I get a little bit nervous around you

-Shawn Mendes

"Aren't you getting late?"

"I am." I nodded, taking a huge bite of my chocolate waffle. "Bridget should be here any moment."

"You have all your stuff? Books, pen-"

"I'm not a kid anymore, Uncle Mase." I huffed. "And this isn't my first time at uni."

"I know that-"

There was the indistinct sound of a horn. I got up, slinging my bag behind, giving my Uncle the best of my smiles and walking out. Bridget's dazzling white car came in my view, my eyes meeting hers behind the sunglasses she was wearing and I winked at her, getting inside.

"Do not think I forgot about yesterday." Was the first thing she said to me.

"Jeez, Bri, hello to you too."

"I mean it, I'm serious. I've seen the way Theo plays with girls. He breaks their hearts, and I'm not going to sit here and let you get yours broken." She revered the car out of the driveway.

"It isn't like that, okay? That night, on your birthday, we just bonded a lot. We're just friends, and you don't have to worry about me getting my heart broken, that is literally the last thing I'm going to do right now, you know that, right?"

She sighed, "I do. But I'm just looking out for you."

"I know."

We reached the university shortly after. I had only two classes that day, so Bri told me to meet her during the break in the canteen. I walked towards my class, thankful there was no such thing as introduction in universities like there was in schools, I absolutely hated that tradition. The class hadn't started yet so I grabbed the corner most seat I could find, closest to the window.

"Do I know you?" I lifted my head up to meet brown eyes, dove brown eyes, the lips turned up into a smiley smirk.

"Uh, I don't know. Do you?" I asked back.

The smile widened. "I'm Ethan."

"Amelia."

"Since you're new here, I don't think this seat is occupied, is it?" Before I could reply, he plopped down beside me.

"Right." I rolled my eyes, turning to look at my book.

"Why do I have the feeling that I've seen you before?" He asked after a while.

"I don't know, why do you?"

"Why do you always answer like that?" He groaned like a child. "I'm serious, I've seen you somewhere."

"Bridget's party?" I asked.

"Oh yeah." He exclaimed, he was a very energetic person. "The best friend. I remember now."

"Glad you do." I replied back.

The teacher entered, greeting the students. He was a bulky man, short and plump, bald head, glasses perched on his nose.

"Welcome to legal reasoning." Ethan chuckled beside me. "In due course of time, you'll understand why students hate it."

I did.

I understood.

The teacher was absolute shit. He taught like he hadn't slept in weeks, that he was drained of all his energy, that he was about to die and these were his last moments. Students slept in his class and he didn't care, students laughed in his class and he didn't fucking care.

The only reason why I hadn't died of boredom was because of my very entertaining partner. I'd already established the fact that he was energetic and jolly, but I hadn't anticipated his sense of humor and ability to crack jokes out of anything and everything. I had to chew on my sleeve to stop laughing, hide my face behind my book so that the grin plastered on my face wasn't visible. The teacher wouldn't have cared anyway, but I couldn't risk getting detention on my first day here.

Everyone sighed in relief when the bell rung.

"I'll see you in the next class?" Ethan asked me, getting up.

"You bet." I winked at him and turned around.

Locating the cafeteria wasn't a hard task. Looking for my best friend was. The canteen was packed, students rushing everywhere and anywhere, the smell of sweat and oil lingering in the air. The atmosphere felt clammy and jammed. There were just too many red heads that I couldn't find her.

Then I felt my hand being pulled, I looked to my side. "Whenever you're in the canteen, always come to that table." Dean pointed at one and I squinted my eyes to look at it, surely finding Bridget and some others seated.

When we reached the table, Bridget squeaked and jumped on her boyfriend. "Baby!"

"Princess." He chuckled, hugging her back.

"Oh god my virgin eyes." I turned my head around to look at who had spoken. Pitch black hair, a complete contrast to mine, deep brown eyes.

"Right Sav." The guy sitting next to her replied. "My poor virgin eyes too." Then I vaguely noticed the stark similarities between the two. The same black hair, the same almond shaped brown eyes.

"That's Savannah." Bri pointed at the girl. "And that liar is Scott."

Scott gasped dramatically and pointed at his chest, his heart. "You wound me Cat, right here."

"Good." Bri smiled at him sweetly, then her smile turned into a frown, "What did you call me?"

Scott chuckled, "I'll have to thank Theo for that." Then he turned to me, pointing at the seat beside him, "Sit."

I sat like an obedient child.

"We missed you at the party, we had some last moment problems to deal with." He smiled at me, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too."

"When life gives you lemons," Savannah said suddenly, her eyes looking glazed as she looked at something. "Squeeze them in the eyes of your enemies." Then she grinned evilly, turning her eyes to look at Bridget.

Bridget turned around, then turned to face us again, but with an ugly scowl on her face. "That stupid blonde bitch."

Then I saw what they were talking about. Walking towards us, a hot pink dress covering her body barely, deep pink lipstick studded on her lips, almost seven inch high heels in her feet, was the typical 'Victoria's secret model' of the uni. Her strawberry blonde hair were flowing past her waist, boys looking at her with their mouths open. She blew them a kiss, grinning, then continuing her way to our table.

"Where's Theo?" She asked when she reached, looking at her nails.

"Somewhere you're not." Bridget replied.

The Blondie looked up from her nails, glancing at my best friend with an unimpressed expression, "Clearly."

I looked at Savannah with my eyebrows raised. There was more to the story than I was interpreting.

"Claire and Bri go way back." Savannah grinned and whispered in my ear. "She had this huge crush on Dean when he moved here, and she's always hitting on him. But when she finally understood she stood no chance with him, her sole attention is on Theo now."

Ha! What a coincidence could that be?

Dean looked amused, Bridget looked like she could slap the Blondie. The Blondie turned her eyes to look at me. "Ah! I'd heard the rumors, Claire." She said.

"Amelia." I smiled at her sweetly, if she thought there was something wrong in it, she didn't show it.

Then she turned to Scott, "If you see Theo, tell him I want to talk to him."

"Why don't you tell him that yourself, bitch?" Bri poked in.

Claire turned her icy glare on my best friend, "Watch your tongue, freak."

I didn't like it, at all.

"Aw, bitch cannot stand being called a bitch." Savannah replied before I could say anything. She looked at me and gave me a reassuring look.

Claire fumed, her face turning red with anger. "You-"

"Hey guys."

Fuck.

Just hearing his voice made goosebumps appear on my skin. The lingering feel of his hands around my waist, water dripping down our bodies was still there. My body was tingling.

"Theo! I was just looking-"

"Mia, can I talk to you?" He broke her off.

Claire looked dazed for a few seconds. "Theo."

He blinked, looking to his side at her. "Oh, hi." He genuinely looked as if he hadn't seen her earlier.

If she seemed bothered by it, she didn't show it. "I've been looking for you all over the campus."

"I was just," He looked uncomfortable. "I was somewhere." Then he looked at me pointedly, motioning with his eyes to follow him.

I got up hesitantly, everyone at the table looking at me with curiosity. Claire looked like she'd been slapped in the face. If glares could kill I'd already be ten feet into the ground. Jesus, chill woman, he wanted to talk. And plus, he isn't her man.

Or is he?

We walked out of the canteen, people were already whispering among themselves, glancing at us with interest in their eyes. When we finally exited the packed room, coming into the deserted hallway, he paused, turning around to look at me.

Then he gave me a dazzling smile, one that left my knees weak. "Hi."

I smiled at him, amused. "Hi."

"How are you?"

"I'm good. You?" I asked.

"Never better." He grinned. "I just, I wanted to thank you for, uh, not telling anyone about the-the place."

"I figured you wouldn't want anyone to know. You wouldn't want your secret place to be packed with people now, would you?" I smiled. "But, seriously though, thank you for taking me there."

"Thank you for coming." He repeated his words from yesterday, making my smile widen.

"So uh," He looked around, intentionally not looking in my eyes. He suddenly seemed nervous. "I was just-I-" Theo never stammered, like never ever ever.

And a few seconds later he seemed to remember that, because he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then opened them to look at me. "There's this party at my house tomorrow."

"Party?"

"Yeah, it's like a gathering, we invite family, friends." He shrugged. "My parents organize it every year, it's like a tradition."

"And?" I raised an eyebrow.

"There's going to be a bonfire and dinner," He broke off. "And I really want you to be there."

My heart warmed, his statement leaving me speechless for a second.

"I mean, I invite my friends all the time. So everyone is going to be there. I'd really like it if you come too." He said hastily.

I bit my lip to stop from smiling.

"Look I don't want you to think that-"

"Is there a dress code?" I asked, effectively cutting him off.

He blinked, seeming surprised from the fact that I agreed so easily. In that moment of being thrown off, I looked down at what he was wearing. His black tee was stretched on his chest just like the first time I'd seen him, the veins in his arm more prominent than ever. His black ripped jeans highlighted his thick muscular thighs, high top black shoes in his feet giving him all the more of a dangerous aura.

I still couldn't get over how stunning he was.

"Is there?" I asked again.

"Red." A ghost of a smile appeared on his face, as if he was recalling something. "Wear red for me."

*