Forbidden Desires

Forbidden Desires- Chapter One

I sat on my bed staring at my diploma in my hand. Part of me was thrilled that I was finished with school, but part of me was also a little worried about where my life would go from here. I chose a degree in business management because I wanted to run my own publishing company one day. But yet here I was, a 22 year old college graduate with no career opportunities lined up and stuck working as a waitress, trying to pay off my student loans. I had put in applications everywhere I could think of but still hadn't heard anything.
"Caitlyn! Are you home?"
I heard Roxy's voice as she opened the front door of our apartment. Roxy was my roommate and my best friend since freshman year of high school. She was tall and skinny with short wavy brown hair that framed her face perfectly. She had stunning emerald-green eyes and a small patch of freckles on her nose. She was beautiful and I had to admit that I was slightly jealous of her.
"I'm in my room, Rox!" I called.
"Hey, what are you doing tonight?" She said as she bounced into my room.
"I don't have anything planned" I said.
Roxy's eyes lit up. "Well now you do! I want you come with me to Jason's place. He wants you to meet his new roommate."
Jason was Roxy's boyfriend, and one of my good friends. I actually introduced them a few months back and they immediately hit it off.
"I don't know, Rox. I'm not sure I'm really in the mood to meet any guys".
"Oh come on," she said. "You and Kyle broke up almost 6 months ago, you can't keep moping around like this."
I stood up from my bed and glared at her.
"I'm not moping", I said. I actually was avoiding going out. Kyle was my ex and we dated for 2 years. He was the typical pretty-boy jock with short blond hair and a strong physique. But he was also a world class ass hole. He wasn't particularly good to me and cheated on me multiple times before I finally gave up and decided it wasn't healthy.
Roxy crossed her arms and lifted one eyebrow.
"Ok fine," I said, rolling my eyes. "I've been moping a little."
Roxy let out a small laugh and then smiled at me. "So you're coming?" She asked.
"Sure", I said. I knew this was an argument I wasn't going to win. Roxy clapped her hands and bounced back out of the room to call Jason. I was wearing sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt so I decided I'd better jump in the shower and change. I decided on a pair of black jeans and a red tank top. Dressing up wasn't something I did very often, my style was pretty simple. I made my way to the living room where Roxy was waiting. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a black lace top with big hoop earrings. "I thought we left hoop earrings back in the 90's" I said, jokingly. She rolled her eyes at me and turned to walk out the door. I laughed and followed her to the car.
I sat in silence for a while, I knew that if Jason wanted me to meet his roommate, he wanted to set us up. I wasn't really ready for that.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Asked Roxy.
"I'm ok," I said, "I'm ready to move on and be happy, I just don't think I'm ready to date again."
Roxy just smiled. "You don't have to", she said. "Just let yourself have fun. You deserve it." Roxy and I laughed and talked the rest of the way and my mood had improved. Roxy always had a way of doing that and I loved her for it.
We pulled up to Jason's apartment and knocked on the door. I was immediately taken aback by the person who opened it. The guy standing in front of us was tall with messy jet black hair and piercing brown eyes. He wasn't wearing a shirt so I noticed he had the most amazing abs I had ever seen, tattoo sleeves that covered his arms, and a large eagle tattoo across his chest. I was instantly attracted to him. Guys like this, with the messy hair, tattoos, and ripped jeans, were never really my type. Until now, I guess.
"Hey, girls." He said. We walked past him and he yelled for Jason as he shut the door. I noticed he was looking at me and our eyes locked. Suddenly Jason comes in, breaking our gaze. I didn't notice, until he looked away, that I had been holding my breath.
"Hey guys!" Said Jason. "I'm so glad you could come, Caitlyn. It's about time you got out."
"Yeah I know", I laughed.
Jason introduced us to his roommate. "This is Blake", he said. I awkwardly waved and noticed Roxy smiling at me. "It's nice to meet you" she said. Blake just uttered a small "you too" before sitting down on the couch.
Jason asked, "So do you guys want to go out anywhere, or we could just stay in and watch some movies?"
"I'm down for movies" said Roxy, as she sat down on the couch across from Blake.
"Yeah that sounds good to me too", I said.
We sat eating popcorn and watching a movie and I found myself feeling really comfortable. This was the first time I had let myself go out anywhere and have fun in a long time. After the movie ended, Jason and Roxy went into the kitchen to "clean up", as they said. I knew they were purposely leaving Blake and I alone. I sat there awkwardly until Blake got up and then came over to sit down next to me.
"So," he said, looking at me. "I'm pretty sure they did that on purpose."
"Yeah, me too" I said. I wasn't sure what to say to him, I'm not usually nervous around guys like this, but I knew this guy had an effect on me that I couldn't explain.
"Tell me about yourself" he said, leaning back into the couch.
"Well, I actually just graduated with a degree in Business Management, but I'm still looking for a job."
"I'm sure you'll find one soon", he said. "I'm in med school right now, I really want to be a doctor."
"Oh wow, that's awesome" I said. We sat there quietly for what seemed like forever and I found myself staring at him. I was studying his face and his chest. When suddenly I heard "you're staring." I jumped slightly and I heard him laugh. "I wasn't staring." I lied. He just laughed again and then he moved closer to me. I could feel my heart beat speed up and I suddenly felt very nervous again. "Can I say something without sounding too forward?" He asked. I just nodded awkwardly. He smiled at me and said "I think you're beautiful."
"Oh... um, thanks" I said. I wasn't used to being called beautiful and I didn't know how to respond.
"Am I making you nervous?" He asked.
"Maybe a little" I said, looking at the ground. I couldn't bring myself to look into his eyes. He cocked his head to the side as if he was studying me. He opened his mouth to say something but Jason and Roxy walked back in, and Blake moved away from me slightly.
"We're back" said Jason.
"Welcome back" I said, staring at Roxy. I squinted my eyes at her and smirked, letting her know that I knew why they left the room. The four of us sat and talked a little while longer before Roxy and I decided it was time to go. As we were heading out, I glanced at Blake. As I did, I saw him smile at me and wink. I couldn't bring myself to even say bye to him, I just smiled back as we walked out.
We got back to our place and Roxy stopped me as soon as we walked in the door. "What did you think of him?" She asked.
"I don't know, I thought he was cute, I guess" I said, fiddling with my phone. Roxy smiled and put her hands on her hips. "He was hot," she said, "and he obviously likes you."
"You think so?" I said. "I guess I'll admit that I kinda liked him too". Roxy pulled me into a hug. "Rox, it's not that serious" I said.
"Of course it is" she said, breaking the hug and smiling at me. "You deserve to have someone that makes you happy and treats you well!"
"Slow down, I'm not ready to date anyone" I said, crossing my arms. Roxy rolled her eyes at me again.
"You don't have to get into anything serious, but you can get to know him. Like I said, just have some fun." She said. I agreed with her and then decided I was going to sleep. I knew Roxy and Jason were going to try to play matchmaker, but I had to admit, I didn't actually mind. I knew I wasn't ready for another relationship, but I couldn't stop thinking about Blake. Something about him made me want to get to know him better. I fell asleep quickly and of course, I dreamed about him.