Chapter 6: The Perfect Fit

Roxy's POV

“Nicolas Burke.” The name stretched out of Rosy’s lips, as she tapped on the g****e search icon. My head hovering overs hers as we snuggled up in her bed.

“Woah,” Rosy exclaimed as pictures of Nick splashed on our screen. “A football player.”

I leaned in closer, my eyes widening in surprise. "No way!”

“NICOLAS BURKE, STAR QUARTER BACK FOR THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RAVENS…. what!” Rosy’s voice tipped with excitement as she scrolled through an article discovering that Nick was not just any football player—he was a star quarterback for the college team. His stats were impressive, and he was popular in numerous sports magazines and online forums.

“Look at these videos!" Rosy gasped, clicking on a highlight reel. Our mouths hung in awe as Nick effortlessly dodged defenders, threw perfect spirals, and celebrated touchdowns with his teammates

“So, Lucas never mentioned him?” Her mouth moved but her eyes stayed steadfast on Nick’s brimming photos, cruising each one judiciously.

“Not in so many words. Sh*t! I feel like a fool.” I buried my face in the pillow.

“A fool? Why? you got the quarter back’s attention on your first day of school.” She gestured at the laptop screen.

“And then I made him feel like a fool, I might have called him a pest.” I rambled.

“You did what?!”

“He was sort of shy and charming, and I don’t know…. he seemed like he was crushing on me.”

“Well, if he was, that’s a good thing.” Rosy said, her voice turning teasing. “He’s hot, talented, and you called him charming.”

I shook my head vigorously. “No, no, no. There’s only one man I want crushing on me right now and his name is AARON WEST,” I stress his name and punctuate with a pursed lip.

“Oh, come on girl.” Her words come out with a disgruntled sigh. “How do you compare Aaron West to this….” She cursors one of his picture where he was in a defensive posture, sweat trickling down the wrinkles that lined his forehead, biceps defined. “Or that….” She cursored another one where he was tackling in a crouch posture. My eyes scanned his s*xy and fierce triceps. “Or even that.” And one more where he was high up in the sky. Then her face squeezed like she had swallowed something sour. “I mean, do we even know what Aaron West REALLY looks like?” Her eyes widen with a thought. “Shoot! Let’s see.” She immediately started a search.

“No.” I stop her, slamming the system shut, nearly clapping her fingers but she retrieves them in time.

“Ouch,” She winced at the distress I nearly caused her fingers, shooting her eyes at me but she’ll live. “Why?” 

“Well, let’s just say I would like to hold on to the bits and pieces I have of that night and allow myself to be surprised. Besides he is basically non-existent on social media. I couldn’t even catch one picture of him with McLain.” I shoot a casual shrug.

“That’s weird, what kind of couple doesn’t take pictures together?” She twisted her lips.

My shoulder draw inwards. “Well maybe he doesn’t like public display. I don’t know. I don’t care about their story. I only care about OURS.”

“OURS?!!!” 

I nodded. “Aaron and I,”

“Arghh!” She dragged a frustrated sigh, burying her face in the pillow. “But you have to admit that Nicolas Burke is your perfect fit.”

“I am not even looking to date Rosy. Lucas just died.” I shiver slightly, an uneasy expression crossing my face.

“You make it sound like you’re a wife in mourning. I mean I loved Lucas, but you are a very beautiful young woman in college, and you can’t let anything stop you from finding your soulmate. God, it’s been four months already.”

“He’s Lucas’s best friend…. It’ll be weird.” 

“Not as weird as you dating your Daddy.” She joked,

I paused, humming on a thought. “You know what, you are right! I should call him…. REVENGE DADDY,” I stressed the last two words and then we both burst out laughing.

Rosy sighed, easing off the computer, taking a sitting position so she is facing me squarely. “Roxy, I know you want to avenge Lucas and I kinda get why you need to do it but don't let this thing with Aaron West keep you from other possibilities….” She waved a look at Nick’s picture on the screen. “I mean we don’t even know that guy, you said it yourself, if his wife could do something that horrible, I can only imagine what he can do. He could be worse than her. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Oh puh-lease Rosy. This again, you are now sounding like a broken record.” I throw my head backwards and my head falls to her with an exasperated sigh. “I am not going to get hurt because I am not going to fall in love with him. I just want him to fall out of love with her. That’s it.”

“You have to promise to be careful, huh,” She sticks a finger to my face.

“I promise.” 

“And you have to promise to give Nicolas Burke a chance…. I mean look at him”

Our eyes turned to meet his splashed pictures on the screen. 

While Rosy swooned shamelessly, my phone pinged. 

Professor McLain.

She sent an Email. I jerked, butterflies biting my stomach.

My thumb quickly taps OPEN and just like she had promised, it's loads of materials on the semester’s course work and already my mind starts crafting my next move. There was an urgency I felt each time I remembered her. A desperation. A Need. Consuming. Blinding. And there was no room for anything else but my revenge, not even Nicolas Burke and his athletic glory. 

I shot out of the bed immediately.

“Where are you going Rox?” Rosy gawked at me.

“School.” I say, throwing on my white Nike sneakers.

“Why? Your hostel is a dump and it’s like 30 minutes' drive to school.”

“Well, I have to go make up a list of very confusing questions for tomorrow…. a lot of them.”

Rosy looked stung. “You are hardly ever confused Rox. You are a persistent reader.”

“Yeah well, Professor McLain doesn’t know that.” I shoot a mischievous smile.

“You are playing a very dangerous game, Roxy….”

Lacing one sneaker. “And what’s the alternative? Accept that she killed him and got away with it?” 

“What if you are getting all of this wrong, Rox?” 

I have one shoe on, and I bend my knee to wear the second, “You were not there Rosie; Lucas was bleeding in my arms and when I asked him… with his very last breath he said her name. And my guts tell me she is the one;”

“They are California billionaires!”

“And that’s why I have to do this, because if I don’t, they will get away with it.”

“God Roxy,” Her hands crush in two power fists, grunting desperately. “How do you think this is going to end?”

I simply shrug. “I guess we are about to find out.” And with that, I dash out leaving Rosy with her words in her mouth.