Once in my room, I allowed my jelly legs to give out. I couldn’t believe that I had just done that. I didn’t do that type of thing. Ever. My virginity had gone to the guy I loved and I didn’t go around acting like that, certainly not with people I barely knew. But there was something about Hunter that wound me up.
I spent about an hour going over the books I’d need for uni before going into the front room. Hunter was in there and he was completely calm, considering what had just happened between us.
‘Uni starts tomorrow, do you need a ride?’ he asked and I glanced over in his direction.
I shook my head. ‘Nope, Kenzi is taking me.’
He nodded and looked back at the television screen. ‘I will never beg you for anything, you know,’ he informed me. I snapped my head over to look at him but his eyes didn’t leave the TV screen. I chose to ignore him.
‘My brother isn’t good for Kenzi, by the way,’ he added and I sighed.
‘Jealous?’
He scoffed, shaking his head. ‘She’s not worth my jealousy,’ he muttered and I scowled.
‘Watch your mouth.’
He shrugged and finished what he was going to say. ‘He’s trouble, worse than me.’
I matched his smirk with my own coy smile. ‘I’m glad that I don’t know him well, then.’
‘You will get to know him, he goes to the same university.’
We were having an actual conversation, one without insults. Well, few insults. I wouldn’t admit it to his face, but talking to him kept my mind off my first day and how nervous I was about starting university.
When I went back to my room, I found an email on my phone. It was from my dad, letting me know the official date of his wedding and the time I should be there. Excitement erupted in my stomach and I grinned at the screen. When my parents got their divorce, Dad was already half in love with someone else and as much as I hated him at the time for what he did to my mother, he was happy.
***
‘Rise and shine!’ Hunter called the next morning, hammering on my door. I groaned, rolling over and pressing my face into the pillow. Next thing I knew, the bed beside me went down with someone’s weight. An arm snaked around my waist and pulled me away from the pillows. I swore and turned around to hit my attacker but my wrist was caught in a firm hand.
‘I don’t think so,’ Hunter chided, letting his eyes wander freely over me in my boxers and t-shirt. I would’ve hit him if I could use my hand.
Instead, I yanked my arm back from his grasp and got up, taking my clothes and underwear to the bathroom. When I returned, Hunter was gone and my phone was ringing.
‘Hey!’ Kenzi yelled through the phone when I answered it.
‘Hey, are you all ready?’ I asked as I put my English text books into my bag.
‘Yeah, pretty much. I was calling to make sure that I am actually picking you up at ten.’
‘Yep.’ I heard some papers rustling in the background until I heard her voice again.
‘Oh, there’s this party tonight, I was wondering if you wanted to come,’ she trailed off and I sighed. Parties weren’t exactly my thing, but as it was freshers’ week, there wasn’t really much of a choice. I wanted to get to know some people.
‘Sure, why not.’
She squealed and once again, I held the receiver away from my ear. ‘Great! See you in an hour.’
I hung up shortly after her outburst and made my way into the front room.
‘Looking good.’ I looked over at the sofa to see Hunter lying across it, assessing my body in tight white jeans and dark blue top. I’d borrowed the outfit from Kenzi and was glad to be able to wear something tighter, rather than the loose clothing my mother used to force upon me.
‘Uh, thanks,’ I mumbled, letting my own eyes wander over his muscled torso in his black shirt and dark-wash jeans.
I walked into the kitchen to make my breakfast when I felt a presence behind me. Warm hands settled on my hips and Hunter’s mouth was on my neck. Had he not learned anything from yesterday?
I leaned back slightly, annoyed when a soft moan escaped my throat. Hunter chuckled and ran his hand down the top of my thigh before pulling away.
‘On the contrary, you’ll be the one doing the begging,’ he whispered, giving my jaw line one more kiss.
‘That sounds like a challenge,’ I responded, wanting to kick myself when my voice came out husky.
‘That’s because it is,’ he confirmed, before backing away and heading out of the kitchen.
I ended up being late. Hunter’s little groping session had made me spend a lot more time in the kitchen than first intended so I had to do my makeup in the car with Kenzi.
‘You should’ve done that before you left the house,’ Kenzi helpfully commented on the way to the entrance of the university.
‘Thanks, I’ll do that next time,’ I grumbled sarcastically, pushing the glass door open.
The reception was exactly as I had expected. The pictures on the website had given me a good idea of the interior, but it was a lot better in person. Clean, professional and neat. It immediately put a smile on my face as I headed to the main desk to look for a map. The nerves started to slowly melt away when I found several posters showcasing projects and extracurricular clubs.
Our timetables had been emailed to us and mine was safely in my bag. I only had to find the English Department for a lecture and one seminar, so would be home in time to get ready for the party.
***
The lecture hall for English wasn’t very far from the reception. The door was open and everyone was filing in. The lecture hall was a lot bigger than I expected. There was a board and podium at the front of the room where the lecturer was standing, sorting out his papers.
I moved to the third row back where a guy on my left side had dumped his stuff and slumped in the seat. After putting my bag at my feet and making sure that my phone was on silent, I got my notepad out.
‘Right, everyone, listen up!’ the lecturer hollered from the front. And my first ever uni lecture began. The girl next to me was extremely dedicated and seemed to be writing down every single word that the man said, while I just jotted down the odd note.
‘I’m not going to force you all to read the chapter, but at your age, I will expect it from you,’ the lecturer rounded off before giving all of us an individual challenging look.
***
When I left the lecture and started to make my way to the seminar hall, I ran into Kyle.
‘Are you coming to the party tonight?’ Kyle asked, pushing his backpack further up his shoulder. I nodded as we turned the corner towards the reception.
‘Yep, are you?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah, it’s my party. Are you all right getting there?’
I nodded with a small smile.
‘I think so. Kenzi will probably give me a lift,’ I replied.
‘She’s going with a guy called Seb,’ Kyle said.
I sighed, running my hand down