Sweet Fall

Then I saw uniforms.

Campus police along with real cops, holding dogs on leashes, stormed the party. Some students were running; some were too drunk to realize what was happening. And then I saw the dean step out onto the patio, his eyes roving the crowd as he strutted in his expensively tailored gray suit.

Fuck, that cunt hated me.

The cops lined up the partying students one by one, and the working dogs began their search. Shit, the K-9! My stomach fell when I realized what they were doing—looking for drugs.

Several students were running across the street, trying to outrun the raid, and the cops were chasing them down. I was just thankful I’d chosen to come hide out in here, but then I heard a rattling at the summerhouse door.

Slamming the curtains shut, I glanced to the doorknob… and I saw it was unlocked.

Shit!

Before I’d even had a chance to get across the room to block whoever was trying to get through, the door flew open and someone slipped inside. I froze, stock still, as the door pushed closed and whoever it was pressed their back against the wood and sighed in relief as they locked the door. Where I stood was pitch black; they didn’t even know I was here.

I could barely see the outline of a small figure. It was a chick. I could also smell her perfume, so unless one of the Tide players had decided to go Coco Chanel on our asses, it was definitely a female.

Inching closer along the blackened edges of the room, I tried my best to be silent. Whoever it was couldn’t scream and reveal where we were, I had to make sure of it. The last thing I needed was the dean questioning me about the drugs. The f**ker already thought I was responsible for the cocaine on campus. Whenever there’d been trouble here in UA over the past three years, he’d always put the blame on me. Only this time, he was right.

The chick was panting heavily, unmoving against the shut door. Blinking my eyes, trying to focus, I reached out and accidently touched her arm. The chick began to shriek, so gripping her shoulder, I turned her around, slamming my hand over her mouth to muffle her scream.

Legs began kicking and her hands smacked at my arms. Placing my mouth at her ear, I whispered, “Hush, bitch! I ain’t gonna hurt you. Just stop f**kin’ screaming!”

Her legs quit flailing and her hand grabbed my wrist, trying to wrench it from her mouth. I needed to make sure she wasn’t gonna scream no more. I couldn’t let her go until I was sure she wouldn’t cause a damn scene.

“I’ll move my hand from your mouth when I’m sure you’re not gonna draw their attention. Okay?” I said in a hushed tone, trying my best to sound non-threatening. But I wasn’t stupid. Some guy muffling a chick in a dark summerhouse wasn’t exactly gonna scream safe. Warm hard breaths flowed from her nostrils as she tried to calm, and her nails that were stabbing into my skin slackened some.

“Good. Now on the count of three, I’ll move my hand. Just remember, I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m hiding out here too. You give your word you won’t scream?” I asked.

Soft hair rubbed at the bare skin of my neck as she nodded her head in agreement, releasing a small agreeable whimper.

“Okay, one… two… three…” I said quietly and slowly removed my hand. The chick took a deep breath, stepping away, and turned around to face me. Even in the darkness, I could see a pair of huge pale-green eyes, almost turquoise, peering up at me.

Shit. I knew those eyes.

Was haunted by those eyes.

The chick, on sensing my reaction, stepped closer still. A light blared outside, creeping in from the gap under the door, creating a dull yellow glow in the summerhouse. From this close distance, I could make out her face. It was her, and by her startled reaction, I knew she had realized it was me.

“A-Austin?” she stuttered in question. She didn’t seem happy about my presence. Good, because I wasn’t exactly happy about hers. “I-I didn’t know you’d be in here. I just didn’t want to be questioned by the dean again. Saw this place and decided to hide out until it was over. I-I’m sorry. I’ll leave… I—”

Bypassing where she stood, and ignoring her stumbling, terrified apology, I silently made my way to the couch and sat down. This was all I f**kin’ needed.

From my peripheral vision, I could see she was still standing at the door, rocking on her feet, clearly uncomfortable and probably considering taking her chances out there with the dean after all.

Sighing, I waved my hand in her direction. “You’d better take a seat. The dean won’t be quick about this. You need to stay away from that bastard for all our sakes. So I’m afraid you have no other alternative than to wait this out with me in here.”