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Forbidden Obsessions (Deviant Desires of Bennington University #2) Chapter Eight 40%
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Chapter Eight

Olivia

“ M ia, put the fucking baseball bat down,” I exclaim, feeling like I’m trying to negotiate a hostage situation. Although I don’t condone violence, I gotta hand it to her for always having my back—even if it may end up in assault charges.

“So, help me, God, DeLuca, I’ll smash your fucking kneecaps in, right here, right now,” Mia says, unhinged. Tomas furrows his brows, silently pleading for help.

“He was with my dad, Mia,” I say, wedging myself between the two of them. Tomas holds his hands up innocently.

“Will he vouch for you, DeLuca?” she asks, lining herself up for a swing.

“Call him,” he says, his arms outstretched in exasperation. “You know what? Better yet, let’s all walk over to his office,” he shrugs, turning to leave. We stop as Vanessa saunters into the lab, choosing a seat in a secluded corner.

“Don’t fucking test me, DeLuca,” Mia warns, murder glinting in her bright blue eyes. I press myself closer to Tomas, turning to give Vanessa a saccharine smile. Her blue eyes lift to mine. Her trained smile falters slightly.

“Call him, Tomas,” Mia says, sternly. She watches expectantly as he finds Dad in his contacts and puts the call on speakerphone.

Dad barely has time for a greeting before Tomas starts, “Although it’s not her business, will you please assure Miss Pryor I was with you Saturday night?”

“Why?” James asks through the phone.

“She’s worried about Olivia,” Tomas says, looking between me and Mia.

“Ahh. Hi, Miss Pryor. I give you my word, Tomas was with me on Saturday. Thank you for your concern for my daughter,” Dad says with finality, a clear sign to drop the topic.

“Thanks, Dean Hamilton,” Mia says as Tomas hangs up the phone.

“Are you satisfied?” he bites out, folding his arms.

“Enough from the both of you,” I say with a subtle glance toward Vanessa.

“I’m just concerned,” Mia says, softer. She relents her grip on the wooden baseball bat. I admire how the cool, smooth finish feels against my palms.

“What?” I ask, realizing both Tomas and Mia are staring at me. Tomas purses his lips, biting back a smile.

“Just wondering if we need to leave you alone with the bat for a while,” Mia laughs.

“Keep it up,” I warn, swinging. “I played softball, you know.”

Tomas glances at my biceps. “I’d believe it. Now, give the lead psycho the bat back. I have a lab soon.”

“Fine,” I sigh. I hate leaving him in here with Vanessa, even knowing Dad has vouched for his disappearances. His eyes widen as I grasp his collar, pulling him against me, and claiming his mouth.

“I love you. Have a good class.” Vanessa pulls her eyes away too slowly. Her crimson lips press into a straight line. Feeling brazen, I nod to her. “Make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble, will you?” Her fists clench when I wink.

Mia and I are halfway through the door when she pauses. “Oh. You guys want to go to my sorority’s masquerade mixer next week?”

I glance at Tomas, gauging his reaction. He’s been trying to establish better boundaries.

“I’d love to, but I have a lot of assignments coming up in the next couple of weeks.”

Tomas studies me. “You can go be a college kid, Liv. You don’t need me involved in every aspect of your life.” He squeezes my shoulder. I know he’s right, but selfishly, I want him by my side for everything.

If I stay with Tomas, I’ll never have the quintessential college student experience. My boyfriend will be too old for tailgates and raging frat parties. He’s too old for them now. It could very well impact his career. Our relationship could have ruined it. In fact, by all accounts, it should have. We got lucky— very lucky.

“I know. It just makes me sad,” I tell him honestly. That’s a conversation for another time, though.

Mia looks at me with pleading eyes. She’s another area in my life that makes me feel guilty. I don’t spend enough time with her. We share some of the same hobbies, but I feel we’re drifting apart as I spend more time with Tomas. Sure, we pick up exactly where we left off, no matter the time frame we’ve been apart. I just feel like I’m not there enough for her.

“I’ll think about it.” I’m still hesitant to leave Tomas’ side. My mind instantly goes back to the fight with Nathan and how easily he could have been taken from me. I hate the phobia and wondering, if I leave him for class or something else, if I’ll ever see him again.

“Convince your girl,” Mia says as we walk out.

“You didn’t tell me you were planning an inquisition this morning,” I hiss.

“As you know, I’m not afraid of putting men in their place. I warned him to fuck around and find out when you two started dating. I’m willing to double down and continue the reminders.”

“I am vehemently against you assaulting my boyfriend, but for what it’s worth, Brent will always bail you out. He’s like, madly in love with you.” I laugh, glancing at my phone. I have an hour and a half before my next class.

“Brent? Who the fuck is Brent?” She looks at me like I have two heads.

My steps falter. “Bitch, do you have amnesia? Brent’s the one who saved me from Nathan at Spirit Weekend last September. His dad is Judge Adams. His dad is one of the most prominent judges in the county.”

“Oh, I know who you’re talking about. He’s not in love with me. I’ve met him like a total of three times,” she scoffs.

“You’re one-thousand percent his type. He asks whether you’re still with Matt every time I see him.” The second Matt’s name rolls off my tongue, a scowl sets on Mia’s face.

“I’m sorry I mentioned him,” I say softly. Once again, my friends are taking the back burner to my problems. I’m sick of being this fucking selfish. Half of the time, I don’t even realize I’m doing it. I hate burdening my friends, yet somehow, I manage to do it time and time again.

Mia waves her perfectly manicured hand. “Don’t be. We made our choices. I made mine. I’m fine,” she says brightly–too brightly. She’s overselling it.

“Mia Elizabeth Pryor, don’t you fucking lie to me. You don’t have to be fine . You can grieve. I know he means a lot to you.” I respect her wanting to stay single and have fun. Deep down, she knows she’s lying to herself. Will getting her to admit it change anything? I doubt it.

“Well, well, look who’s writing checks they can’t cash.” She whistles. My mouth opens, then closes. What can I say? Like I can read her about Matt, she can read me about, well, everything.

“You’re right.” My admission catches her off-guard. Mia and I get along well, since we have so much in common. The fact that both of us are stubborn to a fault is only the tip of the iceberg.

“I do have to tell you about something unrelated. Please don’t be mad,” she winces.

“Confess, my child,” I proclaim, holding the door open for Mia. The campus cafe is overrun with students. We order and circle the cafe, searching for a table.

Just as we’re about to abandon hope, a stunning redhead gets up. “Hey, Mia,” she calls brightly, beaming at her.

“Hi, Dagny. Are you coming to tonight’s meeting?” Mia asks, using her hand as a shield from the sun.

I can see Dad’s office from here. Should I go see him? Would he be honest with me? He can wait, I decide. I should go see him and Mom soon, though.

The rich sweetness in Mia’s friend’s voice draws my attention back to their conversation. I try to pretend I don’t feel awkward standing in while they talk. Instead, I pick at my haggard nails, in desperate need of an intervention.

“Yep—looking forward to it. Oh, you and your friend can sit here if you want. I was heading to my psych class. I’m Dagny, by the way,” she says with a shy smile.

“Olivia. I take it you’re one of Mia’s many sisters.”

“Yeah, I’m a junior. We love having Mia. Have you considered joining us next year?”

“Not my scene,” I say, shaking my head.

“Fair,” she laughs. “Maybe I’ll see you at our masquerade mixer. I hope.”

“Mia, you work faster than the devil.” I swat at her playfully with furrowed brows.

“I didn’t put her up to it,” Mia says, palms raised innocently.

“See? You should come,” she repeats emphatically. Her warm green eyes hold my gaze expectantly.

“Are you all like this?” I ask, shaking my head. “So pushy,” I tsk.

“Guess you’ll have to see for yourself.” She gives me a wry smile and shrugs. There’s an undeniable hint of mischief in her tone. I wonder what I’m getting myself into.

“I promise I’ll consider it,” I relent with a sigh.

“Good girl. You need some more fun in your life,” Mia says, flopping into one of the black leather chairs Dagny just offered up.

“I gotta run,” she says with a wave.

“Nice meeting you, Dagny.” As I pull out the chair, my eyes snag on the gray, tiled floor. I remember that scuff mark.

“What’s with the cheesy grin?” Mia asks, before taking a sip of her lavender latte.

“This table. This was the table Tomas and I sat at after I made the blowjob joke.” Time is a funny thing. While it feels like it was yesterday, it also feels like so much has happened since then.

“Sorry. What did you want to tell me?”

“I, uh, did something,” she says, chewing on her bottom lip. I sip my coffee, the bitter warmth comforting me, as I try to anticipate what she’s about to say. It’s unusual to see her this hesitant. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t adding to my fried nerves.

“I slept with Lex at the cabin this weekend.” She lowers her eyes as I watch her squirm.

“You don’t say.” Her eyes widen as my words register.

“You knew? Did Lex tell you?”

“I was a firsthand witness.”

“Oh, shit,” she mumbles as her cheeks turn rosy.

“I’m not sure why you even felt like it needed to be hidden. You two have had eyes for each other since you met.” Truthfully, I thought the three of them had already hooked up. Lex swore up and down that it hadn’t happened, though.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen, but…” Mia purses her lips, making it clear she has a secret.

“But what?” It may not be her secret to tell, but I saw it. The truth is going to unfold somehow. Might as well spill the tea now.

“Lex asked. She wanted to be with a woman because she thinks she may be a lesbian,” she whispers before taking another long sip.

“Makes sense,” I agree, nodding slowly. Lex and I were always close, but had never experimented. Our parents are so close, and hers are so overbearing. I can understand why she would be nervous about this getting out.

“She wanted to experiment before college, so there would be time to change room assignments if it was too awkward for us to be roommates.” Another wise decision on Lex’s part.

“I won’t say anything. She’ll tell me when she’s ready.” Mia hadn’t framed it as a secret, but I can tell it was weighing on her.

“Thank you,” she sighs, sinking back into her chair.

“Anytime. I’m still thinking about asking Tomas if I can move in with him,” I admit.

“You know we’ll miss you next year, but you can always come home.”

“Thanks, bitch. You’re a great friend,” I say with tears in my eyes.

“You, too, bitch.”

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