Chapter 6

Alyx spent the weekend brooding in his room, thinking of what to do, and avoiding the other roommates. He had to decide how he wanted to feel about Sam before he decided how to move forward. Alyx was a planner. He had spent his days cruising the internet for ideas, and his nights tossing and turning with his thoughts.

He could hear Sam and Paxton out in the common areas, and Mick would come into their shared bedroom now and then, but other than to use the bathroom and grab food when he thought no one was in the living room, Alyx hid himself away.

Monday afternoon he left an avocado with a gift wrap bow and a sticky note that said ‘sorry’, outside Sam’s door. Mick came in and gave him a thumbs up that night when they were going to bed, but he didn’t get to see Sam. Not that he wanted to.

Tuesday, he gave Paxton a gift card for a coffee shop with the instruction to give it to Sam. Paxton gave him a dirty look and moved about his day, but after that, he didn’t glare at Alyx every time he saw him.

Wednesday, he went to the fancy perfume and bath soap store at the mall and nearly died of embarrassment. Alyx, in black jeans, a gray shirt, and his scuffed black boots, stood out in the bright cheery atmosphere.

When he skulked into the store trying not to draw attention to himself, he immediately regretted even trying this. A perky blonde girl in an apron greeted him with a voice that was grating with how falsely pleasant it was. Her eyes lingering too long on the scarred side of his face.

“Um. I just need perfume.” Alyx looked around, shocked and overwhelmed by the amount of products on the multitude of shelves, tables, and other displays that seemed to go from the floor to the ceiling and stretch from the doors to the back wall. There were spray bottles, squeeze bottles, tubes, candles, soaps in all different shapes, and a bunch of things he couldn’t even identify.

“Awesome! Our products are sorted by scent and you will find perfumes next to their matching lotions, body washes, and body shimmers. We currently have a sale-” She motioned to one of the walls, seeming to point out the items but she went so fast, and she was talking so much, he didn’t understand.

Interrupting her, he shook his head. “I need a gift for a girl.”

The shop worker nodded, but just kept on talking. “We can help you with that. Do you know what scent she would like? I can help you find it.”

He grimaced. He had no idea what Sam would like, or even if she would like anything. So he shrugged. “Look, I just need something to say, sorry.”

Almost immediately, the woman’s face softened. “Ah, ok, how old is she?”

Rubbing a hand over the back of his head, he looked around the store and didn’t notice how the girl’s eyes lingered on the curve of muscle in his arm or drifted to the flat ripple of his abs that were exposed when the hem lifted. “She’s eighteen.”

“Okay, well, most of our younger clients seem to like this scent. It’s called Sandy Shores.” Without warning, she grabbed a bottle and spritzed it in the air and he flinched, pulling back to avoid the mist. A second later, the smell hit him and he shook his head.

“Stop.” His nose twitched at the too strong odor, and he took a step back, glaring at her. “You can go.” All his insecurities vanished when confronted with the exact kind of woman he hated, and he glared at her with the dark glower he was famous for around the campus.

The young woman blinked and shrank away from him, her voice both chipper and apologetic. “Ok, if you need any help I’ll be-”

“I will not need any help.” Without another word, he turned his broad back on her and waited until he heard her walk away. When she did, he sighed in relief.

Only to tense up when he focused on the display in front of him, instantly overwhelmed again. But unwilling to admit defeat after dismissing the girl, he reached for a bottle and read the description, then sniffed it hesitantly.

Polaris Sky… Alyx immediately sneezed and put it back on the shelf, reaching for another, less sparkly bottle.

Fairy Crown smelled like dusty pot-pourri. Lemon Ocean was like a floor cleaner. Blue Dream Girl was sickeningly sweet. It went on like that for rows until he found one that didn’t offend his senses, since he would theoretically have to smell it if Sam accepted it. In the back corner of one display, he found a pale yellow bottle with the picture of a bumblebee on the label. Honeysuckle Bumblebee. It was light, slightly sweet, and didn’t make him dizzy.

Looking over the signage near the display, he found the price discounted for clearance and saw a few other matching products. In a moment of what he thought was brilliance, because he was sure to piss off Sam again in the future, he grabbed the matching lotion, a clear body wash, and what looked like a solid soap.

Carrying his prize to the counter, he paid with his credit card and a slightly less irritated expression for the girl at the register. Just as she was bagging up his stuff, he saw the first girl come back from what must have been her break. She gave him a hesitant look, turned into what he assumed was the break room, and he heard hushed whispers start with someone else. Narrowing his eyes, he instinctively tuned in as he walked past the door on his way out.

Her voice was pitched softly, but filled with aggravation and a heavy dose of bitterness. “No wonder he has to buy stuff to make a girl like him. With a face and personality like that-”

Alyx felt his ears get hot, and stormed out of the mall, slamming the door on his Porsche Silencer and flinging the bag into the passenger seat. He drove back to campus with all the delicacy of a bear on a rampage, and his expression and stomping feet made everyone clear the way as he headed up to the dorm.

When he slammed the door to the small living space, a hurricane of self-loathing and furious embarrassment, he didn’t even notice Sam sitting on the counter eating a yogurt cup. He dropped the bag of scented supplies and ran his hands through his hair, pulling the strands as he roughed himself up. Growling and grumbling, muttering under his breath about the experience, he turned to level a kick into the cabinets, and found himself face to face with Sam, mere inches between them.

She was wide eyed, her face tight with fear and her body posture ready to either run or fight at the first chance she got. Before he could think of what to say, the heel of her hand slammed up into his nose, sending sharp pain and blinding him for a moment, and he jerked away as his hands flew up to his face.

He heard the door to the bathroom slam shut and blinked to clear the watering from his eyes, fingers pinching his nose to stop the blood flowing down his face and neck. Still dazed, he stumbled over to the door and knocked.

He spoke quickly, his voice higher pitched and nasal. “I wasn’t trying to... I didn’t know you were there.”

“Fuck off, Alyx!”

Grunting softly in pain, he moved back to the bag he had dropped and then set it outside the door. “Yeah, I’ll go... I’m really sorry, Sam.” Then he gently touched the door, before hurrying out the front door, ignoring the blood sprinkling the floor.