chapter 15

Hilary, Halloween and healing

            "Hey Harleigh!" Seth said as he came into my apartment.

            "We're out here!" I said, poking my head in from the balcony, waving. "Grab a beer and join us!"

            "Will do!" Seth yelled back, grabbing two Miller Lites from my fridge, before following Jared to join us.

            I was just about to introduce everyone, when I noticed Hilary and Jared staring at one another, mesmerized. I looked over them to Seth and winked.

            "Hil? If you can avert your eyes for a minute, I'll introduce y'all."

            "Huh?" Hilary asked, looking at me like a deer caught in the headlights.

            Seth and I laughed. Jared turned his gaze to the bay before we saw his cheeks turn red.

            "Hil, these delicious looking guys are Jared and Seth, my best friends down here. Y'all, this gorgeous girl is my best friend from home, Hilary," I said, grinning.

            "Hey!" Hilary said, snapping out of her trance. "It's so nice to finally meet y'all!" She gave them both hugs, lingering a few extrA seconds on Jared. Seth caught my eye and I shook my head and smiles. Love was in the air tonight!

            "So do y'all wanna go grab a bite to eat and a couple drinks?" I asked, breaking the silence.

            "Sure, but, Harleigh, we aren't old enough to drink in public," Hilary said.

            "Yes we are!" I said, reaching into my back pocket to hand her a fake I.D with a huge grin on my face.

 

           ......................

 

            "So..." Hilary said, nonchalantly as she rummaged through her suitcase, wearing nothing but a towel. "Does Jared have a girlfriend?"

            "No, actually, he doesn't," I said, going into my bathroom to take a shower.

            Seth, Jared and I decided to take Hilary to the Boiling Pot, our favorite restaurant and then to hit a couple bars downtown. The guys went to get ready and left us to do the same.

            Before I was even in the shower, Hilary was in the bathroom badgering me.

            "Do you think he likes me?" She asked.

            I laughed. I didn't mean to, but I couldn't help it.

            "Judging by the way y'all drooled over each other when y'all met, I'd say, yeah, he's interested."

            Hilary threw her brush at me just as I jumped into the shelter. I laughed again.

            "Seriously though, Hil. You're gorgeous. I'd start to wonder if Jared was gay if he didn't react to you," I said above the sound of the shower.

            "We will see...." Hilary said, skeptically. "So, what about you and Seth? Anything there?"

            "Nah, we're just friends. He's seeing someone anyway."

            "And? He's hot and you're single."

            "Nope, nothing. I wasn't lying when I said they were some of my best friends."

            "Well, is there anyone you have your eye on these days?"

            "There is this one guy in my Economics class that u study and have coffee with sometimes, but I don't know...."

            "What's his name? Is he hot? Will I meet him?"

            "Yes, very hot. His name is Matthew Langley and he is tall, dark and handsome. His dad is some oil tycoon over in Texas, and he is set to take over the company when his dad retires in a few more years."

            "Hot and rich? Well, what's wrong? Why aren't you dating him,mor at least banging him?"

            "I don't know," I said, rinsing the conditioner out of my hair. "I mean, I like him and everything but I think he only sees me as a friend. And, I don't know if I'm ready to date yet anyway."

            "Oh, Harleigh. If you aren't going back to claim Colt, you need to move on and start dating."

            "I know. I'll see him tomorrow, he's a KA, and see what's going on," I said, moving the conversation away from Colt. It was still too painful.

            "Okay. What are you wearing?"

            "Um, a pair of ripped up jeans with a tank top and a cardigan, and my rainbows, of course, it is supposed to be cool tonight."

            "Alright, I'll probably wear something similar."

 

            Just as we finished getting ready, Seth and Jared knocked at my door.

            "Come in!" I yelled from the bedroom.

            "Aren't y'all ready yet?" Seth asked, cracking open a beer. Good thing we were taking a cab.

            "Yeah," I said, coming out of the bedroom. "Where do y'all want to go?" I asked, taking the beer Seth was offering me.

            "Hop-" Jared started saying, but when he saw Hilary coming into the living room, he stopped and stared.

            "Hey Jared," she said, shyly.

            "Hey Hilary," Jared choked out.

            "Okay....." Seth said, rolling his eyes. "I called for the cab before we came up here, so we should go downstairs, it should it should be here any minute."

            "Sounds good. I'm ready," I said, grabbing my purse from the bar. "Y'all coming?"

            "Oh-uh...yeah," Hilary stammered. "Just let me grab my purse."

 

           .......................

            Supper was great, as it always was at The Boiling Pot. When we finished, we hailed a cab back downtown to Hopjack's.

            "Hey Harleigh," Steve, the bartender and one of my classmates greeted me when Hilary and I walked up to the bar.

            "Hey Steve. This is my friend, Hilary. She's down from ECU for the weekend," I said.

            "Nice to meet you, Hilary," Steve said, winking. 

            Here we go again.....

            "Likewise," Hilary smiled back.

            "So, what can I get you girls?"

            "I want a Long Island," I said, handing him a twenty.

            "Me, too. Put your money up, drinks are on me since you bought me dinner," Hilary said, smiling as she also handed Steve a twenty dollar bill.

            "So, how are you doing in Statistics?" Steve asked as he fixed our drinks.

            "Pretty good. I finally got caught up since I fell into my funk. What about you?"

            "Eh, it's not my thing, but I'm doing alright. I'm just ready for the semester to be over," Steve said, setting two Long Island Iced Teas in front of us.

            "Me, too, Steve!" I agreed as I sipped my drink.

            "See y'all later," he said, moving down the bar as we walked away to find Seth and Jared.

            We found them in a corner, at a large table with some of our other classmates, Seth's new girlfriend, Emma, and my little crush, Matthew, included.

            "He's here," I whispered to Hilary as we walked up to the table.

            "Which one?"

            "The one looking this way and smiling."

            "Holy s**t, Harleigh! He's hot!"

            "Shh!" I said, nudging her.  "Hey Matthew. This is my friend Hilary from back home."

            "It's nice to meet you," Matthew Langley said, standing up to shake Hilary's hand.

            "You, too," Hilary said, smiling before she found a spot next to Jared. She kissed him on the cheek when she sat down.

            "You look great, Harleigh. Want to sit down?" Matthew asked, giving me a hug.

            "Thank you," I said, smiling, as he pulled me by the hand down into the booth.

            After there were introductions to the newcomers and out of towners, Matthew asked me if I wanted to dance.

            "I'd love to!" I said, letting him lead me out to the dance floor, '1,2 Step' by Ciara was on and it was a great song to dance to.

            "You're a really great dancer," Matthew said, resting his hands on my hips.

            "Thank you. I took dance class for years and I loved it, until I got to high school," I said

            "What happened in high school to make you quit?"

            "Volleyball, softball and the swim team happened," I laughed. "There wasn't much time for dance between practice, games and meets."

            "You're quite an athlete. Did you letter in any of them?"

            "All three, actually," I said, sipping the last of my drink.

            "Impressive. Are you planning on playing any now that you are in college?" Matthew asked at the end if the song, as he lead me to the bar.

            "No, I'm just trying to get through my classes and keeps my grades up so I can go to Grad School."

            "Do you want another LIT?" Steve asked.

            "Yeah, one more," I said, handing over my money.

            "Your money is no good tonight," Matthew said. "I've got you tonight."

            "Thank you," I said, squeezing his hand.

            "So, where do you want to go to Grad School?" Matthew asked, handing me my drink.

            "Right now, I'm thinking Tulane. I love New Orleans, and I have friends in Louisiana, so it fits. But, that's still three years away, so who knows? The one thing I do know is that I will stay in the south. What are your plans when you're done here? Grad school or straight into the oil business?"

            "Well, I'm going to start interning with my dad in the summers and hopefully take over the VP position and do my MBA online, and eventually, CEO and part owner whenever dad decides he's ready to retire."

            "Sounds like a lot of pressure," I said, sitting back down at our table.

            "It is, but ever since I saw that first oil rig going up on our land, I've been in love and I've tried to learn everything I can about the oil industry."

            "That's amazing," I said, smiling.

            "Hey Harleigh!" Seth yelled from the other end of the table.

            "Yeah?"

            "Have you seen Jared and Hilary?" Seth asked, stifling a grin.

            "No, why?"

            "Look out at the dance floor."

            I scanned through the people dancing until I found Jared and Hilary....making out like crazy in the middle of the dance floor.

            "S**t!" I said, laughing. "That didn't take long!"

            "Looks like one of us is going to have extra company tonight!"

            "Yes, it does!" I agreed, shaking my head. But I couldn't help but to smile.

 

 

            The drinks were flowing and the night flew by. Soon, it was last call. Hilary and Jared couldn't keep their hands off each other, and it was obvious they would be sleeping together tonight. Matthew had invited me back to the KA house for the night, but I hadn't given him an answer, yet. Our group stepped outside into the cool, crisp Mobile air and waited for a cab.

            "Harleigh," Hilary said, pulling me aside. "Do you mind if Jared stays over?"

            I laughed. I knew it was coming.

            "Sure. I'm going to stay with Matthew, if that's alright with you. I'll be home in plenty of time to hang out before the party."

            "Go get him, girl, he's hot!"

            "Alright, well, go on then. Seth and Jared have a key to my apartment."

            "I love you, Harleigh!" Hilary said, throwing her arms around me. "Call me if you need me!"

            "I will!" I said, walking back to stand on the curb with Matthew. "I'll go with you. Hil is taking Jared home, so she won't miss me."

            "Good, then let's go. My car is down the street."

            "Are you okay to drive?"

            "I'm fine, I stopped drinking beer shortly after you got here."

            "Okay, I'll ride with you, then."

            We walked down the street  hand in hand to Matthew's car. He hit the unlock button on his black Land Rover and opened the door for me to get in the passenger seat.

            We rode to the KA house on the edge of the University of South Alabama campus in a comfortable silence. We pulled into the driveway and Matthew rushed around to open my door, always the gentlemen. Walking up the sidewalk, I realized that the huge, wrap-around porch was already decorated with jack-o-lanterns and fake spiderwebs for tomorrow night's party.

            "Normally I'd say don't mind the mess, but we all pooled our money and hired a cleaning crew for the party," Matthew said, unlocking the door.

            When I walked in, I noticed other than a couple beer cans sitting on the coffee table, the house was clean for a bunch of twenty-something males living in it.

            "Nice," I said.

            "Would you like something to drink? Beer, water, Coke?" Matthew asked, leading me into the huge kitchen.

            "Water would be great."

            He grabbed two bottles of water and a bag of original Lay's potato chips and we headed up the back stairs to his room.

            "So, Miss Harleigh, tell me about yourself. All I know is that you're from North Carolina and one hell of an athlete," Matthew said, flopping down on his bed.

            "What do you want to know?" I asked, turning up my bottle of water. I didn't realize how thirsty I was and wound up downing almost the entire bottle.

            "About your family, friends, everything. I like you, Harleigh and I'd like the chance to get to know you."

            "Let's see...I am a spring baby, born at the end of March. I lived in the same house in Cary, North Carolina all of my life, up until I moved down here in May. I'm an only child and I lost my mama in a car wreck when I was three. I come from money, and grew up with a nanny. I'm a girly girl, but still a tomboy, if that makes any sense. I'm country as sin and i love to hunt and get dirty. I'm a republican and my dad can't stand it, we don't get along very well at all."

            "Why can't your dad stand that you're a republican?" Matthew asked. "Most parents don't really pay attention to their children's political affiliations."

            "They pay attention when your dad is Charles Robinson, one of the most liberal, progressive democrats in office right now and his daughter is ultra conservative."

            "You're kidding, right?" Matthew asked, laughing.

            "I wish I was," I aid, rolling my eyes.

            "That must suck. I don't know too much about him  but my daddy can't stand him and wants him out of office. He's an ultracon, too, in case you couldn't tell," Matthew said.

            "Oh, trust me, it does suck. It's kind of sad, though, that his one and only daughter doesn't even get his vote. It burns his a*s up," I said, laughing.

            "I can't wait to tell my daddy all about you."

            "Oh, really? Who says you're aloud to talk about me?" I asked, raising my brow.

            "Come on, Harleigh! He will get a kick out of this!" Matthew whined.

            "I'm kidding," I said, looking into his eyes. "I don't care if you tell him about me. I'm used to being talked about."

            "I'm calling him as soon as I get up in the morning," Matthew smiled. "It'll make his day!"

            "Well, I'm glad," I smiled back. "What do you want to do?"

            "I can put on a movie?"

            "Sounds good to me. What do you have?"

            "How about Sin City? Have you seen it yet?" Matthew asked, going through his DVD collection.

            "Yes, I love it!"

            "Okay. Want some more snacks? We've got plenty, we've already been party shopping."

            "I'm fine, thank you," I said, kicking my flip-flops off as I laid back onto fluffy down pillows.

            "Comfy?" Matthew asked, laying down beside me.

            "Very. I may have to steal these pillows. They're great."

            "They are. My mom got them for me."

            Matthew cut the light off and pulled me closer. I snuggled into the crook of his neck and started watching the movies his smell was intoxicating, he smelled woodsy and manly, and I found it very hard to concentrate on the movie.

            "Harleigh, what are you thinking?" Matthew asked suddenly.

            "That you smell so good I can hardly watch this movie," I answered, honestly. "You?"

            "I'm watching you bite your lip and I'm wondering if it tastes as good as it looks."

            "Well, why don't you find out?" I teases, leaning up on my elbow, challenging him with a huge grin on my face.

            "I think I will," Matthew said. He pulled me closer to him and captured my lips, gently probing with his tongue until I let him in.

            Wow! Was he a good kisser! Matthew pulled back and it felt like the room was spinning. I had felt it before, with Colt, but I never imagined I'd feel it again. Or maybe I was just tipsy. I made a note to kiss him again when I was sober, if he doesn't just want me for the night.

            We wound up not watching much of the movie after that, and I woke up the next morning with his arms wrapped around me. I was surprised to find that both of us were still fully dressed. I smiled. I hadn't enjoyed a night of kissing in a long time. In fact, it had been awhile since I'd had any action, period.

 

            Matthew was still asleep when I got up to leave. I left him a note, thanking him for a great night and I told him I'd see him later at the party. I walked downstairs prepared to do the walk of shame, but it was only nine and the rest of the house was asleep.