OLD Campus Crush

24

After eating and cleaning up the dishes, David and I moved back to the living room where we laid on the long sofa. He had stretched his body over it then pulled me down on top of him, so yes, I was basically lying on him, and Sofie was staring at us strangely. It seemed she'd never seen two bodies tangled together.

I certainly have never experienced this kind of intimacy, so my heart was furiously pounding against my chest. I was sure David could feel it too, which only made it race faster in my embarrassment.

He rubbed his hand up and down my back very soothingly though, so it calmed me down slightly.

"Something no one knows about me..." he murmured, bringing up our earlier conversation. "Okay, I got one. I am secretly a dolphin."

I laughed as he held my head to his neck.

"It's true," he continued. "I escaped Sea World a century ago and journeyed to the Land of the Great Unknown where I received a magic tablet that transformed me into a man."

I raised my head to stare at him, squinting my eyes. "We must tame your wild imagination, dolphin."

He smiled at me, playing with my fingers. "On a serious note, do you want to hear something nobody knows or just something you don't know?"

I blinked then slowly shrugged. "Whatever makes you comfortable."

He swallowed, looking at my fingers as he played with the tips of them. "Well, there is this one thing. I'm... rich. I mean, my family's very wealthy. A little too wealthy and I don't want to lead that life."

My eyebrows knitted together. "I remember asking if your parents abandoned you and you said they didn't. Did you abandon them?"

He sighed. "Abandon is a strong word. I'd rather say I chased happiness and love. I didn't care about all that money. I grew up bathing in wealth and I didn't like it."

"I can imagine why. It's like having a huge target on your back."

"It is, and I couldn't live like that." His hands left my fingers and rested along my waist. "So, instead of living in an unnecessarily large, obnoxious house, I got myself a cozy, humble abode. I've lived here for plenty years-almost ten."

"Is that why you don't have pictures on your walls?"

"It's part of the reason why. The other reason... well, it's painful."

I nodded as one of his hands cupped my cheek. "Casper, I'll never lie to you. It's not that I won't ever tell you-I will-and I trust you. But let's take our time. When we're deeper in our relationship, I won't spare any details."

I bit my lower lip, an action that had become a small habit for me. "Relationship?" My cheeks ignited as I lifted myself up to look at him better.

His lips pressed together for a second as if he'd been caught doing something wrong. "Shh, I was trying to be smooth there."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You almost got away with it."

"Yeah, what's the deal? I was being sneaky and now my cover's blown," he teased, resting a hand against my lower back. I just blinked at him with a very happy smile on my face.

"Don't do this to me. I'm falling for you, David, and I'm sure you can tell."

"It's the same on my end." He caressed my cheek, his charm making me shy all over again. "I haven't... It's been forever since I've tried to put myself out there and, well, date."

"I find it hard to believe a man like you has difficulty dating."

"I've been emotionally unavailable for years," he explained.