Page 17

Chapter 17

First Date

ZARA

I like it here.

This entire campus looks like my old boarding school, but bigger and better. I’ve seen a lot of university brochures and in California some places tend to embrace the local, mission style architecture. They have their own charm, but Star Cove college went in a different direction. Red brick buildings adorned by baroque style ornaments, ivy climbing most of the oldest structures on campus. I’ve even spotted a gargoyle looking down at the students entering the main library.

It looks as if someone took an Ivy League college on the East Coast and transported it to this small coastal town in California.

And I’m here for it.

Today I have two classes in the morning, and then I plan to go to the library to start putting in order the syllabus we received, and maybe even get ahead with some of the reading material.

“Do you want to go grab some lunch?” Heather asks with a smile.

Having a class with her was really nice. We sat together, and it was a relief not to have to assess every face, every posture to decide who looked friendly.

“I could eat. I had a bigger breakfast than usual, but it feels as if it was forever ago.”

“Duh,” Heather chuckles. “It’s because it was. I need to eat something before tryouts. I don’t want to pass out on the mat.”

I’ve never paid much attention to cheerleading, so I’m confused by this tryout stuff. “Forgive me for asking, but weren’t you recruited by one of their scouts? Why would they have you try out?”

Heather explains. “Being recruited gives you a spot on the team, but not a guaranteed spot on the performing squad. The team will be much bigger than the group that will actually get to compete. There are gonna be several alternates for each position. So some people might be trying out to get an actual spot in the team today, but the coaches will also choose the A team, B team, and so on. My objective is the A team, of course.”

It makes sense.

We decide to try the main dining hall, we should find a variety of food on offer there.

“Your club sandwich looks good,” Heather throws a lustful look at my plate, while cutting into a piece of grilled chicken that doesn’t look very exciting.

“Are you sure you don’t want half? There’s more than enough to share.”

She looks conflicted. “I know, but it’s on white bread. It’s the naughtiest carb you can really have.”

I’m about to tell her that half a sandwich won’t impair her performance, but I’m distracted by my phone.

It buzzes with an incoming message, and I can’t resist the urge to check it out.

Lev : Hey Zee, I hope your first two classes went well. I was wondering if you’re free tonight, would you like to have dinner with me?

Heat rises to my face, and I know I must be blushing. Heather doesn’t miss that, and eyes me curiously.

I would really like to go out with Lev. But is he asking me out on a date, or is it more like two friends hanging out?

I want it to be a date so badly, but I feel awkward asking. What if he says it isn’t a date? That would make dinner embarrassing. I buy myself some time to think by not committing to anything just yet.

Me :

Zee?

Lev :

Yeah, I’m trying it out. I feel like we should be on a nickname basis before we go on our first date.

So it’s a date. I suppress a squeal of excitement, but Heather has been watching me like a hawk.

“Good news?” she asks.

“Hmm, I guess.” I don’t want to lie to her, but what if she doesn’t like the idea of me and Lev going out? After all, her best friend has had a crush on Lev for years.

I could lie and say it was Mom telling me she and Scott boarded the plane, or something like that. But I immediately discard the idea. Heather has been nothing but friendly since the first time we met, and I don’t want to start our friendship by lying to her.

“Lev asked me to go on a date with him tonight.”

She tilts her head, her curiosity peaked. “And what are you going to say? Do you want to go out with him?”

I nod. “Yeah. I’m sorry if this is weird for you. I know Angela likes him.”

Heather shakes her head. “Don’t worry about that.”

“Really? I don’t want you to think I don’t respect girl code or anything like that. I just… really like Lev.”

Heather takes my hand, squeezing it in solidarity. “You’ve just met Angela. Girl code doesn’t apply to someone you barely know. Besides, I’m not trying to sound like a bitch or anything, but Angie needs to move on. She’s been crushing on Lev since we were in kindergarten. She couldn’t have made her feelings more obvious. She even asked him to our senior prom and got turned down. So maybe you going out with him will be the push she needs to see that she and Lev are never gonna happen.”

I’m relieved that Heather sees it this way.

“Really? Lev said no when she asked him to prom?” I can’t help but ask.

“He was super nice about it too,” she sighs. “He told her he would go with her as friends, but that he wasn’t interested in anything else.”

I smile. Not because I’m happy that Angela got turned down, but because Lev’s kindness is one of the things I like most about him.

“What are you waiting for?” Heather encourages me. “Reply to him.”

I do as I’m told.

Me :

I would love to have dinner with you.

The three bouncing dots appear on my screen, indicating he’s replying.

Lev :

Awesome. I’ll pick you up at seven.

“Ask him what you should wear.” Heather suggests, craning her neck to read my screen.

Lev :

You’re going to look pretty no matter what you wear. Wear anything you feel comfortable in, it’ll be something casual.

“Men.” Heather rolls her eyes. “That doesn’t help at all. So he isn’t taking you to the Country Club. But casual can mean a lot of different things. Are you going to the movies or bungee jumping? That would make a huge difference in choosing an outfit.”

She’s right. “I’ll be fine. I think he would have told me if we were doing something that requires a specific kind of outfit.”

Heather sighs. “I just wish I didn’t have tryouts at five. I want to come to help you get ready.”

“It would have been fun, but don’t worry,” I reassure her. “I think I’ll go for something easy and flirty. A little dress, something I could dress up or down. I can send you a couple of pictures of my options, so you can weigh in if you have time?”

“That sounds awesome,” Heather beams. “You really like him, don’t you?”

I can’t help but smile. “Yeah. He’s hot and a little mysterious, but he’s always nice. He made me feel like I fit in immediately.”

Heather agrees. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. Lev is the epitome of dark and handsome and those green eyes are so hot,” she fans herself with a giggle. “And he isn’t an asshole, and he’s smarter than the average jock. He was one of the most popular guys at our school.”

I have no problem believing that. “Yeah, he’s really funny, too. And I like the way he always has his friends’ backs.”

Heather becomes suddenly serious. “You’re right. Just one word of advice, Zara. As you can imagine, Lev had his pick of girls in high school. And I can’t imagine things being much different here. He didn’t lead girls on, but he was never a relationship kind of guy. So, whatever you decide to do tonight, be careful. If you decide to hook up with him, make sure you two are on the same page about what you’re doing.”

She’s right.

I don’t want to get hurt. But I also don’t think Lev would set out to hurt me. “Thank you, Heather. You’re a good friend.”

“The best,” she winks at me. “Of course, I’ll expect a full report tomorrow morning. I’m so excited for you. But I have to admit that I’m surprised you like Lev.”

“Why is that?” I ask.

Heather shrugs. “I don’t know. I had the impression you like Chance. But I guess it makes sense that you wouldn’t want to go there. You’re family now. He’s practically your brother. It would be weird if you hooked up or dated.”

I open my mouth to tell her that the notion that anything romantic between Chance and I would be weird is what’s ridiculous. How is it that people don’t get it? We didn’t grow up together, and we didn’t even know our parents were dating until literally a week before the wedding. Our parents’ marriage doesn’t make us automatically siblings.

But at the last second I decide against saying anything. Heather has been awesome and I think we’re on our way to becoming good friends, but I don’t know if she can keep something like that to herself. Especially if she knew that Chance and I have already hooked up.

Scott was clear with Chance about his and Mom’s expectations when it comes to our relationship. I don’t want to create more chaos until Chance and I decide if we can be just friends.

LEV

I got a haircut, my car has been washed and detailed, and I even got one of those “new car scent” deodorants.

Not that my car is old or dirty, but I want it to be perfect for my date with Zara.

Truth be told, I’m sure she would have much preferred if I had picked her up on my Damon Hypersport Premier, but that’s impossible. When our mayor banned motorcycles within Star Cove’s city limits, the ban was extended to keeping one. Even without plates and registration, even without a fucking engine hypothetically, having a motorcycle in your garage would break the law.

I have no idea what the mayor did with his sons’ bikes; they were expensive models, made for racing. Some of them weren’t even street legal.

I couldn’t bring myself to sell, or scrap my Damon, so I put it in storage in Shell Cove. I thought I could go to our neighboring town if I wanted to ride it, but every time I thought about it, I ended up changing my mind.

Whenever I think about riding, the memory of Atlas’s bike skidding on the wet racetrack and crashing against a concrete wall plays in my mind like a fucked up movie trailer. The therapist my parents insisted I saw said it was PTSD, but it didn’t take a professional to work that out, so I quit going.

I exhale as I pull up in the wide, circular driveway of the Hunters’ house.

Fuck.

I didn’t want to be late, but I ended up being twenty minutes early. Maybe I should go home—I live three houses down from Chance—and come back at seven. Being early to a date feels like being the first to arrive at a party. Zara is going to think I’m a fucking loser.

With my mind made up, I turn the engine of my Porsche SUV back on, but I hesitate when the front door opens.

Holy shit.

Zara has never looked so gorgeous.

I stare shamelessly as she locks the door behind her and walks up to my car.

I’m so taken by her short dress, with a corset top that pushes her perfect tits together, and an A-line skirt that caresses her creamy thighs, that I almost fuck up even more.

Thank fuck, I manage to come back down to Earth and run out of the car to open the passenger door just in time.

“Hey.” I smile.

“Hey yourself.” She says softly.

I’m dying to kiss her, but I want to do this date thing properly. I don’t want her to think that I asked her out just to jump her bones the second we’re alone.

Not that I’m not going to try my luck if the date goes well, but the night has just started and I want to earn the right to kiss her.

Tonight is just the two of us, no Chance and his family, no other friends to distract us from each other.

I’ve been conflicted about where to take Zara for our first date. At first I thought that a slightly more upmarket place like Morelli’s could be the perfect option. But in the end I decided to go to Joe’s, even though it’s on the pier. We would have run the risk of running into everyone we know if it was the weekend, but on a Monday night, I think we should be safe.

The conversation flows easily during the short drive down the hill toward the coast. We talk about our first day of classes and the upcoming rush events this weekend.

Once I’m parked, I take her hand as we stroll down the boardwalk feels completely natural.

“You haven’t been to Star Cove until you’ve tried Joe’s burgers and his world famous fried pickles.” I say, as we stop in front of the saloon-style restaurant.

The advantage of going out on a school night at the end of the summer is that we have the place almost to ourselves; we don’t have to wait to get seated, and a waitress immediately comes to take our order.

We’re at a booth, but I decided to sit next to Zara, rather than across from her. I’ve been dying for an opportunity to have her undivided attention, and I don’t want her to have any doubts about my intentions. I never really did the dating thing before, because I hadn’t met anyone who held my interest beyond a hookup. This is just the opposite; I want to know everything about Zara.

“Do you miss the East Coast?” I ask when she comments on how campus looks like most of the colleges back East when it comes to architecture.

She thinks about it before answering. “Yes and no. I don’t miss the strict rules we had at boarding school. But I miss having New York just one hour away. Things here in California are a lot more spread out.”

I smile, enjoying how animated she gets when she talks. “So you’re a city girl.”

Her soft chuckle is adorable. “Maybe, I don’t know. I mean, Star Cove is pretty, and I love living right on the beach. But there’s something about a big city that never sleeps. New York has an energy, a pulse that’s constantly running. Here everyone knows each other, and that’s nice in a comforting way. In New York you’re just one of millions of souls and leaving your mark, getting people to know your name is that much harder.”

I consider her words. “That’s true. Is that what you’re looking for? Do you want people to know your name?”

Zara’s gaze grows wistful as she answers my question. “I don’t know. Growing up, my dad was always in the spotlight. People knew who he was, and that had advantages, but also caused a lot of problems. It’s like when you’re famous, you lose the right to have a private life. I don’t think that’s exactly what I want. I guess I want to pursue greatness, no matter what I do. That’s the kind of recognition I want. Like, you know, people will think about my name when they think about whatever it is I decide to do.”

I get that. “Like they think about John Fields when they think about motorcycle racing?”

Her smile lights up the room, her green eyes shining with passion. “Exactly like that. It isn’t even the destination that’s important to me. It’s the thrill of the journey, that fight to be the best.”

That energy is what makes Zara irresistible to me. “Do you know what the thing you want to chase is?”

That pretty smile dims a little at my question. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be like my dad. I followed him everywhere. He was my myth. My mom used to joke that they should have called me John Junior, even if I wasn’t a boy. But you’ve seen the way she is. Since she and Dad separated, she’s been doing everything in her power to keep me away from Dad and his world.”

I ask the question on the tip of my tongue. “Is this why you were dating Fox two years ago?”

Her lips twist with displeasure at the mention of her ex. “I guess. Isn’t that a little pathetic? I’m the poster child for daddy issues.”

I take her hand into mine, rubbing slow circles on the space between her thumb and her index finger in a soothing way. “Hey, I’m not gonna judge you. We all have hangups and issues we do our best to work through. My parents wanted me to see a therapist after what happened to Atlas. She dug deep into a lot of things and do you know what she told me? That my parents’ constant absence in my life is why I was never looking for anything more than a hookup. That going from one woman to the next was my way of proving to myself that there was nothing wrong with me if so many people wanted me.”

I’ve never admitted that to anyone.

Zara looks into my eyes as if she wanted to see deep into my soul. And fuck me, I have no intention of hiding from her.

“Is that true? Is that why you liked hookups?”

My lips curl into a lopsided smile. “Maybe? I mean, fuck, being wanted is nice. But I also like sex, and being on the hockey team at school and on Atlas and Ares’s racing team made me pretty popular. I guess I reaped the benefits of that popularity.”

There’s a beat of silence, and she looks at me as if she was trying to crack some kind of secret code.

“So, is this what we’re doing here?” she asks. “Did you ask me on a date so we can hook up later?”