Echoes of Us

Chapter 2: One night stand

I slowly opened my eyes, finding myself in an unfamiliar environment. As I looked around, my gaze landed on numerous awards and trophies, all seemingly earned from basketball games. Confused, I wondered where I was and whose place this could be. The room was spacious and elegant, far from the cramped dorm rooms I saw on campus. It looked like a well-furnished house complete with two bedrooms, sleek wooden floors, and modern doors. I glanced around in confusion, wondering how I ended up here. I could see we were surrounded by trees with the campus far off in the distance, perhaps 10 miles away.

Is this where he lives? I wondered, trying to piece together the night’s events. Everything was blurry after the party. Did I fall asleep?

Just then I heard footsteps, it was him, the basketball player. He entered the room looking casual and yet composed, as if this was a normal evening. His voice was gentle but firm as he spoke.

“You’re safe, freshen back up a bit…., since you couldn’t tell me where your dorm is or the names of your close friends, I brought you here, you can spend the night here if you want to. I’ll take you to your dorm tomorrow morning,” he said.

There was something comforting in his calm demeanor. I couldn’t stop glancing at him, trying to gather my thoughts and decide what to do. Whether I stay or I ask him to escort me to my room. At that moment, if l truly wanted to sleep in my dorm, I would have told him right then. But I guess a part of me wanted to spend the night at his place.

“You can sleep in the master bedroom. I’ll take the other room.”

Before I forget, you looked different tonight, very beautiful,” he added.

“Thank you, and you didn’t look bad yourself.”

“You have a lot to say tonight compared to when we first met”, I said.

“I didn’t know you drank either; you didn’t seem like the drinking type,” he replied.

“It was my first time; do you hate girls who drink?”

“Not that. A lot of girls are vulnerable when they are drunk. That includes you. I might have crossed the line earlier when I said all that. Knowing Derek, I didn’t think he would let you go that easily. I am sorry.”

I couldn’t help but notice a growing tension in the air, an awkwardness that seemed to build between us. Unsure of its origin, I glanced at him, only to find him already looking at me.

“What?” I asked.

Feeling a mix of curiosity and nervousness.

“Nothing”, he replied softly.

His smile was gentle yet filled with unspoken emotions, our eyes locked, and at that moment, I felt a surge of desire, a longing to bridge the gap between us with a kiss, but at the same time, I hesitated.

Standing up abruptly, I mumbled about the time and how it was getting late. Before I could move any further away, he reached out and gently pulled me closer, my hand resting against his chest. The moment was filled with unspoken words and unexplored feelings, leaving me uncertain of what would happen next.

He held my hand, his touch was warm and comforting, I leaned against his chest; a wave of mixed emotions washed over me.

“I’m sorry” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. I didn’t mean to make things awkward.”

I looked up at him, our eyes meeting in the dim light of the room. “It’s okay”, I managed to reply, though my heart raced with uncertainty.

“You should probably go and sleep”.

He nodded slowly, releasing my hand but keeping his gaze fixed on mine.

“Yeah, its late”, he agreed softly.

Deep down, I wasn’t ready to confront those feelings, afraid of risking what we already had. I took a step, then looked back at him.

“Thank” …….

Before I could even finish the sentence, his lips were already against mine. What I was afraid of had finally happened. I didn’t stop him, my heart didn’t want to, so I kissed him back. One thing led to the other. I was finally on his bed. I saw him slowly undressing me. My mind was shouting for him to stop, contrary to what my heart wanted.

I whispered to him, “take it easy, it's my first time.”

He whispered back in a low tone “don’t worry Elizabeth Klein,”

Did he just call me by my full name? A thought to myself. I risked my virginity for him. A part of me said yes to everything he wanted to do that night.

******

Morning came. I was still in his bed. I checked the time. I needed to wake up early because I didn’t want people to find out. After fully being awake, reality stroked, I slept with Liam. I quickly grabbed my clothes to dress myself up while he was still sleeping soundly like a baby. On my way back I kept thinking of one mistake that led to the act. As I entered my dorm room, I found Rose awake.

“Where have you been? You scared me to death” she asked. “I looked everywhere for you, and you didn’t even bother to call or text.”

“Am so sorry Rose, I met a new friend yesterday and I blacked out in her room”

“It’s okay, I am just glad you are safe and sound. The boys on campus are heartless, they just want your cookie and dump you like s**t, am just glad you are okay.”

“Does that include all of them? I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rose signed, shaking her head slightly.

“Not all but most of them, especially those living off campus,” she replied, her tone weary.

My eyes narrowed with concern.

Are your friends like that rose?

Rose hesitated for a moment, her glaze drifting as she thought.

I'm not sure which ones you are referring to, Liz she said, her lips curving into a faint, knowing smile. But most of them are like that. Just stay away from the bad boys, she added with a playful wink.

“I will be more careful, roomie.”

“Good, now let’s head to the cafeteria and grab something to eat I am starving.”

We heard a lot of murmurs and chattering as we entered the dining hall, we headed to the serving area where I grabbed a light meal with a hangover. I didn’t have much appetite. My attention was drawn to 3 handsome tall boys who were entering the cafeteria hall. All my attention was to one particular boy who looked all familiar to me. It was at that moment I realized he was the guy from last night.

Our eyes briefly met; a fleeting moment interrupted by Rose, who leaned into a whisper.

Liam Jordan, she said, nodding discreetly towards him, famously known as LJ. He’s the most talked about and handsome guy on campus, always with his best friends Noah and Franklin. It was at that moment that I learned of his name. A flashback of yesterday's events came flooding into my mind.

Rose was a freshman like me, yet I was always impressed by how well she knew people on campus, even seniors. She seemed to be well-known among many, perhaps because she lived a vibrant social life with parties. While, on the other hand, I was a bookworm; if I wasn’t in the library, I was in my room sleeping.

I shrugged, feigning disinterest, but my curiosity was piqued. As fate would have it, they approached us moments later, with a casual air, Liam addressed Rose,

“I haven’t seen you on the court for a while.”

Rose smiled, her demeanor relaxed yet polite, “I’ve been caught up with school and assignments. You know trying to adjust to college life”

Noah, one of his friends, chimed in, “We have games this weekend. Make sure you show up on Saturday. You can bring your friend too if she’s interested.”

“Sure, she’ll come”, Rose answered, glancing at me with a hint of anticipation.

I nodded, suddenly intrigued by the prospect of attending their basketball game. Excited about the upcoming basketball game and intrigued by the charisma of Liam and his friends, I found myself agreeing to attend. They passed by us; I was taken aback. Did he not recognize me or did he ignore me? I didn’t really know what was going through his mind. Rose’s words about boys on campus just wanting to smash and dump you, hit me so hard that I knew from that exactly what happened to me.

“Those are the troublemakers l warned you about, especially LJ, he’s the worst of them all.”

With a feeling of regret, I sipped my drink without saying a word.