Chapter Three

10 Years Earlier...

I sat carefully on the old wooden chair in Bastian's dorm room, looking around the room in awe.

So, this is what college looks like, I thought to myself. I had imagined it to look a little less like a boy's gym bag and more like an academic library, but I wasn't going to complain.

How many thirteen-year-olds got to go to college anyway? Or at least, got to visit their older brother in college and play pretend for the weekend.

I checked my watch. I still had another fifteen minutes before Bastian would come back from his “project.” I rolled my eyes. Project- yeah right. It was obvious he was doing some cool college-y thing that he didn't want his little sister participating in. He just told me he had a group assignment he had to work on. Sure, Bastian. Sure.

The room was a small square with two twin beds on opposite sides, two desks and a small TV perched on a mini-fridge in the center. Per Bastian's instructions, I had the door open and the resident assistant had already checked on me twice.

Bastian's roommate and childhood best friend, Gabe, was going home for the weekend so I was going to use his bed. Gabe promised me that he would put clean sheets on the bed, but I had still brought my own.

I giggled at the thought of Gabe coming back to see the bright pink floral sheets now adorning his bed. He'd hate it. And deserve it. I'd known Gabe since he and his little sister, Chloe, moved in next door to my foster parent's house.

Chloe and I were best friends. Where Gabe and Bastian were always outside throwing footballs at each other, Chloe and I were busy getting ready to take over the world. I looked over at the girl-ified bed and decided I should take a picture to show Chloe. She'd love it.

I dug around in my backpack until I found the digital camera Bastian got me for my birthday last year and snapped a couple of pictures. After my weekend here on campus with Bastian, I would go home and share them with Chloe and we'd plan and dream what college would be like for us.

I hoped my real college experience would be more than just sitting around in a dorm room. I sighed. College was more boring than I had imagined.

And then he ran into the room.

Now, I liked boys. I no longer thought they had cooties and I had even kissed one. But the man standing in front of me blew that kid out of the water.

Plus, he was naked.

“Who are you?” the man sputtered, trying his best to hide himself behind his hands as he realized there was a thirteen-year-old girl in front of him. It was too late, I had already seen everything. “This is Bastian's room!”

I stared at him for a moment, not sure what was going on. This was more like what I thought college was going to be about, but now that it was happening, I didn't know what to do.

“Uh, I'm Bastian's sister,” I informed him, throwing him Bastian's pillow, and shielding my eyes. “Who are you?”

The man's cheeks were a deep crimson as he pressed the pillow to his groin and stared at me for a second. He seemed to be evaluating his options. He sighed, shrugged, and clutching the pillow with one hand, reached out the other in greeting.

“I'm Leo,” he said, sounding for all the world like this was an ordinary meeting and that he wasn't standing there butt naked with a pillow on his junk. “I live across the hall, and I'm locked out of my room.”

“It's nice to meet you.” I was impressed that this was how he was going to handle this. Personally, I'd be hiding in the closet, dying of shame, but he was owning it. I tentatively shook his hand, trying to ignore the very strange sensations it gave me. It was as if a fire was starting in the pit of my stomach and it made me feel all woozy and giggly. “You know Bastian, then?”

“Yup. We have English 101 together.” Leo took his hand back and put it back on the pillow, looking cool as a cucumber. Bastian was going to be pissed when he found out where his pillow had been.

“Oh.” I didn't know what else to say. What was I supposed to say to a naked man standing in my brother's room?

Leo glanced around the room, looking everywhere but at me. He was obviously incredibly embarrassed, but was trying desperately to stay polite and calm. “Would you mind seeing if your brother has a shirt and maybe a pair of shorts I could borrow? You know, until I can get back in my room?”

I looked down at the pillow without thinking and felt the blood rush to my face. I shouldn't look there. “Sure,” I said quickly, standing up and trying not to look at him, even though I wanted to.

I went to Bastian's closet and thankfully found a t-shirt and gym shorts without having to dig through any drawers or laundry. For what was probably the first time in my life, I was glad Bastian was a little bit of a neat freak. The last thing I wanted was to come across his porn stash. That would have just been the cherry on an embarrassment sundae.

“Thanks,” Leo said as I handed him the clothing. He waited for a moment, holding the clothes in one hand and the pillow in the other before raising his eyebrows. “You mind turning around?”

My blush went straight down to my toes. “Sorry!” I spun around quickly, pressing my hands to my flaming cheeks and wishing I could be just a little bit more suave.

“Okay, all done. You can turn around now,” he said a much more relaxed voice.

I slowly turned. Leo was about the same height as my brother, so the clothes fit decently well. Even though I wasn't distracted by his naked muscles anymore, I was still trying not to stare. He was possibly the most handsome man I'd even seen.

His brown hair was messy and spiked up as if he had been running his hands through it. His shoulders were broad and his body was smoking. He had an easy-going smile now, but it was his eyes that captured me. They were blue, blue like the sky after a summer rain and full of a kindness and humor that I'd never seen anywhere else.

He was perfect.

I knew then that I was in love with him. Not for the fact that he had six-pack abs and an impressive package (or what I assumed was one, since I hadn't seen any before), but for those eyes. There was so much kindness and humor in them that I instantly loved him. I couldn't help it.

“Thanks for the clothes. I should go to the front desk and go get my keys so I can give these back to Bastian as soon as possible.” He held out the pillow out to me. I nearly dropped it I was so awestruck. He grinned at me. “I don't think I caught your name.”

“Charlotte,” I whispered, my voice cracking and coming out with a squeak. I blushed harder. “My name's Charlotte.”

“It's nice to meet you, Charlotte.” He smiled wider and somehow got even more gorgeous. “I've always liked that name.”

I giggled, suddenly nervous. Here was a handsome, college guy telling me he liked my name. I wanted him to like me so much it was hard to think of anything else. I was pretty sure Chloe would never believe me. “Thanks.”

“I'll see you around, Charlotte,” Leo said with a smile, heading toward the door. He paused, turning to look back at me. “Don't tell your brother I used his pillow. At least not until tomorrow.”

He winked and I nearly melted into a puddle.

Handsome and funny.

I watched as he sauntered confidently down the hall.

College was awesome.