Page 5 of Just One: Box Set

Chapter Five

C offee turned into dinner and before Harley realized it, she was in her first relationship. It had been a full month since she agreed to coffee with the hottest guy on campus. Well—at least to her.

Harley sat with Jackie at the campus café. They were both in between classes and met for a quick lunch.

"How's Archer?" Jackie popped a fry in her mouth.

"He's good." Harley grinned as she stabbed at the salad in front of her. "Really good."

"You seem really happy."

"I am. This is the first relationship I can see going somewhere. I just hope it lasts."

Just as Jackie was about to speak, a few of the cheerleaders crowded them at their table.

"I hear you and Archer Cross are together."

Harley glanced up at Bree Townsend. "Um. Yeah, we are. What's it to you?"

"I don't get it." Bree flicked her hair over her shoulder and snorted. "He's the hottest guy on campus—what does he possibly see in you?"

Harley bristled in her chair. She'd wondered the same thing a few times and squashed the self-loathing monster down. But hearing Bree speak the words had her questioning it again.

"What the fuck, Bree?" Jackie slammed her hands on to the table, rattling their trays.

"Why don't you go be a cunt somewhere else.

You're still pissed because he shot you down the other day.

What was it he said?" Jackie pretended to wrack her brain as she tapped her chin.

"Oh, I remember. He said he wouldn’t date you if you were the last single female on campus.

Something about valuing his cock and not needing it to fall off. "

"Jackie." Harley looked at her friend in shock.

"It's true. Bree's vagina has been used by every player at this school. And I'm not just referring to football, Harley. Her twat is nasty."

"Screw you. He'll get bored with you when he realizes you’re the ice queen and won't put out."

"Excuse me." Harley pushed back and stood. Her chair fell over, smacking onto the floor. "Just because I don’t sleep with every Tom, Dick, and Harry doesn’t make me a frigid bitch."

"Whatever. When he's ready for a real woman, I'll be waiting." Bree turned and smacked right into a wall of muscle.

Archer had been standing behind them the entire time and the look on his face—one of complete fury—said he'd heard every nasty word she'd spoken.

"Bree, you're going to be waiting forever.

I have a real woman. One I intend to make mine in every sense of the word one day.

She's brilliant, kind, and smoking hot. Sex isn’t the only component to a worthwhile relationship.

But I'm assuming you don't know that since you can't keep a man long term.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to kiss my girlfriend. "

Archer grabbed Harley and tugged her against him. His lips fastened over hers in the most heated kiss. He was marking her as his and in the process, making sure anyone with eyes in the café knew who she belonged to.

Normally, Harley would be pissed at the show of ownership. She was her own woman and didn’t want any man staking claims. Or so she thought. Her entire body melted into his as he deepened the kiss.

"Maybe you two should get a room." Jackie's laughter caused them to break apart. "I mean, don’t get me wrong. That was hot as fuck. I think Bree got the message. She took off running."

Harley blushed as she glanced toward her friend. Archer, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to eat her.

"I was serious, you know." Archer glanced at her. "You have nothing to worry about. I told you I'd wait until you were ready for that next step. Don't let anyone, especially Bree, get you paranoid that I'm going to bolt because we aren't having sex yet."

"I wasn't worried. Bree is an artificial girl who might as well be someone's blow-up doll. If you were after something easy like her, you wouldn't have asked me for coffee."

"Shit." Archer glanced at his watch. "I gotta run or I'll be late for class." He pressed his lips to hers one last time before turning to leave. "See you tonight, babe."

Harley watched him walk away. "You've got it bad." Jackie threw a cold fry at her. "But he's got it just as bad. Did I hear him right? You two haven’t done the dirty yet?"

"Nope." Harley pushed her feelings of inadequacy down as she plopped into the hard plastic chair. "I told him I needed to be sure he was in this for the long-term. I'm not gonna give it up just to have him bolt."

"You're really into him, huh?"

"I am." Harley grinned. "What about you? Any men on the horizon? I saw you and Carter getting pretty close the other day."

"Carter is a jackass. He thinks life is one big game hopping from one bed to another."

"I thought you weren’t looking for serious either." Harley tilted her head in question.

"We're almost done with college. Well, some of us are." Jackie rolled her eyes. She was talking about Harley and Archer.

Sure, they were both seniors, but their choice of career meant more school. For Harley, she'd be heading off to law school. Archer would go to medical school. The thought had her stomach bottoming out. They only had seven more months of school. What did that mean for their relationship?

"I see that look." Jackie narrowed her eyes. "You’re wondering what's going to happen after graduation, aren’t you?"

"Yeah. I am. I like him so much, Jackie."

"Don't think about it now. Just go with the flow and see where the relationship goes. It's not like you can try to get into the same college together. I wish I was lucky enough to be worried about a relationship beyond college."

"It'll happen, Jackie. Look at me. I never expected to be with someone like Archer. I had my life all planned out. College, law school, and a job. I wasn’t planning on dating until those things happened."

"But he happened. You're so lucky, Harley. That boy is totally into you."

Harley warmed at her words. She was right and worrying about what would happen in seven months wouldn’t solve anything.

Jackie and Harley gathered their trays and dumped them as they headed out of the café.

Harley was headed to her last class for the day and Jackie was off to work.

Even as she walked toward the philosophy building, Harley couldn’t help but wonder—how long Archer would wait for intimacy?

He was no virgin and had needs. The thought had her shiver with unease.

It was time to make some decisions. Decisions she'd put off for far too long.