Bet in the Dark by Rachel Higginson
I also continued to monitor players for some of the upcoming games, the more suspicious ones. I learned something very important tonight, and that was my generation puts way too much of their lives posted on the Internet. I even had to go back and check through the last of my own genius-level posts. Did I really need to advertise to the world how much I loved coke from the soda fountain? No probably not. But still it was better than baring my innermost secrets for my entire friends list. Come on, people!
Like, maybe if you want to join an exclusive poker game, don’t complain to the entire internet world that you’re flat broke…. I just shook my head and crossed them off my list.
Denied.
This job gave me the false impression I wielded some kind of super power, but I just went with it. I was actually having fun.
When Fin went to the bathroom I checked his Facebook account and tried to see if I could get a girl over to the apartment while I was still here. I was excited to watch that play out and see firsthand how Fin would react.
Was I testing him?
Maybe, if I answered truthfully. But I argued to myself that it didn’t really matter because there was nothing between us and I didn’t want anything between us. I just wanted to be friends. And because we were just friends, if even that, I wasn’t testing, I was just kidding. This was just a practical joke.
Besides, it didn’t matter. There were no fish biting tonight. I clicked off as soon as Fin reappeared in the hallway and pretended to be watching the end of the last online game. There were only two players left, both trying to win the remaining hundred dollars.
“I think I’m done for the night,” I announced.
Fin had changed out of his jeans and t-shirt and into black sweatpants and a different faded gray t-shirt that stretched tight over his biceps and broad chest. Apparently he wore contacts, because he put on black, square framed hipster glasses too and his hair was more tussled than when he left. He looked adorable. Not really like the intimidating college senior I was used to seeing, now he was this comfortable but gorgeous friend and I wanted more than anything to curl up on the coach with him and watch a movie with the lights off.
Something was wrong with me. I was suddenly embarrassed that he was ready for bed and I was still hanging around.
Fin studied me from across the room, as if he were trying to solve an impossible puzzle. Naturally this made me extremely fidgety because I had no idea what he was putting together in his head. I stood up and started gathering my things, stuffing my phone into my backpack.
“You don’t have to go just because I changed,” Fin said and when I looked up at him I wondered if he realized he was blocking the front door, blocking my quick escape.
“Fin, you’re in your pajamas,” I laughed.
He made a sound in the back of his throat like I offended him, “I don’t really call these pajamas.”
“Well, whatever they are. You can just ask me to leave when I’ve out stayed my welcome. I’m just trying to help you out.” I stated obviously. I shouldered my backpack and moved across the living room.
“You haven’t,” Fin said quickly. “I mean, you don’t have to leave.”
I gave him a patronizing smile. Surely he had homework to do, or just wanted to be alone. We spent the last five hours together; even I was ready to get away from myself. “Don’t you have to get up early for your track workout?”
Ignoring me, Fin gestured to his couch, “We could watch a movie.”
I shivered involuntarily at the sound of his low voice and suggestion. He was just offering a movie, I had already started imagining him pinning me down on the couch and taking my mouth as hungrily as he had before.
It was time to go.
“It’s alright, we should probably try to avoid friendship as much as possible.” I shrugged.
Fin stayed quiet but in my way as he digest my words. The rugged planes of his face seemed to sharpen and his lips twisted into a dark smirk. His expression was sensual, pure sex, and I couldn’t even pretend not to be effected. I fell into it, mesmerized by this gorgeous boy that was focusing all his carnal attention on me.
“I think avoiding friendship between us is a good idea.” The innuendo was clear and for some reason that embarrassed me.
I wasn’t used to all this flirting. I felt like I could barely keep up with him. Teasing was easy, avoiding, ignoring and being rude, also easy; but trying to keep it together while he threw out sexy suggestions or blatantly made out with me was too much. I was way out of my league.
Besides, I didn’t trust that Fin wanted anything more than his money. He was just used to flirting, to more than flirting; he was used to girls who would give him whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it.
So, with all those thoughts tumbling around my brain I came back with a very witty, “Yeah, Ok.”
At least I didn’t snort. “See you Thursday, Fin.” I gave him a platonic smile that seemed to wipe some of the sex appeal off his face and tried to walk around him.
I took a step forward and Fin shocked me to death by pulling me into a hug. He murmured something against my hair, but I couldn’t make it out since my brain was still reeling from our close contact. Slowly I relaxed- after, I realized he wasn’t going to throw me up against another wall- and returned the hug.
His body responded immediately to my willingness and he pulled me closer against his chest. His arms wrapped around me, one tight against my lower back so that I had to lean up on my tippy toes and one across my shoulders. I felt tiny in his embrace, itty bitty compared to his long, muscled frame. But at the same time we fit together easily, like pieces of the same puzzle.
I shook my head against his neck, trying to get those thoughts of familiarity out of my head. For Fin, being anything but friends meant something entirely different to a girl like me. He was charming me, showing me bits and pieces of him I wasn’t emotionally ready to know. And at the end of this all I would be was a hot make out and an uncollected debt.
I gave myself five more sEconds in his arms, inhaling his aftershave and mouthwash. Embarrassingly I closed my eyes against the heady scent. God, this felt too good. But at the end of the five sEconds I wiggled out from his arms and just to put my own thoughts and feelings back where they belonged I punched his bicep.
Hard.
“Ow!” he groaned, as shocked as I was that I hit him.
I didn’t actually know why I hit him; I just needed to separate myself completely from the girl that was just wrapped up so contentedly in Fin’s arms, to the girl that just punched him. I was losing my mind.
I let out a nervous burst of laughter so embarrassed that I was such a social spaz. “Sorry!” I squeaked and let my head fall into my hands. My shoulders started shaking uncontrollably as I laughed hysterically at myself.
“Why did you hit me?” he demanded, but I could hear the amusement in his voice.
“I better go,” I ignored his question when I had finally gotten ahold of myself. “I’ll see you Thursday.”
“Are you and Britte going to run anymore in the mornings?” he asked while I stepped around him. Just three more feet to the door. I was almost there. “Because I like to do my workouts then. I could meet you. Jameson and Charlie don’t really like to run in the mornings. I could use a partner. Or, uh, partners.”
I gave him a double take. “Uh, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” he asked, but it was around more laughter.
“Fin, you’re in the height of your track season. I run off Ramen Noodle calories. There’s no way I would be that cruel to my self-esteem. I like to pretend I’m in pretty good shape.”
“I could run at your pace,” he insisted.
“Then it’s not much of a workout for you, is it?” he opened his mouth to argue that point but I cut him off. “Stop trying to spend time with me, it’s getting weird.” Which would have been totally believable if I wasn’t smiling at him.
“It’s only weird that you keep rejecting me!”
He was kind of right about that.
“Goodbye, Fin.” I finally reached the door handle and pulled. I thought I would be really excited to finally get to the door, but now I was disappointed to be leaving him. Especially now that he was being so cute….
“Wait, I’ll walk you to your car.” He started slipping on leather flip flops that were piled by the door.
“Don’t you dare!” Seriously, I had to stop this.
“But-“
“Seriously, if you even try to, I’m marking it down as overtime.”
He scowled at me as if my threat actually meant something and that’s when I realized there really was all this money in between us. I hadn’t been able to get it out of my head, but this was the heavy confirmation I was looking for. I didn’t know why he kept flirting with me, or insisting he wanted more than friendship. He didn’t. He wanted his money.
Money I didn’t have.
“Fine, Ellie,” he sighed, seeming resigned to the fact that he wasn’t getting anymore with me.
“Night Fin,” I smiled brightly at him, hoping to erase some of that bad attitude.
Instead of saying goodbye he pointed a finger at me and said, “Text me so I know you got home Ok.”
“Sure.” I took another step into the hallway.
“Ellie, I mean it. Text me or I’m coming over to make sure you got home alright,” he threatened.
“Fine,” I sighed. “I’ll text you.” Knowing this goodbye had dragged out long enough I turned on my heel and sashayed to the stairwell. I was as all poise and confidence and not once did I look back at Fin, even though my entire body was humming with awareness that he was watching me. I refused to let him see how much all his attention got to me, how my body thrummed like it was being turned on for the first time in my entire life. And not turned in the “ooh baby” way, but as in coming to life, like he brought me to life for the first time ever.
A flutter of panic rippled through my stomach when I realized this was only the middle of week two. I still had four more weeks left.
The panic subsided a little once I was safe and alone back in my own apartment. I closed and locked the door behind me, thankful for the peace and quiet once more. Tara left a million problems for me when she left, but she also solved a few too. I no longer had to deal with her for starters.
I set my backpack down and walked over to grab a glass for water. My cell phone dinged not a sEcond later and from the shot of nerves straight to my chest, I had a feeling who it might be.
I told you to text me when you got home.
Fin. Was he serious?
I was just about to. Lie. I literally just walked in the door. Not a lie.
And then I quickly added: Stop stalking me!
His response was immediate. Just protecting my assets.
I just rolled my eyes at you.
Goodnight, Eleanor Harris.
Goodnight, Finley Hunter.
Chapter Ten
“That was brutal,” Jameson declared as soon as Professor Maken wrapped up our shared Econ class on Wednesday.
“No kidding,” I agreed. My brain felt fuzzy after the information dump I just sat through. I didn’t know what I wanted to major in yet, although I knew I was running out of time to decide, but I did know that anything involving Economics was out.
I packed up my notebook, textbook and various other things and then slipped my backpack on both shoulders. Jameson was waiting on me when I was finished, so I led the way up the stairs and out of the classroom.
I was not at all used to being friends with Jameson. Fin was hard enough to handle. Now I had Jameson wanting to sit by me every class and following me around after. It was bizarre. I just wasn’t used to having a whole lot of friends in general, let alone popular, hot, seniors that could probably be anywhere else but with me. Girls and guys stopped to talk to him on our way through the building. He nodded his head and said hello, but stayed with me until I reached the sidewalk outside.
I ducked against the constant drizzle and biting wind of the spring afternoon and headed toward the student union without really giving Jameson much instruction. He followed and I didn’t know what to think.
Running through the rain, didn’t give us much opportunity to talk though until we were inside the warmth and dryness of the student union. Shaking out his dark auburn hair he flashed me a perfect smile from underneath his shaggy hair.
“This weather sucks,” he groaned. “It’s supposed to stay like this all week and we have all day practice tomorrow for the meet.”
“Oh, you guys have a meet this week?” I asked, flipping my own damp hair over my shoulder. I was regretting my outfit today. In an effort to dress less missionary I wore a pair of black leggings and a royal blue tunic-style tank top that landed just below my hips that I borrowed from Britte. I had a long gray cardigan that covered half of my ass, but now that I was damp and soggy my clothes were clinging to me uncomfortably.
Jameson was in the middle of texting so he took a moment to finish and send before he answered me. “Yes, it’s a five day-er. Going to come show us some support?” He waggled his eyebrows and I laughed at him.
Britte walked over from our regular table and joined us. “Hey,” I greeted her. I was actually supposed to just meet her, but now I wasn’t really sure what to do with Jameson or how to get rid of him. “Jameson wants to know if we’re going to support him at his meet this week.”
Britte laughed before she could stop herself. “Sure, that sounds like us.”
“We could make posters,” I suggested, shooting her a devious smile.
“And t-shirts!”
“And sit in the front row!” I laughed harder.
“We could even do that thing, where people clap their hands and jump up and down and….” Britte trailed off pretending to be confused.
“Cheer?”
“Yes, we could cheer!” Britte ended on a high-pitched squeal and we both burst into laughter.
“So, you guys just hate organized sports or what?” Jameson asked, not at all entertained by us.
“We’re just kidding,” I shot him a smile, hoping he would relax. “I go to every one of Beckett’s games whenever my parents are in town and they make me.”
Britte started laughing all over again.
“Yeah, but baseball is boring,” Jameson insisted.
And he was right. Baseball was boring, and it was definitely the worst of all my brothers’ sports. I enjoyed watching the actual game of tennis the most when Lennox played. I even liked playing tennis. But Grayson’s wrestling career was by far my favorite, for obvious reasons. Grayson excluded, I was not about to complain about watching sweaty boys wrestle around…. Beckett and baseball was something I endured, although I recognized that he was an incredible athlete and did the best job he could at making it exciting.
“Truth,” I agreed with Jameson.
“So you should try a meet, you might like it.” He was not going to give up on this.
“She ran track, J. The girl knows what a meet is like,” Fin’s rumbly voice in my ear caused me to about jump out of my skin. Gah. Jameson’s text message. Darn him.
“Traitor,” I mumbled at him crankily. He retaliated with one of his heart-stopping smiles. Fin won hands down in the perfect-features-overalls, but Jameson had amazing teeth and when he smiled his whole face lit up. It helped that his skin was flawless and whenever it heated with emotion or exertion it turned the most attractive shade of pink in just the high planes.
“We look out for each other,” he explained and I wanted to roll my eyes. But I didn’t. I’d already offended him by making fun of cheering for him and I didn’t think his ego could take much more.
I knew better than anyone that boys were sensitive.
Before I could come up with anything sarcastic to retort Fin put a heavy arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his side. I wiggled a little, uncomfortable with being so connected to Fin in public. Either my brother’s spies were g
“Where did you come from?” I asked, deciding not to make a big deal out of this. At least not yet. Besides, I was having a really hard time remembering why exactly I didn’t want to be tucked in to his warm side.
“Study group,” he said simply.
“Oh, which class are you having trouble in?” I had to ask. I had to! Fin failing at something might just be enough to make him appear human to me. And that could be enough to shake him off forever.
“I lead a study group for some math classes, but tonight’s was a statistics group.” He looked down at me, over the scruff of his beard and straight into my eyes, although I knew my chest was kind of on display from his position towering over me. It was the stupid wet, low cut tank top and he was staring into my eyes. Not fair. He was supposed to ogle me so I could resent him for his uncontrollable lust.
“Of course you do,” I grumbled. He just smirked down at me.
“You guys had Econ?” Fin asked with notes of possession in his tone that he wasn’t even trying to hide.
“Mmm-hmmm,” I allowed but then wiggled away from him. We were going to have to talk about this. Soon. Once free of Fin’s touch I said, “Alright guys, see you later.” I lifted my hand and waved at them but Britte grabbed it and forced it back down.
“Ellie,” she quietly squeaked.
“You ladies have plans this afternoon?” Jameson asked with a smirk.
“I have class later,” I said quickly. It was still hours away, but eventually I had class.
“Well, we were going to go grab lunch in the cafeteria, want to come?” Fin asked. His eyes were boring into the side of my head but I refused to look at him.
I let Britte answer with a casual, “Sure,” knowing she was holding back her excitement while I was fighting the dread pulsing through me.
And this time it wasn’t just Fin and the boundaries I was desperately trying to maintain between us. I also had to worry about running into Beckett, possibly even Grayson, although that was less likely. And the biggest concern of them all was the fact that I couldn’t afford it!