Just A Kiss Chapter 3

Later that afternoon, I fling myself across the twin bed in my dorm room with all of the best teenage drama I can muster and groan into my pillow. 

“That bad, babe?” my roommate, Rosalie, snickers.  Like she doesn’t know. 

“Rooose,” I whine. 

Seconds later, the bed dips beside me and at first I think she’s trying to be my mama bear, all soothing and nurturing, by running her fingers through my hair.  Then I realize she’s digging through the mess, trying to find my face.

“There you are.  Now…what color was his shirt today?”

“Black,” I pout. 

“Oh…very nice.”

“Yeah,” I sigh, rolling over.  He was all tight lean muscles and messed up hair and pouty lips.”

“When are you going to give in and talk to him?  You know Emmett would put in a good word for you.”

“Ugh!  Don’t get me started on Emmett.  He caught me in one of my longer lust-laden staring sessions and got me totally busted…again!  Jerk!  He kicked Edward’s chair out from under him.  What do you see in my cousin, anyway?”

We’d been at college for two weeks, attending all of the meet-and-greets and gratuitous groping parties, when I was forced - against my will, might I add - to introduce my cousin to my roommate.  Emmett’s fun and jovial and the life of the party where Rose is serious and studious and snarky.  He’s the softness to her edge and they couldn’t be more perfect for each other, although, I’ll never admit it to them.

“He’s just it.  He’s what I need.”  She makes it sound so simple.

“Yeah, well what I need is to get over this crush.  I told you I stapled my finger last week when he caught me staring.  He must think I’m so freakin’ creepy.”

Rose mumbles something that I can’t quite make out and then pulls me up off the bed.

“Come on.  Freshen yourself up and we’ll head over to the cafeteria for dinner.”

“And why would I need to freshen up to go to The Caf?”

“You never know…there may be some other cute boys there you can trip over to help take your mind off of Edward,” she teased, sing-songing his name.  I’m not sure why we’re friends.

Twenty minutes later, we’re settled at our table with Alice and Kate who live on the same floor of our dorm.  We’re chatting away about our past weekend and upcoming test schedules when I’m startled by the slamming of a dinner tray in front of me. 

Emmett…damn it!

He has such a huge pile of chicken nuggets and fries on his plate that several of them fall off the side and scatter across the table as he shovels a few others in his humongous pie hole.  Pig.

“Ladies,” Emmett drawls as he bends over to plant a sloppy kiss on Rosalie’s cheek, making her giggle.  Giggle?  Since when does she giggle?  

And that’s when I see…him.  My mouth is instantly dry.

Ung!  He’s too gorgeous, all just-showered-sexy with his damp hair that curls at the ends just behind his ears.  I think I gasp…I can’t be sure.  Maybe I just got choked on a chicken nugget.  Gah, I’m spastic today!

“Come on, Ed.  There’s one more seat over here,” Emmett says.

Edward looks at me and smiles and just as I think he’s about to relent and take a seat, he gets called over to another table by some of his team members.

“Um…yeah, I gotta…” he says, shaking his head then jerking his chin in the direction of the other guys. 

Oh, I wish he wouldn’t have done that.  That jaw.

Emmett grumbles.  Rose sighs.  I do what I do best…stare at his backside.

So close.