wildflower | cth

4.2 - game

"Welcome to the party guys." Sam said with the biggest smile when we approached them. Ashton went over to her straight away to say hello while I went over to the beer crates to drop two more that we brought. Sam had send Ashton a text to ask if we wanted to hang out with them at the beach, drink too many beers and enjoy the good weather. "Hey Calum." Sam said to get my attention, "please keep your pants on and behave, Lia is coming too."

"Why is Lia coming too?" Luke asked, "If we can invite Lia, can we invite Sierra too?"

"Because Lia is my best friend outside of our house and I invited her before inviting you guys." Sam explained with a smile, her arm around Ashton's waist. "I never said you couldn't invite anyone. I don't really know Sierra yet but she can come, the more the merrier."

"Thanks" Luke said excited before taking out his phone. I took a beer before looking around and when my eyes landed on the parking lot, I saw Lia arrive. She opened the trunk of the car to take out her bag before walking over. She was wearing jeans shorts and a white crop top. A simple outfit, yet it made it impossible for me to look away from her. She looked at me just shortly while she walked over to Vee and Ingrid. She looked so happy, so carefree while she walked to her friends. I wanted to talk to her, tell her she looks beautiful and ask her how her day has been. I wanted to run into her at a party, both too drunk to care about the rules, both too horny to keep our hands of each other and end up both naked in the same bed.

"Stop staring Calum." Michael said and I had to force myself to look away, I had to force every muscle in my body not to look at her when she laughed. "She's not going to play along to your game, she's not going to fall for you and she's not your toy to play with. All you're doing by chasing her, is making yourself fall and she's not going to be there when you do."

"How do you know that?" I asked and he laughed softly before patting my back. "I don't want to date, neither does she. But that doesn't take away that I want to see her naked in my bed one day."

"Calum, you're dying to be loved and to have someone to love. You act all tough and sleep around but you let girls stay the night, eat breakfast and you'd text them the day after if you had the courage to. If Lia would end in your bed naked, you'd call her back the next day to ask if she wants to go out someday. You're not that guy, but she is that girl." He said before he walked away to the rest of the girls with a few beers in his hands.

I looked back at Lia, who had already gotten rid of her clothes and was on her way to the ocean with Sam and Vee. It was as if she could feel my eyes on her because she turned her head and looked right at me, a grin on her face before she looked back at Vee.

She is that girl, she is the one who doesn't get attached and never calls her man of the night back, she is the one who they still talk about a week later when she has already forgotten their name. She is the girl that doesn't believe in love or dating so she sleeps around.

I can tell myself whatever I want, but in the end I know Michael was right.

I'm not that guy.

—

I was scrolling through instagram, barely paying attention to the class. I knew that I'd have to go over everything on my own again but that would just be an excuse to go to the library, an excuse to go see her. "I should be telling you that you're not allowed to interact with her but I'm jealous." I said to Ashton beside me when I noticed his comment under her post and he laughed softly, making sure not to interupt the class. I followed her the first day I noticed her, when she didn't belong to a sorority yet and when she was just a girl in a pretty dress. She had followed me back that day but unfollowed me again weeks later when she joined her sorority. She played by their rules but I just stayed silent, never liking or commenting so nobody would notice I still see her posts.

"She got into your head big time Cal." He said and I let out a sigh before looking up from my phone, her profile still open on my phone.

"I think she likes to watch me suffer and that she loves the attention and glances she's getting. Because she lets me stare, she stares back from time to time but it's like she wants me to see her."

"Or it's all in your head. She gets a lot of stares and glances her way, maybe it's all a game to her to see how long it'll take before you break the rule. She can get you in a lot of trouble." He said and I gave him a soft nod, I knew he was right.

"She just fascinates me."

"Whatever you do, be careful and don't do anything where someone could be watching." He said before everyong around us started to get up. We weren't exactly good students, we sat in the back of class and we talked, a lot. But we got good enough grades so they let us. This is college, they really don't care that we're talking or on our phone as long as we don't interupt. We got up too and walked out of our last class, ready to go back home.

"I have to go somewhere, I'll see you back at the house later." I said to Ashton and he chuckled before giving me a nod.

"Say hi to Lia from me." He said and I laughed before turning the corner to go to the library. It's tuesday so she should be there, she should be sitting in the back with a book in front of her and her face all focused. And I had an excuse to be there.

I walked in and looked at the back, a few people seated at the tables but Lia was nowhere to be seen. So I went over to the front desk and waited until the lady returned.

"If you're looking for Lia, she has already left again." She said as soon as she spotted my face. "And I believe some would call what you do stalking."

"I'm just interested and she doesn't seem to mind." I said to her as I leaned against the desk while she put away some books. "If I give you a message for her, could you give it to her?" I asked and she send me a glare before letting out a sigh and nodding. "Thank you."

I reached over and took a paper from her desk and a pen before writing down an address and time, "She'll be here tomorrow morning because she forgot her jacket, I'll give it to her then."

"Tell her that I hope she comes." I said before handing her the note, folded up.

"Can't make any promises but I'll give her the message."

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I thought I had updated, was upset it didn't get any votes/comments, realised I didn't update. Living on my own is going absolutely fantastic and I'm definitely not forgetting a million things.

I moved out for college on sunday, I'll still go home for the weekends but it's a big change. I have not yet burned any meals, set the place to fire or forgot to feed Nora (my cat) so that are big successes. I have watched movies, I suck at Mario Kart on the Wii and I have attended classes.

I think life is going okay, not great but not bad.