Chapter 11: Chapter Eleven

RILEY

I sprang up from Tristan’s lap, hastily fixing my clothes.

This was mortifying, but at least it was only Lucy who’d walked in, not my dad.

“Holy cow! Riley Adams, you’ve got some explaining to do,” she hollered, still reeling from the shock, trying to make sense of what she’d just seen.

“And you, Tristan Harris?” She jabbed a finger in his direction.

“Hold on, ladies,” he chuckled, rising from my bed. He adjusted his pants before spinning around to face us, a smug grin spread across his face.

“Ever heard of knocking?” he shot at Lucy, gathering his books from my desk. Then he strolled toward the door.

~Is he really leaving?~

“You’re one to talk,” I retorted. He spun around, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“I don’t hear you complaining now, Adams.” He winked and swung the door wide open. “See you tomorrow.” Then he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him. I groaned inwardly.

~What on earth just happened? And why did it feel so damn good?~

“I make you go to one party and look at you, all grown up.” Lucy plopped down on my bed, her eyes wide.

I was too embarrassed to meet her gaze. “It’s not what you think, Lu.”

“I just saw you two making out. That, my friend, was not ‘tutoring’,” she giggled, teasing me. My cheeks flamed.

“That was pretty steamy, and with Tristan Harris! I knew it. I ~knew~ something was going to happen between you two,” she boasted.

“Calm down, Lucy!” I laughed, joining her on the bed.

“I want to know everything, and I mean ~everything~.” She put on her serious face, and I knew she wouldn’t let me off the hook until I spilled all the details.

So that’s exactly what I did, starting with the party and ending with how he’d wound up in my bedroom.

“Girl, you’re living my teenage dream. Good girl falls for the bad boy. This is too good,” she squealed with delight.

I rolled my eyes at her.

“This isn’t some teen drama movie, Lu. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I can’t help myself around him, even though I know he’s bad news. Am I a masochist?” I buried my face in my hands.

“It’s okay, Ri. You two are attracted to each other, and there’s nothing wrong with a little kissing. Stop being such a goody two-shoes. I wouldn’t even care if you slept with that sexy piece of ass.”

She winked. “He might be a jerk, but you have to admit he’s got it all.”

“Yeah, he’s really something.” I chuckled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, thinking about the sparks that had flown between us just moments ago.

“Maybe you two could start dating or something. I know he’s a player, but I’ve never seen him with a girlfriend or anything,” she suggested with a shrug.

I chewed on my lip, mulling over her words.

“He’s really worried about his reputation, and he wanted the tutoring to be private. I don’t think he’d want to date me,” I murmured.

The words felt like a punch to the gut.

“He’s going to fall head over heels for you. Trust me, babe,” Lucy said nonchalantly, stretching out on my bed.

My eyes widened in shock at her confidence.

~Tristan Harris? In love with me?~

I swallowed hard at the thought and shook my head before I could get carried away. I had no idea what to do about this whole situation.

My body and my mind were at war with each other.

With a heavy sigh, I pushed thoughts of Tristan out of my mind.

“Whatever, let’s go out. I’m starving,” I said, changing the subject. I hopped off the bed to get dressed.

“I’m so proud of myself. I finally managed to bring you out of your shell,” she beamed. I shook my head, giving her a small smile.

~I knew that party was a bad idea.~

***

We grabbed a bite to eat, then hung out at her place for the rest of the day. By the time I got home, it was nearly seven.

My dad was nowhere in sight. Figuring he was at work, I headed to my room and flopped onto my bed, utterly worn out.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and saw a new text message from Tristan. I sat up straight and unlocked the phone, my hands trembling.

Asshole

Can’t wait to kiss you again tomorrow.

~Oh. My. God.~

A smile spread across my face, and I covered it with my hands, giddy with excitement.

~Is this what it feels like to text a guy and get butterflies?~

Riley

Nobody is kissing anybody.

I laughed, picturing his face as he read my message. Then my phone started vibrating in my hand.

“Asshole” calling.

~Crap!~

I cleared my throat and swiped to answer.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?” he asked, skipping the pleasantries.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Home. Why?” I asked, my throat dry.

~This guy is so unpredictable.~

“Relax, I was just asking. I’m not going to ~visit~ you again.” He chuckled, and I rolled my eyes, fully aware of what he meant by ‘visit’.

“And what was that text about? Didn’t you enjoy our kiss this morning?” he asked, getting straight to the point.

I could practically see him smirking. “No, I didn’t,” I lied confidently.

“I’m pretty sure you told me not to hold back, right before Lucy walked in on us,” he laughed.

My heart did a somersault.

His voice was so sexy over the phone.

“Shut up, Tristan. Why are you doing this?”

“What are you getting at?”

“You know, there are plenty of girls out there. Why pick me? Why now?”

“Like I told you at the party, you’re different from the rest. Is it so shocking that I’m drawn to you?”

“Uhh…yeah. I mean, have you taken a good look at me?”

“Yeah, I have. And I think you’re adorable and sexy.”

~Sexy?~

“But you’ve spent all this time teasing me, making fun of me in front of your friends. You didn’t seem too eager to kiss me then. Why the sudden change? Is this some kind of prank?” I blurted out.

I was trying my best not to be swayed by his sweet talk.

“No! Damn it, I’ve been wanting to do this for ages. I can’t explain why, but I just know that I do. And yeah, I did tease you and get on your nerves, but that was because…”

He paused, letting out a soft sigh. “That was the only way I knew how to get your attention,” he admitted.

I was stunned.

~He was trying to get my attention?~

“Wow, I didn’t see that coming.” I exhaled shakily, thrown off by his confession. This was all so bewildering.

“I know it sounds messed up, but that’s the honest truth.” He paused again before adding, “You have no idea how beautiful you are, Riley,” he murmured gently over the phone.

I licked my lips, unsure of how to respond, so I just kept grinning like a fool. We both fell silent for a long moment, the only sound being his steady breathing.

Suddenly, he cleared his throat, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

~Why am I so jittery?~

“Good night, Adams. And one more thing,” he said, “I’ll be kissing you tomorrow. And not just tomorrow, but whenever I feel like it.”

With that, he hung up, and I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.

~Damn!~

Despite my confusion, one thing was crystal clear.

Tristan Harris was going to kiss me tomorrow.

And was I excited about that?

~Hell yes.~