Worth the Chance (Watertown University #2)

19. Eliza

Chapter 19

Eliza

I cannot believe that just happened. Not only was it totally unexpected it was also the best I’ve ever felt and that was just from his touch. I also feel incredible knowing that just myself with my hands on him was enough to make him go off. Sam was a complainer. Said he couldn’t come with just my hand or with a condom on. I always made him wear one nonetheless but god, that just showed me what true chemistry feels like. Trust me, I don’t think Garrett is going to fall in love with me now or anything but it definitely holds future partners chemistry to an entirely new level.

“What are you smiling about?” Mia zips up her overnight bag.

“Nothing.”

“Did my evil plan work?”

“Your evil plan?” I feign innocence. I knew what Mia was doing when Garrett showed up at my door but I do also know she has a hardcore crush on Bryan. “It totally did!” She shrieks. “You’re blushing!”

I zip up my bag and then grab the nearest pillow and chuck at her. “Shut up.” She just laughs, throwing the pillow to the side.

“So you guys finally hooked up? Was it a home run?”

“Kind of…” I think about how much information I want to divulge. “Home run, for both of us, but not a grand slam.”

“Home runs are very good, El. Especially if you both got one.”

“How about you, little miss ‘I need to go get ice.’”

“Oh, grand slam, what’s the hockey equivalent of a grand slam?”

“I honestly could not tell you.” We both dissolve into a fit of laughter as we make our way out of the hotel and to my car. The boys’ bus left about thirty minutes ago and now it’s our turn to get on the road. The drive back to campus should be about three hours but we found a gluten free bakery about an hour into the drive so we plan on stopping there as well.

Mia puts on ‘road trip playlist #1’ and we head off. Autumn is in full swing and the leaves are a variety of colors. The reds and oranges against the blue backdrop make for stunning views as we wind down some back roads and then on to the open highway. We pull off just as the state line turns from Vermont back to Massachusetts. The little bakery we found is quaint and charming. It’s giving hipster vibes for real with the dark colors and moody lighting.

I order a hazelnut latte and a chocolate chip muffin, Mia orders an americano and a blueberry muffin. Outside we pick one of the picnic benches to sit and enjoy our treats. Winter will roll in before we know it and I want to take advantage of the sun and not having to be bundled from head to toe while we can.

“So are you and Bryan like dating now?” I ask between bites of my muffin.

“Nah,” Mia shrugs, “it was just a hookup.”

“Is that all you want it to be? ”

“I don’t know. He’s really handsome, seems like a decent guy but I don’t know much about him besides that he’s great in bed. We’ll see if anything happens.” I nod. It makes sense. Bryan does seem like a really nice guy but I also don’t know much about him. “What about you, are you guys dating now or what?”

“Well, we are already dating.”

“You know what I mean El,” she rolls her eyes, “like for real?”

“No we’re not. We agreed to keep it fake. You know how he feels about dating.”

“I don’t buy it.”

“Don’t buy that we’re not dating?”

“No, that he doesn’t do love. That’s such a weird thing to be opposed to.”

“I’m sure he has his reasons.” Mia just hums in response as we finish up our breakfast before getting back on the road. We continue our road trip back to Watertown blasting early 2000’s music and singing at the top of our lungs. I’m so grateful that Mia came into my life. I was so scared I wouldn’t make any friends here. After my friendship with Ivy ended I’ve struggled to find lasting friendships.

A lot of it is my own fault, being scared of putting myself out there and thinking my issues would keep people from wanting to hangout with me. But Mia and honestly, Garrett too, are showing me that just being myself, differences and all is more than okay.

“Hey, wanna go out on Thursday?” Mia turns down the radio.

“Out? Out where?”

“House party. It’s Halloween and there’s a party off campus at the football house.” We pull up to Mia’s dorm for me to drop her off.

“Uh…” I contemplate it for a second. I’ve never been to a co llege house party before but there’s a first for everything, right? “Yeah, sure.”

“Great! Want to go shopping this week to find costumes? I’m thinking of being Cinderella but I don’t want a costume store costume, more like something you kind of put together yourself.”

“Yeah, how about Tuesday?”

“Works for me!” We hug over the center console.

“Thanks for coming with me this weekend.”

“Anytime, El.” She hops out of the car, grabbing her overnight bag from the back seat, waving as she heads inside.

Ten minutes later I’m pulling up at my house, ready to relax. Not that today was hard but driving really can take it out of you. That and other events. Speaking of other events, I feel my cheeks heat at the thought of seeing Garrett again. Are we going to discuss it or just pretend nothing happened? When we were done with our… activities, Bryan had called Garrett and told him he was safe to come back up to the room which killed the bubble we were living in for those few moments. I’m not really sure how to approach this situation so I think following his lead is the best. Taking a deep breath, I steel myself ready for whatever awaits me inside.

“There you are.” Garrett’s sitting on the couch when I walk through the front door. “I was getting nervous. I didn't think you guys left that much later than us.” He gets up and meets me in the entryway.

“We didn’t but we stopped at this gluten free bakery I found.”

“Oh, that’s good. How was it?”

“It was pretty good.”

“Probably not as good as your baking.”

“Well not to brag but my chocolate chip muffins are superior to theirs.” I laugh. Their muffins were actually good but a little drier than I usually make mine .

“So what’re you up to for the rest of the day?”

“Not much. I need to do some homework but then I’ll probably just watch some tv or something.”

“Cool, cool. Would you maybe wanna watch that show you had on last night, later?”

“You want to watch Love Island?” My eyebrows shoot up and I can’t help but chuckle.

“Yeah, it was pretty good.” He shrugs. “I’m invested now.”

“Okay,” I check the time on my phone. It’s almost three now and my homework will probably take me a couple hours. “How about around six?”

“It’s a date.” He smiles almost sheepishly and then heads back to the couch as I head upstairs to unpack.

Unpacking takes all of five minutes, even an over packer like me can only pack so much for one night away. I grab my laptop and head to the window seat in my room that overlooks the backyard. Time to try and understand this freaking accounting class.

Three sighs of frustration, two contacts taken out, and one headache later I officially gave up on my attempt at studying anymore. I finished the actual homework assignment but we have a test coming up that I’m less than confident in. It’s almost six so I head downstairs just now realizing how hungry I am.

As I head down the stairs, I’m greeted by the smell of something slightly spicy and delicious. I practically sprint down the stairs and to the kitchen. I need whatever it is in my stomach immediately. When I get to the kitchen Garrett stands on the other side of the peninsula arranging a bunch of different little bowls containing a variety of ingredients from what looks like homemade salsa to shredded cheese.

“Did you make tacos?”

“I did.” He looks up at the sound of my voice. “I hope you’re hungry. ”

“Starving.” Garrett offers me a plate and lets me assemble my own shells. I grab four hard shells but then think about it… will Garrett think that’s too much? I nonchalantly put one back.

“Why are you putting that back?”

“Uh, four is a lot.”

“Four is not a lot, El. Plus you said you were starving.” I offer him a soft smile as I return the taco shell to my plate. We both pile on the toppings and bring our dinners to the living room. Luckily we have one of those fancy coffee tables that lifts up and is basically like a real table at your couch.

We get engrossed in Love Island as we eat. It’s an old season that’s on streaming but I haven’t seen it before as I just got into the show last year and it’s been out for like ten years or something. Once we’re done with dinner we pause the show to clean up.

“So what are the chances of you whipping up something sweet?” He flashes me a smile that has my knees buckling. God he’s handsome.

“I can do that.” I pull open our pantry looking at the ingredients. “Hmm. How about chocolate chip cookies? Those are easy and don’t take long.”

“Sounds incredible.” I get to work on the dough right away, expecting Garrett to wander off to the couch or back to his room but he sits at the counter watching me as I work. “How’d you learn all these recipes?”

“The internet, cookbooks, you know the usual.” I pop a shoulder as I mix the dough. “Some recipes I found were gluten free, some weren’t and I figured out how to make them that way. The past year or so though I’ve been trying to create my own recipes or at least a fresh take on classics.”

“You’re really talented, you know.”

“Thanks.” I can feel the heat hit my cheeks. “It’s nothing though, just lots of practice. You’re the talented one. The way you glide across the ice is amazing Garrett. You’re so confident.”

“Thanks. That is also just practice.” He chuckles.

“Did you grow up playing?”

“I started when I was eleven, learned to skate when I was seven though.”

“What made you want to skate?”

“My sister actually.”

“I didn’t know you had a sister.” I look up from where I’m forming the dough into balls.

“I did. She passed away when she was eight, I was ten.” A faraway look takes over Garrett’s face.

“I’m sorry.” The words come out in a half whisper. Eight? That’s so young. I can’t imagine losing one of my brothers. I wonder if this has anything to do with his whole not doing love thing?

Garrett offers me a gentle smile and I return to the task at hand. I finish lining the baking sheet and popping the cookies into the oven. Twenty minutes later we have a dozen semi-cooled cookies. I serve us each a plate and turn back on the episode we were watching.

As the episode comes to a close I decide I should probably tell Garrett about my plans for the week, fake couple thing and all.

“Hey, so Mia invited me out on Thursday.”

“To where?” He raises an eyebrow.

“A house party, she said the football house.”

“And you’re going?”

“Yeah, I think so. It’s Halloween and I think it could be fun to dress up.” He makes a noise that sounds like a grunt to my statement. Okay, then.

“I have a late practice Thursday, until ten.”

“Okay, well you don’t have to go. I just wanted to let you know. In case anyone’s wondering where your girlfriend is.” I exaggerate the sentence. I don’t think anyone would care really but it’s also good to have someone know where you are on a night out.

“What are you dressing up as?”

“I think Rapunzel. Mia is doing Cinderella and I like the princess idea.”

“That’s very you.”