Just Love Me

Chapter 1: Green Eyes & Sweets

Before we begin,

       I want to start by saying that I appreciate each and every reader. You all are amazing. This story is unedited so it has a few bumps & bruises. If you'd prefer more polished work- I understand. Also, I will not tolerate mean spirited comments directed toward myself or any readers. In other words, all trolls will be blocked and reported, immediately. There are tons of stories on Wattpad, if this one is not to your liking, feel free to exit. No hard feelings. :)

xoxo
      Nini

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October 2008

I grabbed my sweatshirt from the passengers seat, pulling it over my head then got my backpack from the back seat and rushed into the library. My shift at Dunkin Donuts went over so I was already running late. I hadn't spent very much time in the University of Massachusetts Amherst's library so it took me a while to find the Learning Commons work room that I was searching for.

Honestly, I felt like returning to my dorm and going to bed but I knew for sure that if I didn't start tutoring I would without a doubt fail my Elementary Statistics class. And failing meant losing my scholarship, which also meant leaving UMass, which in turn meant going back home to Connecticut to live with my parents. Family's great but my independence was better.

After passing about a dozen empty rooms I finally found the one I was looking for. I hesitantly approached the door. Meeting new people always made me nervous. The man inside was seated at a small round table; he had a skateboard turned wheels up under his foot.

Even though he was slumped in the chair looking at something on his cell phone I could tell he was tall. My guess was at least 6'1 by the how far his legs stretched out underneath the table. His open laptop along with a couple of textbooks covered the majority of the tabletop.

My knuckles softly rocked on the door. His bright emerald irises locked on my dark umber ones. I got lost for a moment looking into beautiful eyes, taking in his creamy flawless skin, strong jaw and pointed nose. The man was gorgeous. I'd never had such a strong immediate attraction to a white man before but this guy was beyond handsome. He was, to me, a perfect balance of beauty. Not too pretty, not too rough. His thin moustache framing his lips that came down into a close shaven goatee added to the perfection.

It wasn't until he cleared his throat that I snapped out of my daze. He looked slightly annoyed, probably wondering why I was standing there staring at him. My face heated from embarrassment and I silently thanked Jesus that my brown skin protected my cheeks from visibly reddening. I took a couple steps into the room and extended my hand out.

"Hi you must be-" he cut me off before I could finish. One of my biggest pet peeves but I let it slide.

"Rick," was the only thing he said. My hand was still hanging in the air so I slowly lowered it. I rummaged through my purse looking for the printed out email with the peer tutoring instructions.

"Oh? I might be in the wrong room. I'm looking for-"

"Maverick is my full name but I hate it. Call me Rick."

"Okay Rick. I'm Elle Anderson- well actually, Brielle but everyone calls me Elle." He returned his attention to his phone. I stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before I pulled out a chair and sat across from him. I was in the middle of taking out my books and notes from class when he spoke again.