Crush

The stink of cheap alcohol and immaturity saturated the air of the huge condo-turned-dorm. Each room buzzed with college students, most of them complete strangers. Nothing extraordinary in sight, yet.

Monsters prefer to sneak up on you, much like an over-populated birthday party.

My best friend Kelly wanted to boost my social life, and I couldn"t fault her for being the champion of lost causes, but I hated surprises. And crowds.

A sheepish grimace on her red-painted lips, she handed me a beer and leaned beside me against the living room wall. "I didn"t know so many people would show up. I invited your man, though. He said he"d come."

I tucked my long curls behind my ears and groaned. "Stop calling him that. We"re not even going out."

"That will change tonight if I can help it," she said, bouncing her eyebrows up and down.

Kelly loved to tease me about my crush, Thom Walker. Thom and I had met in art class, and he had a great sense of humor, not to mention he was major eye-candy.

Wednesdays and Fridays had become my favorite days of the week since the start of the semester. We"d grabbed coffee after class a few times, but I couldn"t tell if those outings were dates or not. He had a knack for sending mixed messages, and my current theory was that he had a girlfriend.

"Lana." Kelly elbowed me and angled her head towards the entrance.

Thom stood in the doorway in all his six-foot-three muscular glory, and I gulped.

Nervous fingers played with the hem of lace on my mid-thigh. Kelly had talked me into a short, black dress. I peeked down at my naked legs and feared her extravagant fashion sense had betrayed me. How short is too short?

This dress was walking the line.

Clothes and boys were usually the last things on my mind, and I blamed Thom for my newfound girlishness. Despite my heated cheeks, I put on a carefree smile and made my way to him.

"Happy birthday." He leaned in and pecked me on the cheek before reaching into his coat. "Here. Sorry, I didn"t have time to wrap it."

He handed me a DVD. The Fifth Element. It was his favorite movie, and I"d mentioned I"d never seen it.

I beamed. A kiss and a gift? Had to mean he was interested. "Thanks."

"I brought someone. I hope it"s okay."

A gigantic neon-light spelling girlfriend ignited in my head.

To my extreme relief, another guy appeared behind him. A tall, leathered-jacketed, imposing guy. Wearing black from head to toe, complete with the blackest hair I"d ever seen, he was about the same height as Thom but loomed over us anyway like a thundercloud.

Thom unlaced and pried off his muddy shoes. "Alana, this is my brother Liam."

"Nice to meet you," I said, extending my hand.

Hands tucked in his jean"s pockets, Liam gave me a curt nod and barely spared me a glance. Had I made such a bad impression in so little time? This damn dress… too short indeed. I gripped the hem of lace again, discreetly inched it down my thighs, and bit my lips. "Come in. Want a drink?"

Thom pointed at my bottle. "Beers are fine."

"I"ll go get some. The kitchen is a war zone. You can put your coats here." I waved to the jackets piled on the ottoman and jostled my way to the refrigerator.

Kelly followed me. The crowd made way for her, a graceful eel in a sea of clumsy fishes. "Who"s tall, dark, and handsome?"

I grabbed two beers in the refrigerator. "Thom"s brother."

"Introduce me." The sharp interest in her voice spelled trouble.

"I don"t know, Kelly, he looks sort of…" I hesitated as I removed the caps from the two bottles, searching for the right word.

"Hot?" She grinned.

"Weird."

"Weird how?"

There was something off with him. I couldn"t explain it, but the back of my neck had been tingling since he walked in. "He hasn"t said a word yet, and he wouldn"t shake my hand."

"He just arrived. I"ll whisk him away, so you can be alone with Thom," she said with confidence. Between her perfect glowing skin, long sexy hair and Latina charm, Kelly Moreno rarely got turned down by boys.

I shook my head. "You don"t have to."

"Good grief, girl. Will you make the first move already? It"s not the 1950s anymore." She pinched my arm and pushed me back to the living room.

The boys were waiting by the ottoman. Liam glared at the crowd, and Thom scratched the back of his neck as they spoke animatedly, their voices swallowed by the ambient noise. They stopped arguing as we drew near.

I handed both brothers a beer and got two small "thanks" in return.

Kelly smiled at Thom and turned to Liam. "Hi, I"m Kelly, Lana"s best friend."

Liam nodded in acknowledgment.

I shot my best friend a sideways glance. Told you he was weird.

"So, Liam, are you a student too?" She asked, eager to spruce up a conversation.

Tall, dark and stoic took a gulp of his drink and shook his head.

"Liam"s between jobs," Thom said.

Undeterred, Kelly fluffed her hair. "What field are you in?"

Liam finally graced her with an answer. "Security."

"Why did you quit?"

"I didn"t."

"His contract expired," Thom added.

After a few more monosyllabic answers worsened by Thom"s insistence on answering in his brother"s place, Kelly gave up and jumped at the opportunity to meet new arrivals.

Liam retreated to the back of the room, and both Thom and I failed at pretending he wasn"t there.

For close to two hours, Thom"s brother leaned against the wall in the corner, silent as he typed on his phone. He didn"t mingle with anyone, and a disapproving scowl discouraged any girl from approaching him. Dracula as a chaperone came to mind.

It was strange and definitely not the night I had hoped for. Whenever I'd managed to make Thom laugh, he'd shot his brother a furtive glance and sobered up like he was doing something wrong. The more I tried to act as if everything was normal, the more annoyed I got that Thom allowed this ridiculous awkwardness to continue. Didn"t Liam have anything better to do than ruin our evening?

Students popped in and out of the apartment, and every time someone bumped or brushed past us, Thom"s shoulders rose a little.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked with a smile, trying to diffuse the tension running rampant between us.

"Yeah, why?" His jaw clenched, and he might as well have said no.

"I don"t know. You"re jumpy. What"s going on?"

He was about to answer when Liam appeared behind him, both their jackets propped over his arm. "Thom, it"s 12:01." The words had a solemn echo as if Thom"s carriage had turned into a pumpkin at midnight.

Thom winced. "I have to go."

This non-date had been a complete bust. Kelly was right. If I wanted our relationship to progress, I had to take the matter into my own hands. "We could watch that movie you bought me on Wednesday after class?"

Thom ran a hand through his ashy blond hair and stared at the floor. "I"m going out of town this week, but I"ll text you. We can watch it some other time."

A non-committal response and not very encouraging. Was he brushing me off?

His lips formed a thin line. "Sorry."

I opened my mouth to ask where he was going—maybe the answer might shed light on this bizarre night, and on whether he was giving me the cold shoulder—but Liam elbowed Thom and tapped his watch.

How rude!This guy was lucky that I was out of my element and surrounded by strangers. Otherwise, I would have given him a piece of my mind. Why didn"t Thom tell him to relax? Who cared if it was twelve o" something? Did he expect the bogeyman to walk through the door?

Thom cleared his throat and gave his brother a pointed glare. "I"ll be right behind you."

Liam walked out without saying goodbye. Good riddance.

Thom let out a stiff sigh. "Ignore him. He"s upset with me and left his manners at home. I thought the party would distract him… I was wrong."

"Don"t worry. I hear siblings are a handful." As an only child, I didn"t have those problems.

"Happy birthday again." He hugged me goodbye, and we lingered in the warm embrace, his toned body flush against mine. "Bye."

"Bye." My guts squeezed in longing, and I hoped the strange vibe had nothing to do with me and everything to do with his standoffish can"t-say-hi-or-bye brother.

As the door closed behind Thom, Kelly joined me. "No luck, huh?"

"None." Big fat zero luck on the birthday kiss I"d daydreamed about all week.

"I think he likes you." She draped an arm around my shoulders.

My optimism about this crush had withered significantly, and my mind was almost ready to file Thom in the never-going-to-happen drawer. "We"ll see. He turned me down for a movie night." I fished for my jacket. "Thanks for the party though."

She pouted. "You"re leaving already?"

"I"m pooped. See you Monday. Unless you want to drive to Ludlow with me and see your Mom tomorrow?" I offered, knowing she hadn"t visited our hometown in a while.

"No. My mother is still harboring that horrible guitarist at her place. Say hello to your Mom for me, and we can grab lunch on Monday." She gave me a quick hug and returned to her flock of admirers.

Kelly and her mother had a rocky relationship whereas my parents would be waiting for me with gifts and my favorite cake, eager to hear all about my week.

I was lucky.

The walkto my apartment usually took 10 minutes, but my normal rhythm was undermined by the damn heels, and by the halfway point, my calves were burning. The black stilettos clanked on the curb with each painful step, and the strange tingles at the back of my skull came back in full force as I crossed the boulevard to reach my street.

An eerie impression that I was being watched fueled the tickling, and I craned my neck to look around. Sure enough, a man trailed a few strides behind me. I picked up the pace.

So did he.

I kicked myself for not carrying that pepper spray Dad had shoved in my suitcase when I"d moved away to college. The man"s long shadow was almost on me when I beelined for my building. I hurried into the atrium and checked to see where he was headed, but he blew right past my address, a hood covering his face.

My shoulders sagged in relief. See? Everything"s fine. You"re being silly. His black-and-white checkered hoodie rang a bell, but I couldn"t recall where or when I"d seen it. It bugged me, and I gnawed on my nails until I got to bed, the pressing feeling I had forgotten something important nagging my brain.