Waiting for the Chance Read online

  Waiting For The Chance

  Marie Cole

  Contents

  Copyright

  Unrequited

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epiphany

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Also by Marie Cole

  About the Author

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  Copyright © 2016 by Marie Cole

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design: Paper and Sage Designs (http://paperandsage.com/)

  Part 1

  Unrequited

  Fall 2002 — Junior Year

  Chapter 1

  I glanced around the crowded apartment nervously. Over the summer I'd lost forty of the last seventy-five extra pounds I’d been carrying around with me for most of my adolescent life. I had yet to show anyone, save for my grandmother, whom I’d spent the summer with.

  Before leaving the dorm I'd made sure my new dark wash boot-cut jeans hugged my curves tightly and that the black corset did it’s job in making my boobs, smaller than average, look hot. But halfway to the party my palms started to sweat. I still wasn’t used to having this tiny body. And I wasn’t ready for the amount of questions I was going to receive, especially from my skinny acquaintances who were going to want to know my secret, even though they didn’t need to know. And it wasn’t a secret at all.

  Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I shouldn’t be showing off just yet. They’d all see me when I returned to classes in a few days and I wasn’t really ready to face Kent and Jen. Jen especially. She was going to rub it in my face that she was still with him and I wasn’t.

  I was about to turn around when a car passed by and honked at me. I braced myself for the usual insult to follow but instead the college guy yelled, “Hey baby!” It was the confidence boost I needed to keep going.

  Three steps in I was assaulted with greetings and compliments. I smiled politely and accepted them but I was searching for a certain someone.

  I scoped the room, looking for my best friend, wondering how Kent would react now that his long time BFF was not fat or just average but finally super hot. He probably wouldn't even notice but I was eager to find out just the same.

  I caught sight of him as he switched back and forth on his feet, chatting amongst a group of guys. I couldn’t help the smile that broke out on my face at the sight of him. It looked like all the working out he'd been doing was treating him rather well, the blue and white plaid button down he was wearing stretched across his wide chest and larger than average biceps.

  It also appeared he'd had surgery or perhaps he was wearing contacts because those thick glasses that I’d loved so much weren't present. I wouldn’t have recognized him if it hadn’t been for his uncomfortable expression as he stood amongst the sea of people. I knew that I'd get over his way eventually and didn't rush it. I didn’t want to seem over eager to see him. I had to play it cool. That’s what hot girls did, wasn’t it?

  I kept glancing in his direction though, to make sure I didn't lose him, and to see what his face was going to give away the moment he caught sight of my new and improved body.

  Kent wasn't looking around much, but one of the guys he was talking to actually pointed at me. Kent followed the guy's finger towards me. He stared at me for a long moment as if trying to solve the puzzle that was the smokin’ hot me. He blinked a few times and I swear I saw his lips mutter, "Holy shit…" before his lips broke into a warm smile. The guy who had pointed me out elbowed Kent and nodded with his head in my direction. Kent nodded, went to push up the glasses that weren't on his face and ran his hand through his hair instead.

  Smooth. I grinned before looking back to my freshman roommate who was chatting with me about her summer spent in Venice. I was a little jealous hearing about how gorgeous it was but also a little distracted. I was replaying Kent's reaction in my head over and over. Maybe junior year would be my year. Maybe I would finally have the guts to tell him how I felt, how I'd been feeling since middle school. And maybe, just maybe he’d finally see me as a girl, and not just as a plain person.

  There had been very little alone time between Kent and I for four years, ever since we’d met Jen, who stopped Kent just before he reached me. She intertwined her fingers with his. I hadn't seen them all summer but there was definitely not a lack of PDA between them.

  He gazed lovingly at Jen and offered her a smile. Kent must have been talking about me because he pointed at me near the end of whatever it was he was saying. I quickly looked away and pretended I wasn't watching them. Suddenly I felt extremely self-conscious and the urge to bolt grew stronger.

  I pushed those feelings away as I waited for them to reach me. I turned and smiled at them both after saying parting words to my friend. My eyes found, first Kent, my smile not nearly as warm as before, and then Jen.

  "Hey guys!" I pointed at Kent, but spoke to Jen, "I barely recognized him without his glasses."

  I didn't feel comfortable giving Kent a direct compliment so I had to refer to him in third person, to his girlfriend, right in front of him. Jen had a way of making me feel as if I threatened her relationship that she was going to utterly destroy my entire existence. It was pretty scary in high school, especially with me being the fat girl and her being the new rich, popular girl.

  Jen grinned as she moved over and gave me a big hug. "I know. I told him he shouldn't have because the glasses added character."

  Kent shook his head. "You didn't have to wear the glasses, Jen." He sounded slightly annoyed, but it soon faded as he looked at me. "You look good, Elly."

  I nodded as I looked at him. I looked good. Good? Was that good or bad? Average? Did he notice my boobs in this top?

  Kent didn't get to say any more because Jen followed right after him. "Yeah, Elly. You look amazing. Did you
lose like a hundred pounds or something? I can actually see your collarbones." Jen was trying to be nice in her way, which wasn't very. She reached out and traced the bones that were once hidden by fat.

  I shrugged off the sting of her words after briefly looking over Kent's hardened form. God how I itched to reach out and touch him. His biceps looked much bigger than they last Thanksgiving when I’d seen him. But I knew that would be an unwelcome touch and completely inappropriate given that his girlfriend was standing right next to him.

  I swallowed back my lusty feelings and forced my smile a little brighter as I clenched my fists and crossed them over my chest, tucking them into my elbows to try to hide the possible give away that I wanted to punch Jen. "Yeah… So, are you guys on campus or off campus this year? I'm on campus in the Goodman dorm. A single. I was so stoked."

  Kent shook his head and smiled just enough to erase the frown off his face. “I’m on campus in a triple and Jen is off-campus.” Jen was smiling, probably reveling in the fact that her parents could afford to house her off campus while the rest of us had to man up and live like poor college students we were.

  I smiled, trying to make it as genuine as possible. "That's great! Which apartment building?" I could see that Kent was about to speak but Jen butted in.

  “I’m just off Polk Street like a hundred feet from campus."

  "That's so great! I'd love to come by and see it sometime. If I'm invited, of course." I inwardly cursed myself as I glanced between them. I hadn't wanted to look at him! But it was done now and I wasn't sure if I was relieved to see that he didn't look very happy or not. It was probably just because Jen was taking over the conversation.

  Jen smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, I know Kent is officially in the dorms this year but I’m sure he’ll be over all the time. He has his own dresser and everything. And we stay pretty busy, but I'm sure we can find time to have you over."

  "Well...that would be great." Another friend of mine grabbed my elbow and smiled, letting me know she wanted to chat. I looked at Kent and Jen and smiled, pointing over my shoulder. "I should go. It was great seeing you guys, though. Call me, Jen, and let me know when I can get the tour."

  I smiled and then waved at them. I didn't give them a chance for much of a goodbye before my friend was looking over me and screaming, "Oh my god! You look great! I hardly recognized you! What's your secret?!"

  Chapter 2

  The following morning I was at the gym. I spotted a guy coming towards the treadmills. He was tall, had blonde shaggy hair, and light colored eyes. He was headed up the two stairs to the platform that all the cardio equipment sat on. I saw the top of his shoe drag on the step and take him down out of the corner of my eye. He slid on his elbows right behind my machine. I gasped and turned it off. I turned around as he was pushing off the ground, noting his sleek back muscles just before he stood up and smiled. He held up his elbow to examine the rubber burn.

  His eyes were hazel and he smiled when they found mine. “Do you have a Band-Aid? Because I just scraped my elbow falling for you.”

  I couldn’t help it, I bust out laughing. “Does that really work?” I asked. He grinned and shrugged his broad shoulders, which glistened with sweat under his gray tank top.

  “We’ll see in a few minutes. I’d like to get to know you.” He waggled his eyebrows and I scoffed, grinning.

  “Wow. I think you need to work on your lines a little more.” I turned around and started my treadmill again.

  “Kyle.” He stepped up onto the treadmill next to mine and started running.

  “What?” I turned my head to look at him with raised eyebrows.

  “My name…it’s Kyle.” He leaned his head over towards me and spoke softly, “This is the part where you tell me your name.”

  “Elly.” I closed my eyes and shook my head. I had no idea why I had told him my name, my real name, anyway. “Is this the part where you tell me how you lost your phone number and ask if you can have mine?”

  “Oooh, that’s a good one. But no, I was going ask you if you sat in a pile of sugar…because you have a pretty sweet ass.” I gasped, mouth open wide, grinning. He winked. “I have lots of cheesy lines, it’s not how I usually do things. I just thought you might appreciate them.” I smiled, I couldn’t help it. The guy was gorgeous, funny, a little goofy and he was talking to me. “God, your smile is beautiful.” He looked at his treadmill. “I need to stop staring or I’m going to crash or some shit.”

  I actually had a whole brain full of cheesy pick up lines thanks to the silly role-playing I used to do with Kent when we were younger, where we’d practice hitting on each other. It was never a successful venture. We always ended up laughing. “You know, I was feeling a little off today but you turned me on.”

  He chuckled, “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met. I wouldn’t forget a pretty face like that.”

  “You know… you look so familiar, didn’t we have class together? I could’ve sworn we had chemistry.” I grinned and wondered if this was going to be our thing twenty years from now.

  He smiled back and without flinching he stared into my eyes, “You’re so beautiful that you made me forget my pickup line…” He cleared his throat and looked back to his screen. “Say you’ll have dinner with me.”

  “Oooh, it’s just too much pressure.” I shook my head no.

  “Come on, say you will. Don’t make me run at super fast speed just to impress you.”

  I raised my eyebrows, intrigued. “Well, now I think you definitely have to.”

  He groaned. “Okay, if I must.” His machine beeped as he hit the up arrow several times. The machine whirred to life, the high pitched sound interrupted by his footfalls as he ran faster and faster. I watched and covered my mouth with my hand, genuinely impressed that he was hanging in there.

  The sweat started to bead on his forehead and his breath was rapidly increasing. I wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to hold out so I pulled his emergency stop, "Okay! I'll have dinner with you." I grinned as he pulled up his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, revealing his defined abs. I was drooling and barely shut my mouth before he pulled his shirt back down. We exchanged numbers and made plans for the next evening.

  * * *

  He convinced me to go over to his place for pizza and a movie. Private time alone with Mr. Kyle McAbs was not against my overall plan to get a boyfriend so that I could stop thinking about my unavailable best friend, so I agreed.

  He was in the dorm across campus and he also had a single. I walked down the hallway past freshmen guys who were still getting used to being the small fish in the big pond again, and grinned as they hooted and made comments. For now I was still very much enjoying the attention so I smiled to myself but didn’t otherwise acknowledge them.

  I knocked on Kyle’s door and heard a little shuffling. The doorknob turned and the door swung open revealing a tidy room with lowered lighting. His eyes raked over my body before he stepped aside and motioned with his hand to the inside of the room.

  “Elly, you look…amazing. Come on in.”

  “Thanks.” I stepped in and looked around, taking note of his black bedspread, his magazine files for each of his classes, the tiny TV set on the dresser parallel to the bed. “So this is it, huh?”

  He stepped up beside me, nodded, and looked around as if taking it in for the first time. “Yep, this is it. The pizza should be here any minute. Do you want to sit down?” He motioned to his bed with an outstretched arm. I sat down on his bed, probably looking every bit as uncomfortable as I felt. “So I’ve got two movies to choose from, Vanilla Sky with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise or Zoolander with Ben Stiller.” He held them up for me to glance at briefly before setting them down on the bed next to me.

  “Um…Vanilla Sky.” I pointed to it and then grabbed it and held it up for him to take so he could put it in the VCR, because the university had yet to upgrade the dorms with the latest in technology. He popped it in and then sat down next to m
e, his hand right next to mine on the bed.

  Ten minutes into the movie he got up and laid down behind me on his side. He ran his hand slowly up my back causing my center to melt. “Lay back, relax. I won’t bite unless you ask me to.”

  I chuckled and slipped off my shoes before laying down in front of him. He spooned me and I felt his hand on my hip, his hot breath on my ear as he watched the movie with a hand propping up his head.

  Half an hour into the movie his hand, which had been so innocently resting on my hip, started to slide forward onto my stomach under my shirt. I felt my side seize up, and I giggled. Apparently I was ticklish there.

  I grabbed his hand and put it back onto my hip. I didn’t turn to look back at him but I sensed he felt a little put off. He kissed my cheek and then disappeared for a few minutes. When he came back he tried again but instead of his hand moving over my stomach it went for my chest. As his lips pressed against my neck I felt my back arch and I pressed my breast into his hand. He squeezed it softly as he kissed his way to my mouth.

  It felt like his hands were everywhere at once. I had no idea what to do with my hands. Did I put them on his back or on his face? I wasn’t sure so they laid limp on either side of my head against the pillow. I felt the heat and liquid gather between my legs as he continued to kiss and fondle me and when his hand cupped me through my jeans I bucked my hips and moaned. Woah! Who knew touching could feel so good?

  He groaned as his hands then moved to my jeans, undoing the front of them quickly and then his own. “Oh baby, you’re so fucking hot.”

  I lifted my hips when he pulled on my jeans, still unsure of what was going to happen. He tugged them down and then off, letting them fall onto the floor. He stood at the end of his bed as he discarded his own, revealing his plain white boxers. He was straining against the fabric of his boxers.

  I was curious about what it looked like but I didn’t want him to feel self-conscious with this girl staring at his penis so I forced my eyes up to his face. His eyes were focused on my panties. For a moment I was worried that he didn’t like them but he seemed concerned only with getting them off of me as was evidenced by his quick hands.