Read Online The Color of Us (College Bound Book 2) by Laura Ward, Christine Manzari - Free Book Online
Authors: Laura Ward, Christine Manzari
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“Mom says dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”
I stood, wrapping my arms around his waist. Suffering through my own pain was hard enough, but seeing my dad like this? The pain was ten times worse.
“Okay. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” I released my grip on my father, and he shut the door behind him. I sat on my bed, rubbing my hands along the tops of my arms.
My phone dinged with a text, and I looked down, my heart racing when I saw it was from Liam.
Liam: Did you pass?
My chest was filled with a violent rush of fluttering sensations, like there was an army of butterflies battling to get free. I thought I’d never hear from him again. I picked up the phone.
Me: Yes! Did you?
Liam: Can’t believe you’d doubt my skills
I grinned at his quick response, imagining the cocky tilt of the smile I was sure he was wearing.
Me: Can’t believe you’re texting me. Almost forgot all about you.
I was pretty proud of myself for that snarky joke. My smirk lasted a whole thirty seconds until I realized that the typing icon wasn’t blinking and he wasn’t replying. Crap! What was I thinking? I was seriously crippled in the sense of humor department. I had no business trying to be funny. Was he pissed?
Finally the icon blinked and his response rang through.
Liam: I tried
Swear to you I tried to stay away
Breathe, Alexis. Breathe!
Me: I don’t want you to do that. Please don’t stay away from me.
Liam: Can I take you out tomorrow night? On a date?
My fingers hovered over the keys, trembling with anticipation. I had to take a few deep breaths just to be able to type a simple reply.
Me: I’d like that
Liam: Pick you up at 6
I jumped off my bed and did a little victory dance. My phone vibrated again, and I peeked down at the screen.
Liam: Goodnight
My cheeks burned from smiling so hard. My body felt like it was floating around my room. I was lighter, freer. Happier. Liam wanted to see me. He couldn’t forget about me.
I had a date with trouble.
Chapter Seven
LIAM
I was an asshole. Alexis was off-limits for so many reasons, and yet I couldn’t stay away. Part of me wondered if I kept coming back for more because I knew I shouldn’t. Breaking the rules was so ingrained in me, and she was such a challenge, that I just couldn’t resist the chase.
Which was ridiculous because we were complete opposites. Someone like her could never truly want someone like me. We didn’t fit.
Alexis was headed off to the university to get her expensive degree, and I’d barely earned my GED. She had a membership to an upscale country club while I was one infraction away from permanent residence at the county jail. Worst of all, she’d bared her soul to me about her sister, but I had so many secrets it was hard to keep track of them all.
I knew I didn’t deserve her. But I wanted her. And for some unexplained reason, she wanted me too. That would change soon enough because I couldn’t hide the truth forever. Asking her out was a mistake. Driving to her home was an even bigger one.
I grinned to myself. I’d never done the right thing before. Why start now?
I pressed down on the accelerator, my pulse echoing the speed of my Jeep as I hurtled down the back roads. The ragged scenery of my hometown faded away as my car devoured the miles to her house where the better half lived.
With every passing minute I told myself more lies. That what I was doing wasn’t a big deal, that she wasn’t expecting anything from me but a summer fling. Alexis would be going away to school at the end of August, and I wasn’t the kind of guy who fit into her perfect future.
She might be complicated, but this thing between us didn’t have to be. I was a detour. A distraction. A way for her to pass the time until she went off to college and followed her dreams.
The closer I got to her home, I reminded myself that’s all I wanted anyway.
***
Alexis lived on the respectable side of the next town over from mine. There weren’t any
I stood, wrapping my arms around his waist. Suffering through my own pain was hard enough, but seeing my dad like this? The pain was ten times worse.
“Okay. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” I released my grip on my father, and he shut the door behind him. I sat on my bed, rubbing my hands along the tops of my arms.
My phone dinged with a text, and I looked down, my heart racing when I saw it was from Liam.
Liam: Did you pass?
My chest was filled with a violent rush of fluttering sensations, like there was an army of butterflies battling to get free. I thought I’d never hear from him again. I picked up the phone.
Me: Yes! Did you?
Liam: Can’t believe you’d doubt my skills
I grinned at his quick response, imagining the cocky tilt of the smile I was sure he was wearing.
Me: Can’t believe you’re texting me. Almost forgot all about you.
I was pretty proud of myself for that snarky joke. My smirk lasted a whole thirty seconds until I realized that the typing icon wasn’t blinking and he wasn’t replying. Crap! What was I thinking? I was seriously crippled in the sense of humor department. I had no business trying to be funny. Was he pissed?
Finally the icon blinked and his response rang through.
Liam: I tried
Swear to you I tried to stay away
Breathe, Alexis. Breathe!
Me: I don’t want you to do that. Please don’t stay away from me.
Liam: Can I take you out tomorrow night? On a date?
My fingers hovered over the keys, trembling with anticipation. I had to take a few deep breaths just to be able to type a simple reply.
Me: I’d like that
Liam: Pick you up at 6
I jumped off my bed and did a little victory dance. My phone vibrated again, and I peeked down at the screen.
Liam: Goodnight
My cheeks burned from smiling so hard. My body felt like it was floating around my room. I was lighter, freer. Happier. Liam wanted to see me. He couldn’t forget about me.
I had a date with trouble.
Chapter Seven
LIAM
I was an asshole. Alexis was off-limits for so many reasons, and yet I couldn’t stay away. Part of me wondered if I kept coming back for more because I knew I shouldn’t. Breaking the rules was so ingrained in me, and she was such a challenge, that I just couldn’t resist the chase.
Which was ridiculous because we were complete opposites. Someone like her could never truly want someone like me. We didn’t fit.
Alexis was headed off to the university to get her expensive degree, and I’d barely earned my GED. She had a membership to an upscale country club while I was one infraction away from permanent residence at the county jail. Worst of all, she’d bared her soul to me about her sister, but I had so many secrets it was hard to keep track of them all.
I knew I didn’t deserve her. But I wanted her. And for some unexplained reason, she wanted me too. That would change soon enough because I couldn’t hide the truth forever. Asking her out was a mistake. Driving to her home was an even bigger one.
I grinned to myself. I’d never done the right thing before. Why start now?
I pressed down on the accelerator, my pulse echoing the speed of my Jeep as I hurtled down the back roads. The ragged scenery of my hometown faded away as my car devoured the miles to her house where the better half lived.
With every passing minute I told myself more lies. That what I was doing wasn’t a big deal, that she wasn’t expecting anything from me but a summer fling. Alexis would be going away to school at the end of August, and I wasn’t the kind of guy who fit into her perfect future.
She might be complicated, but this thing between us didn’t have to be. I was a detour. A distraction. A way for her to pass the time until she went off to college and followed her dreams.
The closer I got to her home, I reminded myself that’s all I wanted anyway.
***
Alexis lived on the respectable side of the next town over from mine. There weren’t any
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