Jo's POV:
The rest of the night was pretty uneventful. Nikki got hammered and was puking on Emma's shoes by the end, which we took as our queue to leave.
I didn't see Colton around after our encounter by the bar, not that I was looking or anything. Just for the record.
Sunday was over far too quickly, probably because the four of us spent the entire day in Nikki's bed, recapping the night. We were right back in the swing of classes before we knew it.
"I'm so tired," Emma whined, laying her head on my shoulder as we walked up the steps of the English building. "I barely slept last night."
I chuckled. "Yeah, I know," I responded, giving her a supportive side hug. "We all know what you were up to last night."
Emma had Ethan over last night, and let's just say I'm thankful Nikki has the room next to hers.
"Heyyy," she whined, lifting her head and giving me a playful slap on the shoulder. "A girl's gotta eat!"
It's Tuesday afternoon, which meant I had Advanced Writing in about 10 minutes. Emma had a class in medical publications at the same time, which was conveniently right down the hall from mine. We walked in and headed to our respective classes.
The classroom was relatively empty, as not many students like to show up to class 10 minutes in advance. I was a bit of a stickler for time, and much preferred being too early to even a minute late.
I found a seat in the middle of the class, sat down and pulled out my laptop. I figured I could add some edits to a paper I was working on while I waited for class to start.
I became so focused on my work that I didn't notice the class starting to fill. I didn't even notice a certain golden-haired someone sit next to me, until I heard a deep voice clear their voice, startling me.
Colton sat to my right, leaned back in his chair, grinning at me. "We meet again, Jo," he beamed.
He looked absolutely devilish in a tight black t-shirt, clinging to his toned arms, which were crossed and flexed for my admiration. He wore dark gray sweatpants, and I noticed a gold keychain dangling from his pants pocket. I felt my stomach flutter with nerves.
"Hi," I muttered, lifting my head from my laptop to meet his gaze.
"What, that's all you have to say to me?" he joked. "What ever happened to 'How are you, Colton?' 'I'm so glad to see you, Colton.'"
I scoffed. "You have quite the ego, you know."
"I think I've earned it," he said, leaning in and winking. I almost folded right then and there.
The professor started speaking, and I couldn't be more grateful. I turned to face the professor, hoping the lecture would serve as a distraction from the man beside me.
It was not. Colton kept kicking my foot under the table throughout the lecture, earning him glares from me, but remained completely unfazed. He would steal my pencil to write down notes, leaving me without a writing utensil. When I took a new one out of my bag, he would steal that too. He was making it his mission to annoy me, but I'd be lying if I said a small part of me didn't enjoy it.
At the end of class, I quickly threw my things in my bag haphazardly, eager to leave.
Colton laughed. "What's the rush, gorgeous? Don't wanna spend more time with me?"
"It's like you read my mind," I snorted. He grinned.
"You're funny, you know"
I smirked. "So I've been told."
I stood up with my things, and made my way to the door. I was aiming to make it through the door before Colton, worried I might not survive another door slam. I was just about there when his tall frame popped in front of me, blocking my way. He leaned an arm against the door, lowering his head to meet mine.
"By the way," he whispered seductively, "you're doing an awful job of pretending you don't want to be around me."
He winked, spun around, and disappeared down the hall. I stood there stunned, my cheeks burning and my stomach doing cartwheels.
I took a minute to regain my composure, steadying my breath, then made my way to my next class.
***
"He said what?" Sam practically yelled. We were at a small sushi place on campus, as we both had late classes on Tuesdays and decided to get dinner afterwards.
"Shhh," I chuckled, as his outburst had caused a few heads around us to turn. "He basically called me out for being a horny fuck, it was so embarrasing."
Sam's eyes widened. "Embarrassing? Girl, he wants you! Climb that tree already!"
I laughed, rolling my eyes. "You know how many girls he's probably getting with at this exact moment? He's community dick. No thanks."
It was Sam's turn to roll his eyes. "Who cares?" he groaned. "That man is so fine, it's worth it. I'll pay for your chlamydia meds myself."
I waved my hand. "Please, I do not need to be cursed like that. By the way, how's Trevor?" I asked. Sam gave me a knowing look, slightly annoyed by my change of subject. Trevor was Sam's situationship last year, but they had taken a break over the summer. I knew Trevor has been texting and calling Sam ever since he got back to campus, but they had yet to meet up.
"He's good," Sam answered. "He invited me over tonight, but I don't think I'm gonna go." He poked his sushi roll around on his plate, shaking his head slightly to cover his face with his hair. I noticed this was a habit of his when he felt ashamed.
"Sam," I said gently, "what happened?"
He looked up with guilt ridden eyes. "Do you remember the guy I was talking to at the club Saturday?" He looked over both shoulders, checking the room for any familiar faces. He leaned across the table, and whispered, "that was Trevor's dad."
I nearly spat out my drink. "What?" I whispered back. "What was he doing there?"
"Apparently he had just visited Trevor, and decided to spend the night in town. And apparently, he's not too faithful to his wife either," Sam said sheepishly.
I shook my head. Of course this would happen to Sam.
***
The rest of the week went smoothly. I was able to get ahead on some homework, and I even got ahead in my LSAT studying. I was planning to take the test in December, which gave me under two months to prepare. Stress.
On Friday, Colton wasn't in class. It was probably for the best, as I could actually pay attention to the lecture.
After class, I walked with Emma to the campus starbucks. She was telling me about a test her professor gave today, and how everyone in the class was begging for mercy by the end. I listened to her rant, giving a supportive "yup" and "as you should" when necessary. Like the good friend I am.
We eventually got our coffees, hers a pumpkin spice latte and mine caramel latte with oat milk. Just as we were getting ready to leave, I heard a familiar voice call out.
"I spy with my little eye... a Miss Josephine Hayes."
I turned, and of course, Colton Cavanaugh was walking up to us from his table.
I shot Emma a scared look, to which she let out a small laugh. So much for the support.
Colton reached us, his usual devilish grin on his face. "Let me guess, a black coffee for the mysterious woman of few words?"
Emma giggled at his joke, earning her a small jab in her side from me.
"No, I'm not a psycho," I retorted. I shifted my weight on my feet and crossed my arms across my chest, trying to control my nerves that seem to always betray me in his presence.
Colton laughed. "And who's your pretty friend?" He asked, giving Emma a nod.
"Emma," she said proudly, shooting a hand out for him to shake. "Nice to meet you."
I admired her confidence. Even in the face of a God, she was calm, cool, and collected. Not an anxious mess like me.
"Nice to meet you, Emma," Colton said, shaking her hand. "You seem a lot friendlier than feisty over here," giving me a nod this time.
I blushed. "You weren't in class today," I stated, wanting to change the conversation. As far as Emma knew, I had barely spoken to this man other than in class. I don't know why I felt the need to hide our other interactions from my best friend, but something in my gut wanted those moments to not be shared.
Colton's smile grew. "Are you saying you missed me?" His voice dripped with arrogance.
I rolled my eyes, not bothering to bite the bait.
"I had some stuff to catch up on, figured it was a better use of my time," he said. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, like he just thought of the greatest idea ever.
"Hey, my team is throwing a party tonight," he explained. "You guys should come."
Just as I was about to say no, Emma butted in. "Yeah, that sounds fun! Doesn't it Jo?"
I shot her a look, but she just grinned back at me. Hesitantly, I agreed. "Sure."
"Perfect," Colton said, clapping his hands together. "See you guys tonight."
He turned and walked back to his table, and I practically ran out of the store. Emma had to speed up to catch up with me.
"Dude, slow down," she huffed.
"Emma," I hissed. "Why on God's green Earth would you say yes?"
She laughed. "Because he obviously wants to fuck you, and girl I think you need it." She laced her arm around mine, leading me to her car. "Besides, it's a Friday night. We deserve a little fun."
I groaned. I knew Emma was right, but no logic could stop the flips my stomach was turning in. This would be an interesting night.
***
A/N: I soooo lied about only uploading once a week. Oopsies.