Knock You Down .(Tierney).

[Landon Rederick]

Nothing good would come of this. Landon was sure of it. Or at least he wanted to be. He didn’t want to have mixed feelings or to be confused. Frankly, he didn’t want Victoria to be a part of his life. There was too much pain the last time. Some of it he was still feeling. Things were just starting to settle down in his life. He was drama free and satisfied (somewhat) with the way things were with Tierney. But then Victoria had to show up. He never expected to see her again. While he was saddened by their breakup at the time, he eventually became grateful, realizing that she was just no good for him. Granted, he grew to be no better than her, but he’d learned from the best. She was a true heartbreaker, easy on the eyes but not on the heart. But something seemed different about her this time. She was so much sweeter and it seemed genuine. She spoke to him as if she wanted nothing more than to make amends…for now. They could be friends, right? If they put the past being them, they could be friends.

Landon sat pensively as he waited for Tierney to show up. Hopefully she wasn’t busy because he desperately wanted to see her. After Victoria left the common room, Landon immediately sent an owl with a note, telling her to meet him in the trophy room on the third floor. It was somewhat secluded, especially since many students didn’t even know of its existence. Those who did were probably in their dormitories for the evening already anyway, so he was sure they would have some privacy. There were several trophies, awards, plaques, statues, and many more symbols of achievement scattered throughout the room. There were just a few places to sit to admire the room in all of its glory. It wasn’t exactly the most romantic of places, but that’s not really something Landon had been thinking about. Romance really wasn’t a part of the thing that they had going on between them.

He wasn’t entirely sure why he had asked Tierney to come here. Perhaps it was because they hadn’t hooked up in a little while and he could definitely use the distraction. Or maybe it was because he just wanted to talk to her while they cuddled a little bit. He struggled a little bit more with the latter option because he wasn’t really much of a cuddler (though he found himself doing it more now that he and Tierney were hooking up) and because he wasn’t sure if he was ready to talk about Victoria yet. Landon knew that he had mentioned her before but he didn’t like admitting weakness or being vulnerable, and that’s exactly what Victoria had been to him. He also didn’t want Tierney to think that he wasn’t committed to their friends-with-benefits relationship. It had been working well so far and he didn’t want it to stop.

[Tierney Harper]

Victoria Perez was back. At the moment Tierney really had no clue what that meant. She vaguely remembered the girl from first year and not liking her, but that was it. Still, she knew that the news caused a sour feeling in her stomach. Perhaps if she had known Victoria's history with Landon she would have understood. If she had known though she probably would have either killed the girl by now or at the very least not have been on her way to see Landon.

Tonight they were meeting in the Trophy Room. Tierney didn't mind it much. At least the lighting in the Trophy Room was soft and the way it reflected off the shining metals of the plaques and cups was near to enchanting. Still, romance was the farthest thing from her mind. Really. This was simply another business meeting with Mr. Rederick.

She approached the doors to the room slowly, apprehensively. That sour feeling in her stomach had yet to pass on. Pushing open one door she slipped inside and shut it behind her, turning and letting her gaze sweep from wall to wall until they fell on Landon. He appeared to be thinking and it didn't seem like he was enjoying it much. It caused a pang in her chest to see him looking in the least bit upset.

Tierney walked up to Landon and gave him a smile, reaching out and patting his cheek gently. "What's the matter with you? It couldn't possibly be school since it's still summer." She bent down to get a good look at his face and then crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "Well, no matter. I'll take your mind off it." She ran her fingers through his hair and leaned in to kiss the corner of his lips.

Yes, she was worried about his demeanor, but what could she do for him but offer a distraction? She didn't want to risk them getting too close, too attached, and comforting each other was exactly how something like that happened. Still, she did want to comfort him. It did hurt her thinking he might be sad or upset in some way. She just... couldn't. Not directly. So she would try to help him alleviate stress in some other way in the hopes it would cure anything that ailed him. That way it wasn't obvious and hopefully didn't cause bonding.

No bonding. She had promised.

[Landon Rederick]

There was no point in worrying about Victoria being in town. He was a different guy than he was then. She wasn’t going to control him anymore so it didn’t matter that she was around. He’d moved on. Things were good before Victoria showed up and he would make sure that they stayed that way. Besides, Tierney was on her way up to the Trophy Room to help him forget all about her. And he definitely needed the distraction. He’d been looking forward to her company for a while. He gladly welcomed her onto his lap and quickly slipped his arms around her waist.

Though it was nice of her to ask, Landon regretted the fact that she wanted to know what was on his mind. If he started talking about it, he would spill everything to her and just talk it out. But he wanted to keep it locked away from her. So long as he made sure that nothing changed, there would be nothing to talk about. What happened between Landon and Vicki was in the past and he wanted it to stay there. Luckily, she didn’t give him time to answer, and he was grateful. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin this good moment by talking about his ex.

“Thank you,” was all he could say. That was all he wanted to say. He didn’t ask her to meet him here so that they could talk. When they started this thing between them Landon was sure that it wouldn’t last long. He didn’t think that Tierney could handle a relationship that lacked commitment. That was too much of his style. She didn’t seem to be that much into it at first either. But he’d underestimated her. Everything about it so far has been perfect. No emotional attachment. No strings. Exactly what they signed up for. Sort of…

There were times that Landon caught himself thinking about Tierney in a romantic way. It didn’t happen often and when it did, he was quick to squash it. It must be because they were hooking up so often. He’d never maintained anything with a girl as long as this, romantic or not, not since Vicki, and it was causing his mind to wonder. But not tonight. No thinking allowed.

Landon leaned inward and captured her lips with his own. He kissed her fiercely for as long as he could without taking a breath. He stopped after a few seconds and rested his forehead against hers to breathe a little. His chest heaved as he took deep breaths, but he didn’t pause for long. As he kissed her again he let his hands roam her body, aching to touch her skin. He was hungry for her.

[Tierney Harper]

As she had expected, Landon didn't give much away. He said thank you, but otherwise he was a closed book. Some small part of her was saddened that he wouldn't open up to her, but the larger more prominent part was relieved that so far she was getting what she wanted - no attachments. Or so she liked to think.

In reality, the girl was just in denial. She didn't realize it yet, but she was head-over-heels for the boy - again. Now it was real though, more than a childish crush, she really cared about Landon. Her mind refused to acknowledge the fact though. So to Tierney it felt there were no attachments. She believed she could walk away at any moment and be fine - or Landon could. She still believed she didn't care at all if Landon went out with another girl once or twice. She still believed she could handle it if Landon thought about another girl.

Landon leaned in and kissed her and her brain stopped working. There was no better way to put it. Her worrying about him stopped, the thoughts in the back of her head about school stopped, even the sour feeling in her stomach stopped. He rested his forehead on hers and she closed her eyes and smiled softly. It was amazing the way her arch-nemesis could make her feel so relaxed. It was even more surprising since the reason they were arch-nemeses to begin with was due to the fact he was a vulgar, disloyal, man-whore. It was most likely because their arrangement was meant to make use of that fact. She didn't expect a relationship from him. Had she she probably wouldn't be so at ease, even though thus far he had yet to give her reason to think he was with anyone else.

Landon's hands began to roam and Tierney smirked against his lips as they reconnected with hers. She slid her hands down from his neck, over his chest, and wrapped them around his waist, teasing the fabric of his shirt and trailing her lips along his jawline to his ear and kissing the spot on his neck just below it.

She was lucky that when they were together no other thoughts ran through her head. Had other thoughts crossed her mind she surly would have figured out that she was starting to fall for him. All the signs were there. Being around him relaxed her, she worried about him, she couldn't get enough of him. The boy was all over her body and her mind - it wouldn't surprise anyone but her (and maybe Landon) if they found out he was all over her heart too.

[Landon Rederick]

Whenever Landon was with Tierney he felt a desire deep inside of him that could never be satisfied. No matter how long they were together or what they did, she always left him wanting more. When they weren’t together, all he could think about was the next time that they would meet. She consumed him. Sometimes he found himself wondering what she was doing or if she was thinking about him. He wondered if she would ever consider not marrying Lucian. Though she was here with him, he knew at the end of it all, she was going to end up with Lucian. He wasn’t asking for commitment from her. He knew that’s not what she wanted either. But, for whatever reason, the thought of her with anyone else made him very uneasy. So for these moments he liked to think of her as his. The outside world and the lives that they went back to didn’t exist when they were together. It was like an alternate universe.

His heart beat rapidly as she kissed his neck. He wasn’t sure if head mentioned it to her, but she must have figure out by now that that was his weak spot. Every time her lips met the skin on his throat he had to fight hard to suppress a deep groan that vibrated in his chest. This time he failed. His head always tilted away from her in response to encourage her to continue. But it was just too good, he had to pull away. His hands latched onto her thighs as he yanked her even further onto his lap. Landon kissed her deeply, almost aggressively. He roamed his hands up her torso, over her chest, into her hair (he thought it was cute when she had make out hair), down her back, then onto her thighs again. The summer heat had her in shorts and he was taking full advantage of the exposed skin. He kissed and sucked on her neck, probably leaving a mark. He knew that hickeys were kind of juvenile and he couldn’t be surprised if she was annoyed, but they made him grin. “You can cover that with your hair,” he said lowly in her ear before kissing his way down her jaw and over her collar bone.

[Tierney Harper]

Merlin, how she loved when Landon got aggressive with her. She wasn't saying she was into being pushed around by guys - the past would clearly show otherwise - but she did enjoy a bit of aggression from them when making out. It showed they were excited, that they wanted more. And more was exactly what Landon got. Tierney kissed him back just as fiercely and tugged at his bottom lip playfully. Meanwhile, she slid her hands under his shirt, up his back, and traced her fingers over the contours of his shoulder blades and spine before dragging them down to his sides and brushing them between his warm skin and the waist of his pants.

“You can cover that with your hair.”

Tierney pulled away momentarily to raise an eyebrow at him and give him a look. Then with an ill-concealed smirk she leaned back in and kissed her way from his jawline to the base of his neck and left a nice little mark for him to hide too. She didn't really mind when he left marks, the only problem she had was that everyone would assume they were from Lucian if they saw them, but they weren't... and Lucian if he saw them would obviously know that. While she knew he had no right to say anything against it, she couldn't help but feel guilty anyway, it was simply part of her nature.

If she hadn't been engaged to Lucian she would have no issues at all with the marks. Just like with aggression she didn't mind a little possessiveness either. So long as the guys didn't treat her like property or a piece of meat she was ok with them leaving a little mark to say 'Hey, this girl is spoken for so back off or be prepared for a beat down,' or something. Little stuff like that let her know she was wanted... Not that Landon was 'marking his territory' or something. Tierney didn't think that because... well, she was engaged to Lucian and he knew it. And this was strictly business. And he didn't like her like that. And she didn't like him like that either.

And she was a terrible liar, but so far she believed herself.

[Landon Rederick]

Had Tierney been thinking that Landon was being possessive, she would’ve been right on the money. In a way, Landon was subconsciously marking his territory. It made him grin when he saw the marks and to know that he was the one that gave them to her, even though no one else did. He didn’t care so much about what everyone else thought. Landon just wanted Lucian to know that someone else was giving his fiancé the attention that he couldn’t, that he couldn’t. Landon knew that Lucian was gay and probably had absolutely no interest in being physical with Tierney, but Landon wanted Lucian to know that he was failing as a fiancé and that Tierney was clearly getting the attention from someone else. He just wish the guy cared more about what she was up to so that he could enjoy punching him the face if he got the chance. It was no fun if the person wasn’t interested.

Landon had told Tierney time and time again that marrying Lucian was a terrible idea, that she should be with someone that actually wanted her and could give her everything that she needed. Lucian was clearly not that guy. Landon didn’t even think he was that guy, but he didn’t want to see her get hurt. But Tierney was firm in her decision and didn’t want it to seem like he wasn’t supporting her. Friends are supposed to support each other so he decided not to push it anymore.

Landon was glad that Tierney left a mark of her own on him. Maybe the next time he saw, Victoria she would see it. He wanted her to know that he hadn’t just been sitting around sulking about her absence. She wasn’t who she thought he was anymore.

As Tierney touched his skin the aggression started build up inside of him. He looped his fingers firmly in the belt loops of her shorts to keep his hands steady. He kissed his way down to the neckline of her shirt then attacked her lips again. He couldn’t keep his hands still for much longer, craving to feel her smooth skin underneath his fingers. He dropped his hands back to her thighs and massaged them with some vigor, occasionally letting his fingers graze just under the fabric.

Sometimes Landon had the urge to just hold her and not let her go, to just sit there with her wrapped tightly in his arms and forget about everything else going on in the outside world. But then he remembered that he was Landon Rederick. He didn’t do those things and that was not what they signed up for. This is probably just what happens when you limit yourself to one girl. It was actually kind of scary. But what to do about it? There weren’t very many girls that would want to hook up with him anyway. Well there was Vicki…No, he couldn’t. That would be all kinds of bad. He was sure that there were a few girls that he could convince; prove (to Vicki and to himself) that he hadn’t lost his touch. Tierney did say that it wouldn’t bother her if he was seeing someone else.

Nah, he had everything he needed right in front of him…for now.

[Tierney Harper]

Tierney sighed almost contently as Landon kissed his way down to the collar of her shirt, but then he was back to her lips and contentment was thrown out the window. It was mind-boggling the way he could do something simple and it could drastically change her mood and emotions in a flash.

If she had actually taken the time to think about it then no doubt it would have scared her tremendously. To think that someone could have such control over her, over anyone, was a terrifying thought and would have had Tierney running for the hills. She needed to be in control of something, but in reality she was in control of nothing.

Thankfully, she didn't think about that at all, her mind was far too preoccupied.

It rather seemed as if Landon's mind was a bit preoccupied too. That snapped Tierney back to reality a bit. She leaned back, away from him a bit, and slid a finger under his chin, lifting it so their eyes could meet, "Hmm, this doesn't seem to be working. Something is still bothering you. What is it, sexi?" Stroking her thumb across his cheek, she sighed softly.

((Ehhhhhhh....))

[Landon Rederick]

The relationship between Landon and Victoria started out as a classic one. They met each other in his third year, her fourth, on a trip to Hogsmeade. Young Landon had become completely infatuated with her immediately. She was beautiful and popular and seemed to be the girl that all the guys wanted. And Landon was determined to have her. He had to chase her for a while, showering her with compliments and expensive gifts. She behaved as though he was just an annoying fly, buzzing around her, and she was completely uninterested. But she took advantage of the fact that he was head over heels. She constantly pushed him to show her how much he really wanted to be with her. To an outsider it must’ve seemed cute, such a sweet young crush. But to Landon, the feelings were strong. He felt like he loved her, that they were destined to be together.

Finally, after several months and well into the summer, Victoria and Landon began to date. At first it seemed as if they were ideal for each other. They were both from very wealthy pureblood families and were well liked by their peers. Their marks were good and their futures looked bright and promising. Things couldn’t have been more perfect for the young couple. Landon believed that Victoria was perfect. He believed he was deep in love.

But then Victoria’s true colors began to show. At the beginning of the next year Victoria started to pick fights with Landon over the smallest things. Landon would let her say the things she wanted to say and did whatever she asked in attempt to keep her happy. He believed that he was very lucky to be with her and that he would do whatever it took in order to stay with her. Victoria repeatedly threatened to break up with Landon if he didn’t buy her the right things, dress the way she wanted him to, or hang out with the people she had chosen. It was like he was a doll or a puppet that she was controlling. She was always reminding him how childish he was and how he wasn’t good enough. She was verbally and emotionally abusive and made him feel worthless.

Looking back, Landon felt so ashamed that he allowed himself to stay with her for so long. Sometimes he wondered if he’d still be with her had she not let him go. He might have even forgiven her for cheating and all the things that she did. It was pathetic. He doesn’t even know why he stayed. He knew that she was treating him badly, but at the time he didn’t really believe that he could do better than her. To him, there was no one better than her. But then she left, with no explanation as to why other than she never really loved him and that she had been seeing another guy…several other guys. Before he could even try to get her back, she was gone from Hogwarts.

Landon spent a few weeks moping around, thinking he would never find anyone again. But once he noticed that a few girls were flirting with him he realized that he must not be as worthless as Victoria made him out to be. He was so much more than that, and he would prove it to anyone that doubted him. But more than anyone, he would prove it to himself. He made it his mission to charm as many girls as possible. It was a bonus if he could hook up with them. The more girls he got the more confident he became. It was a game to him and he couldn’t lose. He wouldn’t.

He was supposed to be done with that part of his life, but now that Victoria was back he couldn’t let her see him as weak again. But how could he show her up without running everything. He’d already gotten himself into enough trouble and surely paid the consequences. He didn’t want to have to go through all of that again, or worse. But all of that got him thinking. Was he really weak? He’d just let Tierney do all of those things to him. Girls weren’t nearly as interested in him anymore, of at all. But perhaps he could get his game back. He could prove to Vicki that he wasn’t weak, that he didn’t need her. Or at least he hoped.

Landon frowned when Tierney asked what was wrong again. He may not have been mentally engaged but at least he was physically distracted. He thought he would at least be able to pretend that he was all there. “She thinks she can just go back to the way things used to be, but I’m not that guy anymore,” he said, not realizing that Tierney probably had no idea what he was talking about. “T, do you think I’m weak? I mean, girls still want me right?” Landon was beginning to feel like the reason that Tierney was doing this with him was because he must appear to be desperate, but he wasn’t or at least he didn’t think he was. He definitely didn’t want to appear that way, especially not to Vicki.

[Tierney Harper]

Tierney was confused.

No, that was too weak a word to use. She was... beyond confusion, far beyond. So far beyond that there was no word to properly describe it. She stared at him, her arms dropping to her sides, shoulders slumping forward a bit as she stared at him like, 'huh?' Honestly, she must have looked idiotic the way her face betrayed how baffled, how clueless, how ignorant she was to what he was talking about.

He called her 'T' and for a moment a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips, but it never fully formed. It was like a muscle spasm, but never amounted to anything because of how completely perplexed she was by Landon's question and his words. She... who was she? Tierney didn't know, but she hated her. She loathed her. It was scary the amount of malice she felt toward this unknown person because of a few muttered words. She didn't even know what she had done exactly.

“T, do you think I’m weak? I mean, girls still want me right?”

Girls... still... Tierney gave him a distrustful and quizzical look. She didn't know how to answer him. First, he was thinking of some other girl while making out with her, now he was wondering if other girls wanted him and that lead her to the only reasonable (in her mind) conclusion that he wanted other girls, or at least one other. It stung Tierney more than she could have expected, more than it should have. It hurt. Her face remained mostly calm, if not still bewildered, but for a millisecond pain flashed in her green eyes. No, not pain... betrayal.

It was silly for her to feel betrayed. She wasn't dating Landon, she didn't own him, he was not hers in any meaning or sense of the word. All they had was a business arrangement and she had told him she would be fine if he wanted to see other girls, hadn't she? So what had she thought then? That he could see other girls, like other girls, date other girls, and not think about them when he was with her? How foolish a concept was that? Clearly that would be impossible... but she thought that at least he would have the decency to hide it or lie about it to her. He could have said family problems were bothering him, Tris's regard toward him or lack thereof... anything except the truth that he was thinking of someone else.

She didn't like him. She cared nothing for him. He was just a toy to selfishly help her get through her doomed engagement, at least until school ended. So why was there an aching, yet stabbing, pain in her chest? Why was her heart thudding against her ribcage, feeling like it might burst or choke off her air supply or something? Tears did not come to her eyes, so clearly she couldn't have cared too much... or maybe her brain just hadn't processed all her feelings thoroughly yet so it had yet to catch up and send the signal for the waterworks to start.

Tierney slid off Landon's lap and stood before him, fixing her shorts and tank top, her eyes unable to meet his once they broke away. When she spoke her voice was unnervingly calm to her, though no doubt it sounded fine to others and she was just paranoid or able to know herself enough to hear the difference, it was perhaps a little cold if one listened hard enough, "I have never thought you weak, Landon... don't give me a reason to now." Somehow though, she feared he was going to.

This nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her she was going to be disappointed. She feared he was going to make her think him weak. He was going to do something stupid... and it was going to break - no shatter, her heart. She didn't believe she could have feelings for him that would allow that, but still this shadow loomed and the back of her mind and the pit of her stomach told her she was wrong, she cared much more than she let herself believe... They also told her it had something to do with Victoria Perez, though she waved that off for now with everything else. She was being foolish. It was coincidence that she recently returned and now this. And just because she didn't like her before meant nothing, her feelings were unfounded then and they were (most likely) unfounded now.

[Landon Rederick]

Had Landon known that Tierney was going to react this way he definitely wouldn’t have said anything. He hadn’t really planned on saying anything at all anyway. It just kinda came out as he was thinking about it. He knew better than to mention a different girl while with another one; that’s how he’d kept himself from getting into trouble all those other times with all those other girls. However, Landon found that he lacked common sense when he was around Tierney sometimes.

Victoria had only been back for a day and she was already causing him problems. Now it was time for some major damage control.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Landon could see something change in her eyes, even though it was only for a brief moment. He regretted everything he’d said. Landon stood to stand in front of her, and took her hands in is. He knew that what they had between them wasn’t anything serious or involving commitment but the time that he spent with her was Tierney time and he shouldn’t have ruined it by talking about anything else.

It was scaring him that he’d discomforted her. It almost looked like she was disappointed in him and it made him feel awkward. He couldn’t exactly place a finger on what the feeling was but it was painful and it saddened him. However, at this point, Landon was a little conflicted. He knew that Tierney did not want him to become a manwhore again, but she was the one that said she wouldn’t mind if he saw other people, yet here barely at the mention of someone else, she was getting upset. Since he and Tierney weren’t really a public thing the only way he could show off was if he had another girl on his arm.

He didn’t understand why she was reacting this way. Granted, he probably shouldn’t have mentioned another girl while they were making out but she looked as if he had threatened to stab her puppy. “I’m sorry if I insulted you by talking about other girls while I’m here with you. Definitely stupid on my part. But I don’t understand why you’re reacting like this. I’m not with anyone else right now, but you said it would be okay if I was.”

[Tierney Harper]

“I’m sorry if I insulted you by talking about other girls while I’m here with you. Definitely stupid on my part. But I don’t understand why you’re reacting like this. I’m not with anyone else right now, but you said it would be okay if I was.”

"It is... I just... I-" Fuck. What had she gotten herself into this time? He was right, she had said it would be fine. So what was wrong with her? "I don't know how to explain it. I guess insulted is a good word." No it wasn't. Hurt, saddened, betrayed - those were good words. Insulted didn't quite fit. "And nervous. I'm okay if you're with one other girl, but your comment..."

Tierney trailed off and sighed. "I'm overreacting, I know." She wasn't going to apologize. It wasn't a conscience effort, she just wasn't going to do it. She wanted to make him promise he wouldn't go back to his old ways, but she feared it would be pointless and she didn't want to set herself up. She didn't want to set him up to break a promise.

Perhaps she wasn't giving him enough credit. She should have trusted him to keep a promise like that. She shouldn't have automatically assumed he'd break it. The fact of the matter was though, that she didn't trust him enough. It was hard for her to after everything that had happened. He was exactly that type of person... the one that couldn't keep it in his pants. One of the ones who couldn't even pronounce the word commitment. Or that's how it seemed at the very least. With his history how could it appear any different?

This was exactly what Tierney had been talking about before. Well, not exactly because he wasn't in love with her and it... it was just different in some ways. The fact that she couldn't trust him though because of how he acted before, that was what she meant. She wanted to trust him, but she couldn't. Maybe it was because there was nothing real between them. Maybe if there had been she could have believed in him. Maybe not. She'd never know...

What she did know was that she wanted out of the situation right now. "I have a lot of studying to do." Worst excuse in the world. "I should really go do it." So many flaws in it. Why had she come to see him to begin with if she had oh so much studying to do? "You can come with me if you want? We can study together." Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. She was only offering to try and weaken the brush off, to make it seem like she wasn't trying to get rid of him or something.

[Landon Rederick]

Landon couldn’t help it, but he was getting a little annoyed now. She was already assuming the worst with him when she’d said that he could see other people and that she’d be okay with it, yet here she was overreacting. And on top of that she was making him feel badly and he didn’t know why. These were her terms and he was exercising his rights, as defined by her. So then why did he feel like he was betraying her? He had just asked. He hadn’t even actually done anything…yet.

“Well, again,” he said, this time sighing. “I’m sorry for insulting you. I should have waited to have this conversation some other time.” He really did feel bad about making her upset but didn’t want to let on that he cared about her more than she knew. More than even he knew. It would just add to his week points. Perhaps this was just too sudden for her. Maybe he should wait a while before trying to get with another girl. What if she knew the situation? No, that surely wouldn’t work. Tierney definitely did not need to hear that story. She wouldn’t like it, and she definitely wouldn’t see things the way he did, he was sure of it.

"I have a lot of studying to do. I should really go do it."

She was such a liar. He didn’t want to let her go. They didn’t finish what they started and he didn’t want to end the night on a bad note. They could both use the distraction now. “Wait, T, I don’t wanna study.” He stood so close to her that she could feel his breath on the side of her face as he spoke, trying to get her in the mood again. “I wanna be here with you,” he finished, letting his lips brush over her ear with every word.