Burn for you

Chaptertwo

Chapter 2At least, it isn't some kind of porn magazine. I don't want a pervert hanging around in my brother's house. Our house, now.My parents' house, technically. Whatever.Maybe this guy goes to the same class as Jake, who's majoring in Business Information Strategy. My curiosity kicks in even more, and I can't help but touch the book slightly away from his face.Right. I'm peeking. Just a little bit more won't hurt, will it? Maybe I'm doing this guy a favour if he can't breathe in his sleep because of this damn book.Damn book.To my surprise, when I begin to move the book away, the guy flinches before abruptly sitting up. I yelp, letting out a small scream as the book falls with a thud on the ground.He grips my wrist, so tight that I wince. He probably thinks that I'm some kind of serial killer who wanted to murder him in his sleep. s**t. Why does his reflex have to be so good?Then my mind stops thinking as I stare into his piercing amber eyes, which bore into my emerald ones. My heart freezes in place, and blood rushes to every vein in my body. I even think that my shaky legs wouldn't be able to hold me up anymore and that I would collapse if he didn't grip my wrist.I'm looking at the most good looking guy I've ever seen.The guy who is gripping my wrist looks irritated because I just disturbed his sleep, but then his expression softens as he stares at me."Melanie?" he whispers, his voice low, sending shivers down my spine.Or maybe it's the fact that the handsome guy I've just met apparently knows my name and whispers it so softly."I see that you two met each other." My brother's voice makes me jump, and the grip on my wrist is instantly gone.Jake stands in the foyer, a smirk on his face, his hands in his pockets. I straighten up, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. The guy turns around, facing Jake."Vaughn, Melanie." He introduces me. "Melanie, Vaughn."My eyes widen. So, this is Vaughn. The best friend I've never met before.Let me repeat. THE best friend.How I know him is obviously because of Mom, who always chirped (like birds in the morning) about this particular guy with such excitement every time she talked about him. Often when she talked with Jake on the phone. Often in our conversation during dinner when Jake came home to New York. Or, sometimes when we had breakfast even when Jake wasn't around.She talked about how Vaughn managed to get a scholarship because of his outstanding academics, about how he stayed at the top of his class and how driven and hardworking he was to achieve his goals to pursue a great career, and that he achieved what he had without any single help or support from his family. All the while maintaining his reputation as a champion quarterback in Jake's football team.Clearly, Mom is so happy that Jake's best friend is someone who can give him good influence.And clearly, a perfect guy like that does exist.I just didn't expect that he could be this intimidating."Finally," Vaughn says, almost sounding annoyed. "Been wanting to meet THE Melanie."That sentence makes me wonder what bullshit Jake said to this poor clueless guy. It's not like I have the qualities to be bragged, other than being a spoiled sister.Jake laughs. "Chill. We have a lot of time to catch up on that," he says to Vaughn before looking at me. "You should rest for a while after the journey, Mels. We all can hang out later tonight. There's this cool bar I want to show to you."I roll my eyes, but a soft smile touches my lips. He always knows how to make me smile. "Fine." With that, I walk off to my room.As soon as I enter my bathroom, I blow a sigh, staring at my face in the mirror. Involuntary, I curse, noticing that the four hours journey to Boston has left me looking like a wreck. I look pale, and my lips are dry, in addition to a bad hair day.Then I curse again. Stupid me. Does this insecurity result from Vaughn's effect? Gosh. It's not like I haven't seen a good looking guy before.Wait. That sounds good enough to become a meme. Vaughn's Effect.Laughing at my own silly joke, I step into the bathtub and decide that I'm just going to have a nice, long and warm aromatherapy bath to relax my muscles.It is 7 PM when I finally walk out of my room, wearing a red long sleeve crop top, black jeans and chunky heels. I don't do much to my wavy blonde hair, letting it fall naturally over my shoulder. I inhale a deep breath, liking the smell of my new Carolina Herrera perfume.When I enter the living room, Vaughn is there, scanning the books inside the shelves hanging on the wall, his back facing me."Hey," I call, making him turn around.I give him a slight smile before casually walking to the kitchen. I'm scanning what we have inside the fridge when I notice his eyes on me. I glance at him, only to find that he's been staring at me.