The Girl Next Door
The Boy Next Door Chapter 39

Zoe wraps her arm around me as we push through the glass doors of the fine arts building. "Have I told you how much I missed your a*s?"

"Only about a dozen times, but I'm all ears if you want to tell me again."

"Well, I did. Who else can I be catty with, if not you?"

A gurgle of laughter bubbles up from my lips.

Zoe enjoys ripping the other dancers to shreds. She always has the lowdown on everyone. She knows who is sleeping with who and who is cheating on the other. Dancers, as a rule, are a cutthroat bunch. And the ones at Wesley are no exception. They'd stab a b***h in the back without blinking. And a couple of times, I've been that b***h.

Zoe is actually one of the few I've found who has my back. And I have hers. Next to Mia, she's the person I'm closest to.

I glance at the sky, surprised to replace the sun peeking through the clouds. Earlier this afternoon, it had looked like it would be dark and gloomy with impending storm clouds. Luckily, that's turned out not to be the case. I'm tempted to close my eyes and let the sun's warmth stroke over my face.

"Hmmm," Zoe says, as we jog down the wide stone steps, "isn't that Colton Montgomery over there?" Her voice turns speculative. "I wonder what he's doing hanging out on this side of campus."

Those words jolt me out of those lazy thoughts and my head whips around as I search the crowd for his blond head. It doesn't take long to replace him. He's standing off to the side, near a large gurgling fountain. The fine arts building is situated directly across campus from the athletic buildings. Most of the crowd on this side of campus are the artsy bunch. Colton sticks out like a sore thumb. An athletic and handsome thumb, I think begrudgingly. Even here, when he's out of his element, people recognize and swarm him. Unconsciously, my feet grind to a halt. I'm not even aware that I've stopped moving until Colton's gaze locks on mine. That one look has electricity sizzling in the air between us.

"Damn, girl," Zoe whispers alongside of me where she, too, has stopped, "I could get off on the hungry look in his eyes and nothing else."

Sadly, she's not wrong. I feel it like a physical caress straight down to my toes.

As much as I've tried to stomp out all of the emotions that have taken root inside me where Colton Montgomery is concerned, it hasn't done me a bit of good. They're still there, alive and well. Thriving.

"Wait just a minute," she hisses, "you two aren't together, are you?"

I shake my head. "No."

"Are you sure? The look in his eyes are all sorts of possessive." Nope. Not at all.

A shiver scampers down my spine as I realize that she's not wrong.

As much as I don't want that knowledge to thrill me, there's no denying that it does.

The outrage in her voice disappears as a soft sigh escapes. "I could use a little of that."

When I stay rooted in place, unable to budge from the spot on the sidewalk, Colton breaks away from the group he's been mobbed by before eating up the distance between us. My heart beats into overdrive with every footstep that brings him to me. Not once does he break eye contact. Even when a few fans call his name.

Only when he's about five feet from where I stand does he stop. Uncertainty flickers across his face. It's an unusual look for him. The Colton Montgomery that I know has always been full of confidence. It practically oozes from his pores. Both on the football field and with girls.

But I can't deny that the last couple of days have been odd. Colton cooked me an amazing dinner Saturday evening. As much as I fought against it, the night ended up with him in my bed. He ran out for coffee Sunday morning and unbeknownst to him, came back with Jack in tow. We haven't had a chance to talk or sort out where we stand with one another.

I'll be honest, the unexpected visit from Jack has me rethinking everything. I've told myself since returning to Wesley that I would steer clear of Colton and yet, how many times have I ended up in his arms? Even though I only have feelings of friendship for Jack, he made me realize that I need to slow down and get some perspective instead of leaping headfirst into a bad situation.

Colton shifts his weight before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Hey."

"Hi." The question shoots out of my mouth before I can stop it. "What are you doing here?"

I came to see you."

A reluctant thrill shoots through me. As much as I don't want to be affected by him, I am. I always have been. "Oh."

Zoe clears her throat and I blink out of the trance that has fallen over me before shaking my head. It takes a moment to collect my thoughts. "Colton, this is my friend, Zoe."

His dark gaze flickers to her. "Yeah, I remember. You're a dance major."

She straightens up. Even though Zoe is taller than I am, Colton still dwarfs her in height. "Yes, that's right."

Colton met Zoe dozens of times when we were together, but I didn't expect him to remember. It was a long time ago and Colton comes in contact with tons of people each week.

"I hope you don't plan on jacking around with my girl again," my friend says.

Surprised by the comment, my mouth falls open and I gasp, "Zoe!" She can be blunt to a fault. Most of the time it's a good thing. Every once in a while...not so much.

"What?" She glances at me as a fierce look glows in her eyes. "He'll answer to me if he does." She looks a little like Xena: Warrior Princess. Trust me, she can be just as fearsome. It makes me glad that she's on my side.

"You'll have to get in line," Colton mutters under his breath.

"What?" My brows draw together, not understanding the remark.

"Nothing."

His attention returns to Zoe. "I have no intention of hurting Alyssa, if that's your concern."

She presses her lips together and gives him the stink eye. "That's exactly what I'm worried about. You did some real damage."

Before I can utter a squeak of mortification that they're talking about me as if I'm not even here, Zoe pulls me in for a quick hug and kisses the side of my face. "I gotta run but I'll see you tomorrow in class." She gives his one last stink eye as if to somehow prove that her words carry weight to them.

Silence descends as Zoe disappears into the crowd of student traffic. I wrack my brain for something to say. I'm not quite sure where we go from here. And I'm equally unsure where I want it to go. If anywhere. No matter how attracted I am to Colton, I still don't know if I can trust him. And that's the crux of the problem.

I shift from one foot to the other. "Why are you here?"

He clears his throat. "We're celebrating my stepmother's birthday tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

I blink, thrown off balance by the invitation.

What's going on here?

Have I entered some kind of parallel universe?

Even during the time we were together, Colton never offered to let me meet his family. His parents attended a few Wesley football games, and he was careful to keep us separated. At the time, I brushed off the hurt feelings, telling myself it would take time to earn Colton's trust. It was yet another warning sign I had refused to pick up on because that never happened.

"Lys?"

"Ummm," my brow furrows as I blink back to the present, "Why would you want to do that?"

Guilt flickers across his face. "I want you to meet my parents." He steps closer and reaches out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "It's something I should have done a long time ago."

I hate that he's telling me everything I want to hear. Everything I wish he would have said before. "What's the point? We're not even together." I force out the rest. "And when it comes down to it, we're not really friends."

"Aren't we?" When I remain stoically silent, he adds, "Friends, at the very least?"

"I don't know." I glance away before I can get lost in his dark depths. They've always pulled me in, making me a little stupid in the head.

"I want to be." He picks up my hand, intwining our fingers. I can't help but stare at them and remember how good it felt to wake up in bed together Sunday morning. "I want more than that, but I'm willing to take this slow and build trust." Am I stupid for faltering? For believing him? For wanting to take a chance?

Probably.

Colton Montgomery has always been my Kryptonite. Sadly, I don't think it will ever change.

I blow out a breath, afraid to take this leap. Afraid of what it'll mean.

"Alyssa?"

"Okay," I blurt. "I'll come with you."

My heart pounds a painful staccato as a smile spreads across his face. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome." He lifts my hand to his lips before brushing a kiss across my knuckles. "I promise, you won't regret it."

God, I hope not.