Capture the Moment (Moments #1)

32. Cleo

thirty-two

Cleo

When I enter the house, the girls are all waiting for me in the living room, each holding looks of smugness and muddled excitement as I mosey into the shared space. I only get four steps into the living room when I’m ambushed with questions.

“What happened?!”

“Were y’all on a date?!”

“Why did you drive around the block fifteen times?” Georgia asks lastly and it’s her question that has my eyebrows shooting to my hairline.

Fifteen times?!

I thought it’d been only two, maybe three…

“Uh… Hi?” I chuckle as Georgia and Sienna roll their eyes, Denver sighs already aware of just how fucked I am, considering she sat in a lecture with the two of us this morning.

“Bitch, get to the tea! I only Naired one of my pits because I saw the SOS text.” Sienna groans, holding up her arms to show us the proof.

Georgia lets out a low whistle, running a finger over the bare armpit. “Damn, girl, how long was your timer?”

“Girl… get back on topic.” Denver chuckles, swatting Georgia away from Sienna.

I sigh as I watch my friends begin to bicker and say the one thing that I know will break them out of it .

“I like Blake Wilder,” I confess, sighing in relief at the weight lifted from my chest. I never thought admitting something as simple as having a crush could feel this relaxing, but I feel like the world is somehow brighter.

“Bitch I know that’s not why I put a pause on my everything shower—” Sienna frowns, looking up at me in genuine confusion.

“Was that supposed to be the SOS?” Denver chuckles, running a hand through her waves, looking back and forth between the girls and me.

“Girl, I was watching a new episode of Love In Cancun ! You called a meeting to deliver old news!” Georgia exclaims with a groan, laying back fully into the couch.

Well, that was not how I expected them to react. I frown at my friends and move from in front of the television, put off with the whole situation. Am I really that obvious to others?

Georgia presses resume on the current episode of Love In Cancun and nestles into Denver’s side as Sienna trudges back to her room, presumably to finish her “everything shower”, which consists of washing, deep conditioning, and putting a treatment into her pink curls while shaving and exfoliating her body in the shower with the water set to a hell-like temperature.

The last time I’d followed one of Sienna’s “everything shower” guides, I nearly fainted from the humidity in the bathroom and my arms almost fell off.

We’re about five minutes into the episode, and Georgia is fully invested in the nonsense that prick Cooper Turner is saying to America’s sweetheart Rosetta Murano when I make the mistake of opening my mouth once again.

“I told him we couldn’t date,” is all that I can say before the show is promptly paused again and I am faced with two of the most confused looks I’ve ever seen them give me.

“And why the hell did you do that?! He’s hot and funny and has the mental capacity to put up with Jace for more than five minutes!” My blonde friend shrieks as she stands, taking the spot that I’d previously held in front of the TV.

“Did he do something?” Denver’s voice is laced with lethality as she looks down at me where my head lays in her lap, looking up at the ceiling.

“I’m scared.” The confession burns as it comes out into the open .

Georgia lets out a choked sound trudging toward us, plopping down on the floor between us and our coffee table. “What are you scared about?” she asks warmly, running a hand through my hair.

“That she’ll get hurt,” Denver answers for me, her tone raw as she looks everywhere but at me and it’s then that I have a feeling that I’m not the only person she’s talking about.

“Is this because of Marce—he who shall not be named?” Georgia questions and when I don’t answer, she lets out a groan in frustration. “Cleo Jones, you listen to me, and you listen well. Blake is not Marcelo, and you are not your past. I know that you’re struggling with trusting him and I one hundred percent agree that you should watch your back but don’t let your skepticism stop you from becoming a part of something great with someone.”

That makes me sit up; I glance at Denver quickly and sure enough, she’s listening as well. We only get Therapist Georgia six times a year and when that happens, it’s in everyone’s best interest to listen.

“Men come and go but you are forever. Why not give yourself a chance at happiness? Risks are meant to be taken in order to get what we desire. There’s always risks when the heart is involved but that doesn’t mean that you should just play it safe and never put your heart out there.” She smiles as if she knows that she’s giving us the best advice in the world... and she is. “You deserve to be loved and give it back to someone who deserves it. You both do.” She finishes giving a weighty look to Denver. I furrow my eyebrows at the action as Denver nods. Whatever those two have going on must be serious based on their shared unwavering looks.

“Now go jump on that ultra hockey star dick, I heard it's amazing.”

“Is video production going to be your job or mine? I mean, I’m not terrible at editing, but you did have a YouTube channel.” Henry Ricks, my partner for my Mass Media 3004 project, chuckles as I roll my eyes at him .

Henry and I have been working together on our project since the semester began but we’ve only been able to meet with one another twice since he’s been busy with traveling.

He’s a center fielder on the baseball team and one of the coolest guys I’ve met since starting here.

He twists at one of his dreadlocks with a knowing smirk as I let out my own small laugh. Since it’s still early in the day and a little warm out, the two of us are sitting at one of the outdoor tables by the dining hall. Henry’s dark skin glows as he looks up at me holding up a picture of my YouTube channel, Icing it. My stomach dips as I remember the channel I’d practically grew up on and how I tossed it aside as soon as my life got hard.

I groan as Henry presses play on a video of me from middle school and bursts out in laughter as my younger self pounces into the frame, tugging Jace along with me.

“Man, babe, you were so adorable! All my buddies and I would watch your videos all the time.” Henry smiles brightly, still watching the video and I’m about to start laughing again when a dark cloud blocks the sun. I frown at the sudden chill at my back when Henry notices it as well.

“Oh, hey man!” Henry beams at whoever is blocking out the light and my stomach twists as the smells of cedarwood and vanilla storm my senses.

Fucking Hell—

“Hey, Princess.” Blake ignores Henry and plops down beside me, slinging his arm around my shoulder. I suppress a smile at Blake just as Henry begins to speak.

“Like I was saying babe, you should definitely do the editing if they’ll be anywhere as good as this right here” I stiffen as Henry chuckles, completely unaware of the storm brewing in the man beside me.

“Is that so, baby? You good with your hands?” Blake asks, his voice laced with a flirty lilt as he looks down at me, his eyes dark.

I gulp, letting his words register fully before chuckling breathily. “Um…”

“Oh, she’s amazing—”

“I know.” Blake cuts Henry off mid-sentence, face completely devoid of emotion and it's then that Henry fully grasps that Blake isn’t being friendly.

Henry, bless his heart, smiles amused. “I’ll…Uh… I’ll see you around, babe.” He chuckles, gathering up his things and breakfast before giving me a small kiss on the cheek.

The action doesn’t go unnoticed by the brooding male beside me—Blake frowns at the kiss and folds his arms over his chest.

“See you around, Hen!” I beam back and try my hardest to fight off a laugh as Blake’s mouth drops in my peripheral vision. I mask my smile and bite my lip as I gather my things as well, taking a sip of the peach tea I’d ordered.

“You okay, Lover Boy?” I ask as the walking storm cloud beside me follows me silently pouting.

“Oh, me? I didn’t think you cared since you were talking to Hen. ” He pouts.

“Did you have a reason for interrupting our meeting, or are you just in the mood to walk beside me while you pout?”

Blake groans from behind me before sidling next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. His hold is warm and protective as we stalk toward the quad where a few students are seated with their computers.

“I originally was going to call you but after seeing you sitting with Ricks, I decided to just talk in person. Besides, I know you missed seeing my handsome face,” he teases, twirling the end of my ponytail between his fingers. I pretend to be annoyed by the action, but I secretly love the attention he’s giving me, so instead of pushing him off, I let him continue.

“Obviously,” I muse.

“You coming to Jace’s birthday?” he asks me, coming to a halt in the middle of the quad, looking down at me.

I crinkle my nose at his abruptness, I hate being the center of attention regardless of if there’s only five other people around. Tugging Blake over to the large oak tree just a little bit away from the center of the quad, I turn to face him.

“Of course, I’m coming to the party that I planned.” I can see the mental fist pumps he’s doing as his eyes sparkle with his eagerness .

“It’s a Halloween party baby, so you know what that means.” He smirks bending down a little to match my height. I frown, I’m not that damn short. I am the average height of most American women, but Blake makes me seem like a garden gnome in comparison to his large frame.

“What?” I raise a brow at him.

“The freaks come out to play.”

That’s not… that’s not the saying. “I thought the saying was the monsters come out at night?” I scrunch my nose unknowingly and mentally slap myself when I realize it.

“I can be a monster, too, but they’re less sexy.”