**Chapter Seventeen**
Before meeting up with Drew, I had to go back to my dorm to get dressed. I planned on wearing my plaid dress and fishnet stockings. It might be a bit much, but I’ve been waiting to wear this outfit for a while now. It being fall made for the perfect time to pull it out. Maybe there was a part of me that wanted to look good for Drew, too, but it was irrelevant. I doubt it would make an impression on him.
However, walking into my dorm room was something I instantly regretted. The minute I opened the door, there were Dillon and Dre on her bed, half-naked. Immediately screamed in terror as they put the blanket over them. The last thing I wanted to see was a naked Dre, forget Dillon. I’ve seen her in fewer clothes before, except there was never a guy involved. The last guy I expected to be here was Dre, too. There was something she was hiding from me and I think I just busted her secret.
I didn’t have time for a question and answer as I quickly grabbed what I wanted to wear. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!” I yell, panicked.
Dillon looked embarrassed because her cheeks turned a light shade of red. “Please, just get out,” she begged.
“I’m going, I’m going. Bye, Dre!” I couldn’t help but say something to him. I wanted her to know I knew something was going on. We would have to have a conversation about this later.
In the meantime, I tried to get the sight out of my head before getting dressed in the bathroom. I didn’t have the resources to do my hair, so I left it as it was. It’s been a while since I’ve let my bangs hang loose. They’ll appreciate Dillon for making me afraid to go back into the room. My head could still see them on her bed, sucking each other’s faces. They’re lucky I was the one that walked in and not Drew. Who knows how he’ll react?
Satisfied with my outfit, I went to the main campus grounds to wait for Drew to show up. When I got there, he was already waiting for me. Neither of us was late. Instead, we were both early by a few minutes. I still did not know where he wanted to go, but the look on his face told me I was doing something right. Not that it was the goal or anything, but he couldn’t stop staring at me. It honestly weirded me out for a second, but he came too.
Standing up, Drew smiled softly at me. “So you stopped being a baby about hanging out with me?” He asked.
“I wasn’t being a baby, just a good friend,” I say with a roll of my eyes.
He chuckled, not believing a word I said. “Right, right? Anyway, let’s go!” He sounded excited.
Following his lead, we went back to his car for a second time. It was nice getting to be one of the lucky few to ride in it with him. I mean, I’ve been in here more than his own sister. That had to account for something. Though, I couldn’t get ahead of myself. He was still with Julie and I was seeing Keegan tomorrow. We were going out on another friendly adventure that’ll amount to nothing. Is what I’m going to keep telling myself to get by?
He drove for a bit before stopping at this small park. Drew was always taking me to quiet places that were off-grid from everything else. Should I have been worried? This is the stuff you see in scary movies where the killer goes to some remote location with his victims. I’m sure Drew was nothing like that, but it made me wonder why he kept wanting me to tag along. It made little sense.
We walked into the park where there was a trail and off to the side there were many picnic tables for people to sit at. The thing Drew wanted to do made me skeptical about it. There was this hammock that looked cozy, but Drew wanted me to sit in it with him. Normally it would be no big deal, but it’s a hammock. We would be quite close to each other and I didn’t want any more problems with Juliana. He’s persistent though.
Plopping himself down in the hammock, Drew looked at me with a smile on his face. “Come sit with me,” he says, leaving space for me to sit.
I cross my arms, not sure if I should. “Uh, I don’t know Drew…” I trail off.
He sighed. “Annabelle, why do you have to make things difficult?” His eyes rolled before he smiled again. “We’re only sitting.”
“I’ll stand. It’s fine.” I really didn’t want any drama with Juliana. There was enough of that already and he knew it, but still insisted.
Shaking his head, he got this evil smirk on his face. “You’re going to sit,” he said.
I frowned. “And who’s going to make me?” I shouldn’t have challenged him like that, but I always put my foot in my mouth.
Calmly and swiftly, Drew’s hand grabbed mine before he pulled me down into the hammock with him. I screeched a little while he laughed at me. Leave it to Drew to get me to sit in this thing with him. I don’t know why it was so important for me to do, but it was. I almost wanted to slap him across the face, but I refrained from doing so. Mainly because I didn’t want to mess up the prettiness of it.
That aside, as we were sitting, I felt his arm around me and I tensed up. I didn’t know if I should relax into it or stay tensed up like I am. Drew has never had his arm wrapped around me before. Apart from a measly hug, this was different. It was almost like we were cuddling, but we totally weren’t. Unfortunately, since it’s a hammock, we couldn’t help but be close together. There were so many bad things that could come from this that I stayed tense.
Noticing this, Drew chuckled. “Relax, Annabelle. I won’t bite.” He joked with me.
As funny as it was, I couldn’t relax. “Are you…are you sure this is a good idea?” I had to ask.
He snickered. “I wouldn’t tell you to do it if it weren’t ok.”
“But-”
“No buts. Only relaxation.” He cut me off.
Sighing slowly, I relax into him, feeling his hand squeeze me closer. My heart raced in my chest, as this is the closest we’d ever been. In my head, I thought he was doing these things on purpose, but I couldn’t figure out why. Did he notice how much I pined over him and liked it? That was the only explanation I could come up with. There’s no way Andrew Tate would ever think to snuggle up with me. Not without a reason.
I tried not to question it too much because it’s not like I’d get another moment like this. Even with Keegan in the picture, he was making it hard for me to get over him. Admittedly, I wasn’t doing a very good job of trying. I guess that commitment Cameron told me I needed to have wasn’t there. It’s hard when the person you’re trying to get over is right there every step of the way. It’ll be a lot easier when he graduates. If I can last that long.
Drew didn’t let up, holding me close to him. I didn’t know what to do with my hands as one casually rests on his chest. It felt a lot more defined than I was expecting. My thoughts almost got carried away until I forcefully stopped myself. It felt like the air was getting hot around me as I shook my leg softly.
Drew raised a brow, looking down at me as he swung the hammock. “Are you nervous?” He asked me. He already knew the answer to that.
I licked my lips, feeling even more nervous. “Umm, well…yes,” I admit. That was the first time I admitted my nerves to him.
I think it even shocked him, but he always made me feel comfortable. “I get it. You don’t have to be nervous around me, though.” He says.
“It’s not you per-say. More like how close we are to one another.” I explain.
His eyes widened like he just realized. “Annabelle do you…no never mind.” He stopped himself from asking.
That piqued my interest and my nerves went away in an instant. I wanted to know what he was going to ask me. Surely it would have been important if he didn’t stop himself. Drew was always doing things like that. He’d say something and then change the topic randomly. We could never talk about anything if he always did that. Though, it wouldn’t be wise of me to confess my feelings to him like this. Especially when it would amount to nothing. Still, it didn’t stop me from wanting to know what he had to say.
I looked at him with curious eyes. “No, what were you going to ask?” I question him now.
He sat up, unwrapping his arm from me. I missed it already. “It’s pointless, Annabelle.” He says with a bit of an attitude.
I put my hand in front of him to turn him toward me slightly. “It’s only pointless if you make it that way,” I say.
His hand grabbed mine, sending a chill down my spine. His touch was always so gentle that I didn’t know how to control myself or my thoughts. Drew had to realize the effect he had on me by now. The closeness bothered me. His hugs sent my stomach into a frenzy. Hell, just looking into his eyes, my head thinks wild thoughts. If only he would ask me what I want, then I wouldn’t have to keep shoving my feelings down. Even if he rejects me, saying them out loud to him could aid in letting them go.
Alas, Drew wouldn’t do so. All he did was hold my hand in his, staring up at the clouds. The sun always made his eyes look brighter as the wind blew through his hair. Drew had such a unique appearance that your eyes automatically were drawn to him. Even if you didn’t want to stare, your eyes couldn’t help themselves. Call me shallow, but it was another thing that made me so attracted to him.
That smile spread across his face, as the king of switching topics did just that. “So, you like piercings, but not tattoos I see,” He said, studying my appearance.
That made me giggle. “It’s only my septum and my ears. But the ears are common,” I say.
“Your excuse for not having tattoos is because it hurts, but I know for a fact septum piercings are like one of the most painful,” he says. There he was, coming back to life after being so serious.
He was right. It hurt a lot to get it. “Still better than a tattoo. The pain lasted two seconds, whereas a tattoo could take hours.” I emphasize.
Drew chuckled, agreeing with me. “That’s a fair assessment. However, I have something I want to propose.” That devilish smirk came back on his face.
I couldn’t decipher what he was going to have in mind, but it couldn’t be anything I wanted to be a part of. Drew was always getting me to do things I wouldn’t have even considered before. He is a lot more adventurous than I am. Though I’m positive, it’s because he wants me out of my shell. I’ve been doing pretty well in getting out of it lately. College truly was a different breed that made me want to explore my options.
Playing into his game, I smirked back. “What are you trying to make me do now, you evil mastermind?” I poke his nose.
His smile grew bigger after I did so. “You’re getting your first tattoo.” He says abruptly.
My smile faded. “Oh no, not happening.” I refused. “Not only do I not want to, but my mom would kill me.”
He chuckled. “Annabelle, that’s the point. Moms are supposed to freak out about that stuff and you feed your mom nothing!”
I laughed, still not agreeing with it. “Drew, I don’t like needles,” I whined.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be with you the whole time and you can hold my hand like you’re doing right now.” He points out. I forgot we did that. “Come on, I know a guy that’ll do it for free. And you can choose where you want to get it.”
My legs shake again. “Does it have to be big?” I asked, deathly afraid of this idea.
He shakes his head. “No, I’m not a monster,” he laughs. “And also, I’ll get a piercing to call it even.”
Now that sounded like something I could get behind. As much as getting a tattoo scared me, I’d be down if he were going to try his hand at a piercing. Though, it won’t be as painful for him as it will me. The simple fact that he did it would make me feel better about the whole thing. I don’t know why I always agree with his crazy ideas. However, they somehow make me feel more confident in myself. That’s always his goal whenever he treats me to things.
Smiling, I give him a devilish smirk of my own. “I get to pick the piercing then,” I say.
Only for him to copy me. “Then I get to pick the tattoo. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s small.” He reassured me.
“Sounds like we got ourselves a deal,” I say, sticking out my pinky to him.
He takes it, sealing the deal. There’s no telling what tattoo he would choose for me, but I hope it was cute. I also hope he stays true to his words and picks out a small one. The pain was already going to be excruciating. Sitting for hours wasn’t exactly on my planner. The best part was I already knew what piercing I wanted him to get. It wasn’t equivalent to the tattoo, but it would be well worth it. Though I’m happy he’s constantly making plans for us to do things. We were really getting close as time went on.
That being said, Drew stood up, pulling me with him as we were still holding hands. “Come on, let’s go walk the trail before it gets too late.” He said, dragging me along with him.
I struggled to keep up even though he was pulling me. “Walk the trail? But I’m wearing a dress.”
“Well, you should’ve never worn a hot-ass dress. Now should you?” He was such a dick.
I roll my eyes, stopping my complaining. It’s obvious my outfit worked to gain his attention. I’d say that was a score.