Chapter 16: Chapter Sixteen

RILEY

“So, he announced you as his girlfriend in front of the whole school?” Lucy asked, the moment we stepped out of class and started heading to the cafeteria.

“And he said Bethany was just a friend, and he was helping her make some guy named Mike jealous,” I replied, rubbing my forehead.

My mind was a whirlwind; everything was so messed up. I’d kissed Tyler for no reason, then bawled my eyes out—for no reason at all.

I did trust Tristan now, and felt guilty after hearing his side of the story. I had acted out of spite, and it must have hurt him a lot.

~Ugh! I hate this stupid mess.~

“Yeah, Bethany likes Mike. Didn’t you know?” Lucy asked nonchalantly.

We settled into our usual spots in the cafeteria, and she took a sip of her iced coffee.

I looked at her, surprised. “You know her?”

She nodded. “If you had told me that Bethany was the blonde girl, I would have told you right away.”

I groaned in frustration. “I didn’t know her name,” I said, covering my face with my hands.

“Well, now you know, and that’s a good thing, right? Did you guys make up?”

“Ummm… not exactly. I was all confused and told him I needed to clear my head.”

“What are you waiting for, Ri? He’s head over heels for you. Man, I wish I’d been there to see him go all Christian Grey over you.” She sighed dreamily.

My cheeks heated up. “He didn’t go all Christian Grey on me,” I mumbled shyly.

She raised her eyebrows. “Honey, you’re the talk of the school today. Everyone except me saw him carrying you over his shoulder.” She winked.

I fought back the smile that was threatening to spread across my face. I had gotten a lot of stares throughout the day, especially from girls, and I didn’t like the attention one bit.

“Stop it, Lu. I feel bad for jumping to conclusions. I should have just asked him,” I pouted, fiddling with the bracelet on my left hand.

“I suggest you apologize by jumping his bones already,” she said coolly.

“Damn! Andrew is such a bad influence on you,” I teased.

The smile on her face faded almost immediately. “Umm… yeah.” She gave me an awkward half-smile and continued to sip on her coffee.

I frowned at her expression. “What is it?”

“What?”

“Is everything okay with you and Andrew?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” She smiled brightly. I knew she was hiding something right away, but I didn’t want to pry.

Lucy would tell me if she wanted to, so I decided to give her some space.

“Alright then. I’m gonna meet Tristan now. Are you heading home?” I asked, standing up from my seat.

Lucy did the same. “Yeah, Andrew must be waiting for me. Have fun with your ~boyfriend~.” She stressed the last word, making me roll my eyes.

“Go away, weirdo,” I chuckled, shooing her away before heading toward the parking lot.

I called Tristan on my way, and he picked up on the first ring.

“Where are you?” he asked without missing a beat.

“You know, most people answer the phone by saying ‘hi’ or ‘hello’,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“I’m sorry if I’m too eager to see my girlfriend,” came his response, causing my heart to flutter. I fought the blush that was threatening to appear on my face.

“Stop blushing and get over here, Adams,” he chuckled.

I spotted his car in the farthest corner of the parking lot.

“I’m on my way,” I replied shyly, still on the call with him. Once I reached his car, I opened the door to get in.

“You can cut the call now.” He smiled at me adorably.

I was about to hang up the phone when he snatched it from my hands.

“Woah! Hold on,” he said.

“What?” I asked, scrunching my eyebrows in confusion.

“‘Asshole’?” he asked, raising his eyebrows and pointing to the caller ID on my phone.

~Shit! Busted!~

“Umm…well, it kinda suits you.” I smirked, removing my bag and placing it behind my seat.

“You are ~so~ gonna pay for this later,” he grinned, handing over my phone. I gave him a smug smile.

“So…” he began.

I tilted my body to have a good look at him. “So…”

“Should we kiss and make up already?” he asked, scratching the back of his neck. He looked so clueless, I had to suppress a smile.

“I’m still mad at you, Tristan,” I replied, folding my arms in front of my chest.

He groaned, running a hand through his sexy hair. “I told you the truth, Riley.”

“Would you have told me about the kiss if I hadn’t witnessed it?” I asked. It was the one question which had been nagging me since morning.

“Of course I would have told you, for sure. I mean…at least eventually, when we had started talking about friends and family.”

I nodded in understanding.

“I just didn’t want to overwhelm you with everything,” he continued. “I know you don’t like the attention. I wanted to take it slow with you because…”

He paused to look straight into my eyes, and I stopped breathing for a second.

~Fuck, when will I stop reacting this way around him?~

“Because?” I whispered, my eyes flicking down to his lips.

“You are special to me, Adams,” he smiled. Taking my hand between his, he brought it closer to his lips, kissing it softly, which sent tingles all over my body.

~Jesus Christ, is he planning to give me a freaking heart attack?~

“Alright, I suppose you’re off the hook,” I said, pushing my hair back from my face. It was impossible to stay mad at him when he was being so charming and cute.

“And you’re forgiven for that little trick you played with Tyler, even though I still want to punch that jerk,” he said, his teeth clenched in irritation.

“I’m really sorry about that. I just wanted you to understand how I felt, but I was wrong—” I began to explain, but he silenced me by placing his finger on my lips.

“I get it, sweetheart. You don’t need to explain,” he said, smiling at me.

I just stared at his face, unable to respond, my lips trembling under his touch.

“Can I kiss you now?” he asked, sounding almost whiny. I laughed and pulled him closer, pressing my lips to his. He immediately pulled me onto his lap.

I smiled into our kiss and kept kissing him, closing my eyes, still not used to the sensation of his lips on mine. He held my waist tightly, and I let out a soft moan.

“I missed you, babycakes,” he sighed, pulling back slightly.

“Babycakes?” I laughed, and he just shrugged, smiling adorably.

“I missed you too.” I touched his face, noticing his long eyelashes. I traced my fingers along his soft features, and he gave me a puzzled look.

“Umm…not that I’m complaining, but what are you doing?”

“I’m just studying every detail of your face.” I grinned, continuing to trace my fingers along his jawline.

“Is it weird that I’m turned on right now?” he asked in a low voice. I looked up to meet his gaze; his eyes were dark with desire and I swallowed hard, licking my lips.

“No, I just w-want you to know that,” I paused, clearing my throat. I moved closer to his ear while my fingers slid down from his neck toward his pants.

“I don’t want to take it slow anymore,” I said boldly. I touched his dick over his pants, causing him to jump in his seat.

“Woah! Riley…” His breathing became heavy and his grip on my thigh tightened. I kissed just below his earlobe and he groaned in response, which made me smile.

I was glad that I had the same effect on him that he had on me.

“You’re killing me. Wait, I hope no one is around.” He pulled back and looked out the window.

“I didn’t mean ~now~, Tristan. Jeez, keep it in your pants and ask me out on a proper date like a gentleman.” I smirked and got off his lap.

He looked at me, stunned. “You know, I thought you were innocent, but you’re a fucking tease, Adams.” He sighed, leaning back in his seat.

“That I am.” I grinned, fixing my hair and pulling it back into a ponytail. I could feel his eyes on me, and I gave him a questioning look.

“What?”

“So, will you continue to be my sexy tutor?” he asked.

I laughed at his question. “Yes, and I want regular pay for it. I don’t need anything extra.”

“No, I’m paying you double. That was our deal, Adams. Don’t argue with me on this.”

“But that was before, Tristan. Now, I’m happy to teach you,” I countered.

He didn’t look like he was going to budge.

“Why did you put up that ad in the first place?” he asked, knowing that I was being stubborn.

“I wanted to save up for college, and um... I didn’t want to burden my dad with debt,” I explained, looking down at my fingers, fiddling with my bracelet.

I hadn’t talked about this with anyone except Lucy, and I didn’t want him to feel sorry for me.

“Wow, that’s fucking admirable, Adams.” He smiled at me, and I looked at him.

“I just hope I get into a decent college,” I sighed.

He took my hand. “I’m sure you will. Your dad must be proud of you.” He kissed my hands, making me blush for the umpteenth time that day.

“Speaking of my dad, he might kick your ass for making me cry, so you better watch out for him when you come to my house,” I warned, laughing at his shocked expression.

“Your dad knows?”

“Not exactly, but he knows that you made me cry.”

“Damn, he actually liked me. Now, I’ve got to prove to him that I’m a good boyfriend to his daughter,” he said, starting the car.

“Boyfriend? I never agreed to be your girlfriend.” I raised my eyebrows, and he just clicked his tongue in response.

“I don’t need to ask, Adams,” he paused and lifted his hands from the steering wheel to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

“I always get what I want,” he finished, smirking confidently.

~Damn, how can he turn me on just by talking?~

“Jerk!” I muttered under my breath with a small smile, causing him to chuckle as we drove out of the parking lot.