“Sure,” she said immediately.
Liz’s classes were over early on Friday, but she usually had plans with Hayden. No biggie. He wouldn’t care if she rescheduled. She almost laughed at the thought. Only a couple months ago she had gotten out of a similar lunch with Justin at the thought that she might see Brady, and now she was dropping her lunch with Hayden with equal ease.
“Sounds good. Aren’t you back in school? What has you traveling to Chapel Hill for work?”
“Yeah. So about that,” Justin said. She could practically see him shrugging through the phone. “I got a job with a software company. I’ll tell you all about it when I come into town.”
“Just text me when you get here and we can figure out where to meet.”
“Sounds good, Liz. Catch ya on the flip side.”
“Bye, Justin,” she said, trying to hold back an eye roll.
Liz dropped her phone into her purse and rounded the corner. Victoria was standing under the tree in the middle of the Pit, talking on her cell phone. She hadn’t even noticed Liz walking directly toward her.
“No, seriously, you’re ridiculous,” Victoria said into her phone. “I am never going to do that.”
“Hey,” Liz said, waving at Victoria as she approached. Victoria still ignored her.
“You can try if you want.” Victoria tapped her foot impatiently. “Yes, I might be amenable to that, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you bring one of your friends in on this. If I’m having a threesome, I want some double penetration.” Victoria glanced up then, smiled and waved. “Hey, Liz is finally here. I’ll call you later.” Victoria snapped her phone shut. “Ready to go? I’ve been waiting all f**king day for you.”
“Trouble in paradise?” Liz asked.
Victoria shrugged. “I’m giving Daniel a hard time. He wants to threesome with some other chick, which I’m down for, but not one of his friends. Ew. Gross. Let me find the chick if it has to be a chick. You know?”
“I just can’t believe you are still dating the Duke Fan,” Liz said the name with disdain, “let alone sleeping with him.”
“Oh, lay off. He’s not that bad. And anyway, at least I’m sleeping with someone. How come you haven’t f**ked Mr. Perfect yet?”
Liz shrugged. “Not ready.” How many times had they had this conversation? Victoria didn’t want details if she did sleep with Hayden. She just wanted it to happen already so that she could tease Liz.
“It’s been a couple months. It’s kind of weird. You’re not going to f**king save yourself for marriage or anything, are you? I might disown you.”
“Oh my God, no. I’m not saving myself. I just . . . I don’t know. I’m not ready.”
“How are you going to know when you’re ready? When he puts his dick inside of you and you don’t tell him no?” Victoria asked. “I think you should just let him f**k you and then you’ll know if you were ready or not.”
“That does not make any sense. At all, Vic.”
“Try it out and then it’ll make sense.” She stopped midstride and gasped. “Oh my God, is he impotent?”
Liz rolled her eyes and picked up her pace. “I’m never talking to you again. We’ve ceased being friends.”
Victoria laughed boisterously and jogged to catch up in her mile-high heels. “I’m f**king with you. Slow down. Slow down.”
“You’re a real bitch. You know that, right?”
“Class A act. The one and only.”
“Class A tramp.”
“I love you, Lizzie,” Victoria said, trilling the name affectionately.
“I love you too, Vickie,” she said, in the most annoying singsong voice she could muster.
They turned the corner onto their street with a relieved sigh from both of them. It wasn’t a far walk, but in chilling temperatures and high heels, it sucked. Liz changed the topic and told Victoria about her conversation with Professor Mires. Victoria was happy for her, and even managed to hold in her sarcastic comments until the very end. Victoria knew how important this was to Liz, because Victoria’s success was just as important to her in her genetic research laboratory. Both girls were on the right track to getting any job they wanted after graduation.
Once they finally made it to the house, Liz dropped her backpack in her room and quickly changed into a pair of jeans, a black tank top, and black sweater with her black riding boots. She was glad she had the night off to hang out with Hayden. It had been a while since they had just relaxed together. School was sucking the life right out of her, and he was loaded down with coursework, the newspaper, and applying to jobs at the same time.
“Heading over to Hayden’s,” Liz called out to Victoria.
“Tell Mr. Perfect I said hello and to f**k your brains out,” Victoria yelled back.
She cringed. Liz had used the phrase with Brady the first time they were together. She did not want to think about Brady. It felt wrong to even think about them in the same sentence. But Victoria was kind of right. It had been a long time since she and Hayden had started dating, and why was she holding back anyway? She should want to be with Hayden like that. Maybe if things felt right tonight . . . maybe.
Rushing out the front door, Liz hopped into her car and drove the short distance to Hayden’s house. His car was in the driveway, but his roommate, Kevin, was missing.
Liz parked behind Hayden, and then walked up to the front door. She knocked and then walked inside without waiting for him to answer. He was halfway to the door when she stepped across the threshold.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Hayden said with a bright smile plastered on his face.
“Hey,” she said, closing the door behind her.
She walked right up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her against him and dropped his lips to hers. Liz let him take over, feeling the energy of his kiss and losing herself in the electricity that passed between them. She let her mind wander to that moment at the Lincoln Memorial, how her body had reacted, how a part of her even then had wanted that kiss. She had wanted that kiss for a long time, and now that she had it, she let the tingles run up her spine and opened her mouth to him eagerly.
Their tongues met and massaged each other. His hands gripped the thick material of her sweater and pulled it up so he could feel her skin. She clutched the longer strands of his medium brown hair, not even thinking for a second of letting him go.