He Will Be Mine (New Horizon Book 1)

The Party: Matt

I am so done helping Trevor with whatever science project he's got going on in his room this year. He always comes up with these ideas for how he wants to arrange his furniture that tend to turn into engineering disasters. I had no problem helping him unload his car, but if he wants to create a death trap in there, he can do that on his own. I’m done falling for it. His projects can take hours, and we have a party to go to in an hour.

The front door flies open and in walks Tyler and … Aly? Classes haven’t even started yet and here we are crossing paths already. I suppose at the back of my mind I already knew this would happen. Tyler is obsessed with her.

“Hey!” Trevor yells from down the hall. “Matt apparently needs hours to get pretty and doesn’t want to help, so would you mind giving me a hand?”

“Sure, man, no problem,” Tyler agrees, and I internally cringe on his behalf. “Aly, make yourself at home. I’m going to help him and then go get ready and be right back in like twenty or so.”

I get a look at her as she walks in front of me, taking a seat next to me on the couch, and all I can really say is wow. She looks incredible in a form-fitting strappy purple top and black shorts that hug her curves and make her legs somehow seem longer than they already are. This night is going to suck without Jess to keep me occupied.

“Hey, Matt,” she greets me. “You have a funny way of ‘getting pretty’ just sitting here on the couch.”

I can’t help but chuckle at that. “I said nothing of the sort. I just refused to help him, and it’s not unreasonable of me. I’ve known him long enough to know that the dude’s crazy and I am not about to encourage him.”

She laughs and scrunches up her face in that way she does when she’s confused. “What in the world is he doing back there? Is Tyler going to need rescuing?”

“Creating a death trap out of his furniture,” I explain.

She laughs, and it feels good knowing that I caused that. She has a nice laugh.

“So, that’s a yes, then,” she says and makes a move to get up, but I grab her arm to stop her.

“Tyler is a big boy. He can make his own decisions,” I tell her.

For some reason, it feels good to touch her, so I leave my hand right where it is on her arm without even thinking about it. At least, not until I notice her staring at the place where we’re touching, looking conflicted. I pull my hand back, blushing profusely. I can’t believe I did that.

“Sorry,” I apologize softly.

“No, it’s okay,” she assures me. “I don’t mind. I can be a bit touchy-feely myself. I was mostly just worried what Jessica would think if she came out right then. I know she doesn’t like me and gets a bit territorial about you. Which is fine, it’s her right I guess, but I don’t want to piss her off on day one of being here.”

She says that in a way that leads me to believe it is not fine with her at all that Jess gets like that. Some demented part of me takes pleasure in knowing that it bothers Aly. I don’t know why.

“Jess won’t be here until tomorrow afternoon. She’s spending the day with her sister, having one last girls’ day before she comes up,” I tell her.

I realize afterward that informing her that my fiancée won’t be here for almost an entire day is a weird approach to trying to keep my distance from her. She might even interpret it as an invitation, but that’s not what I meant by it.

“Oh, gotcha,” she says. “Well then, screw it. Touch my arm if you want to. She’s the only one who would think it’s scandalous.”

I chuckle at how she exaggerates her facial expression as she says that, and she grins back at me. I’m having fun with this, so I continue telling her things I probably shouldn’t.

“Actually, she doesn’t even live here. She’s here a lot, but she and Meredith have their own apartment with a couple other roommates,” I inform her. I don’t know why I feel this need to be telling Aly that Jess isn’t going to be around all the time.

“Oh, really? Well then, touch my hand, Matt. Let’s get super freaky. Ain’t nobody watchin’ us now,” she teases, and then she does grab my hand and start playing with it.

This is kind of nice just hanging out and being comfortable without worrying so much what anyone thinks about it. Aly is fun, and there really isn’t anything wrong with us being friendly. Maybe it’s Jessica I need to have a talk with about that.

“Are you coming to the party with us?” I ask her, my eyes transfixed on the sight of her long, shapely fingers toying with my own. It tingles. I don’t know what she is doing to make it feel so good.

“Yeah, Tyler invited me. It was kind of a process, though, since I’m a freshman. Apparently, there are some strict rules about where we can go and when during this first week. I was able to get special permission since they don’t have to worry about underage drinking with me. I’m 21, when most freshmen aren’t. So, yeah, I’m going, if for no other reason than because I don’t like being told what to do. I came here to get away from that nonsense.”

I don’t really know what to say to that. Her stubborn streak is more like the girl I thought she was, but I still can’t get the image out of my head of when we took her home and she and her dad had that weird exchange that seemed so unlike her. I decide to ask her about it.

“Yeah, uh, speaking of, I saw something the other day when we were at your place and it’s been kind of bothering me. It’s your dad, the way he’s so overbearing. Was he upset about you and Tyler? Did you get in trouble?”

She glances up at me quickly, seeming shocked that I’m asking her about that. She also drops my hand, so I regret changing the topic to something that seems to have sucked all the playfulness out of her. I pick up her hand and grasp it firmly, trying to communicate to her that I’m here for her and she can talk to me. She smiles up at me, seeming genuinely pleased I did that.

“He was a little upset, yeah, but it’s kind of a weird situation to be able to explain,” she says, now holding my hand in both of hers.

“Try me,” I tell her, suddenly feeling bold. I don't know where this side of me is even coming from.

She sighs and looks a little uncomfortable. “Well, he wasn’t upset about what we were doing, he was upset that I was doing it with him. He had somebody else in mind for me, plus he doesn’t seem to like Tyler much.”

“Yeah, yikes,” I say. “He should just get out of your way and let you date who you want to date.”

“Well, see, that’s the thing. I’ve made this big deal about the guy I like, who is not Tyler, and my dad was just surprised that I let that happen. Honestly, I was surprised I let that happen.”

Well, that little tidbit catches me off guard. She and Tyler seemed really into each other. Is she saying she’s not all that into him?

I lean closer to her, wanting to whisper this next part so Tyler doesn’t hear. I can’t handle the curiosity, but I also don’t want his feelings hurt if he overhears us say something he isn’t ready to hear.

“Aly, what are you saying?”

She sighs, pausing for a moment before leaning into me and whispering back, “I’m saying I don’t know how I feel about Tyler because I still want that other guy, and that’s what bothers my dad. And he’s right. Now I’m just really confused, and my dad has shifted into overprotective mode, and Tyler is still coming on strong. He knows about the other guy, and he seems to take it as a challenge to prove that he’s the perfect guy for me. And it all just messes with my head.”

She pauses, looking down to where our hands are intertwined, and then back up at me and adds, “This is messing with my head.”

She pulls back from me and pushes me away a bit, which leads me to believe she was referring to me with that last thing she said. Weird, since she was the one who started playing with my hand. Then she stands up and rushes down the hall. I hear a door slam and assume she has found a bathroom, and I just sit there confused. How the hell am I messing with her head?