Firsts & Lasts

Last Time Drinking.

Novalee

I sink into the leather chair in Chris's living room and pull out my notebook. He walks toward the kitchen and grabs two glasses and fills them with ice water. "Did you do your research?" I ask, turning my head slightly to look at him.

He takes a quick sip of his water before walking back into the living area with me. He nods. "Yup. You?" He sets the glass on the table in front of me and sits down on the long couch in front of me. "Yes. Duh."

He takes a long sip of his water and a drop falls from the corner of his mouth, sliding down slowly, falling onto his perfect abdomen. Did I mention he was shirtless? Trying to focus on a stupid speech was not the first thing in my head right now.

Also trying not to check him out was almost impossible.

"Why are you naked? Put on some clothes." I look down at my phone so that he doesn't think I'm staring. He says nothing, but when I look up he's smirking. That stupid sexy smirk. "Don't act like you hate the view." I can see the heat light up in his eyes, but I try not to give in to...him.

"I do. Now put on a shirt, dude." He chuckles before pushing himself up from the couch and picking up a shirt that lay on another recliner chair. He glides it on quickly before sitting back down.

We work on the speech for about two hours and I'm still shocked at how much Christian knows about the topic. When we picked it, I thought it was the worst choice we could make. That's just because I hate anything having to do with economics.

Sadly, our professor thought it would be a good topic to do. She suggested we do something that wasn't overused because we have all heard a lot about why children's lunch should be free or why college athletes should or should not be paid.

Luckily, my partner is an econ major so him gushing out all these random facts, that I didn't care to know, has been helpful.

"So, who was that blonde girl you were with after the game the other day?" I say, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind my ear. I don't look up from my laptop but I can feel his eyes on me now. "Why?" Seriously? Just answer the stupid question without asking one. I look up at him and shrug.

"Just making conversation." I chuckle awkwardly. His eyes narrow like he's trying to read me. I make sure to mask my actual emotions, whatever they may be. "Just a friend of mine." He finally says. A friend? Since when do friends kiss each others jaws like that?

"Right." I say in a whisper.

"Are you jealous?"

I scoff. "Why would I be jealous?"

"I dunno, why would you be?"

"I'm not."

"Then why ask about it?" He retorts.

"Because I was trying to make conversation?" He closes his laptop and sets it next to him. Leaning back into the couch, he crosses his arms over his chest and looks at me. "You could've asked anything else, Novalee."

I roll my eyes. "Aren't we friends? Friends ask each other about things like that, don't make it weird, Valdez." He lets out a husky laugh, rubbing the slight stubble that's growing on his jaw. "Yeah, she's just this girl I slept with occasionally. Not anymore though."

I try not to make a face, only nodding instead. "She's cute." I say, still typing in my computer. I guess he finished his work before me. Not surprised, I'm having a hard time focusing.

He chuckles, before standing up to walk to the kitchen. "Yeah, I guess."

Before I can say anything, the door opens and Chris's roommates walk in. They don't seem to notice me on the couch as they come in laughing their asses off. "What's so funny?" Valdez says, shoving a handful, of what looks like pecans, into his mouth.