Something Worth Fighting For

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

DOM

12 years ago (-ish)
Location: Imposters (low-end student bar on university campus)
Time: Well-past sensible

Ah, there she is.

Tall, dark, beautiful. I didn't know her name or who she was, but I'd seen her at every rugby game I'd played this trimester so far. Just sitting in the stands with her other girlfriends. But if you asked me what her friends looked like, I couldn't tell you.

Only her.

Something about her drew me in. I knew it shouldn't. I knew I wasn't ready, not after Kimmy. But this girl's allure was undeniable, and for the first time in two years I considered exploring whatever it was.

Dark hair fell to her shoulders in enticing waves that looked like they had been styled. She wore make-up- a smokey eye shadow and liner that accentuated the light brown of her eyes... eyes that were direct and did not avert when I caught her gaze from the other side of the crowded bar. I dropped my stare to her lips, watching - mesmerised - as the corners tipped into a sensual curl.

A smile that felt like a gut-punch.

A smile that told me she had caught me staring and welcomed it.

Over the pounding bass of the music and the loud din of voices, I could hear the beat of my pulse quicken in my ears. It was enough to make me move towards her, squeezing past the bodies of other students as quickly as I could and weaving past the high tables and stools until I stood a few feet behind her, separated by three other bodies as they all vied for a place at the front of the bar.

She was almost there. I spied the top of her head through the shoulders of the other guys behind her.

I never used my height or my size to my advantage. Normally, I was a polite guy. But right then, I wanted to get to her before she had a chance to place an order.

I tapped the first guy in front of me on the shoulder and began to squeeze past him. "Sorry, bro. I just need to get to my friend to help her carry the drinks." I was fortunate enough to be well-known on campus because of the rugby games I'd played in, so the guy was quick to give me way with a friendly greeting.

Any other night, or any other time, I may have just waited for the girl to get her drink and join me, but not tonight.

I eased past a few more people, trying my best not to jostle anybody, which was difficult considering I spanned wider and taller than most around me. It was why I made such a good forward in the team.

Then I was directly behind her.

I hesitated for a moment, taking in the sight of her slim shoulders. She wore a sleeveless black top that hugged her waist and hips, and a quick glance down revealed legs covered in dark jeans, black closed heels on her feet.

Sexy as fuck.

There was no space to move around her, now that she had reached the front of the bar. On either side of us, people jostled, desperate to get the attention of one of the bartenders, all who were inundated with demanding students desperate to get as much alcohol inside of them as possible. Though tall, the top of her head only reached my chin, and her frame was almost swallowed by the people on either side of her. She'd not get the attention of anybody standing as she was.

I slid my hands to either side of her, the movement of the crowd behind me making my body suddenly shift and ease against hers. I stabilised us by gripping the bar, feeling her back pressed up against my chest. I dipped my head, intending to say something smooth, something cool and composed that would make her smile in that sensual way of hers, but her hair drifted over my nose, the smell of her perfume momentarily distracting me, and I lowered further until my lips brushed against the cusp of her ear.