Gracie ~
I hadn't taken my eyes off of my computer in over an hour and had written the same paragraph over twenty times - writing, then erasing, then rewriting - over and over again. My frustration started to take over as I tapped the backspace aggressively for the hundredth time when my phone buzzed on the table.
Wes: Here
The simple word made my heart rate spike, putting a smile on my face that I couldn't have stopped if I tried. I fired off a text and stood, trying to make myself more visible so Wes could find me.
Gracie: I'm upstairs
Wes: On my way
Those three words made my stomach flip flop and fill with butterflies as I headed toward the railing.
"Hey there beautiful." Wes said with a smile that made me regret making this whole friends only rule.
"Is that how you greet all your friends?" I sassed reminding him of our agreement.
"Absolutely," He said with a sly grin as he cleared the last step and made his way over to me.
My eyes couldn't help but wander, stopping at the way his t-shirt was straining against his muscular chest and arm, but hung loose around his lean waist.
Stop it Gracie. You're here to help him with his Lit. paper and that's all.
"I'm um, set up over here." I said in a shaky voice as I forced myself from my lusty thoughts.
"Lead the way." He said, looking around as we walked toward my computer.
He followed me until we reached a row of book cases and stopped, eyeing me carefully.
"You study at the back here?" He asked, looking around with a skeptical look on his face.
"Yes." I said brightly, completely understanding his confusion.
"But there's nowhere to sit." He continued as we walked down the row of book cases as if we were heading straight for the back wall.
"Oh really?" I said playfully as I reached the edge of a wall that tucked into a hidden corner and stepped inside, disappearing from his sight.
Wes let out a laugh and followed me around the corner, shrugging out of his back pack.
"I had no idea this was here." He said, eyeing the small nook that could probably only fit 3-4 people at most.
"Most people don't, but it's the quietest place in the library. I found it sophomore year." I said proudly.
Wes turned in a circle, letting his eyes roam over the bookshelves on one side and the small nook on the other.
"This would be a good place to fu..." Wes stopped his sentence mid way through, shooting his eyes toward me then to the bookshelf as I folded my arms across my chest.
"....fiiiind literature on...modern architecture." Wes corrected himself, squinting at the book titles in front of him before shooting me a wide smile.
Rolling my eyes at him with a knowing grin, I shook my head and took a seat, closing my computer to make room for his.
"Yeah well now that I've told you about it, I better not come up here to study and find you with some chick...reading about architecture." I said slyly, loving the laugh that echoed from his chest in response.
Why do I like that sound so much?
"Alright, are you going to show me what you're working with or what?" I asked, waiting for him to get his computer out and show me what he'd written so far.
His expression changed and his eyes shot down to his own crotch before they darted back up to me in confusion.
Slapping my own forehead and kicking myself for my poorly chosen words, I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head at his assumption which was really no surprise.
"Jesus, Wes. I'm talking about your paper." I chuckled.
"Oh, right."
Wes quickly unzipped his bag and grabbed his laptop as he took a seat next to me, clearly a bit flustered, but quickly regaining his charm.
"I've gotten most of it done, but I'm struggling to finish it."
Turning the screen to face me, I let my eyes settle on the text, pulling the computer closer to me so I could give his essay my full attention.
"Your thesis statement is weak." I said flatly as I continued reading.
"Well don't tip toe around my feelings or anything." Wes chuckled.
"Sorry, it was the nicest way I could think of to tell you it was crap." I joked.
"So first it's weak and now it's crap?" He laughed. "So people really pay you to shit talk them like this?"
My shoulders bounced as I laughed and typed simultaneously, erasing the pointless fluff he'd added and rewriting his original points.
"No, people pay me to do this." I said brightly, turning his computer back toward him, letting him read my corrections.
His brows furrowed as he read the text then rose in surprise as he nodded and accepted that I knew what I was talking about.
"Damn, that's pretty good."
I basked in his compliment which seemed to mean more coming from him before moving on to the rest of his disaster of a paper. We worked through every paragraph, fixing grammatical errors and taking away pointless details that he added in order to meet the word count. I asked him tons of questions about what he meant by certain statements and gave him suggestions on how to avoid some of the recurring mistakes he had made, until we finally finished about two hours later.
Having to share the screen and read text back and forth had caused us to sit shoulder to shoulder and as much as I tried to remind myself of my "just friends" rule, I would be lying if I said I hadn't been enjoying the close contact and was almost disappointed once we'd completed his paper.
"Guaranteed A." I said proudly as he closed the computer.
"I can't thank you enough Gracie, how about I pay for your dinner to show my gratitude." He said with a charming smile.
"It's past 9:00," I said as I started to pack away my belongings into my bag.
"So what? I bet we could find some food after 9."
Wes placed his hand over mine, stopping me from clutching the pens I was reaching for.
"Please Gracie? I'd really like to take you to dinner, even if it's a late dinner."
Every part of me screamed yes and I could practically feel the cells in my body lean in toward his touch, but my mind spoke up and reminded me what that charming smile looked like with another woman's lipstick smeared across it.
How many times do you think he's run this routine Gracie? Late dinner turns into drinks, late drinks turns into - nope, not happening. I see what you're doing Wes.
"You really don't have to, Wes. No need to thank me with dinner, I was happy to help a friend."
There it was, I used the word that made us both shift uncomfortably in our seats.
"Friends, right. Well I appreciate it Gracie, really I do." He said genuinely with a look in his eyes that I hadn't seen before...disappointment?
He's probably disappointed that he practically put in a days worth or work, but didn't yield any results. Sorry Wes, I'm not going to sleep with you just because you're charming, no matter how big your puppy dog eyes get.
We headed down the stairs, walking slowly until the brisk night air wrapped around us.
"Where'd you park?"
"East Garage" I said, motioning to the right. "You?"
"C Lot" he said, motioning to the left.
"Want me to walk you?"
Walk me clear across campus only to have to double back? Not happening.
"That's okay, Wes. I appreciate it though"
We both stood there awkwardly for a second or two before Wes finally accepted that I wasn't going to change my mind and we really were about to part ways.
"Well thanks for your help tonight Gracie, you're a life saver." He said, opening his arms to give me a hug.
It's just a hug. Friends can hug.
I gladly took a step forward, letting him wrap his massive muscular arms around me in a hug that made my knees weak. He rested his chin on the top of my head and we stood there for a second or two, waiting for the other to pull away and happily surprised when that didn't happen. It was a long hug, longer than any two friends would normally hug, but it was heaven and I didn't want it to end.
Letting out a sigh, I released my hold on the back of his shirt and pulled back slowly, secretly loving the slight resistance I felt as Wes struggled to let me go.
"Text me when you get to your car." He said firmly.
It was a statement not a question and for some reason it warmed my heart.
"I will."
"Night, Gracie." His deep voice echoed through the night air, making me want to follow him, but I knew better.
"Night, Wes." I replied, turning and walking away with a smile on my face that I couldn't quite explain.
As I walked my mind raced and battled with itself, knowing that Wes was a player, but still feeling completely smitten by him.
I pulled my keys from my purse as I approached the first floor of the practically empty garage and clicked the unlock button, watching the headlights flicker in the distance, but that small flicker revealed something I wasn't expecting - something sinister that made my stomach drop and my blood run cold.
Colt leaned against my car with his arms folded and his gaze locked on me, causing me to freeze in place as I lost my breath.
"Where the fuck have you been Gracie?" Colt hissed at me as he took a step forward.
I couldn't respond, I couldn't speak or move and my shoulders hunched forward as my lungs pushed out every ounce of air from within them.
My eyes darted around the garage, hoping and praying for someone to be around, someone I could run to for help, but we were alone - completely alone in the dark garage.
Before my panic could fully set in my brain screamed one name loudly in my mind, causing my hands to instinctively reach for my phone.
Wes.
As soon as Colt registered the movement of my hand on my phone he took off running toward me with pure hatred in his eyes as he closed in.
My body sprang into action instantly, fighting the pure terror that was coursing through my veins as I desperately tried to run and unlock my phone with my shaking hands.
I felt Colt's arms wrap around me from behind, pinning my arms to my sides just as Wes' name appeared on the screen. Tapping it as fast as I could, I watched with horror as my phone tumbled to the ground face up, illuminating itself against the black asphalt as Colt lifted my small body off the ground despite my kicking and fighting.
The glow of the phone was still in sight and the screen changed slightly, indicating that Wes had answered my call. With my entire body flooded with hope I screamed his name louder and more desperate than I've ever screamed before.
"Wes!" I wailed, letting the gut wrenching cry echo through the parking garage before Colt clamped his hand down forcefully over my mouth, muffling my screams.
Please hear me, Wes. I need you.
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