No chains to unlock,
So free to do what he wants
he's into what he's got (and that's me).
-Dream, "He Loves U Not"
Miles
We managed to get out of Outback without running into Iris, and even though Luke and Jessica were poking fun at me, and I was trying to lighten up, I couldn't. Something about this girl really made me uneasy, and her following us was the icing on this creepy ass cake.
Rachel was quiet on the way back to campus, and it wasn't until we dropped Luke and Jessica off that she spoke.
"We don't need to worry about this girl, right, Miles?" she asked, her voice quiet.
"Absolutely not," I said, putting my hand on her knee and squeezing gently.
"Are you sure? I mean, she's in your class, right? And in the play with me. She's around a lot. And she obviously hates me," she said, taking off her seatbelt and turning toward me as I pulled into the spot next to her Camaro.
I put my hands on her cheeks. "You don't need to worry about a thing, baby. I will handle it. Okay? I promise."
She smiled and leaned her cheek into my palm. "Alright, I won't worry." She kissed my cheek and got out of the Jeep. "See you at home?"
"Yep. Be careful," I said, watching her get into her Camaro and pull off before I backed out of the parking lot.
I know I told her not to worry, but that was easier said than done - because I had a really bad feeling.
***
When I got home, Rachel had beaten me there and was walking up the stairs. I marveled for the millionth time at how beautiful she was, and she didn't even have to try. I got out of the Jeep and wolf-whistled at her. She turned around and grinned when she saw it was me.
"Hey sexy, your mama let you date?" I called.
She smirked. "Yeah, but I already have a man. He'll be home any minute, but you're welcome to come up and take a chance," she teased.
I slammed the Jeep door and chased her up the stairs. She squealed and took off toward the apartment. When we entered the living room, I grabbed her and pushed her against the door, kissing her deeply. I pushed her sweater off her arms and tossed it onto the couch.
"Mmm," she moaned. "Wait, wait, where's Luke?"
"He took Jessica to the movies," I mumbled against her lips. "They won't be back for hours."
"Oh," she murmured. "Well, carry on, then." She slid her hands under my shirt and pushed it over my head, running her hands down my chest, sending chills up my spine.
I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I walked us into the kitchen and sat her on the table. She looked up at me hungrily, unbuttoning and unzipping my jeans, never breaking eye contact with me.
I looked down at her and was pleased to see she was wearing a skirt. Yes.
I pushed her gently back on the table and crawled on top of her. She grinned up at me.
"What?" I asked, pushing her hair out of her face.
"This is one place in the house we haven't christened," she said, laughing.
"That's about to change," I growled, leaning down and consuming her.
***
Thirty minutes later, I had picked her up and carried her to bed, and she was sleeping soundly in my arms.
Looking down at her, I felt a surge of love so strong, it brought tears to my eyes. If it weren't for this woman, there is really no telling where I'd be. I'd probably be at Bama, dating random chicks and flunking all my classes. She has changed me. I don't know if she even realizes just how much.
Buzz buzz.
Rachel stirred but didn't wake up. I reached carefully to the nightstand and snagged my phone. It wasn't a text, but a Facebook message.
Iris Tate.
"Damnit," I cursed under my breath. My thumb hovered over the message, about to delete it, but something was stopping me.
My curiosity was overwhelming. I knew she'd see if I read it, because that's how Messenger worked, but I didn't care. I was agitated at the way she'd treated Rachel and even more creeped out by her following us to the restaurant.
I exhaled and opened the message.
Iris Tate: Hey Miles, sorry to message you on here, but you missed class this morning. Dr. Harris assigned a project, and I told him I'd be your partner. It's due Monday, so we'll need to meet at the library to work on it soon. He's not giving us any time in class. Here's my number - text me and let me know when you want to meet.
The rest of the message consisted of her number and a freaking heart emoji.
Good God. That was the last time I ever skip class.
Rachel shifted in my arms and looked up at me, her eyes bleary with sleep.
"Hey, handsome." When she noticed the look on my face, she sat up and put her hand on my cheek. "What's the matter?"
I held out my phone wordlessly. She took it and her grey eyes scanned the screen, widening as she finished.
"Oh, shit," she said, handing it back to me. "Is there any way you can get out of that? Maybe talk to the professor?"
I shook my head. "Dr. Harris is the biggest asshole in the engineering department. There is no way he will help me out - he hates me already for whatever reason."
She cursed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, babe. This is no good. But look, at least it's due Monday, and it's already Wednesday. It will be over before you know it," she cooed, running her hand through my hair.
I closed my eyes and nodded. "True." I groaned. "This is gonna be terrible."
"Want me to go with you?" she offered. "I don't mind."
"No, I think that will make things worse. You could ride with me, though, and hang out in another part of the library until we're done?" I suggested.
She nodded. "Sure. I have a paper to write for abnormal psych anyway."
"Okay. But I am not giving her my phone number," I said, opening Messenger again and typing a reply - short, with nothing she could read as flirtation.
Miles Salazar: Hi Iris. Thank you for letting me know about the project. I can meet at the library tonight at 7:00 pm. What do I need to bring?
She answered almost immediately - of course.
Iris Tate: Ok. Come to the 4th floor and I'll be in one of the study rooms. Just bring your laptop and textbook. See you at 7.
Miles Salazar: Okay. See ya.
I closed out of the app and rested my head against the headboard. "I'm supposed to meet her at 7 on the 4th floor in one of the study rooms."
"Oh, okay - hey, there's a seating area across from those rooms. They all have glass walls. I'll wear a hat and sit over there and keep an eye on things," she said, and I laughed.
"You want to guard me?" I asked, tickling her.
She giggled. "Actually, I just want to be nosy. I know you can hold your own."
"Fine. You can wear a disguise. But I bet she'll notice you anyway," I said, standing up and going into the bathroom.
"Oh well, let her. She needs to know I'm not playing around," she said, her voice dark.
I turned back and glanced at her. "You're sexy when you're possessive, you know that?"
"I am?"
"Oh, hell yeah," I murmured, consuming her once more with my kiss.
Rachel
At 6:58, we entered the library and I squeezed Miles' hand. "It's gonna be fine. Use that brain of yours and get this project done fast. Even if you only get a C," I said, as much as the words burned my tongue.
He laughed. "That's the first time I've ever heard you encourage anyone to go for a C."
"One time only, love," I said, straightening my baseball cap and sliding my glasses onto my face. I hadn't worn them in years, as they had actually corrected my vision back in high school.
"You look hot in those," Miles commented, leaning down and kissing my cheek.
Maybe it was time to get my eyes checked again, I thought.
"Thanks, babe. Now let's go get this over with," I said, taking his hand and pulling him toward the elevator.
When we reached the 4th floor, I spotted Iris in one of the study rooms directly across from the public seating area. Thankfully, she was looking down, so she didn't notice me. She was seated with her side to the window.
"There she is," I whispered. "Now go get 'er done," I said in a mock country accent.
He squeezed my hand and took off in the direction of the room, and I settled in one of the armchairs with a good view of the room. I pulled out my laptop and opened the Word document that held my psych paper before I dared to look up.
Miles had just sat down and was typing on his laptop. I could tell even from this distance that she was enthralled by him, drinking in every word he was saying, which couldn't have been much. He was facing me, so I could see his facial expression.
I rolled my eyes and started to work on my paper, only glancing up every few minutes. Each time, nothing was happening except work.
I relaxed a bit, and I didn't look up again for a while, until I heard a loud, over-the-top giggle.
Iris was leaned toward Miles, her hand on his forearm, laughing as if he had just told the funniest joke she'd ever heard. My face got warm and I curled my lip. Seeing her touch him really pissed me off, even if I knew I had nothing to worry about. It just wasn't cool; it went totally against girl code. She knew he had a girlfriend, but here she was just falling all over him.
He pulled his arm back and it appeared that they had gotten back to work. I relaxed and put the finishing touches on my paper. I glanced at the clock and noticed it was already 8:45. I pulled out my phone to send him a text.
Hey babe, ready to go? I'm hungry.
I saw him pick up his phone, the corners of his lips twitching into a smile.
Yeah, let me save this and then we can go.
She turned around then, and her eyes landed on mine.
Shit.
Her eyes went cold, and she turned around to face him, putting her hand on his. My nostrils flared as I stood up and threw my backpack over my shoulder, stalking toward the study room. I made it there in less than ten seconds, throwing the door open.
"Excuse me!" I whisper-shouted. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Rachel - " Miles started.
"I'm talking to her," I fumed, not looking away from Iris.
"I'm doing a project with Miles, what does it look like?" she responded coldly.
I laughed mirthlessly. "Please. Get your hands off of him, don't speak to him, and don't look at him. He'll do the project on his own and put your name on it. Just don't talk to him again, or I'll kick your scrawny ass," I hissed.
Iris smirked. "Fine. But I can't guarantee he won't talk to me," she whispered, winking at Miles. She grabbed her bag and flounced out the door.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" I asked, looking up at Miles.
He shook his head. "Nothing. She's bat shit, Rach. Just forget her. But next time, let me handle it, okay?"
I exhaled. "I'm sorry, it's just... she knew I was here, she fucking locked eyes with me, and then she touched you again! It enraged me, and I just lost it. I'm sorry... and I'm sorry I volunteered you to do this project on your own. I'll help," I offered, even though I had no idea what the hell hydraulic engineering consisted of.
He laughed and put his arm around me, walking out the door. "We got pretty close to getting it done, so that won't be necessary."
I sighed when we reached the car. "Play practice is going to be really awkward now."
He shrugged. "I think we passed awkward when she followed us to Outback, no?"
I raised my brows. "True."
Iris
That bitch.
I let her think she won.
But she hasn't.
The battle has just started.