“Intimate?” he asked.
“Yes. I feel like I drift off to this dark place within me, and I’m trying so hard to push it away. To let light in…but I can’t. And the harder I try, the more it keeps appearing in nightmares. I don’t know what to do, and I’m scared. And I know I need to tell Hunter what happened. I can’t keep expecting him to hold me while I cry and not give him a reason for why I’m crying.”
I abandoned my fight to hold back the tears when Aiden got up, walked around his desk, and sat down next to me. He took my hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Have you ever spoken about what happened to you?”
I shook my head so fast, Aiden was nothing but a blur for a moment. “Never.”
“Do you want to tell me what happened, Arabella?”
My chin trembled uncontrollably as I nodded. “Yes.”
“Take a deep breath in. That’s it. Now exhale…and start when you’re ready.”
I did as he said. I closed my eyes and went back to that awful moment, almost ten years ago to the day.
“So we’re all in agreement about everyone’s part for the project?” Sarah asked, looking around the study room.
“I am,” I stated and looked over at Colby Wilkins and Peter Smith. They both nodded. Colby smiled at me, so I smiled back and then focused back on Sarah.
“Everyone needs to have their part of the paper written and turned into me by the end of the day on Tuesday. Colby, is that going to be a problem? Don’t you start like football training again or something?”
Colby nodded. “Spring training doesn’t start for another few weeks. I’m good, don’t worry. I’ll have it to you, Sarah.”
She studied him, then smiled. “Do you need any extra help? You can swing by my place if you do.”
I had to force myself not to roll my eyes. Goodness, Sarah didn’t even try to hide the fact that she had the hots for Colby. A part of me wondered if she just wanted to hook up with him purely because of the fact that he played football.
One more semester dealing with this sort of thing. I couldn’t wait to be back in Boggy Creek and with Hunter all the time. My mind drifted off to thoughts of our last time together.
“What are you thinking about, Arabella?” Peter asked with a laugh.
“Whatever it was, it must have been naughty for you to blush like that.” Sarah winked.
I laughed. “Don’t be silly. It’s just hot in this room.”
The study rooms in this part of the library were all private and soundproof, which was nice when you needed a quiet place to read, but in the winter they could get toasty. Everyone nodded, and I noticed Colby staring at me.
Sarah stood. “Okay, then that’s all for today. Have a great weekend everyone—and Colby, if you change your mind, call me.”
Peter chuckled as he quickly stood, grabbed his bag, and headed for the door. “I’m outta here. I’ve got a frat party I need to prepare for. You gonna be there tonight, Colby?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
Sarah handed me a piece of paper with information for the slide presentation, since I was the one in charge of making it. “Thanks,” I said, starting to gather up all my things.
“Later, guys,” Sarah said as she slipped out.
Colby stood and walked over to the door and shut it.
I looked up at him and slid a notebook into my backpack. He was leaning against the door, smiling at me. I stopped what I was doing and stared at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
A sudden feeling of dread washed over me when he let his eyes wander down my body.
“You like wearing dresses, don’t you, Arabella?”
I swallowed hard and looked at my dress. “Um, it was an unusually warm day today, so I thought I’d wear one.”
He nodded and pushed off the door, making his way around the large study table. “Does your boyfriend know how much you want me?”
My eyes went wide while my mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t play dumb, Arabella. All the little smiles you give me. The way you dress in those tight sweaters and dresses. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you lick those luscious lips of yours all the fucking time. I’ve had dreams of your mouth around my cock.”
I took a few steps back, glanced at my cell phone in my purse on the floor, then focused back on Colby. “I don’t know what you mean, Colby, but I am very much in love with my boyfriend and not the least bit interested in you that way.”
The moment I saw his expression change, I knew my words were a mistake. Colby didn’t seem like the type of guy who liked women telling him they weren’t interested.