finger that he put there. I couldn’t help stare at it even longer when he squeezed my hand and brought my attention to it. “I’m ready,” I whispered to Trey before he placed a quick kiss on my forehead.

“Get a room,” Tripp whispered and then Mindy smacked the back of his head before smiling at me.

Then I heard the speaker loud and clear. “And my fellow Americans, I’d like to introduce you to your Republican nominee for president, Kirk Chapman!”

The lights were blaring as the curtains opened and Trey pulled me onto the stage. I used to hate being in the spotlight as his girlfriend, and now as the fiancé of the potential future president’s son, the lights were even brighter. But with Trey by my side, it wasn’t as bad. Nothing shone as bright to me as his green eyes did. It was like he would always tell me, there was always an exception to every circumstance. No matter how much I would be bothered by other people’s comments, I knew that my exception would always be by me. Trey was the only exception.

If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review on GoodReads or whatever online retailer you picked up this book from.

It keeps the author happy and you get your own chance to be a writer :)

To my loyal readers,

Thank you so much for picking up this book whether it was in Eformat, an EARC, or the paperback. If you pirated it...well...I guess it’s good that you like me, but really you should buy it because that supports an Indie author.

On a more serious note, there has been a lot of talk out there about heavy subject matter, like the stuff in this book, as being used as a trope for authors. I didn’t write this book because that is ‘what’s hot’ I wrote this book for the survivors of rape. The ones who have been called ‘sluts’ for wearing a short skirt at a party or that they were ‘asking for it’ because they were flirting with a guy. It seems as if some people believe that it’s the girl’s fault and this causes her to believe it is her fault, which leads to even worse consequences.

The fact is that most rapes do not get reported and most girls do not go and get help when they need it. They know it’s out there, but it’s an embarrassing and emotional situation. We have all these classes available about self-defense and when you first enter college you sit through a seminar on what women need to do to not get raped. What about teaching people not to be rapists?

I did not write this book to prove that I had a political agenda. This book is a complete work of fiction, with peppered in flakes of my own experience. I know what it’s like to be the girl at a party that wants the guy to notice her, but he ends up noticing too much of her. I wanted to show Monica’s vulnerable side after the event happened and how she was able to overcome it. The contraception bill is very real and I did my best to show both sides of that. When I first wrote this story it was very one sided, but as I did more research, I was able to see both sides of this political bill. This is not just a love story, but a story of survival.

If you or anyone you know has been in a situation like Monica’s, I want to let you know that you are not alone. Even if you get a call from the guy’s friends telling you to keep your mouth shut, you don’t need to. There are resources on campuses with student counseling services and they will direct you to where you need to go. They will help you through this. You are not alone. You are not a slut for wearing your short skirt. It doesn’t make it right for someone to take advantage of you if you’re drinking. You are a survivor and you will overcome this.

-Magan

About the Author

Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. She is in a very serious, fake relationship with Adam Lambert and constantly asks her husband to wear guyliner. He still refuses. She also believes her husband is secretly an alien, disguised as a southern gentleman.

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Other Works by Magan Vernon

The My Alien Romance Series:

How to Date an Alien

How to Break up with an Alien

How to Marry an Alien

The My Paper Heart Saga:

My Paper Heart

On Paper Wings

Acknowledgements

This book was a true labor of love. I know I’ve said that before, but this one really pushed me to the breaking point.

I had a random idea that I wanted to write a book about a conservative guy and a liberal girl for years, but could never think of the perfect story. Then I watched an episode of New Girl in which Schmidt pretends to be Thugg Romney. Trey Chapman was born. But Monica...Monica was a work-in-progress from the beginning. I knew she had a past that she needed to escape and I tried to tip-toe around it, but if it wasn’t for my critique partners, this story wouldn’t have gotten the dark light it needed.

First off, I have to thank Laura Pauling for asking the questions that needed to be asked and making me not skirt around the issues. Leigh Talbert Moore, thank you for having late night political discussions with me and getting to the root of the character’s conflicts. Juliana Haygert, thank you for making sure that I didn’t keep changing character’s names and keeping it real in the New Adult genre. Kelly Viel, my alpha reader, thank you for making Monica’s actions a little bit more real and keeping Trey grounded in reality as well. Chelsea M. Cameron, what would I do without you? You are my rock in all things New Adult. Karen Hooper, thanks for keeping me sane in all things writing and putting me in my place when I needed it.

To The Indelibles, thank you for supporting me when I went out on a limb and wrote a political New Adult that may have hit on some tropes of the genre, but did them in a way that none of you cringed at me.

Regina Wamba, at Mae I Design, I know how hard it was for us to stare at hot pictures all day, but I think your cover really gets the full “panty dropping” and politicalness that I was going for.

Marcie at Looking Glass Editing, thank you for taking on this project when no one else would. I came to you saying that I had something controversial and you rolled up your sleeves and said “heck yeah!”

Lizzy Seeberg, we never met. I only know your story and after reading it in the Huffington Post and the rude comments that followed, it gave me the courage I needed to finish this book.

To the remarkable organizations that help women in Monica’s position every day: Slut Walk Chicago, RAINN, Students Active for Ending Rape, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, and Illinois State’s Student Counseling Services. Thank you for helping all of the survivors.

Last but not least, to my wonderful family. Tim, you are truly the love of my life who was there for me during my darkest times and showed me there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You are more swoon worthy than Trey Chapman and will always be my hero. Olivia and Claire, you don’t appreciate mommy writing right now, but I write these books for you. Because someday I want you to look up to awesome heroines and not just color on all of mommy’s books.

Contents

Title page

Praise for The Only Exception

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Epilogue

To my loyal readers,

About the Author

Want more information on Magan’s upcoming novels?

Other Works by Magan Vernon

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

Title page

Praise for The Only Exception

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Epilogue

To my loyal readers,

About the Author

Want more information on Magan’s upcoming novels?

Other Works by Magan Vernon

Acknowledgements