The List (3 page)

“What was that about?” I whispered to Cami.

She studied one of her perfectly manicured nails like it was in desperate need of repair. “What do you mean?”

Clearly she wasn't ready to share, which was her right, so I let it go. I understood the need to keep certain things private better than anybody.

Cami grabbed Ryan, who was busy chatting up Boobalicious. “Are we going or what?”

“We're going.” He swatted her away without taking his eyes off his friend. At least he was looking her in the eyes. “We're waiting for Chris.”

My heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be
Chris
Chris. Not the Chris I'd met just that afternoon. That would be insane. But a few minutes later the elevator door opened, and my heart went into double-time when
the
Chris stepped out.

Ryan stepped forward to give his friend a playful punch on the shoulder before Chris even had a chance to look around. “ 'Bout time,” Ryan said. “My hair's turning gray.”

Chris laughed, but before he could say anything Cami slinked up to him like a snake. My stomach dropped to the floor. “Hey, Chris,” she purred. “I hear we're neighbors.”

Chris chuckled and scratched his head, once again reminding me of that adorable Discovery Channel monkey. “Is that right? What room are you in?”

Cami grinned and batted her eyes. It was exaggerated, like a cartoon character trying to flirt. “Three fifteen.”

At that Chris blinked and his eyes narrowed. “Three fifteen? So your roommate is—”

Still smiling, Cami spun around to face me. “Right here. You know Annie?”

Chris's eyes finally landed on me. By that point my stomach was in knots and my face was on fire. I felt like everyone was staring at me. All I wanted to do was run, but my feet were rooted to the ground.

“We met,” Chris said, smiling wider.

The group was getting restless, especially Boobalicious, who was squirming around, adjusting her shirt constantly. Oddly enough, she kept pulling it down so more cleavage was visible, not less. Ryan gave the signal for us to move out and she smiled, immediately attaching herself to his side. Just like Cami, she was wearing insanely high heels. In fact, all the girls were except me. But even with my flats, I was taller than all of them.

“Is that Ryan's girlfriend?” I whispered to Cami as we headed down the street.

She huffed and waved her hand in the air, but Chris was the one who answered. “Amber? No way. She's not Ryan's type.”

“Don't all guys like girls like that?” The words popped out before I could stop myself and my cheeks burned.

Cami laughed. “No! Not the good guys. They like girls who are real. Right, Chris?”

“I prefer the natural look,” Chris said to Cami, but he was looking at me.

T
he bar we hit after dinner was insane; I'd never seen anything like it. There was barely space to walk across the room and getting up to the actual bar was almost impossible. Luckily, we weren't headed that way. The guys pushed through the crowd, headed in the opposite direction. I was clinging tightly to Cami's hand, trying to avoid coming into contact with too many sweaty bodies. I'd never been in a crowd this big in my life other than football games with my dad and brothers. It made me feel both terrified and exhilarated at the same time.

“This way!” Cami yelled. She let go of my hand as she ducked under the arm of a swaying guy wearing a shirt covered in palm trees.

I hurried forward, but before I could follow, the guy lowered his arm and it ended up around my shoulders. The second his moist skin touched mine, my legs stopped working and my heart went into overtime.

“Hey there,” he said, leaning toward me. His breath was stale and smelled like a cigarette that had been dropped in the bottom of a shot glass.

Almost gagging, I pulled back, but his arm tightened around my shoulders.

“Where you goin'?” he asked, moving closer.

“I'm trying to follow my friends!” I jerked my head back to get away from his funky breath.

His arm tightened around my shoulders and he tried to wink, but both his eyes shut instead of just one. I would have laughed if I could have gotten any air into my lungs. “Let me buy you a drink.”

“There you are, Buttercup!” Ryan was suddenly next to me. He extracted the drunken guy's arm from my shoulder and replaced it with his. “Thought we lost you.”

“Tease,” the drunk guy muttered, turning away from me.

My heart hammered against my rib cage and Ryan's arm tensed around my shoulders. He moved forward just a little like he was going after the guy. The drunk stumbled away and zeroed in on a new target.

Ryan relaxed. “You okay?” he yelled in my ear. My throat was too tight to get any words out, so I just nodded. “Cami says you don't go out much. You gotta be careful, Buttercup.”

He winked and steered me back through the crowd, keeping his arm firmly around my shoulders. Every time his bare arm brushed against the back of my neck, my face got hotter. It was stuffy in the bar, but that wasn't what was making my face warm and I knew it. I might not have had a lot of experience with guys, but I was perfectly aware of what was going on.

Cami and the others were sitting around a table in the corner. She was searching the crowd and her eyes were big and round. She pressed her lips together when she saw me and shook her head. “What happened to you?” she yelled across the table.

Ryan practically pushed me into a chair next to Chris before taking the one on my other side. Being sandwiched between the two guys made my knees knock together. I was thankful for the noise of the bar so no one could hear it.

“I just saved Buttercup from being accosted by a very drunk frat guy,” Ryan yelled. He put his arm on the back of my chair and winked at me. I had to dig my fingers into my legs to keep them from shaking.

Cami's eyes got bigger and she leaned forward. “Are you okay?”

“Buttercup?” Chris yelled.

Ryan squeezed the back of my neck and my scalp tingled. “Just a nickname.”

Chris frowned and his eyes went to Ryan's hand, still touching my neck. Cami shook her head. Boobalicious was giving me the evil eye and a few of the other people in our group seemed to be watching me closely too. I'd learned everyone's names at dinner, but I couldn't remember. Not with Chris on one side of me and Ryan on the other, and not with Boobalicious eyeing me like a wild jungle cat ready to pounce at any moment.

By that point my heart was pounding from all the attention, but I still hadn't spoken. Cami kept yapping on and on about drunk guys, telling me I had to be careful. Ryan was encouraging me to stick with him, so I didn't get overwhelmed. Chris was watching every move he made.

I was on sensory overload, so it was no surprise that out of nowhere I yelled, “Let's get some drinks!”

Ryan's dimple got deeper and he patted my back, but Cami frowned. I'd never had a drop of alcohol in my entire life, but I needed something to calm me down. Alcohol was a downer, right? It would help me relax. That was my train of thought, anyway.

“Mitch,” Ryan said, getting up. “Amber, you got an ID, right?”

Boobalicious nodded and flashed him a sultry look while climbing to her feet, once again adjusting her top. More cleavage popped out, but Ryan barely glanced at it. Mitch, however, was salivating. The three of them worked their way through the crowd to the bar and the absence of Ryan's hand on my shoulder helped return my brain to a somewhat normal level of functioning.

Until Chris leaned closer. He put his hand on mine—still under the table, gripping my leg—and his brown eyes swept across my face. “You sure you're okay?”

I laughed nervously and wiggled my fingers under his. “I'm okay. It was no big deal.”

He squeezed my hand and a shiver ran down my spine. It was very similar to the time I'd stuck a metal barrette in a light socket as a kid. Only amazing and terrifying instead of just terrifying.

“Stick with me. I'll look out for you.”

Chris grinned and so did I. My head felt light. Like it was full of helium and would float away at any moment.
This
was what I had been missing all these years.
This
was why I chose a college so far away from my dad. Just the thought made me giddy.

When Ryan showed up with the beer, I didn't even hesitate. I was ready for new experiences. The first taste made me cringe. I hadn't expected it to be so bitter.

Cami laughed. “First beer?”

I nodded and took another sip. It was still bitter, but it didn't surprise me that time, so I was able to swallow more of the amber liquid. “Never had the opportunity before.”

Boobalicious sneered at me. Ryan's arm wasn't on the back of my chair anymore, but she apparently hadn't forgotten—or forgiven. “Were you raised in a convent?”

“No.” Much braver than before, I took a big gulp and then a second before answering. “My dad is overprotective.”

Boobalicous rolled her eyes and muttered something I couldn't hear over the noise of the bar. Whatever it was, it made Cami narrow her eyes until they were tiny slits while Ryan sat up straighter.

“Knock it off, Amber,” Ryan said.

I wasn't really concerned. Chris's hand wasn't on mine anymore, but he had scooted his chair closer and was making a concentrated effort to include me in the conversation. Small talk wasn't usually my thing. The beer helped, though.

When my glass was empty another one magically appeared in front of me. My head already felt like a feather, but I drank it anyway. When Chris started wrapping my blond hair around his fingers, it made my head swim and my insides flutter like hundreds of butterflies were beating their wings, trying to break free.

“This was a nice coincidence,” Chris said.

He leaned forward to whisper in my ear and his breath tickled the side of my face. I shivered. Was he really and truly attracted to me? I couldn't believe it. I'd always suspected I was pretty. Mainly because I looked so much like my mom, and she'd been a beautiful woman. But I'd never been able to test the theory out before. Guys didn't pay attention to me. Four older brothers and an overbearing father had ensured that.

“This is fun.” The words came out a little too loud and I giggled. “Sorry,” I said quieter.

It still seemed too loud in my ears, and my cheeks lit on fire. My volume button must have been broken, because I couldn't quite get a handle on how loud I needed to talk to be heard over the chaos of the bar and still have a private conversation with Chris.

Chris laughed and went back to twirling my hair. “So, you were wearing a San Francisco 49ers shirt earlier. You like football?”

I went to take another sip, but frowned when I saw that my glass was empty. Bummer. “I grew up in a house with all men,” I said. “We went to the 49ers games because we were close to San Francisco, but my dad is really a Steelers fan.”

Chris put his hand to his heart in mock hurt. “The Steelers? No! I can't be friends with a Steelers fan!”

I laughed. This was territory I understood. Guys and sports were not a new thing to me. “Who do you like?”

“I grew up going to see the Falcons.”

I frowned, doing my best to make it look like I was disappointed in him. “The Falcons? They've never even won the Super Bowl!”

“Well, we can't all have the stellar record of Pittsburgh, now can we?” Chris tried to act like he was hurt, but he was grinning.

He watched me closely, and his brown eyes made my heart work twice as hard. Now was the time for me to think of something else to say, something that would keep the conversation moving along. But my mind was as empty as the beer glass in front of me. I took a deep breath and searched through the recesses of my brain to find something. What popped out surprised even me.

“My brother lives in Atlanta. We'll have to go to a game some time.”

The second the words were out, my eyes grew twice their size, but Chris just grinned. Had I just asked a guy on a date? No! That couldn't be right.

Chris's arm ended up on the back of my chair and he was playing with my hair even more than before. “Sounds like fun.”

My entire body was hot, and only part of it was from the humidity and alcohol. I didn't want to seem too eager or forward. Or put myself in a situation I couldn't control, so I blurted out, “We can get a group together.”

Chris nodded and disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he kept the smile plastered on his face. “That would be fun.”

Ryan poked his head in front of me. His cheeks were flushed and he grinned from ear to ear. The sight of Chris's hand on the back of my chair didn't even make him blink. “What would be fun?”

“We're talking about going to Atlanta sometime and catching a football game,” Chris said.

Ryan's mouth turned up, showing his dimple. “That does sound like fun. There's nothing I like more than watching the Falcons lose.”

Chris's arm disappeared from the back of my chair and he leaned forward, taking a playful swing at Ryan. His fist made contact with Ryan's chest and he reared back, knocking a glass over in the process. The amber liquid sloshed across the table and over the edge, covering my lap. I squealed like a little girl and jumped to my feet just as the guys both grabbed for napkins. They dabbed at my legs and Cami's shorts, touching areas on my body no one who didn't have an MD after their name had ever gone near. I swatted at their hands, but they couldn't quite register the fact that I wanted them to stop.

My face was hotter than lava by the time Cami jumped to her feet and yelled, “Guys!”

They both froze mid-wipe. I finally managed to wiggle away from their hands. Chris's face was bright red and adorable, but Ryan laughed.

“Shit, Annie, I'm sorry,” Chris mumbled.

I shook my head and backed away. Cami climbed over Mitch, who grinned and put his hands on her hips to help her, earning him a glare from Ryan.

“Hands off, asshat.” Ryan grabbed the salt shaker and tossed it at him. It hit Mitch in the head and bounced off, landing on the table, then rolling onto the floor.

Mitch chuckled and rubbed his forehead. He put his hands up. Ryan didn't crack a smile.

Cami waved Ryan away. “Forget it.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd. “Let's get you cleaned up.”

The crowd was less overwhelming after a couple beers, but Cami kept a firm grip on my hand this time. We managed to make it to the bathroom without incident. There was a line, but Cami pushed her way through.

“We're just using the sink!” she snapped at the grumbling girls, most of whom were only partially dressed, and swaying in their too-high heels.

Cami stopped in front of the sink and looked me over. “You're a mess!”

“Sorry about your shorts,” I mumbled. Now that we were away from the crowded bar, I started to wonder what had happened and if it was my fault. Did I knock over that beer?

Cami waved her hand. “Forget it.” She grabbed a handful of paper towels and ran them under the sink before thrusting them at me. “Just wipe yourself down so you don't end up all sticky. There's not much we can do about the shorts at the moment.”

I took the towels and wiped my legs and arms, then blotted at the white shorts. An ugly brown spot covered almost the entire front of my shorts. “It looks like I peed my pants.”

Cami let out a little laugh, but her arms were crossed over her chest and her hazel eyes narrowed on me. Her hair was still perfect and her makeup flawless, but my own reflection looked like a dirty, washed-out mess.

“So Chris seems awfully interested in you.”

Guilt twisted my insides when I remembered how Cami had flirted with him earlier. Had I overstepped some invisible line I wasn't aware of?

“I'm sorry,” I mumbled.

Cami tilted her head to the side and frowned. “Why are you sorry?”

“You were flirting with him earlier.”

She tossed her hair over her shoulder. How did she make that look so effortless and elegant? “I was just fooling around. Chris has been Ryan's friend for a long time. I'm not interested in him.”

I relaxed and kept blotting. It wasn't helping.

“Are you?”

I focused on the wet paper towel, so I didn't have to meet her gaze. The conversation was headed in a direction I usually steered clear of, but I considered taking a leap of faith and spilling my guts to Cami. “I guess.”