Chapter 14
After move in, I settled into my four person darm. A month of Welcome Werk activities, orientation mixers, and “mandatory fun tesbreakers we all got pretty comfortable with each other.
The night before classes officially started, there was a “Minnesota Sisadents miter for anyone from our home state,
It was at this trendy gastropub downtown. Ubers were surging like crazy at 8PM, and the buses were packed with other freshmen heading in similar events, so by the time I finally made it, things were already in full swing.
Yetta Collins was my orientation “mentor“-we’d gone to the same high school back in Minneapolis. My homeroom teacher had connected Snapchat when I got my UCLA acceptance, so we’d been virtual friends for a month before finally meeting in person during move in weekend.
Liana, over here!”
Yetta stood up, enthusiastically waving me over to their table.
The private room was decent sized, with six large round tables already crowded with fellow Minnesotans.
I slid into the empty seat next to Yetta, and the guy across from me immediately perked up like he’d spotted a rare Pokémon. “Whoa, who’s this? How did not know we had such a stunning new freshman from Minnesota?”
Yetta rolled her eyes. “Because Liana doesn’t post thirst traps on Instagram every Eve minutes. She actually has depth.”
Thalf listened to their conversation while my eyes methodically scanned the room, my pulse quickening with each face that wasn’t his
After a thorough meep p confirmed Jat wasn’t there, my shoulders related involuntarily as I sank back in my chair, both relieved and oddly disappointed.
“Sa, freshman, I’m Jake. And you are….?”
“Lisa Frost.”
“Cool name. How do you spell that?”
“LIANA Like Liana vine in a forest, I
Frost like the winter.
“Poetic, I like it
Loffered a polite smile without encouraging further conversation
“Hey, when is fax supposed to get here?” a girl at the next table suddenly asked, and my heart did that stupid little starter it always did at his name
mis
I hold my breath, trying my absolute hardest to look completely uninterested while straining to bear the amer
“Should be so
a male voice replied. “Just texted him. Says he’s on his way.”
“Perfect”
About halfway through the dinner, right as I was starting to think he wasn’t coming after all, the door to the private room wung open Most people turned to look, so my head swivel didn’t seem too obvious, though I felt like a sunflower automatically turning toward the sun. Jax walked in wearing a simple black t shirt and fears, somehow making the basic outfit look like it should be on a
He looked exactly the same as the last time I’d seen him, maybe even better. Unfairly, posibly attractive
jax, over here!” A guy at the next table raised his hand.
billboard.
Jax’s eyes swept the room, following the voice. I couldn’t tell if he saw me, but I ddenly felt paralyzed, like I’d forgotten how to act OUTRA
He walked over, and just when I thought he’d join the next table, he slid into the empty seat right beside me, closeough that I could smell his, enligne something expensive and subtle
napter 14
The room went briefly silent, or maybe that was just the blood roding in my ears.
I stared at him, completely thrown off my game.
He raised an eyelamy. “Target whaI am already, Front?”
“No, 1-11eregnize you,” I stammered, hating how easily be erald unravel my rarefidly constructed:
“Wait, you two know each other? Yetta asked with that look people get when they seen grasp
Jax didn’t answer her directly. Instead, he looked at me with those dark eyes. “To we know each other, Lima?
Thesitated for two seconds, my brain fiting in a thousand directions. “
“That sounded like you were confirming your name of airport security,” he drawled lazily.
“It wasn’t meant to sound uncertain.” I quickly replied, trying to regain my footing
Jax just smiled that half–smile that should be illegal, grabbing a craft beer from the table. He popped it open with one smooth movement, bis finger sliding through the tab like he’d done it a thousand times.
After taking a long swig, his Adam’s apple working visibly, he lowered the can and caught my gaze with a sidelong glance that felt like a physical torach
I roze for a second caught staring like some lovesick freshman (which technically, I was).
Jax raised an eyebrow questioningly, the slightest hint of amusement in his expression.
Flastered bat determined to seem casual, I asked, “Is the beer any good?”
“It’s decent,” Jax paused. “First time?”
“Is it that obvious?” I nodded, reaching for the beer in front of me and mimicking his technique, sliding my middle finger through the tab to pop
DOPL
At the first sip, I couldn’t help wrinkling my nose. It tasted like bitter bread water,
Jax
leaned back in his chair, seemingly tuning into someone else’s conversation, though I had the unsettling feeling he was still hyper aware of me
Without even looking, he sensed my reaction and turned back. “If you hate it, don’t sorture yourself”
“I don’t hate it.” I insisted, never one to hack down from a challange, especially one he’d witnessed.
If other people could handle beer, so could 1. If other people could handle being around Jax Xavier without their insides turning to jelly, I would figure
that put too.
It was just unfamiliar. Drink it enough times and I’d get used to it. See him enough times and maybe my heart would learn to behave.
He shrugged noncommittally and turned back to the other conversation, but I caught the ghost of a smile on his lips.
