Always With You - A Best Friends To Lovers Novel

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Bowie

Another week had passed, and I was starting to get used to all the classes and teachers. The students were also okay, but at the end of the day, it was always Whitley I hung out with.

We were sitting on the grass outside Northern Hall, eating our lunch, and talking about the upcoming weekend. I wasn't sure why Whitley thought it would be a great idea to throw a party at our apartment, but I was trying to not make that happen.

"What could possibly go wrong? We don't know many people yet, and I don't think many will know about the party. We can fit around twenty people in our apartment. That's just a little get-together," Whitley said, and I shook my head, biting into my sandwich.

"We're in college, Whit. The second you tell someone we're throwing a party, it will snowball out of control. And to be honest, I don't wanna let strangers into our home." It didn't seem like a good idea, especially if there was alcohol involved.

Whitley sighed, tilting her head back and looking up into the sky. "Then we'll hire some kind of guard who makes sure not more than twenty people enter."

I laughed, shaking my head once again. "Still too many people. Besides, you can just go hang out at a bar."

"God, you're like my mother. I should've rented my own apartment," she muttered. She wasn't mad at me, just a little frustrated that she couldn't do whatever she wanted to. Her parents were a little strict, and she had to do a lot of chores before going to parties.

"I'm sorry, Whitley. But I don't feel very safe with strangers in our apartment."

"I get it," she said with a tight smile. "Will you at least come to the 81 with me tomorrow night?"

That didn't sound too bad. I hadn't seen River in a while, and every time I asked if he would come eat lunch with us outside, he said he had to go somewhere with Aiden. He didn't tell me where they went, but they both had duffle bags with them. I didn't ask any more questions. They probably went to the gym, working on those muscles I thought looked so good on both.

"Of course," I replied with a smile.

I finished my sandwich, and just as I wanted to get my book out to read a chapter before heading back to class, a shadow fell over me, making it hard for me to read the words.

"Hello, ladies," a warm voice said, and I turned my head to look up at the guy standing behind me. I recognized him, having seen him a few times with the other football players, and I was surprised that he came to talk to us.

Ford Warren was a clean-cut, tall, and lean guy, making heads turn wherever he went. He was a classy guy, his hands always safely tugged into the front pockets of his pants. He didn't have the jacket on with the school's colors like he usually did to fit in with his team-mates, but nonetheless, everyone knew who he was.

"Hi," I said, followed by Whitley's same greeting. He nodded, then squatted down next to me, with his elbows on his knees.

"I don't mean to bother you, but I finally got all my shit together to come over here and talk to you," he said, and I looked at Whitley, waiting for her to continue the conversation with him. She didn't say anything at first, and I looked back down into my book to start reading the chapter.

Ford cleared his throat, and I wondered why Whitley still wasn't talking. With a nudge of her leg against mine, I looked up at Ford who was watching me with a raised brow. An amused smile touched his lips, and I opened my mouth, pointing at myself.

"Oh, you're talking to me?" I asked surprised, and Whitley chuckled. Ford nodded, his smile turning into a smirk now. "'Course I'm talking to you," he chuckled. "Damn, you're sweet. I was hoping to ask you out on a date. What do you think? Will you let me buy you a drink tomorrow night?" he asked. He was being very smug, and I was a little overwhelmed by him.

"Uh...Whitley and I are going out tomorrow. I'm sorry," I said.

"Tonight, then," he replied, and I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. "Aw, come on, Bowie. Just a drink. I'll get you home by whatever time you want to be home. I can't stand all those guys trying to get your attention, and I really wanna get to know you before anyone else does. I think you're a real sweet girl," he said, and I wondered how many times he pulled this on other girls.

I watched him for a second, then turned to Whitley who shrugged, seemingly amused by all this. "I...I mean, sure," I said, turning back to Ford. "One drink," I told him with a smile.

"Perfect. Here." He pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen for a moment, then handed it to me. He had already created a new contact and typed my name into it, now all I had to do was put in my number.

I was a little hesitant. I never really texted with other guys besides River, and I wasn't sure I wanted to, but nowadays, this was the way to communicate to plan things like this. "Here," I said, holding the phone back to him.

"Perfect," he repeated with a grin, then got back up again. "I'll text you after practice. See you tonight, Bowie." And with that stupid grin on his face, he turned and walked away.

"And after three short weeks of college, Bowie gets to go on a date with Ford Warren, probably the hottest guy at Blue Oak. That's what I call an achievement." Whitley wasn't far from the truth when she said Ford was hot. But that's not why I gave it a chance. I needed to get River off my mind. Last time I slept in his bed, he got a boner again, and I had to stop myself from rubbing against him. He wouldn't have stopped me, but I didn't want to cross the line.

"He seems nice," I said, smiling at Whitley and turning my attention back to my book.

"Nice? Bowie...that guy has charms. And from what I've heard, he has a really big—"

"Stop," I interrupted her, looking at her wide-eyed. "Don't ruin it before I even get a chance to really talk to him."

"Heart. Really big heart," Whitley finished her sentence, but her grin told me that wasn't what she was going to say.