Page 16 of Never Gonna Lie (Forbidden #2)
Chapter Sixteen
RAVEN
A fter my run-in with James, I kept as far away from him as I physically could for the rest of the weekend. I knew he was holed up in my dad’s office, so I avoided it like the plague, having dinner in my room or just grabbing a snack.
I’d spent the rest of the night fortifying my walls against him.
He’s made it clear so many times now that he doesn’t want me, even if his actions show otherwise.
Maybe I was just in the right place at the wrong time and he saw me, briefly, as another conquest to add to his list?
I definitely can’t keep doing this with him, though.
I just need to grow up and stop with this stupid crush. I’ll be happier for it, right?
If I wasn’t in my room, I was with Emma.
We went shopping during the day, stopping for lunch or a coffee when we got tired, and in the evenings we sat and watched a film or I caught up reading the newest release by S Wilson —her dark enemies to lovers romance hits just right—while she was catching up on her paperwork.
Emma’s a charity fundraiser. She puts her heart and soul into getting donations and making sure all the money goes to making a better life for children who’ve suffered sexual assault.
The awkward encounter with my dad came on Sunday night as I was watching TV.
“Pumpkin, I want you to take James’s number.” He holds out a piece of paper, and I give it the eye. “I want you to contact him if there are any problems.”
I laugh. “Dad, I’ve been at college for the last two years, and I’ve been just fine. I didn’t need his number then, and I don’t need it now.”
Do I want his number? Yes. No. Maybe?
“Things change, Raven,” he sighs as he places the paper on my lap before sitting down next to me. “I need to know you're safe and protected,” he murmurs.
I turn my body to face him. “Dad… is everything okay?” I ask, concern evident in my tone.
“Everything’s fine, pumpkin. Can’t your old dad worry about his favorite daughter?” he jokes.
“I’m your only daughter,” I chuckle, leaning forward and wrapping my arms around him, hugging him. “I don’t need James,” I mumble into his chest,
“Humor me, hmm?” he replies. “He’s a good man and I know he’ll look after you. Call him whenever you need him. I’ll ask him to take you out for dinner as well.”
Tensing, I push away from him as I rush out, “Dad, no. That’s absolutely not necessary.” Panic claws at me. I do not need to see that man ever again. “I’ll call him if I need him, but that’s it.”
“Okay, pumpkin. Thank you.” Dad kisses my forehead before standing up and leaving the room.
The drive back to college gave me the time to think about the situation.
I eventually saved his number, but I have no plans on using it.
A girl can only be told she’s a ‘mistake’ so many times by the man she’s hopelessly in love with before enough is enough.
No matter how much he lights me up from the inside out.
Pushing the door open to my dorm, I find it blissfully quiet. Felicity’s out, and I breathe a sigh of relief knowing I won’t have to make small talk with whatever guy she’s brought back this time. Continuing to my room, I place my bag on my bed and grab my shower stuff.
Like most of the dorms at Abingdon, there are separate rooms, a living room, and a kitchen, but no showers.
I have to share with the rest of the floor, and I hate it.
Growing up in what can only be described as a mansion and having my own bathroom, it was hard having to share, but I got used to it after the first few days of smelling when I couldn’t bring myself to shower.
Once finished, I towel off, putting my sweats and vest top on. I head to my room and sit in front of my vanity, drying my hair. I wonder for a brief moment if I can be bothered to tame my curls, but that’s a big fat nope, so I apply a small amount of anti-frizz serum and hope for the best.
My phone starts buzzing, and I scramble to the bedside table to get it. “Hi,” I answer breathlessly.
“You okay there, babe? I’m not interrupting something, am I?” Mia deadpans.
“Ha, ha. Very funny,” I quip, rolling onto my back and looking up at the ceiling. “You know full well I don’t do that sort of thing.”
“I know,” she laughs. “You’re going to have to find someone else to take that V?—”
“Yes, thank you very much,” I interrupt, sitting upright. “Is there any particular reason why you’re calling other than to tell me about my lack of sexual experience? ”
Her sweet, butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth voice begins, “I haven’t seen you in a few days, so I wanted to check in on you.”
“Uh, huh,” I reply. “And the fact I spoke to you yesterday…?” I trail off. She wants something, I just know it.
“Those black Jimmy Choo’s you have hidden away…”
And there it is.
I start laughing. “You want to borrow them?”
“Pleeeease,” she whines. “I have a date tonight and they’d go so nicely with my dress.”
“Okay, fine, just please don’t ruin them like you did with my last pair of shoes,” I beg, getting up off the bed and walking to the wardrobe to get them.
“It wasn’t my fault the guy got so drunk he puked all over them,” she exclaims.
“I had to throw them out, Mia,” I admonish, finding the shoes and flinging them onto the bed. “They were a $2,000 pair of shoes.”
“Sorry,” Mia squeaks. “I promise to take good care of these ones.”
I roll my eyes. “Uh huh.” Knowing Mia, something will most definitely happen to my shoes, but I can never say no to her. “You’ll have to come and get them, though.”
“I’ll be over in ten.” She blows me a kiss and hangs up.
Ten minutes later, I’m sitting on the sofa waiting when there’s a knock at the door. Knowing it’s Mia, I don’t bother to get up.
“He cancelled,” Mia shouts as she walks through and heads straight to the kitchen.
I breathe out a sigh of relief, knowing my Jimmy Choos aren’t going to end up in the shoe graveyard.
“What happened?” I ask .
Knowing Mia the way I do, she’s gone to find my secret stash of wine. I have to hide it from Felicity, otherwise she drinks it, and then gaslights me into thinking I was the one who drank it.
“Said something came up,” Mia replies as she walks into the living room, two glasses full to the brim in hand, and sits on the sofa next to me. “I stopped listening to his bullshit excuses after that.”
“What you gonna do tonight, instead?” I ask, pushing a strand of hair out of my face and curling my feet under me.
Mia shrugs as she takes a sip of her drink. “Guess I’ll have to catch up on my schoolwork.” She snorts, and I chuckle.
Mia’s a ‘fly by the seat of her pants’ kind of girl. She leaves everything to the last possible second before knuckling down and passing her classes with straight A’s. I can only wish I were able to do that. I have to sit and study for hours for only a small amount of information to go in.
I work better with hands-on experience, actually doing the job instead of learning through a textbook. As far as I’m concerned, unless the MMC is a tall, brooding man covered in tattoos, I’m not interested in the reading material.
Mia drains the last of her glass and stands up. “Right, I’m off. I need to find something else to do tonight, unless…” Mia trails off, giving me a pleading look.
I grimace. “Nope, absolutely not. I’ve got too much work to do. Plus, you know how much I hate clubbing. Please don’t make me,” I beg.
She points a finger from the doorway as she says, “One of these days I’ll drag your ass out.”
Unfurling my legs, I stand and follow her to the door. “Yes, but today is not that day.” I smirk at her as she leaves with a wave of her fingers.