Page 101 of Your Fault

“That’s my future husband,” another said, “so you can go ahead and take your eyes off him.” Everyone laughed. It had never occurred to me that, obviously, Nick wasn’t invisible. In fact he was the very opposite, especially in those pants that hung off his hips, that shirt that clung to his body, showing off his muscular arms…and to top it off, he was wearing his glasses, those glasses I found so incredibly sexy, the ones I’d thought he only ever wore at the apartment, when he was with me.

I wanted to run over to him and shout that he was mine, but I couldn’t give up the opportunity to observe him and see how he acted when I wasn’t around.

He looked like he couldn’t care less about the guys with him. They went on making a racket while he focused on whatever was on his computer screen. Two girls went to sit at the same table andlooked at him provocatively. One of them said something, and he smiled. I felt an intense heat gathering inside me.

“There’s got to be something wrong with him,” the girl next to me said.

“There’s something wrong with him, all right: he’ll fuck anything that moves. I’d never want to be his girlfriend. Anyway, I couldn’t be around a guy like that. I’d freeze up and act like a complete idiot every time I laid eyes on him. I’m being serious.”

As if he had heard them, Nick looked up from his computer, and his eyes connected with mine across the distance. I thought about playing dumb, but I wanted him to see me, wanted him to know I was on his territory, at his school, where everyone knew him and talked about him.

A smile crossed his lips. I held him in my stare.

“He’s looking at us,” one of the girls next to me said, and they all started laughing like idiots.

Nick got up, grabbed his things, and walked over, never taking his eyes off me. I looked back down at my book, waiting to see what he would do. I clearly heard the chair next to me being pulled out, and then he sat down.

“Hi,” he said, and without waiting for a response, he pulled my chair around so we were face-to-face, my knees almost touching his.

The girls next to us watched us, speechless.

I had butterflies in my stomach. I couldn’t help it. His presence made my hormones go into overdrive, the same as happened to every woman in his presence.

“Hey,” I said, a bit rigidly. I was used to women looking at him. But I’d never heard what they said about him, had never been on the other side. When he was with me, I knew girls looked at him, but I was free from the torment of listening to them. Now Irealized there was a whole line of women waiting anxiously for me to screw up so they could take my place.

I’d never want to be his girlfriend. He’ll fuck anything that moves.

I looked back at my book, too nervous knowing that everyone was watching us. I hated hearing what they’d said; they seemed to trivialize him, make him into something superficial, like he was just handsome and nothing else. Nick was far more than a pretty face.

“Well, this is what I’d call a warm welcome,” Nick joked.

My brow furrowed. “I didn’t know you had class today. I assumed you wouldn’t be here. You could have told me.”

I was starting to get pissed hearing those girls, who wouldn’t stop whispering and giggling.

“It wasn’t my plan, but I had to turn something in. Now that we don’t live together, I’ve got lots of free time.” I looked in his eyes, and they hinted at all I was missing by not living under the same roof.

“I didn’t know you had so many fans around here,” I said, changing the subject. I didn’t want to get into an argument about my living situation again.

Nick looked at the girls at the next table over. Even that got under my skin.

“You jealous?” he asked.

I didn’t want to respond. Instead, I bent over the table and grabbed his shirt, pulling him in close.

“I feel like there are too many people here who have no idea who I am,” I admitted, while his eyes roved my face and a seductive smile appeared on his lips.

“Nothing wrong with you claiming what’s yours, my love.”

Those words were enough for me. Our lips came together in an exquisite kiss. The silence at the next table over was enough tomake me grin. I’d meant to just give him a quick one, but Nick had other plans in mind. He pulled me over onto his lap, opened my lips with his tongue, and explored my mouth.

My back was turned to the rest of the people in the café. People must have known what we were doing, but they couldn’t exactly see. Nick bit my lower lip, sucked, and nibbled, as though placing a seal on our love. He was enjoying himself, and pleasure was darkening his eyes.

“I love me some PDA,” he confessed, tracing little circles on my lower back with his finger, making me shiver.

Then I felt something strange. I made him move his arm so I could look. He had a bandage on his wrist.

“What happened?” I asked, scared.