Chapter 8: A predatory twitch
1339 Words
Serena was completely exhausted-- I left her sleeping like a f*cking baby.
As I drove away, my hands were practically glued to the steering wheel. A suffocating cloud of anxiety settled over me. What the hell am I going to tell my mother?
By the afternoon, I found myself walking through the crowded grounds of Dukes University after class, trying to escape the wreckage of my morning. But my mind was a chaotic mess. Having a baby coming might just disrupt my life-- the life that I've built with my boys. I wouldn't want my child to know me as someone who sleeps around. But then again, I can't just change things-- there's a reason why I live the way I do.
As I was walking I spotted Maya near the communal seating area.
The echo of her voice from our last encounter instantly shot through my brain:
"You thought I’d be this easy?”
Another reason why I can't just change-- Maya.
I'm.. I'm intrigued by her. I want to get to know her, to experience her-- if you know what I mean. So I can't just change. At least not now.
Across from her was a girl I recognized-- blonde, bright, leaning forward with a wide, expressive smile. I remembered her from the party. She’d been one of the girls in Maya's little circle, astonished by the way Maya threw darts at me .
I watched them for ten minutes. Maya looked different with her. Soft. Not the "fortress" she played with me. She laughed-- a real, genuine sound that drifted across the campus and hit me right in the ribs. It pissed me off. Why did she get to be happy while I was sitting here feeling like a ghost in my own skin?
I waited. Patience, I’d told myself.
When Maya finally stood up and gave the blonde a quick hug before walking away toward the lecture rooms, I saw my move. It wasn't a plan yet; it was an instinct.
A predatory twitch.
It was petty. It was beneath me. It was exactly what I needed to feel like I was back in control.
Maya thought she was untouchable because she had standards. She thought she was better than the game because she didn't play. But everyone plays, whether they know it or not.
I adjusted my hoodie and walked toward the blonde.
She was busy texting on her phone.
"You're a lot more cheerful than your friend," I said, my voice dropping into that low, easy register that usually acted like a skeleton key.
She looked up, startled. Her eyes widened as she took me in-- the ink, the smirk, the confidence that I wore like a second skin. "Oh. Hi."
"I saw you at the party," I said, leaning an elbow on the back of the empty chair Maya had just vacated. "Hard to forget someone whose dress was so distracting. In a good way. I'm Cole."
"Sienna," she said, a flush creeping up her neck. She knew who I was. I could see it in the way her pupils dilated. Maya had definitely mentioned me, probably as a cautionary tale. "And yeah, I remember you. You’re the guy Maya… well, the guy Maya keeps running into."
"Running away from is more like it," I joked, shifting on the seat. "She’s a bit of a challenge. Is she always that… intense?"
Sienna giggled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. It was so easy. Too easy. "She’s just protective. She doesn't think guys like you actually exist for anything more than a headline."
"Guys like me?" I arched a brow. "And what am I, Sienna?"
"Trouble," she whispered, though she didn't look like she minded the idea.
"I'm only trouble if you want me to be," I said. I leaned in closer, narrowing the world down to just the two of us. "I was actually looking for Maya, but I think I’ve found someone much more interesting."
"Well, the way you looked at Maya at the party... I can hardly believe you could be interested in someone else" she said, tilting her head with a smile. One that said, if you can just say the right words then I'm all yours to ruin.
“Nah... Maya’s a lot of work,” I said, flashing the grin-- the one that usually ended in a sunrise. "And I think..." I let the grin go lazy, eyes diverting to her lips then back to her eyes, "I prefer someone who knows how to have a little more fun.”
The hook was set.
The rest of the afternoon was a blur of calculated charm. I didn't rush it. I walked Sienna to her next class, not forgeting to casually ask what class Maya had headed to. I listened to her talk about her major (marketing) and her complaints about her professors. I gave her just enough attention to make her feel like the center of the universe.
I waited for Maya’s class to end.
She stepped out, walking with that same purposeful stride. I stepped into her path, a casual smirk plastered on my face.
"You're persistent, Cole. I'll give you that. Most parasites move on when the host is this uncooperative." she said, nonchalantly.
"Parasite? That’s harsh, even for you," I said, falling into step beside her. "I just wanted to finish our conversation from last night. You left before the best part."
"The best part was me leaving," she said, stopped and turned to face me. The evening light caught the gold in her eyes, making her look even more like a puzzle I couldn't solve. Her gaze was steady, unimpressed. "What do you want, Cole? I literally have no interest in you, dude. You are a chaotic variable that adds zero value to my day. Why don't you go find someone who thinks your 'troubled bad boy' act is a personality trait?”
“Value, huh?” I moved closer, invading her personal space. “Tell me something, Maya. Why not just sleep with someone if you don't care? Why not just let go for once? It’s just skin on skin, it doesn’t have to mean the world. Maybe then they'll add value to your day.”
She didn't flinch. She actually looked disappointed. “Because s*x without feelings is just friction, Cole. It’s meaningless. It’s a way to feel less lonely for twenty minutes before the silence comes back twice as loud. I don’t want friction. I want something genuine... something real.”
"Just twenty minutes? I last way more than that." I said with a cocky smile.
She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You think being a 'bad boy' makes you special. It doesn't. It just makes you a cliché."
"Real doesn't exist, Maya" I said, my face inches from hers. "This-- this physical interaction --this is the only real thing there is."
Eyes locked.
A second passed.
Tension building.
"Then I feel sorry for you," she said softly, finally breaking the gaze.
She walked away and the air suddenly felt cold.
She feels sorry for me?
The words burned.
My blood began to boil. It wasn't just ego anymore; it was a need to prove her wrong, to hurt her the way she’d just casually dismissed my entire existence.
She thought she was better than me. She thought her world of "feelings" was a shield I couldn't pierce. Fine. I’d show her how fragile that shield really was.
What is about girls and their need for feelings and relationships, anyways? First Serena, now Maya.
They're f*cking pissing me off.
I pulled out my phone as I walked back to my car. I’d gotten Sienna’s number earlier.
“Hey. You up for a drink?”
The reply was instant. “I thought you’d never ask. Where?”
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