"Actually, how about we skip classes today," said Noah, holding back Riley's shoulder and keeping her from leaving the car with the door perched open and one foot already nearing the pavement.
The strength of Noah pushing her back down caused her foot to leave the payment and for her backside to hit the passenger seat again.
Riley sighed. What is with guys making her skip classes lately? "Come on Noah, I'm going to be late for class."
"We can do whatever you want. Head to the pool, get one of those milkshakes you like, sit inside and have a movie marathon."
Something was off about Noah and his attitude this morning. She couldn't quite pinpoint it, but it appeared as though something was weighing on him. And while she would have normally loved the idea of skipping classes, she already skipped out on yesterday's, even if she didn't mention it to Noah. And in the back of her mind, she was already eager to see Kain again.
"As much as I would love to, I don't want to fall behind. Besides, I'm sure you have better things to do than hang around me all day."
Noah paused for a moment, seeming reluctant to let go of Riley's shoulder until eventually he loosened his grip, straightening up his shoulders as he leaned back into the driver's side. "If you need anything, just call me. I'll be here when you're finished."
The way he worded the last sentence sounded a lot to Riley, as though he planned to sit in the car park all day. She shook her head at the mere nonsense filling her mind and stepped out of the car, dragging her bag behind her and propping it up on her shoulder.
She saw Kain from across the field and looked back over her shoulder, waving goodbye to Noah as he slowly drove away from the drop off point. Her focus turned back to Kain, who made quick strides towards her, eventually reaching her and grabbing her hand in his. This was turning out to be a thing, where Kain seemed reluctant to let go of her hand.
A pale blush lingered across her cheekbones as they walked towards class, ending up in the crowded hallway in front of their lecture hall.
"No, freakin' way," cried out a voice from behind them as Riley and Kain turned to see where the voice was coming from.
Before they even managed to turn around, Kendra had placed her arms around Riley's shoulder, pulling her out of Kain's hold. A reluctant grunt passed from Kain's lips at the loss of contact with Riley's hand.
"No way is she sitting with you, Kain. We have too much to catch up on. You can have her back after class." Kendra pulled her away from Kain as she saw Kain's frown on his lips. Riley merely smiled back before being pulled away into a seat near the middle of the lecture hall and away from where Kain usually sat.
"Okay, okay. What? When? How?" Kendra bombarded her with questions before she even managed to take a seat. "You guys have chemistry for sure, but I never expected you would cave to the Kain. So spill. What happened?"
Riley glanced back at Kain, taking a seat in the back of the lecture hall and she let out a smile as he stared back. "I don't know. It just sort of happened."
"Ok, so what are we on? First base? Third base? Please don't tell me you've scored a full home run already?"
"We're not anywhere," Riley chuckled, unable to keep the smile from her face. "He just enjoys holding my hand. And we just talk and text. It's really only been a few days. I don't want to rush it."
"Ha!" came a loud snort from behind them. Both Riley and Kendra turned around to find Maggie, the girl she had semi-met the other day, when Kain agreed to help her out with her car. She was beautiful, no doubt; brunette, dark eyes and light olive coloured skin. Her makeup was to perfection and she could see the attraction for most guys. It was just unfortunate her personality didn't match.
Maggie leaned forward in her seat, inching into the space between Riley and Kenda. "I'd be very surprised if Kain had any sort of sexual interest in you. I mean, I'd be surprised if anyone did," Maggie laughed. "It's in his nature to be nice to others, but don't mistake it for anything else. He's more interested in someone like myself."
"As if you have a chance," butted in Kendra. "He can barely stand being around you."
"That's not the impression he gave out at his place the other week. In his bed." Maggie leaned back smugly.
At that point, the professor came into the room, but Maggie's comments had already soured Riley's attitude. She couldn't be mad, though. She wasn't even sure they were going out. Still, she couldn't believe Kain would sleep with someone like that. But then again, she didn't know Kain that well. It was too soon.
"Don't worry about it," whispered Kendra over the booming voice of the professor. "But if it bothers you, just talk to Kain about it."
"No, it's fine," said Riley. "I can't expect Kain not to hook up with anyone. And it's not like we're going out or anything. We haven't really discussed anything."
Even so, it still left a sour taste in her mouth, but she couldn't hold a grudge. It wasn't like she was a pure virgin, either. The thought alone sent a shiver down her spine. Would Kain mind that she probably had more sex than most of the college girls here? Minus Maggie. She was sure Maggie would give out to anyone who asked.
Her mind focused back on the class in front of her, trying to shove off the nasty thoughts invading her mind, and eventually she succumbed to the dull, droning voice of the professor. The lecture was long and dull and she couldn't wait to be out of there and off to her next class, which she had with Kain.
All she could think about as she stared out the window was the feeling of Kain's hand in her hers and the strong feeling of safety and desire that came with it.
The bell rang loud through the lecture hall, signalling the end of class as she jumped to put her books in her bag as fast as possible so she could get out of there. Even Kendra noticed her quick haste as she called back to her on her way out. "See you later, Kendra," she called back over her shoulder to the giant grin Kendra was giving her as she waved to shoo Riley out the door.
There she stood, waiting eagerly for Kain to exit with the rest of the students, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped for a moment before blushing as Kain grabbed hold of Riley's hand, leading them through the door of the main building and out into the open. Their next class was across campus and she was glad for a long walk in the heat of the sun as their pace slowed now that they were free of the crowd.
"What was Maggie talking to you guys about?" asked Kain, looking straight forward with a furrow across his eyebrows.
Riley turned her head away. "Nothing."
"Come on, Maggie doesn't just say nothing. You looked a bit off afterwards."
She was surprised that Kain noticed. Was he watching her during class? The thought caused her to blush as she chewed on the bottom of her lip.
"Riley," said Kain, stopping her in her tracks and turning to face her head on. He lifted her chin to his eye level and gazed into her eyes before running his thumb along the bottom of her lip, releasing it from being mauled by her own teeth.
"Tell me Riley. I don't want there to be any confusion between us. If you want to know something, just ask."
"She just mentioned you hooked up during the party at Kappa Sig last week. But it's nothing, really."
"What exactly did she say?" asked Kain, moving his hand up her cheek and gently brushing the stray hair from her face.
"That she was in your bed the other week. I know it's... you can hook up with who you want... it's not like we're...."
She started mumbling and ranting on, not seeming to know when to keep her mouth shut until Kain placed a single finger on her lips.
"She was in my bed last week," started Kain, which almost brought a tear to Riley's eye, even though she should know better than to have her hopes up between the two of them. After all, he was Kain, head of Kappa Sig and captain of the football team. She had no chance against anyone as beautiful as Maggie.
"She passed out at a party my fraternity held last week. The guest room was occupied, so I put her in my bed and slept on the couch downstairs. Nothing else happened."
"Oh," Riley's mouth opened, feeling a sense of relief wash over her.
"Riley. I know we haven't touched on the subject yet, but I don't go around changing women on a weekly basis like some of my other friends. I would like to be your boyfriend. If that's something you'll agree to?"
"I..." mumbled Riley as Kain took her hand. Her thoughts were muddled. Was she even ready for this? It was a big step and a big ask of anyone that wanted to be with her. She carried some heavy baggage, and it was hard to tell how much of that was going to get in the way of them being together.
"Don't answer now. Think about it," said Kain. "We've got plenty of time."
Kain looked over at Riley's shoulder, glancing at a group standing in a circle on top of the field and let out an annoyed sigh. "Can you wait for me for two minutes? I have to put a certain someone back in line," he said, nudging in the group's direction which contained none other than Maggie, hanging off one of his friends.
Riley let out a giggle of relief as Kain leaned down, giving her a small peck on her cheek. At that moment, the phone in her pocket went off, and she pulled it out, looking at the caller ID.
"Go," she said. "It's my brother. I've got to take this, anyway."
Kain beamed down a smile before heading up the steepness of the hill, leaving Riley to take the call with her brother. She looked back to her phone, pulling out her air pods from her pocket and placing them in, a smile still playing at the corner of her lips.
It was about time he called; she thought as she swiped on the screen, answering a video call from her brother.
Jason.