Friends with benefits, no strings attached-that's the plan. And to Serena Huntingdon, it couldn't be more perfect. She'd have all the orgasms she could handle with her hot coworker Kol, and none of the drama.
But when his sexy older brother Elijah c...
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That night, after I'd fallen into a deep, vodka-induced sleep, I had the dream again.
The dorm was dark, soundless, save for the soft shuffle of my slippers against the hall carpet. There wasn't another soul awake throughout the third floor, and I hoped it stayed that way. I twirled my lanyard around my fingers nervously as I crept over to my boyfriend's door.
It had been two days since I'd seen him last, memories of a horrible fight over a girl's number in his phone still making my breath catch in my throat. After tossing and turning a second night in a row, I had decided to bite the bullet, descending the two flights of stairs separating us to apologize.
Due to the late hour, Jackson was likely still asleep. It was a good thing he'd given me a copy of his dorm key, so I could just slip into his bed quietly and hold him while he slept. We could talk it out in the morning.
I inserted the key in the lock as quietly as possible, taking care to slide it open slowly. Creeping over to the bed by the window, I struggled to see anything in the pitch black of night.
The edge of the blanket was soft in my hand as I pulled it back, preparing to slip underneath and settle in against the warmth of Jackson's body.
But someone was already in my place.
Tonight, though, the dream was different. It wasn't my high school sweetheart Jackson in bed with my close friend, Hayley.
It was Kol.
And somehow, that was even more devastating.
***
I woke with a start, my heart racing as my tired, swollen eyes struggled to open. The sun was high in the sky already, filtering through my violet curtains, and there was no way I was falling back to sleep. Reaching over beside me, I plucked my cell phone from its resting place on the nightstand. With a sigh, I pressed play on the voicemail I'd been avoiding since it arrived.
"Hey. I know you need some time. I'm trying to respect your boundaries and not come upstairs, but please, give me a chance to explain. I need you to know everything before you decide this is it for us, Twinkle. Call me when you're ready."
Kol's voice was gruff and scratchy, as if he had been crying or yelling. Both of those scenarios tugged at my battered heart, but I wasn't ready to face him yet.
Slipping out of bed to make my way towards the shower, I heard a shuffling noise in the kitchen and stepped out to check.
"Morning, Serena," Caroline sang. "Someone is very popular today."
My eyes widened as I drank in the view of the kitchen counter. Beside the beautiful red roses Elijah had brought before our date, there were two additional bouquets of flowers.
