Authors: Senayda Pierre
"Thank you Diego... for everything" Carina gushed as she hugged her big brother. Their parents had given their tearful goodbyes and now Carina and Diego were heading to separate departing gates.
"Anything for you mu
ñeca. Don't hesitate to call me. You know I love you best." Diego smiled his brilliant smile as he kissed his sister on the forehead. They weren't related by blood but he'd do anything for her. She was one of the most important women in his life.
Diego disappeared in the crowd. Carina wiped her tears and scolded herself. They'd see each other again soon enough. Winter break was just around the corner. She sat by herself while she sipped a small mocha. She'd missed several calls and texts in the last 24 hours. She'd made the most of her time with her family. Her friends would have her once again in a matter of hours.
Carina texted Desirae and Jaxon as she boarded the plane. She wasn't sure how she felt about her return to campus. She hadn't missed Jaxon as much as she thought she should've but perhaps Diego was right... Was she really giving the relationship her all or was she just waiting for Jaxon to fuck up? Valentino complicated everything. Those roses were a constant reminder of him. She took a picture of the gorgeous bouquet to "have" them with her as she returned.
Carina watched as people disembarked. She couldn't believe the flight was already over. She took a deep breath and exited the plane. Carina looked around the terminal. Families reunited. People held up signs with names. Carina didn't see any familiar faces. Dark clouds threatened to ruin her wonderful trip. She refused to wallow in sadness. Carina stepped away from the baggage claim area debating whether or not to call a cab. She hadn't heard from either Jaxon or Desirae. She wanted to think it was because they were also returning to campus but Jaxon had never left town. She was sure Desirae had returned already too. Why hadn't they returned her texts?
Carina stared at her phone. She debated calling someone with a car but Carina wasn't sure if just anyone was willing to give her a ride back to campus. She didn't want to call Emile or Fabien but she didn't know too many others that had reliable transportation. Carina bit her lip as she scrolled through her phone. She paused by Andrea's name. They'd become chummy enough in the last few weeks. Wasn't she able to call in a favor?
Carina's nerves tingled with recognition. She smelled the subtle yet familiar cologne before she saw him. "Andrea... good choice... but I like to think that I'm a better one." The velvety voice greeted her.
Carina smiled at Valentino. She most certainly hadn't expected to see him at the airport. He was a welcome surprise. "Are you also just returning Mr. DeLuca?"
Valentino nibbled his lower lip. Carina squirmed beneath his heated gaze. "No Ms. Lobos. I'm here specifically for you."
Carina attempted to reign in her surprise. First flowers and now he was picking her up at the airport... Where had she missed the memo? "I'm guessing your sources disclosed my travel itinerary." She lightly teased. Carina allowed the generous gesture to overpower any guilty feelings she might've felt.
Valentino extended his arm so Carina could walk with him. He didn't allow her to fuss as he grabbed her suitcase. The black SUV was once again waiting at the exit. Valentino escorted Carina into the vehicle. Carina grabbed her purse tightly. Valentino's close proximity drove her needy body insane. His presence was intoxicating. Although Jaxon was sexual he didn't hold a candle to the power that Valentino exuded.
"So tell me gorgeous" Valentino whispered caressing her cheek. "How was your trip?"
Carina bit her lip as she looked at him. Damn he was breathtaking. Carina loved his dark features. Her eyes lingered over his business suit. She'd only ever seen him in a suit... or naked. Never an in-between. Damn she wanted to see an in-between.
Carina beamed with joy as she told him about the time she spent with her family. Carina showed him the picture of the roses he sent. Valentino looked immensely pleased to see that she'd captured their image. Carina reciprocated by asking about his holiday. Valentino shared with warmth in his eyes and voice. Although the sexual tension was there, they kept their respectable distances and amicably chatted.
"Are you hungry?" He asked. Carina looked at the time. She had a lot to do before classes resumed.
"I'm more tired than anything else" Carina confessed. She was hungry but her exhaustion superseded the need for nutrition. "Rain check" she offered. She wouldn't refuse an opportunity to dine with this man... purely platonic of course.
Valentino nodded before grabbing her hand. He kissed her knuckles as the car stopped at the front of the dorm building. "Call me and we can arrange anytime... anyplace."
"Thank you Valentino" Carina whispered. She kissed him goodbye on the cheek. Her lips made contact closer to his mouth than his cheek but neither were complaining. Carina grabbed her suitcase and purse and exited the SUV before something more happened. He hadn't asked about Jaxon but Valentino must've known. Otherwise why wouldn't he have offered to take her back to his place?
Carina trudged up the stairs exhausted but content. So much had happened. She had so much to look forward to... Carina texted Diego and her parents letting them know that she'd arrived safely. She still hadn't heard from Desirae or Jaxon. Carina fell into a restful sleep.
Carina awoke to her roommate's soft snores. She hadn't heard Desirae come in during the early morning hours. Carina bit her lip somewhat irritated. Desirae smelled like alcohol and cigarettes. Had she been clubbing all night and not bothered to get her roommate from the airport? Carina had gotten back at a reasonable hour knowing that Desirae liked to go out.
Regardless... Valentino had been there for Carina. Maybe it was best that way. Carina quietly unpacked and got ready for the day. She took a load of laundry to wash as she caught up on some reading assignments. Carina purposely left her phone behind. Her irritation hadn't left her yet and she was puzzled about the lack of communication between her supposed boyfriend and roommate. Jaxon was MIA but no big surprise there. Carina didn't know what to expect from him.
Carina finished her laundry and returned to an empty dorm room. She checked her phone and noticed several missed calls. Carina's stomach growled reminding her to eat. She headed to the student union wondering who she'd find. Some of her friends were milking the break for as long as possible while others were back to their Sunday routine. Carina wasn't sure which one her little group fell into. It was like they'd all fallen off the grid last night.
Carina spotted her roommate sitting alone. She still looked hung over. Carina grabbed a tray of food and quietly approached. It was the first time she'd ever she felt unsure of just plopping herself down. "Is this seat taken" she inquired.
Desirae startled. Her eyes widened at the sight of her roommate. Carina's face scrunched in confusion as she saw a range of emotions cross her roommate's face. Before she could ask what was wrong Desirae threw herself at Carina.
"God I am so sorry" Desirae spluttered.
"About what" Carina asked still confused.
"Facing Diego's wrath alone... I can't begin to imagine!"
Carina quickly caught up with her distressed roommate. She hadn't updated Desirae about their conversation in the garden. Carina consoled Desirae as they sat down to eat. She told her bestie about her heart-to-heart with her brother.
"OMG, you told him about the Halloween bash!" Desirae's jaw almost hit the table.
"I didn't have much choice" Carina muttered. She continued as she saw Desirae's confusion. "I guess you haven't seen Club 69's website?" Desirae shook her head. "Let's go see it together roomy."
They walked back to their room and logged onto the computer. Carina showed her the pictures and stopped at the picture of her, Valentino and Sati.
"Damn you three look fucking hot." Desirae gushed. "I might've joined too" she teased.
Carina laughed. The picture depicted sexual anticipation at its finest. "I wouldn't be surprised if Valentino framed this one." Desirae gloated. Carina shook her head in disbelief. Valentino had the pick of the litter. Two college girls shouldn't make his hall of fame.
Carina saw the sadness in Desirae's eyes. "You've somehow managed to avoid telling me about your break... I'm ready to listen when you're ready to talk." Carina offered. She wanted to press but knew she had no right.
"Soon...." Desirae quietly replied. "Be patient with me." Carina nodded in quiet understanding.
"Is that why you stood me up?" Carina asked. It bothered her that Desirae hadn't even responded to her text at all. "I had no ride home last night."
Desirae looked devastated. "Jaxon texted that he was going to go pick you up."
Carina's eyes widened. She hadn't heard from him at all in the last few days. "Well somehow Valentino got wind of my travel plans and picked me up."
"For real" Desirae squealed. "First flowers then personal transportation services.... Any snooky-snooky on the way here?"
"No..." Carina scolded. "I will not be a hypocrite. I'll play the field when I'm no longer in an exclusive relationship."
Desirae said nothing. Her head quickly turned away. Carina narrowed her eyes at her roommate and closest friend. "What Des?" She demanded.
"You know I don't gossip. You want to know go straight to the source."
"The source being who" Carina practically hissed. Oh this shit was going to get old real quick. One fucking week and the gossiping ninnies were out in full force.
"Apparently Jaxon was pissed that you didn't spend any of your break with him and went clubbing. Chelsea
claims
that she finally got that one-on-one attention from him that she'd been asking for."
Carina's first response was to say,
what a fucking bitch
.... But really who was to blame here? And was Carina really going to just automatically believe the rumors?
"Diego doesn't like Jaxon" Carina tentatively began.
"No fucking joke" Desirae scoffed. Carina held her hand up to stop her roommate from spewing more unflattering opinions.
"But he pointed out that I'm not being fair to him. Either I have to genuinely give Jaxon a chance and give more of myself or bow out. But its shit like this that makes me hesitant to give him anything more than my body or
time
like Diego says."
"Damn, Diego said all of that." Desirae asked in wide-eyed wonder.
"Yep and I hate to say that he's right. Jaxon's begged me to give this relationship a chance but have I really? We've gone on dates. We're seen everywhere together. We have phenomenal sex. But is there anything more to our relationship?" Carina looked out the window. Where had the time gone? "But the biggest revelation this week was that I missed you more than I missed him."
"I sure as hell hope so" Desirae bitched. "Chicks before dicks!" They laughed hugging each other.
"Really Des... when the roses arrived I was completely floored. I thought 'wow, Jaxon is actually capable of more'..."
"Only to learn they weren't from him" Desirae interjected.
"Precisely" Carina mused. "Then the roses made me think of Valentino. Here it's been almost a month since I last saw or spoke to him and yet he sent me flowers on Thanksgiving Day. Then he called to make sure I received them. Add the fact that he personally picked me up from the airport and now I'm all confused. He said he 'saw' Sati before she left to see her family. Did that make him think of me? Or had he already been missing me and seeing Sati just tipped the scales enough for him to reach out to me..."
"It's your golden pussy" Desirae deadpanned. Carina howled with laughter. They gasped for air as the tears rolled down their faces.
"Did you tell Andrea about the New Year's invite?" Carina asked once they composed themselves.
"Figured we do it at dinner tomorrow. The crew will be there." Desirae shrugged. There was no rush. New Year's was still a few weeks away.
The day sucked major ass. Carina's first two classes were overshadowed with girls in class snickering and taunting her. She didn't get the gist of their commentary but she knew it had everything to do with Jaxon and his overeager dick. Her biology lab was even worse. Emile looked at her with complete pity while Catherine gloated. Carina wasn't sure how she should feel. She wanted to get to the bottom of this bullshit but she couldn't until she talked to a few people. She didn't need or want everyone else's two cents.
Carina met up with Desirae as they approached the student union. "That bad of a day" Desirae asked as she looked at her best friend. The day had worn Carina down. She wasn't depressed but she sure as hell wasn't thrilled either.
"Do we have to enter through the front" she muttered. Desirae grabbed Carina's hand and approached the dining hall from a side entrance. They attempted to be as inconspicuous as possible.
Desirae grabbed their meals as Carina surveyed the tables. Jaxon and his entourage were still nowhere to be seen. Carina and Desirae were the only ones missing from the table. Carina watched as Chelsea rubbed her body while telling the group something. She imagined that Chelsea was sharing her 'I've now joined the Jaxon fucked me too' club. Carina took a deep breath and approached the group. Desirae followed closely behind and placed their trays on the table.
"There she is" Chelsea beamed. "We need you to clear the air."
"About what" Carina asked with feigned indifference. She tilted her head waiting. Carina didn't miss the hush that fell upon their immediate area as she spoke with Chelsea.
"Are you or are you not with Jaxon?" She haughtily asked. Chelsea looked around ensuring they had everyone's attention.
Carina smirked. "Is he here with me right now?" Chelsea looked confused. Carina knew she avoided answering the question directly but she too needed answers. Jaxon didn't usually dine with her at the student union. He was after all a junior.
"Well then... I'm sure you've heard about my good time with him then."
"I've heard" Carina continued to feign indifference. She saw Desirae turn her head but she didn't make eye contact with her roommate. "But I prefer to hear the dirty details from you. Perhaps we can share stories."
"Oh I'm sure I don't have as much to tell as you do." Chelsea visibly deflated. Carina couldn't believe that this girl acted like it was no big deal. "I ran into Jaxon Friday night at Club Sol. We danced the night away. I had like three orgasms right there on the dance floor. No fucking joke, that man is amazing with his hands!"
"You let him fuck you on the dance floor?" Carina asked visibly disgusted.
"Wait, why aren't you in tears?" Emile demanded.
"Hell why isn't she shocked" someone else muttered.
"Are any of you surprised?" Carina demanded. "Did I miss where I professed my undying love to him?" She was beyond pissed now. The whole fucking place was waiting with baited breath to see her fall apart. It still didn't excuse Chelsea's actions.
"Tell me Chels. Was this before or after you confirmed that Jaxon was single."
The table looked at Chelsea wide-eyed and weary. "Not cool" one of the guys taunted. "I thought it was chicks before dicks with ya'll."
"Apparently not when it comes to Jaxon Wright" Fabien quietly replied. He hadn't gloated about this revelation but he also wasn't going to comfort Carina. She knew what she was getting into when she attempted this so-called relationship with Jaxon.
"Shows over" Desirae snapped. "Let's eat at our place roomy. Fuck the invite."
"Wait, what invite?" Andrea wailed. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"We'll talk to you later" Carina replied quietly. She gathered her stuff and walked out the door knowing that all eyes followed her. "This was why I didn't give my heart."
"I know bebe.... I know..." Desirae softly replied. Nothing more needed to be said. Jaxon's absence was condemning enough.