Nia's Resolve | 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘦

Deleted Scene Chapter 3.5 »

...𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝓉𝒶𝓁𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊...

↳ ᶜᵃˢᵖᶤᵃᶰ ↴

Caspian had been growing impatient. Yes, it had only been a few days since he first saw the woman that sent shivers down his spine, but that wasn't what was getting under his skin. It was the fact that he hadn't been able to concentrate on anything else.

He hadn't wanted anything else.

Yet, it wasn't those curvy hips or plush thighs—which he wanted so badly to get between—that held him captive before he went to sleep. It wasn't her supple breasts or smooth, tan skin—which he craved more than ever to cover in love bites—that floated to mind as he sat down to eat a bowl of cereal.

No, when he walked to class and watched as the masses blurred past, it was the undeniable depth in her eyes, the untold story behind her sealed lips and the secrets hidden within the pages of that journal—her identity—he searched for. Even the simplest of connections had been denied.

Even now as he stood in a crowded gym, a twinge of disappointment hit whenever he looked up at a petite figure and saw it wasn't her. But she wouldn't be here, not in this place filled with single-minded athletes and people who had nothing better to do.

The university's recreational center was filled with grunts from the dedicated few who spent their Saturday morning surrounded by the smell of body odor. That didn't suit her. On such a nice day, she must have better plans.

He set down his weights and walked over to the punching bag, nodding to a former classmate in passing. Despite the workout, his mind had been working harder than his muscles.

On top of this newest entertainment, messages from last year's flings had begun to trickle back in his inbox. Girls offered to hook up almost every night, or pretended what they had with him was special, and felt entitled to more. Nothing was a bigger turn-off.

Half of the guys he knew had run through those same girls by now, and once he had his fill, he didn't see a point in wanting more. He ignored all the messages, knowing their contact names, but having forgotten what they looked like. Or what they had been like in bed—not that they had forgotten him.

Even holding down a pretend girlfriend for more than a week was too much for him to handle. Not a girl he took seriously, at least, and he doubted there'd ever be one he did.

Never let a woman swindle you out of your hard-earned money, your time, and most of all, your respect as a man.

That's the fatherly advice Caspian received, and as far as his limited experience had proved to him, there wasn't a reason to doubt it. All he wanted from girls was a good time; he didn't need the emotional breakdowns and drama they carried around like baggage.

If lasting love did exist, he hadn't seen it. The first eighteen years of his life felt like a scam, a lie from parents who only pretended to love each other.

He cracked his knuckles, panting as the burn in his arms finally overcame his thoughts as he gave the punching bag another hard right hook. Bouncing on his feet, he let out a string of jabs in quick succession, one arm moving after the other. Beads of cold sweat ran down his back. He was soaked. Wiping off his forehead, he stretched and moved to the changing rooms.

A burning need to see if he could find her resurfaced to the front of his mind. But first, a shower. Then he had to do something to fill his growing appetite. He had to act.

Washed, refreshed, and spritzed with cologne, he pulled on a clean white t-shirt and a pair of dark denim jeans, then exchanged the uninspiring gym building for midday sun. Warm summer air wrapped around him and clusters of other students enlivened the campus. Sidewalks crisscrossed under his feet as he meandered around. Where would a cute college girl be on a lovely weekend afternoon?

She would look perfect almost anywhere, but he liked to picture her leaning against one of those old roman columns, clad in a white dress and looking like some super sexy goddess. They had a few of those columns on campus.

Or maybe she wasn't a human or a goddess, she was really a mythical siren. That would explain why she had seduced him with only a few dirty looks and reprimanding words.

Just as he was contemplating the possibility of her being some inexplicable variety of temptress, he caught a glimpse of short, red hair fluttering in the breeze. Set against a chartreuse background, a large sloping hill that had somehow captured her attention, her silhouette gave the impression the grass was ablaze with fire.

He took a mental note of how breathtaking she was, flared just so in the bright sunlight. Yet it was odd how she turned away from the others, not even interested in her food, like her mind was elsewhere. What was she wishing for?

Mentally, he checked himself. If she reacted negatively like she did on the day they met, he'd have to give up the chase. As hard as that would be, maybe even impossible, he had to draw the line. He wouldn't let himself become that one douche bag who couldn't take a hint. It only made those guys look pathetic and desperate, even more so when there was a harem of other girls that could readily be coaxed into the bedroom instead.

Still, he wanted to put his best foot forward. To date, this was the longest time a girl had held his attention, and that had to mean something. It was time for him to perform, and he'd do his best to charm his way into her life, even if it meant he had to hold back a bit.

This one woman was able to hold him captive like a caged animal, and he wasn't altogether sure if that annoyed him, or if it turned him on. She didn't even know she had this kind of effect on him— and it was about time he started affecting her back. Time to perform.

The girls around her seemed to be the kind that would be wrapped around his finger with a simple, well-timed wink. From the jewelry that sparkled in the sun, to the array of curve-hugging clothes and exposed patches of satin skin, they looked like a green light to interested third parties.

That was good news. If all the other girls around her flocked to him, maybe she'd start to develop feelings for him, too.

As he walked over, he realized a smile had appeared on his lips. This was first time this week he truly felt like he was having fun.