The Secret Trinity Unearth (6 page)

“Why so abrupt to turn down a free breakfast?” My eyes whipped back to him and I shuddered out a breath of relief. He didn’t feel it.

Shoot, I was hoping to avoid this question, but I suppose my quick reaction outside had sparked his interest. I was just thankful we were moving on from that handquake. I shrugged, and answered as nonchalantly as I could.

“It’s nothing, just being careful.” I was trying to drop it, but my poor choice of words must have sparked more questions because he raised one eyebrow inquisitively.

“Alright, does that mean I should be on the lookout for an angry boyfriend wanting to bust me up?” The tone in his inquiry was not the sound of concern for his safety. He was fishing. I laughed before answering. He was turning out to be quite a flirt.

“No, I made a pact with my friends to lay off of dating for the semester. I didn’t want them to nail me on a technicality, for instance, a male friend buying me breakfast.” That was the worst answer to give a flirt. Now his dark eyes were smoldering with intrigue.

“Come now, there has to be a good story to go with that. Don’t leave a mate hanging.” I hesitated, but sensed he would not let it drop until I gave him more information.

“I just need to focus on school, and I am known as a jerk magnet. So I am going to lay off on dating until my luck turns around.” His gaze turned mocking and he ran his fingers through his short, sandy blonde hair.

“Aye, your focus in class is impeccable. The pact seems to be working.” The sarcasm in his tone was clear. I crossed my arms over my chest and eyed him up and down.

“See, always a jerk magnet.” I tried to match the tone of his sarcasm.

He leaned back and crossed his hands over his heart with a hurt expression on his flawless, clean-shaven face. But his eyes were teasing mine. I bit my lip, contemplating how to shift his focus.

“So, what part of Ireland are you from?” He leaned back onto the table and his warm smile caused my stomach to dip. The waitress came over, and set our lattes down in front of us.

“Your food should be out shortly. Let me know if you need anything.” She turned on her heels and went to another table. I took a sip from my mug, happy to have something to do with my hands because all they wanted to do was to reach out and touch him again. Liam took a drink from his cup, and then smirked at me.

“You picked up on the accent straight away. Most folks presume I am English. Though I suppose since I attended boarding school there, my accent is a bit muddled. I’m from Galway, Ireland, on the western coast. I am studying here for the semester until winter break, and then back to the Emerald Isle.” I tried to hide a wave of disappointment that sank in when he brought up his departure.

“Oh I see, and why did you choose Wisconsin of all the fair states?” A sparkle shown in his eyes as he leaned deeper onto the table and waved me closer, like he was about to reveal a secret. I complied.

“You see, I have been trying to find a girl with beautiful green eyes that remind me of home. I think my search is finally over.” I knew it was a line and I tried not to blush, but I failed miserably. I leaned back against my chair as far away as possible.

“That was not exactly friend-talk.” He looked at me, and sighed. “What can I say Aria. I’m a weak bloke.”

The waitress saved me just in time by bringing our food to the table, the perfect distraction. I chewed slowly and gazed out the window. My appetite had waned. Liam’s presence filled me with nervous butterflies and a new kind of energy instead.

He was not at all what I expected. It made me uneasy. He was already testing my will power and it was weak. I found him more charming than I cared to admit. I was afraid I was making the same old mistakes. Lost in thought staring out the window, I heard Liam lightly clear his throat.

“Sorry to interrupt mate, but you have some foam from your latte on your lip.” I quickly wiped my lip, embarrassed that I had dazed out in front of him again.

“You missed…here, I’ve got it.” He reached across the table and placed his right fist under my chin while brushing his thumb lightly over my upper lip. I felt a dizzy spell coming, my lips tingling from his lingering touch. I muttered a thanks.

“What are friends for?” He said, letting his hand drop from my chin. The grin on his face returned, “You are quite the daydreamer aren’t you?” Finding my voice I quickly responded.

“It’s a bad habit I know. It drives my friends crazy.” He laughed, “I think it’s endearing, though I wish I knew what you were thinking about.”

I was thinking about throwing the pact out the window, reaching across the table to close the distance between us and kissing him softly on the lips. I wondered what that energy would feel like buzzing through my body as we kissed. I shook the thought from my head. I was not about to tell him that so I opted for a change in subject.

“So Liam, what is your major?” A lame attempt, but I tried. “Not sure” he shrugged, “still exploring my options. How about yourself?”

I felt my eyes brighten, “Fine Arts with a focus on Dance.” My answer seemed to please him.

“Really, that’s a nice surprise. Most folks give me a more boring answer like, Business Economics.” I scrunched my face at the thought.

“Well I have been dancing since I was five. It just felt like the right move for me.” I forced down a few more bites of food and pushed my plate away with a balled up napkin on top. Our waitress came over, taking this as her queue to drop off the check.

She cleared our plates from the table and set down only one check with both of our meals added together, assuming we were together. I was flattered that the waitress thought I was hooked up with this alluring man, but I made sure to put my half of the cash on the table. Liam grinned shaking his head, but he didn’t object further. We finished paying the waitress and made our way out the door.

I told Liam I was going to head back to the dorm before my next class and he offered to walk with me. We exchanged more pleasantries as we strolled down the sidewalk. I told him about living with Morgan and Kayla in the tri-room and about the small town where I grew up, three hours northwest of here. In what seemed a split second later, we arrived at my building and stopped in front of the entrance doors.

I did not know how to exit, with an awkward hand shake? I didn’t think I could handle that energy buzzing through me again. Would a goodbye and see you later do? Then the answer came to me.

“Just so you know, all my friends,” I put an emphasis on the word friends, “they call me Ari.”

He grinned confidently and tucked a strand of my hair that had strayed in the wind behind my ear. My breath stopped as he traced his fingertips down my cheek letting them linger for a second. I suddenly felt as if I was on a rollercoaster as an enthralling rush coursed through me. I instinctively closed my eyes, drinking in the energy Liam was generating in me.

When my eyes fluttered open Liam was looking directly at me. He pressed his lips tight, seemingly attempting to hide how pleased he was to have this kind of effect on me. He was going to make this as difficult as possible.

“Well if my new friend ever wants to shoot the breeze, I took the liberty of saving my number in your cell phone.” My mouth fell open, and before I could protest he winked at me, turned and disappeared down the sidewalk.

Chapter 10: Test Subject

I made my way through the dorm entrance and when I got to the elevator I let out an audible groan. There was a printed piece of paper taped to the elevator doors that said “Temporarily Out of Order,” with a frowny face underneath. My encounter with Liam had made my legs a little wobbly and I was not looking forward to climbing six flights of stairs.

As I shuffled up the stairs, I wished I had not worn jeans. It was hot outside, and with no windows, the stairwell was poorly ventilated. I could feel my blonde hair sticking to the back of my neck. Even with the heat I couldn’t wait to get to my room. The anticipation was too much. I took a seat on the steps and pulled my cell phone out of my backpack. I started scrolling through the contact numbers out of curiosity.

When I got to the L’s for Liam I was disappointed. His name was not there. I wasn’t actually going to call him, but knowing I couldn’t inexplicably made me feel flustered. I continued scrolling through my contacts at a more rapid pace, and then, there it was. His contact was not listed as Liam McKenna as I had assumed. Instead I found it in the Y’s, listed as “Your Irishman.”

I got to my room and flopped on the loveseat putting my hand over my eyes. This pact was going to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. As if the flirting at breakfast had not made it clear, putting his name in my phone as “Your Irishman” made it crystal. Liam wanted to be more than friends.

The worst part was that I was an active participant, flirting right along with him. If I really wanted to change, I should not have invited him to join me for breakfast at all and I wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with. Day three of school and I was already feeling stressed out.

I did not expect to meet a polite, handsome foreigner with a smile that gave me butterflies on that first day of school, not to mention the amazing tingling energy that shot through me when we touched. That was definitely a first. I knew it had something to do with my abilities. It was a similar rush that my abilities caused, but with a whole new level of intensity. To investigate this further would require touching Liam. I didn’t know if I would have the strength to keep things platonic. All I could think about was how powerful and amazing it would feel if we kissed.

Just then during my wallowing, I heard someone come through the door breathing heavily. I lifted my hand from my eyes to find Kayla in the doorway.

“What the hell? Did you know the elevator is out of order? That stairwell is so stuffy I thought I was going to suffocate!” She leaned against the door frame catching her breath.

“No, I hadn’t noticed. I used my Spiderman skills to climb up the side of the building and crawl through the window,” I answered back.

“Oh, so you’re funny today,” she said as she walked over to the mini fridge beside the loveseat.

“I’m funny every day. I’m just tired right now. Otherwise, I would have come up with something clever about your panting too.” She laughed and grabbed a cold bottle of water from inside the fridge, holding it to the back of her neck.

“Yeah, and I suppose you floated up here like a delicate hummingbird.” The sarcasm in her voice was obvious but my throat went tight.

Jokes like that always made me uneasy that my friends knew more about my secrets then they let on. I was still laying on the loveseat when her eyes scanned me up and down, then suddenly narrowed, making my nervousness more palpable.

“You met a guy. I cannot believe you! It’s been less than a week Ari!” I shot up to a sitting position stunned by her accusation and a little relieved by the change in subject.

“I did not meet a guy. What makes you think that?” I said, gulping suspiciously and she rolled her eyes.

“Please, it’s like you forgot we have been friends our whole lives. I know you Ari. Your hair is done. You’re wearing your lucky moon stone earrings and you look like you have a guilty conscious, okay? Don’t even try to deny it.”

I slumped back in the couch. I guess hiding my new friendship was out of the question. Kayla sat beside me waiting for an explanation.

“Well you know how I told you a guy saved me from being even more humiliated after being late to Music Appreciation the other day. It’s him. His name is Liam, and he is from Ireland. We had a platonic breakfast after class today and I think… I have a crush on him.” I held my breath not knowing how she would react. She slumped back in the loveseat matching my posture and took a swig from her water bottle.

“Hmmm… yeah, that is a tough one. Foreigners are hot.” I gave a sigh of relief, thankful she was keeping the mood light.

“What does he look like?” she probed. I hesitated but continued.

“Well he’s tall and lean with broad shoulders. He has a gorgeous smile and looks like an all-American Tommy Hilfiger model, which is funny considering he’s Irish.” I sighed, and Kayla looked at me wide eyed.

I knew what she was thinking. Liam was exactly my type. Most of the guys I dated fit a variation of this description. I knew I had a pattern and Liam fit it exceptionally well. Something about those guys gave me the feeling that in their arms I would be safe and warm. It is horribly ironic that the majority of them have treated me like crap, including the most recent sleaze ball, Doug. It was as if I was always searching for something in them that I couldn’t find.

“Here’s the thing Ari. You always go for that type of guy and you always get burned. Maybe this is a test of fate. If you like this guy, get to know him as a friend. It won’t break the pact and maybe it will help end your curse. You can learn to be yourself with him and get to know him first before you get too involved. Liam will be your little project, like a science experiment.” Her smile was encouraging, but I gave her a funny look.

I was not sure about the idea of turning Liam into a science experiment. I didn’t want to treat him like some sort of test subject. There was no denying it though, Kayla did have a point. As long as I could keep things light, maybe Liam and I could be friends. I realized it was time to get to my English class, so I said goodbye and headed out the door. I thought about what Kayla said off and on for the rest of the day.

Chapter 11: Splash!

Thursday had gone by at a snail’s pace. I enjoyed my dance classes and my fellow classmates, but the truth was; I was dying to see Liam again. When I woke up on Friday, I was excited about our first weekend away from home. The girls and I wanted to celebrate getting through the first week of school, so we decided to go to this big blowout house party tomorrow night. It sounded like the perfect way to end the week.

I had never been to an underage college party, but I really wanted to spend some time with my friends and have a little fun. We were all so busy with our classes that I hardly saw them during the week, mostly in passing.