Friend Zoned

Chapter 2: Violet

"Much," I squeak as my heart continues to jackhammer painfully under my breast.

He glances around and asks, "So, where's what's-his-face? Hasn't he been meeting you after class?"

I send him one of those I-don't-really-want-to-talk-about-it looks, and he immediately chortles, which isn't a good look on him. "Jeez, Vi, ran another one off already, huh? That was fast. Even for you."

"Eight days," I confirm reluctantly. Which is par for the course where I'm concerned. My relationships have absolutely zero staying power. I've had cartons of milk sitting in my fridge that have outlasted some of these guys.

Which is...yeah...just plain sad.

"I don't know why you bother."

I shake my head and agree with the sentiment. "Me, neither."

"Off to sociology?"

I'm not even sure why he asks. The guy probably knows my schedule better than I do.

"Yup, then I'm done for the day." Although I do have a ton of studying to plow my way through this afternoon, which is pretty standard. There is no shortage of books that need cracking and papers that need writing.

"I have philosophy at one, film review, and then another practice to run through. So, are you heading to that party or what, Winterfield? There's not much else going on tonight." His arm tightens around my shoulders, drawing me closer until I'm able to get a whiff of his cologne. My insides do a little impromptu dance.

That reaction nearly sends me stumbling.

Seriously...WTF?

"After all the parties we missed because of Rickets class, not to mention studying for the LSAT, we've earned it." Trying his best to cajole me into attending, he adds, "Come on, Vi, it's supposed to be a huge monster bash. No one does it better than the Sigmas."

He's not lying about all the parties that have been missed because of writing that paper for Rickets' class and studying for the law school entrance exam, which we took in September.

Hmmm. I have to admit that he makes a damn good argument. Maybe we do deserve to cut loose, if only for a night.

That being said, I still hedge. "I have to see if Mia is up for it, but yeah, we'll probably stop by at some point." Mia is my roommate as well as best friend. We met freshman year in English 102.

You know when you meet someone, and right from the get-go it feels like you've known them your entire life? That's the way it was with us. We fell into an easy camaraderie. Sam is the only other person I've ever clicked with like that. Normally, it takes time for me to warm up and feel comfortable.

But not with Mia.

This is our third and final year rooming together. I'm really going to miss her after graduation. Mia's plans are to move to Philadelphia where her boyfriend, Carter, lives and right now, I have absolutely no idea where I'll end up studying law. Worse, I won't know until the spring when my (fingers crossed) acceptance letters start rolling in.

Sam squeezes me closer so that I'm pressed up against all the hard lines of his body. I hate to admit that my pulse skitters at the contact.

"Cool. Text me when you're heading over," he says.

Ha!

I give him a noncommittal response because I know exactly why he wants to nail down my ETA. This is nothing new. Samuel J. Harper considers himself to be my unofficial big brother. Even though I haven't asked him to look out for me, he insists on doing it anyway.

End result-the guy is a major c**k blocker.

He could lay off with the whole big scary brother act he's got going on. I'm twenty-one years old and certainly no timid virgin. Sometimes, I have to wonder if he's under the misconception that we're living in Victorian England...

And he needs to safeguard my virtue.

Too late, dude.

Much too late.

What I suspect is that he enjoys frightening off potential suitors.

I almost snort.

Fine, we're talking more like one-night stands. I'm not exactly looking for a life partner at this point. I'm focused on finishing out my senior year of college before heading off to law school.

But still...a girl has her needs.

I should be allowed to blow off steam just like he is. Unfortunately, because of his height and sheer muscle mass, it isn't difficult for him to deter prospective candidates. I've yet to find a dude who will stand up to him. And if they're not willing to do that, then they probably aren't worth my time.

The guy definitely needs a girlfriend to preoccupy him. Maybe then he would leave me alone.

"All right, Vi, I'll catch you later." With that, Sam drops a quick kiss on the side of my face before taking off.

As I watch his long-legged strides eat up the concrete pathway, two girls sidle up next to me. For just a moment, all three of us silently watch Sam's retreating figure until he disappears into the thick crowd.

They sigh in total male appreciation.

The blonde wearing a beanie on her head clears her throat as my eyes swing curiously to her. "We were wondering what the deal is between you and Sam Harper."

I raise a brow.

Yeah, I know exactly what kind of intel these girls are after. They want to know if Sam and I are sleeping together. Since we tend to spend a lot of time hanging out, people naturally assume that we are.

I may not be into Sam that way-I'm really not-but I'm well aware of his finer points. He towers a few inches over six feet with a body honed by both football and weightlifting. He's got thick, dirty blond hair and bright, piercing ocean-hued eyes. The real draw, in my opinion, is that he's a seriously nice guy.

One of the best you'll ever meet.

When I moved in with my grandparents, Sam was the only kid who went out of his way to pry me from my shell. We spent that entire summer playing video games in his room, going to the movies, hanging out at the mall, and swimming at the country club his family belongs to.

The blonde's gaze darts to the brunette at her side. "You know, is he your boyfriend?"

Since I recognize them from Rickets' class, and they both seem like nice girls, I decide to let them off the hook. "Nah, we're not together like that."

Surprised by my answer, the blonde clarifies, "You have absolutely no interest in him? Because I don't want to poach someone else's man."

See? I like her even more now. This chick has just solidified her position as the number one girl I'm planning to push in Sam's direction.

"Nope, we went to high school together. We're nothing more than good friends."

With a shake of her head, she reveals a row of bright white teeth. "How are you just friends with someone as hot as him?" She stares at me as if I'm crazy.

That's the moment an image of his shirt riding up during the middle of class, revealing those rock-solid abs, nudges its way back into my brain. I clear my throat uncomfortably and force the memory away. "We don't think about one another like that."

Seriously...I don't.

I mean, we don't.

Is it really a big deal if I feel a little zing of attraction between us every once in a while? My guess is that it's completely normal. Certainly nothing to get bent out of shape over.

The brunette elbows her curvy friend before waggling her eyebrows. "Well, her loss is your gain, Allie."

My eyes quickly skim down the length of her.

Long blonde hair and deep brown eyes-check.

The thin, body hugging coat she's wearing shows off a rather impressive sized bust. Another check.

I can't help but smirk, feeling good about what I'm intent on doing. "Actually, you couldn't be more his type if you tried. Here," I decide on the fly, "I'm going to give you his number. Text him and see what happens." Sam seems to favor girls with long blonde hair, big brown eyes, and curvy little bodies.

He is such a typical dude.

Her eyes widen like she just won the lottery. "Really?"

I give her a wink. "Absolutely."

Maybe hooking him up with someone else will put the kibosh on all these strange bursts of attraction that keep zipping around inside me. What I need is for everything to slide back to normal between us. And maneuvering this girl in front of him is the perfect way to do it.

She beams. "Thanks! I'll definitely text him." Shaking her head, she introduces herself, "I'm Allie, by the way." She c***s her head toward her sidekick. "And this is Lanie."

"I'm Violet. Just tell him that I gave you his number. He won't mind at all." I give the pair a little wave. "Okay, well, I've got to hustle to sociology. Good luck with Sam."

"Thanks again!" They wave in return before our small group splinters apart.

My guess is that Sam will appreciate me steering this chick in his direction.

Added side benefit-it gets him off my ass.

Which is clearly a win-win situation in my book.