Chapter Fourteen
I stare at the clear circular door of the dorm building washing machine and watch as the clothing spins around and around. I check the small digital numbers on the screen in the top right corner seeing there's only a few minutes left.
"So are you guys like together now?" Stephanie asks blowing a big bubble with her gum and it pops with a resounding snap that echoes around the small room.
"Um..." I trail off with my eyes still focused on the washing machine.
"Oh come' on," Megan drawls waving her phone around as she's propped up on top of the other washing machine. "You guys have been dating for a few weeks and he took you out for Valentines' Day. You're totally together."
"And you're totally not helping," Savannah says throwing a purple t-shirt at Megan's head and Megan quickly rips it off, sending her a glare.
"Well, don't you at least consider him your boyfriend?" Stephanie asks hopping up onto the dryer.
"No, actually, I don't," I say as the washing machine beeps. I push the off button before going over and grabbing my white basket.
"What? Why not?" Steph asks as I push her legs away from the dryer door and pull the clothes that are already in there out and into the basket.
I shrug. "Because we haven't made anything official and I don't think we really need to just yet."
"Oh come' on," Megan groans again, the purple shirt now folded in her lap and I stand back up to transfer the clothes from the washing machine into the dryer.
"I actually think that's a good idea, Lacie," Savannah says folding a pair of jeans. "Labels are overrated and tend to overcomplicate things."
I send her an appreciative smile. "Thank you."
"Well, anyway," Stephanie jumps off the dryer, "I have no idea how you fit into these jeans." She picks up a pair of my jeans from the basket and puts her arm through one of the legs. "They literally fit my arm."
"Give me those." I rip them away from her and she laughs.
"No, seriously though, you all don't know what it's like to have boobs." She brings her hands up to cup them for a second before glancing behind her, "or an ass." She rips the jeans back from me as I'm in the middle of folding them and brings them up to her hips. "I'm mean seriously they reach the middle of my shins."
"Hey!" I rip the jeans back from her again, "Excuse me for being an average height and not a five foot ten model."
"Aw, why thank you." Stephanie flicks her hair over her shoulder while I shake my head and pick up another item from the basket. Steph bends down as well to help fold while we wait for the rest of the clothes to dry.
"Um, Meg..." Savannah trails off and we all glance over at her. "Care to explain this?" We watch as she slowly pulls out a cheetah print bra lined with thick black lace from their basket and Stephanie's gum flies out of her mouth. Megan quickly rips the bra away from Savannah and clutches it tightly in her lap.
"Megan Delilah Lancaster is there something you'd like to tell us?" Stephanie asks and Megan's face turns bright red.
"What?" She shrugs. "Sometimes you need to have at least one bra in your closet that is a little more... feminine than others."
"Feminine?" Savannah scoffs. "I was thinking of a different word." Megan slaps her arm and we all laugh. It quickly fades when some other girls walk into the room and Megan quickly hides her bra under her shirt.
"Oh, are you guys done?" One of them asks and I glance over at the dryer only to see it has stopped.
"Yup," I say before going over and pulling out the rest of Stephanie and I's clothes.
"Oh, we're done too," Savannah says as Megan quickly hops off the other washing machine, clutching the purple t-shirt to her stomach as she's still trying to hide her slightly provocative bra.
"Okay, cool thanks." The girl replies and I close the dryer before picking up the now overly full basket. Stephanie taps my arm and I turn to her. She silently gestures to her discarded gum a few feet away on the floor and before you know it one of the girls walks past and squish. I internal cringe before the four of us quickly run out of the room.
I guess you can say that what happens in the laundry room... stays in the laundry room.
****
I walk out of the science building rubbing my eye. The left over snow on the ground is now partially melted and mixed with dirt making it appear along the lines of appalling instead of appealing. A low whistle resounds from behind me and I slowly turn on my heel to find Trent leaning against the side of the building. I drop my hand back down to my side and smile at him. He's been doing this a lot lately—meeting me after my classes, when he doesn't have class, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it. He walks over and meets me on the pathway.
"Hey," he greets.
"Hi," I greet back looking up at him, but then my nose scrunches up a little at the sun.
He grins bringing his hand up to block it a little. "How are you?"
"I'm good." I nod. "A little tired, how are you?"
He shrugs. "I was okay, but now that you're standing in front of me I think I'm feeling a little better."
"Ha ha so funny." I lightly slap his chest with the back of my hand before turning on my heel again to start walking down the pathway.
"I'm not kidding." He falls into step beside me. "You're like the... the sunshine to my day." He finishes of dramatically and I raise my brow at him.
"Way to hesitate, Romeo." He unexpectedly stops walking and throws his head back in laughter. People walk around us and I find it hard to keep my own lips in a straight line. After a few seconds Trent finally sighs.
"You're adorable." He pokes my nose and I shake my head, but despite my attempts a smile breaks out across my lips. Trent grins back at me the sunlight now blocked by his whole body.
"Yo Trent!" Someone calls and Trent turns around to see a group of guys standing across the lawn on the opposite pathway. I block the sun with my arm and see them wave him over. Trent waves them off, but they continue to flail their arms at him. I drop my hand allowing the sun to glow back into my vision.
"We could go over there if you want. You can talk to them, I don't mind," I say and Trent turns back to me.
"No, no," he waves his hand, "it's fine."
"But it seems kind of urgent." I lean around him to look at the group again, but he blocks my view.
"No, really, its fine." I look up, meeting his gaze, and he gives me a small smile before nudging my arm. "I rather just hang out with you."
"Ah, well," I take a step back. "I don't know if I can today. I just got assigned a huge lab report that I need to start."
"Oh." His lips form the word before he nods. "I've got some work I need to do too. Do you want to bring your stuff over to my dorm and we can do it together? I like to think I make a great study buddy." He wiggles his eyebrows and I shove his arm.
"Only if we actually do work."
"Of course." He grins, but it's more of an amused grin and I shove his arm again.
"I'm serious I really need to get this lab done. It counts for half of my grade this semester."
He holds up his right hand. "You have my word." I stare at him for another second making sure he's serious before smiling.
"Okay... so I guess I'll see you in like fifteen minutes?"
"Sure." He nods and I take another step back. "But don't take too long." I shake my head at him as he winks before we both turn around and head to our own dorms.
****
I tap my pen along the side of the textbook that's sprawled across my lap. My notebook is folded on one side and my laptop is on the floor in front of me.
"God, this is so boring," Trent groans as he stretches his legs across his bed.
I let out a laugh. "We've only been doing this for," I lean forward to check the time on my laptop, "twenty minutes."
Trent only snorts. "Twenty minutes too long."
I shake my head and look back down at my notebook. I start writing something down when all of a sudden the pen is ripped from my hand.
"Hey!" I start to protest, but then my books are pushed off my lap. "What are you doing?" I ask before feeling hands slide under my armpits and I'm lifted up off the floor. Trent brings me up next to him by his pillows and pulls me into his chest. Straining my neck, I look up and raise my brow at him.
His chest vibrates against my as he chuckles. "Yes, I'm forcing you to cuddle — get over it."
"But you promised we were going to do actual work." I push on his chest in attempt to pull out of his grip, but he tightens it and pulls me closer.
"Yes, but right now we are taking a well deserved break." I open my mouth to protest further, but then end up just letting out a huff instead.
My gaze finds his blue t-shirt covered chest again as he continues to silently laugh at me, securing his hold around me so we are completely snuggled up. I find myself going stiff in his arms feeling awkward and slightly uncomfortable.
I'm unsure whether, or not Trent is oblivious to my discomfort, or chooses to ignore it as he leans his chin on top of my hair and brings his hands up, lightly raking them up and down my back. Goosebumps break out across my skin before warming away and after a few minutes, the exhaustion I felt back in class finally has me relaxing into his touch. Before I can get too comfortable though I remember that my hands are uncomfortably squished between us and I bring my right one up and trace it along one of the sides of his v-neck.
"I have a question," I say tapping my finger against his chest three times.
"Mmm," He hums in response.
"Have you ever wondered what'd it be like to be someone else for a day? Like someone you know, or like an animal?" His chuckles rumble around me again as I feel his smile curve against my head.
"Who are you? Professor Collins?"
"I'm serious." I tap my finger against his chest again and he sighs shifting slightly.
"Um," he says after a few seconds of contemplating. "My dog."
"Your dog?" I question.
"Yeah, I've always wondered what it'd be like to be a dog." I nod slowly tracing my finger up the collar of his shirt, lightly skimming the skin there. "Who would you be?" He mumbles the question into my hair
"Um," I pause thinking about it for a second, "my sister because I've always wondered what it'd be like to be the younger sibling." I tap my finger against his chest again. "Now that I think about it though if it actually happened I don't think she'd be able to handle my college classes, so that probably wouldn't work."
Trent lets out a quick laugh at this before shifting, leaving my hands to rest closer to the center of his chest. I move my hand up and rest it flat against his chest, feeling his steady heart beat underneath my fingers. Trent leans down further and I feel the tip of his nose inside the tendrils of my hair. My hands move up when he takes in a big breath and I pull back abruptly.
"Did you just sniff me?" He gives me a sheepish grin and I go to get up, but he pulls me back.
"Wait, wait, I have a question."
"What?" I breathe laying back down in front of him. He lightly skims his finger tips up and down my back again.
"Do you believe in love?"
I lean back and throw him a teasing look. "Who's the philosophical one now?" He just smiles back at me as he continues to move his hands up and down my spine. I sigh bringing my gaze back down and my hand back up to lightly draw circles on his chest. "I do believe love exists when it comes to family, but when it comes to relationships I think it depends. You can fall in love with someone, but because we are always changing and growing, you can also fall out of love with someone."
"So you don't believe in soul mates?"
I crane my neck up to look at him again. "I think we have more than one considering there's over seven billion people in the world."
He nods stopping his hands. "Well do you believe in young love? Like do you think it's possible to be in love when you're fifteen or sixteen?"
"Mm," I look back down at his chest and draw a slow heart, "I think when we're that age its possible, but then again that's when everyone goes through puberty, so we mistake love with hormones. So I think it could just be a really strong infatuation." Trent chuckles and I find myself smiling a little as I start drawing another lazy heart on the skin of his chest. After I'm done I look up at him. "Do you believe in love?" He stares back at me, his lips forming a straight line for a second before a small smile stretches across them.
"Yeah, I think so." I nod looking back down and he pulls me closer to him leaving my hands no more room to draw, so I rest my head against his chest.
He leans his chin on my head again and leaves his arms wrapped around me. I take in a deep breath and let it out, closing my eyes for a second. After a few minutes when I feel them get heavy I jump back.
"Okay, times up."
Trent chuckles lightly and loosens his hold around me. "Our first cuddling session really scarred you, huh?"
"Yup," I answer pulling away from him and his warmth and go back to my position on the floor. Unfortunately it's no longer as comfortable as it was before, but it's definitely better than falling asleep with Trent again.
I look back down at my notebook trying to remember what I was up to before biting my lip.
Okay, maybe that wouldn't have been so bad.