Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Lucas and I kept going, but then Jayden intercepted Lucas. “There’s something I need to tell you,” he muttered, and I slipped past him since he hadn’t been talking to me.
I barely had time to wonder what Jayden needed to say before I rounded the corner and froze.
Amanda and Roger were there, holding a conversation with a dark-haired man.
Kyle was back.
17
TORI
“When’s the last time you went on a date?” Hailey’s voice came through the speaker on my phone as I got ready for my dinner with Lucas.
“It’s been a while.”
“There was that guy, Fred, who was in your Psychology of Education class last year. How many times did you go out with him?”
I didn’t answer as I stared in the mirror over the dresser, carefully applying eyeliner. I hoped it looked smokey, and not like a child went wild with a black crayon. “It was Frank from Philosophy of Education, and three times, I think?”
Hmm, maybe a little more eye shadow? It wasn’t like I was trying to seduce Lucas, but I wanted to look nice for him. And maybe also for me. It wasn’t often that I had a reason to dress up.
“What happened with him?” Hailey asked. “Did he ghost you?”
“It was kind of a mutual ghosting. We never set up a fourth date and started texting less frequently, and that was that.”
“And that history major?”
“Just one date.” I laughed. “He’s ancient history.”
Hailey giggled. “Funny. Tell me about what you’re wearing—no wait, is there a full-length mirror there? Snap a picture and send it to me.”
“I’m in my underwear right now, so probably not a good idea.”
She laughed. “Regular underwear or sexy underwear?”
“Moderately sexy? A strapless bra and matching panties.” I didn’t have anything really risqué.
“But it’s something you wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen in, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “No one’s going to be seeing it tonight except me.”
“So you say. Did you shave your legs?”
“Hailey!” She was exasperating, especially since she still wouldn’t reveal which of her three hot-as-sin roommates she was with. “Yes, I did, but just because people will see them. It’s not a ballgown that reaches the floor.”
Shaving my legs and getting them so smooth had actually been a pleasant experience. It had been lovely to take a bath without worrying that someone else needed the bathroom. Lucas and Kyle weren’t home yet. Jayden had driven me back here after my four o’clock class, but he was downstairs installing the new showerhead.
“How are you wearing your hair? And if you say in a ponytail, I’m going to drive out there and cut it off.”
“You don’t know how to get here,” I said with a laugh. “But no, not a ponytail. I’m working on it right now.” I described what I was doing as I brushed my hair in front of the mirror. Modeling a video I’d seen online, I pulled back the sides, twisting them as I went and leaving a few tendrils to frame my face. Then I brought the two handfuls together behind my head and did my best to recreate the intricate knots as the girl in the video had. It took a few tries, but I was pretty pleased with the results after I’d pinned it into place.
“So it’s like a half updo?” Hailey asked.
“Yes. The rest is just hanging down my back.”
“Good. Your hair is gorgeous. Lucas is going to love it. He’s the one with the hair fetish, right?”
“No one has a hair fetish.” I spoke quieter, in case one of the guys had come home without my hearing them. “But if someone did, it would be Jayden, not Lucas.”
She laughed. “Okay, tell me about the dress that is going to blow Lucas’s mind.”
“It’ll probably blow his mind that I even own a dress. He probably thinks my entire wardrobe is just oversized sweatshirts and leggings.”
“Then he’s going to be in for a surprise.”
Growing up with a single mom meant that we never had a lot of extra cash, but when I hit my teen years, my mom and I got into thrifting—at least during those periods when Doug wasn’t in her life.
Some weekends, we’d drive up to Atlanta and spend all of Saturday at our favorite thrift stores. My mom always said I had a good eye because I’d find some nice clothes, sometimes even designer dresses. I had a couple of them with me here in Haverford.
The one I chose was sage, which reminded me of Lucas’s eyes. It was a cold-shoulder minidress, which meant that there were just spaghetti straps holding it up. Once I slipped it over my head, the sleeves hung down and only covered my upper arms. The neckline was slightly scooped, and then the dress hung in loose ripples to mid-thigh. It wasn’t fitted, but somehow the way the fabric that swirled around my hips and thighs was pretty and feminine looking, at least to my eye.