**Edited**
Poppy's POV
I woke with a start, skidding my chair back about a foot while gasping. My brain worked quickly to register my surroundings, my heart ceasing its pounding only after realizing I was still in the same coffee shop, but I'd just been shaken awake. I jumped once more when the sight of someone standing right next to me caught me off guard. I wasn't normally that jumpy, but I was still half-asleep.
He had to have been the one who jostled me awake, but why? I crossed my arms over my chest, using my body language to portray my distrust while regarding him with cautious eyes. We stared at each other for a few seconds before I deemed him safe. I harshly rubbed the sleep from my eyes while scolding myself for allowing my guard down.
How long had I been asleep for? I gave myself a little slack seeing as I was up late the night before completing a heap of odd assignments that I'd procrastinated until last minute. I still had a long list of things that needed to be done, and now this unexpected nap was probably going to put me behind in my schoolwork yet again. Ever since my confession of love, Knox and I have been absolutely inseparable and I would be lying if I said it wasn't taking a slight toll on my productivity where my classes were concerned.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, but I just overheard the manager say she was going to kick you out in fifteen minutes if you weren't awake by then. They have a really strict no loitering policy," he murmured with a sympathetic smile. I blinked twice, my sluggish brain processing what he was saying at a snail's pace. I blew out a breath of air through my lips, resulting in a quiet raspberry noise.
"No, it's alright. Thank you so much for waking me up. Besides being almost kicked out, I also have quite a bit of work to get done and taking a nap isn't going to help me out at all. Can I ask, how long was I out for?" I inquired, curious how much time I'd wasted.
"Just about an hour or so. Nothing too horrendous," he assured me. I sighed in relief. Alright. An hour isn't so bad, I can make up for lost time if I buckle down. "Thanks again," I murmured, giving him a grateful smile. I studied his face for a few seconds, trying to decide if I'd seen him around campus before. I came up short and opted to scoot my chair back to the table, placing my hands on my computer keyboard.
"Can I sit here?" he abruptly asked, pointing to the chair directly across from me at the small table. Hope blossomed in my chest almost immediately. Did he want to hang out with me? Could I finally make a friend other than Kiara? I smiled and nodded enthusiastically, taking my time to really take in his features as he sat.
He was decently good looking with deep brown hair that was styled into a neat quaff and a clean-shaven face. His eyebrows were perfectly plucked and I envied his thick eyelashes. He was definitely the "pretty boy" type that Kiara usually went after. It's too bad she was taken now or I would try to hook her up.
I had to laugh at myself because a month ago I would've probably blushed like crazy if a guy this good-looking even glanced my way. Now, though, his looks and charming smiles did nothing for me. No one could invoke the same fire-burning, all-consuming feeling inside of me that Knox does. He's ruined me for any man that isn't him. I wasn't complaining, though. On the contrary - I was lucky to have the opportunity to be with a man that made me feel such intense things.
"So, what's a pretty girl like yourself doing sleeping in a cafe at half past seven on a Thursday?" he asked.
"It might be hard to believe, but some of us choose not to participate in the usual "Thirsty Thursday" festivities," I joked, "it's shocking, I know," I finished with a giggle.
"You're one of those goody-goody types, aren't you?" he questioned with elevated brows. I shrugged my shoulders casually.
"What's your major? I don't think I've ever seen you around campus before, so we must not have classes that are in or around the same buildings," I noted.
"Yeah, I'm actually new. I just transferred from NYU to get away from my batshit crazy dad. I never really wanted to attend college in New York, but it's where he went so, naturally, it's where he wanted me to go, too. It didn't help that I'm gayer than a three-dollar bill, either. My dad's the most traditional guy I know," he said. I nodded, understanding where he was coming from with his impaired relationship with his father.
"I know exactly where you're coming from," I murmured.
"Wait, you're gay too?" He asked skeptically. It was then that I realized I misspoke a bit.
"What? No! No, I meant that I understand what you're going through with your dad. My dad isn't the greatest either. Not that being gay is bad or anything because it's not at all. I didn't mean to sound so objective, I'm just still tired and-" I continued rambling but stopped the second he burst out laughing.
"Chill the fuck out, honey. I'm not going to take your first born child because of the way you spoke," he joked, still laughing. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sorry, it justs that everyone is so easily offended these days and I didn't want to come off as insensitive or anything," I mumbled.
"Don't worry, I totally get it. Besides, I already kind of figured you weren't. You didn't give me that vibe," he said off-handedly.
"What vibe do I give you? I asked curiously.
"Well, your body language screams I look like an innocent little kitten but behind closed doors my boyfriend dominates the fuck out of me and I love every minute of it," he stated confidently. I shushed him as some of the people around us shot the two of us dirty looks, clearly having heard the tail end of our conversation.
"So? Am I correct?" he pressed on, undeterred by the people staring. I cleared my throat and tried to come up with the best ambiguous response. I opened my mouth to answer, but he cut me off. "Don't bother, I can see the truth written all over your face. If we're still friends by the time your birthday rolls around I'll get you a pair of furry handcuffs - that is, only if you don't already have them," he teased with a smirk. I laughed before smacking his forearm, in utter disbelief that he'd read me so well.
"Do you normally ambush people and claim them as your friend?" I asked playfully.
"Not usually, but my roommate kicked me out of our dorm and told me to 'find someone else to bother' because he needed to finish writing a paper. So, boredom combined with the fact that you looked to be the most approachable person in this place - even in your sleep - lead us to this point. I also happen to find your innocent aura extremely intriguing," he commented before taking a swig of his iced drink. I was shocked by his stark honesty. "I'm Eric, by the way," he added with a chuckle.
"Well alright then," I replied, "but that was awfully rude of your roommate, though. And I'm Poppy," I introduced myself quick before reaching across the table to shake his hand. Once he'd let mine go, he shrugged nonchalantly.
"He and I have known each other for forever, so it's all good. He's actually the reason I chose to transfer here instead of going somewhere in Cali instead," he revealed.
"I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so I hope you like South Carolina," I said. "This is so exciting! I've never been close to anyone besides my best friend Kiara. She and I grew up together just like you and your roommate," I explained.
"God, that's depressing as hell. With that sad thought in mind, your first duty as my new BFF is to accompany me to a bar my buddy told me about. It's about twenty minutes away from campus and every Thursday they have an eighteen and up night so minors can hangout, too. I've heard it's a fuck-ton of fun and crazy as shit," he insisted. I bit the inside of my lip and tried to think of a way to tell him no.
"I don't know...I've never been to a club before so I don't think I'd be any fun. Besides, my boyfriend would never let me go. He's really overprotective and doesn't like it when I go anywhere too packed. He says I could be easily trampled, so he would probably have to come with us," I told him.
"What? No way! No significant others involved, not tonight at least! They always bog down the fun!" he protested.
"You've never even met Knox!" I said with a short laugh, finding his absolute refusal to be comical. "I want to go, but there's no way Knox is going to let me go somewhere that's known to be that crazy without someone to watch over me. Plus, aren't those kinds of places filled with horny guys that have chronic grabby-hands?" I asked, slightly repulsed by the idea.
"Just don't tell him, then," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, completely bypassing my question.
"That's not a good idea at all. He always calls me every night and he'll know something is up if I don't tell him how my day went and what I'm doing tonight. Plus, he and I don't keep secrets from each other," I insisted.
"Bleh, healthy relationships freak me out," he shuddered. "But whatever, do what you have to do to convince him. Either way, I'm picking you up at your place at nine tonight. By the way, where is your place?" he asked.
I huffed out of frustration. "Fine, I'll see what I can do. And I live in the suites across from the architect hall."
He nodded happily in response before making his way out of the cafe.
**
I stuck around for an hour after Eric left, finishing up the assignment I'd started before falling asleep. When I finally made it back to my place, I felt sick to my stomach. I was nervous as hell to call Knox and tell him about my plans for the evening. I wanted to go to this bar with Eric so bad. He and I had gotten along so well and I knew he and I would be really good friends so long as we got the chance to hang out again. I didn't want to show up with Knox after Eric had specifically said not to, but I wasn't sure how the heck I was going to navigate that request.
Telling Knox he wasn't allowed to come was only going to result in him being livid and coming anyway. Heck, if he said the same thing to me I would probably respond the same way, just with much less aggression.
I decided to put off making my nightly call until I was done getting reading and about to head out the door, that way I would have a better chance at avoiding an argument.
Kiara had come to my aide and helped me curl my hair and fix my makeup. She also handed me a skimpy outfit before not-so-gracefully shoving me into the bathroom to change into it. Despite my adamant protests, she wouldn't let me out of the bathroom unless I had the dress on. I tugged at the ridiculously short hemline, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. I couldn't comprehend how Kiara managed to look absolutely stunning in all of these daring dresses when I just looked like a 12-year-old trying to be something I'm not.
I forgot about my attire completely when I looked at the clock and saw that it read 8:45. I needed to call Knox and now. Shoot, shoot, shoot. How was I supposed to bring it up? Do I ease into it, or just come right out with it?
I dialed the number I knew by heart and waited on pins and needles for him to answer. It continued to ring, part of me hoping he wouldn't pick up so my life would be that much easier. I could make up an excuse about wanting to invite him, but he didn't answer when I called.
"Hi, baby," Knox's smooth voice caressed my ears through the receiver.
"Hi," I murmured.
"What's my pretty girl up to tonight? Just studying?" he assumed.
"Actually, I'm going out to this bar that allows minors once a week," I admitted.
"What? With who? There's only one place within a fifty-mile radius that does that kind of thing and it's always the rowdiest place to be. I don't want you going," he demanded.
"I met this really funny guy at the cafe on campus and he and I got along really well. He's the one who invited-"
"I'm going with you," Knox interrupted.
"Well, Eric said no significant others are allowed tonight," I confessed. I waited anxiously for his answer, but he remained eerily silent on the other end.
"Is that so?" he sneered. I could practically hear the steam coming from his ears.
"Knox, please don't think too much into this. I promise you, it's not what you-"
"Don't even fucking continue if you're going to say it's not what I think. Don't even fucking think about it, Poppy," he snarled.
"Knox just listen to me! He's g-"
"No, Flower, you listen to me," he growled, cutting me off again, leaving me feeling nothing but frustration. "I'm getting into my car now to come see you. If I get there and find out you went anywhere with that fucker alone, I will kill him," he hissed.
"If you would just let me explain!" I yelled, unable to help the rising of my volume.
"I don't need you to explain anything, Poppy! You're the most fucking naive girl I've ever met in my entire life and it's so Goddamn annoying sometimes. Stay home, I'll be there soon," he finalized before abruptly hanging up on me. Angry, defeated tears stung my eyes. I couldn't believe he'd just said all those terrible things to me without even giving me the chance to explain. I know he has an awful temper and that it's hard for him to control it sometimes, but he should never take it out on me. Especially when I've done nothing wrong. I'm his girlfriend, for God's sake. Did he forget that?
I clenched my phone in my hand before releasing a deep breath. I put it into Do Not Disturb mode and tucked it into the spanks I was wearing under my dress. I hollered goodbye to Kiara and stormed out. After that conversation, he could kiss my butt for all I cared. He's my boyfriend and my equal, he doesn't get to tell me what I can and can't do; that's not how a relationship works, so if he thinks I'm going to just sit back and let him walk all over me then he's got another thing coming.
Eric tried to get me to tell him what happened the entire uber ride, but I kept my lips sealed. If I started talking about what happened, there was no way I was going to have a good night. All I wanted was to do was forget all about the argument, school, and any other obligation I had weighing me down and just have fun for once.
An hour later, I was having a surprisingly good time just casually dancing to the bass-heavy songs the DJ was playing. Eric and I made a silent agreement to act as if we were the other's boyfriend or girlfriend when someone we didn't want to talk to approached us. I was also helping him by keeping a lookout for any guys that I deemed cute enough for him.
His words, not mine.
A few guys had tried to flirt with me, but, contrary to what Knox believes, I'm not always naïve and I know when someone is just making polite conversation versus when trying to flirt with me. I turned them all down right away, sticking close to Eric's side the entire time.
Eric and I were dancing, laughing loudly, and having a ton of fun when he suddenly leaned in close to whisper in my ear.
"Oh my god! Girl, check out the sexy piece of man meat that just stepped in! Shit, Poppy! He's coming this way!" he rushed out excitedly before forcefully turning my body in the direction of the door. I wish he wouldn't have, though because seconds later my gaze locked on a furious Knox storming towards me.