Tilting his head, he shrugged. "No, it's true. In the beginning, I used to get nervous on stage."
Scrunching my brow, I finished unsnarling my hair. "Let me guess, you picture the crowd nak*d now?"
Chuckling, he stood up. "Nah, I had to stop doing that...turned me on."
Pushing his chest back as he came up to me, I laughed unintentionally. "You're impossible."
Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes; he only grinned and shrugged. "We all have our weaknesses," he muttered playfully, sneaking around behind me and holding me tight. "You will be great and I'll drive you every day if you want." Chuckling, he added, "Maybe I'll sit in on a class or two."
I laughed at the image of him bored beside me during lectures. "I doubt the professor would like you snoring during class." Chuckling more, he kissed my neck.
Sighing, I rested my wet head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, letting his peaceful scent wash over me. I'd decided to forgo wearing his t-shirt to school, but maybe I could get his scent to leech into my clothes. Keep him with me olfactorily. God, what was I saying about not being consumed by him? I couldn't help it. He was...consuming.
Much sooner than I would have liked, the time was up for me to go to class. As promised, Kellan drove me to school. His smile was peaceful as he leaned back in his seat, one hand draped across my thigh, the other casually holding the wheel straight. He seemed like someone returning to a favorite activity after a long absence. It made me smile that driving me around was such a pleasant experience for him. I'd think most people would get tired of it after a couple of weeks. Not Kellan though, he never complained about all of the various places that I needed to go. It was just one of the many ways he showed his affection. For never having been a boyfriend before, I was constantly surprised at how good he was at it. Then again, Kellan was good at most things he tried...except pool...and, as I'd found out last night, poker.
Smiling at the image of him in black, silky boxers, pizza in hand as he twirled me around the kitchen, I didn't even notice when we finally stopped. I blinked and looked around when he shut off the car.
The University of Washington. Located on the other side of Lake Union from the heart of downtown Seattle, it was a massive campus, more like a small city. Several of the local businesses surrounding it survived solely on the influx of college kids coming into and out of this school every year.
I'd gotten to know this area pretty well after my time here. I wasn't really that nervous about knowing where everything was, although my ethics class was in a building that I'd never had to go into last year, it was more walking into a room full of strangers that tangled my nerves. I was not a big fan of being the focus of people's attention. Which made walking beside Kellan both a blessing and a curse.
It was a blessing, one, because I loved having him around, but mainly because when he was beside me, people tended to look at him. He just had that aura. The face, the hair, the body, the swagger-everything about him made you take notice. And for girls, the notice was usually a long one.
It was a curse because, now that we were together, he was a fountain of affection. Our light hand holds last year were arms around each other's waists now. As he laughed along to some comment my parents had made last week about him needing to earn a real living, since being in a band was not a viable career for the man their daughter was dating, a lot of eyes flicked from him to settle on me. Much like at the bar, I got the feeling that I was being judged as I walked along, judged if I was worthy to belong to the rock-god. And because Kellan was right about my general lack of confidence, I couldn't help but think that I came up short in their eyes.
Lifting my chin, I forced it from my mind. What did it matter if a bunch of random people didn't think I was worthy of Kellan? Kellan did, and really, what other opinion did I need?
Laughing along with him, I nearly ran right into a small swarm stopped in the hallway.
Kellan pulled me back right before I collided with a man that seemed about seven feet tall. He hovered over Kellan, who was at least a couple of inches over six feet. The dark-haired boy had a huge smile on his face as he pointed at Kellan.
"Hey, aren't you that guy? The singer of that band? The D-Bags?"
Kellan's face relaxed from a cautious expression into a natural smile, and I couldn't help but wonder if he'd thought the guy was going to start a fight with him. There was a time when Kellan didn't care too much about other people's relationships. "Kellan, yeah....I'm a D-Bag." He laughed a little after his comment, amused by his own band's name.
I shook my head at him, but the man and his small group of similarly tall friends crowded around, eager to talk to the semi-famous man they'd stumbled upon. Reaching out, the imposing fan grabbed Kellan's hand and shook it. "You were great at Bumbershoot, man!" Then the group started in on the compliments and questions.
They went on and on until I was afraid I was going to be late if we stayed any longer. Kellan answered all of their questions, and said polite thanks to all of their praises, then expertly released himself from the conversation, waving goodbye as he turned us to walk around the group. By the time he'd successfully disengaged himself, Kellan had been invited to at least three different parties.
Shaking my head as we approached my classroom, I laughed. Looking over at me, he bumped my shoulder with his. "What?"
Tilting my head, I gave him a crooked grin. "Look at you, finally getting some male fans."
Laughing as he opened the door for me, he shook his head. "We've always had male fans, Kiera." Raising an eyebrow, he added, "You just choose to fixate on the female ones."
Brushing past his body as I walked by him, I paused and leaned into his face. "Well, that's because they fixate on you," I whispered, letting my mouth almost touch his.
Biting his lip, I heard him groan a little. "Look at you...becoming a seductress," he whispered.
I blushed and immediately stepped away from him.
I heard his laughter behind me, but didn't turn to look. Soft lips greeted my cheek as his hands rested on my hips. "Have fun," he whispered in my ear.
I wanted to sigh and lean into him again, but female giggling reminded me that I wasn't alone with him in his bedroom. No, I was in front of a classroom, sort of being inappropriate with my boyfriend. Oh well, at least he'd managed to not make me nervous about my entrance.
With my cheeks flaming red from the embarrassment of our private moment being watched, I gave him a soft peck and told him that I would. Then I made a beeline to a seat in the middle, away from the chuckling women watching my man's backside as he waved and left the room.
After a rousing debate on the influence of sexism in early feminist literature, I was feeling right as rain with school again. I knew that would happen. Once I was settled, things were always fine. It was just the process of getting there that frazzled my nerves. After lit was my ethics class. Now that I was comfortable, I was looking forward to this one, although, I had a feeling I'd be doing a lot a soul searching in it. Ethics and I had crossed paths recently, and I'm not sure that I fell on the right side of the morality line. No, no I'm pretty sure I'd failed miserably. Kellan and I both. Maybe I could do a paper about it? It would probably be cathartic.
Walking into the brick-and-mortar building, just as much a piece of art as a functional structure, my eyes swung across someone I hadn't seen in a while, someone I really wasn't all that interested in seeing again. Hovering by the front doors, I watched a familiar redhead with tight, bouncy curls talking to a couple of her friends. I recognized all three-Candy, and her two chatty spy-friends. They'd each bugged me about Kellan before. Candy the most, since she was the one that found sleeping with him an enjoyable pastime.
Well, that diversion was shut to her now, and she'd just have to get her kicks somewhere else. A small smile on my face, I watched as they laughingly trailed down the hall a few paces in front of me. I sighed when they all walked into the classroom that I also needed to walk into. I'd had a class with Candy before, last spring actually, when Kellan and I had finally gotten together for good. Guess I had another class with her. And, of course, this would be the class I had every day. And an ethics class to boot. Joy. I bet the universe was laughing its head off at the irony.
Shaking my head and rolling my eyes, I walked into the room amidst a small flurry of butterflies in my belly. They settled quickly once the people already seated looked up, then looked back down. Well, all but three looked back down. Candy and her friends continued to stare as I made my way to a section nowhere near them. I felt the eyes on my back as I sat down and grabbed a notebook, doodling like a mad woman.
I waited to feel the presence of Candy moving to sit beside me. When I finally felt a body approaching, I cringed and peeked up. It was only some strait-laced guy, though. He gave me a look that said, Good, she doesn't seem like a talker, maybe I'll be able to hear if I sit next to her, then sat down beside me. I resumed my drawing, glad that at least Kellan's ex-fling wasn't going to disrupt my learning.
No, she left me completely alone...all the way until after class.
Mentally going over the teacher's explanation on the difference between ethics and morals, I didn't notice her approaching at first. I didn't notice her until she and her friends had me sort of surrounded. Looking between the three walking out of the class beside me, I sighed softly and prayed that Kellan was waiting for me by his car, and not right outside the front doors.
Sidling up close to my side, Candy tilted her head at me. "So, rumor has it that you and Kellan Kyle are a thing now. Like, a real thing."
Peeking over at her, I considered stopping and extending my hand in a formal introduction, since we'd never, ever had one. I didn't though, only shrugged and muttered, "Yep."
She scoffed, her clone-like friends around her giggling. "So it doesn't bother you that he's a whore."
Stopping in my tracks, I glared over at her and wondered if I could slap a girl in the middle of school and not get in trouble. This was college, right? Wasn't it all about the freedom of expression? "He is not a whore. Don't ever call him that again." I felt the heat in my tone and was a little proud of myself that my voice wasn't shaking at all.
She put her hands on her hips, her friends moving to stand behind her, like backup singers or something. "Huh, I guess you're right." She leaned in, an eyebrow raised. "Whores get paid. He does it for the fun of it."
I literally had to grab my jeans to not deck her. Seriously? Deciding getting arrested for assault wasn't a good way to start the school year, I stormed off down the hall. She, of course, followed me.
"What? Can't handle the truth? I just wanted you to be aware that he still gets it on with every girl he can." She laughed, dryly. "It's not like being with you has miraculously turned him into a good boy now. Men are what they are, and Kellan is a sex addict."
Tears of anger stinging my eyes, I twisted to face her. "You don't know anything about him. You don't know anything he's been through." Leaning into her, I raised my own eyebrow. "I know you've slept with him, but don't confuse sex for intimacy." Irritated that I'd let her get to me, knowing full well that she was just trying to rile me up, I jerked open the front doors. Luckily, Kellan was not there.