Another New Life Read online

  I lifted his chin to connect with his amazing lips and when I pushed him back down, I followed, pulling the blanket over our heads. He let out a throaty sigh as my hips moved back and forth over him. I kissed him deep as I reached down to his waistband.

  ***

  At first, I didn't hear the door open; one hundred percent of my focus was on finding out what Troy had hidden in his shorts, but we froze when a voice reached our ears. Darcy was in mid-story.

  "—the entire evening talking Todd off the ledge." Darcy must not have seen us yet. She headed straight to the bathroom, but left the door open and talked as she peed. "It was pathetic. We went to some guy's house. I don't know whose house it was. Anyway, Todd got in a fight with his girlfriend, and she walked out and he was ready to break up with her, but he was going to send her a text message, and I was like how long have you two been together, and he was like two years, and I was like, you can't break up with someone of two years with a text message. It's bad manners. And he said, we'll go see her. I am like, we? And he's like, yeah, I need moral support. I was like you can't take another girl to break up with your girlfriend. Again, bad manners. And, he was—"

  She stopped talking, and I could imagine the look on her face. I couldn't see it because I was busy trying to pull my shirt back on over my head and stand up without falling on my ass.

  "Oh my God. You guys are doing it? Oh my God." Darcy backpedaled toward the door like a Longhorn cornerback.

  "We weren't doing it," I said.

  "Not yet, anyway," Troy said as he covered his lap with Darcy's blankets.

  "I'm sorry. Why didn't you tell me Troy was here? I could have gone to Brooke's room."

  "It's fine. You didn't interrupt."

  She took one more look down at Troy and headed for the door. "Call me when you're done. I mean..."

  "Darcy, stop. It's fine. You didn't interrupt anything."

  She turned to look at Troy and back at me.

  "Well, there's your coffee." She pointed to the cup on the counter.

  "So, did Todd break up with Kayla?" Troy asked.

  She took a hesitant step forward and continued her story. "No, I drove him over there because he was too far gone to drive, and I sat in the car while they talked on the front porch. I watched them make out for an hour before I crawled in the backseat and fell asleep."

  "You spent last night in his car?" I asked.

  "Half the night. The rest I spent in Kayla's room. I don't even know where they went."

  I walked back to my bed and collapsed on it, my hangover no longer masked by lust.

  "What happen to you guys last night?"

  "Oh, Randa didn't feel like partying. So we went to the Oak Room and got drunk." Troy sat on the edge of my bed. He rubbed my back, and the pain in my temples went away.

  "Like it wasn't your fault." I turned to Darcy. "Some alumni kept sending over beers and tequila shots. Toasting the future of UT football."

  "Oh, wow. You guys have fun?"

  "Yeah, until Troy had to carry me home."

  "I hope my truck's still there," Troy said as he reached for his phone.

  "Who are you calling at this hour?" I said.

  "Guys, it's like nine thirty," Darcy said.

  "Oh, wow, it feels like six am"

  Darcy watched as Troy stood up with her sheets in his arms.

  "Todd, hey man, can you come by San Jac? I need to go find my truck."

  "Somewhere near Sixth Street, I think." A loud moan emitted from the other end, but then he must have agreed. Troy hung up the phone and walked to the bathroom. "I'll make him drive me around for an hour." He turned to Darcy. "That's for last night. You want me to wash these?"

  "I'll do it." He handed them to me and headed to the bathroom. I buried my face in the sheets. They smelled of his sweet and sweaty man scent, and I imagined his hands on me again.

  "You guys were about to do it," Darcy said with an accusing tone, and just like that, the image was gone.

  "Maybe, but I'm glad you walked in." I sat up. "I'm not into hung-over sex."

  "Have you guys done it at all?"

  "No."

  "What are you waiting for?"

  "Isn't it too early for twenty questions?" I said. "We're waiting for the right time."

  "Okay, but let me drop this little bit of knowledge on you. He's sitting on the sidelines watching the game he loves to play. He's wandering around campus with some of the most beautiful women in the world to choose from. He's got to listen to Ry and Stacy and Todd and Kayla having sex all night. The man needs some action; please put him out of his misery before someone else does."

  Troy walked out of the bathroom dressed. Darcy's speech made me wonder.

  "You want to take a ride with me to get my car?" Troy said as he sat back down on my bed.

  "Not really." I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him down for a kiss. "I'll see you later, though."

  "Okay." He kissed my ear and whispered, "Thanks for letting me see your boobies."

  We laughed as he kissed me, again. I knew every concern Darcy had about where we were in our relationship had nothing to do with where we were in our relationship. We were fine.

  Every moment Troy and I spent together that I didn't make a fool of myself shocked the hell out of me. I was learning to enjoy myself in the moment. Remembering the sincerity of his actions, I was getting out of my head and reacting more with my heart. Not an easy task.

  On Thursday, I walked out of class and found Troy sitting on the picnic table reading something on his phone. He smiled and laughed as he studied it. I snuck right up on him and caught a glimpse of what had his attention.

  "What are you doing?" I said, hoping I didn't sound like a nosey jealous girlfriend.

  Most guys would shut off their phone, put it in their pocket, and change the subject. Not my sweet Troy; he flipped to the beginning and handed me the phone.

  "Why do we have so many photos?" The first photo showed Troy and me, laughing at something. We laughed all the time. I didn't see what made this occasion photo worthy. In the next one, Troy stood behind me with his arm around my neck. The flex on his muscles even in two dimensions made me catch my breath. Troy held the phone out to take the photos and my hands were outstretched to try and grab the phone before he snapped it. My hair covered half my face. My eyes could be described as sparkling, dancing even. My complexion had color, and you might say my cheeks had a rosy hue.

  I guessed that was how I looked when I was happy.

  The next few months melded into one moment after another. Unless we were in class or at practice, we were always together, and the exhausting drama of our first few weeks was far behind us.

  Despite Darcy's warning, our sex life remained of the PG-13 variety. It didn't bother Troy. Nothing got him down. His positive attitude hadn't quite rubbed off on me completely, but I was getting there. Unfortunately, I didn't get there fast enough. It would have come in handy when Troy's ex-girlfriend decided to visit.

  Troy and Rhonda dated his junior and senior year of high school, and they had been friends for two years before that.

  We had the ex-girlfriend discussion, but he didn't discuss her with much admiration or emotion. He seemed indifferent about her. Troy said they dated because she and Stacy were best friends, and everyone thought it was a good idea. She wasn't any more special than any others.

  ***

  Most Mondays I spent practicing, but this particular Monday, the music hall closed early without warning. That should have been my first clue that something strange was going on. I knew Troy would be with his teammates watching Monday night football. I went to find Darcy, who I'd been neglecting.

  I found her in our dorm room making out with some random guy from her Spanish class. I swore she was going to hook up with a guy from each class before the semester was over. I made a quick exit and called Troy. A melodic female voice answered.

  "Hello, hottest guy in the world's phone. How my I help you?" And I could
hear Troy giggling in the background.

  "Rhonda, you're an idiot," he said before speaking into the phone. "Hello."

  "Troy."

  "Hey, babe."

  He'd better call me babe.

  "Where are you?" I said.

  "Over at Thompson's apartment. I thought you were practicing tonight?"

  "Music building's closed."

  "You want me to come pick you up?"

  "I'm going to see what Darcy is up to. I might stop by." Even though Darcy was occupied, I might be able to coax her out with this situation.

  "I want you to meet Rhonda."

  I knew this was such a girl thing, and guys never even think about things like this. So, I shouldn't have been insecure at the casual mention of my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend’s name coming from his lips, but I was.

  I sent Darcy a text, but she didn't respond. I tried to talk myself out of going over, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I walked over to Thompson's apartment.

  ***

  As I walked in, I received the usual "Hi Miranda" greeting from the group.

  Troy jumped off the couch and kissed me.

  "Baby, you made it." He guided me through the room and over the bodies spread out on the floor into the kitchen. I couldn't take my eyes off of Rhonda. She was gorgeous. I noticed her height. It was all leg. She carried her thin frame like a model, and she moved with grace like a dancer. She seemed so comfortable in her own skin as she got up to follow us.

  When she reached us, she pulled me into her arms. She hugged me tight, too tight. Part of me thought she was trying to suffocate me.

  "Oh my God, Troy, she's adorable." Adorable, puppies were adorable.

  "I know, right?" He put his arm around my waist as Rhonda let go of me. "Miranda, this is Rhonda. Rhonda, this is my Miranda."

  "I have to take a photo." She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and took it before I could figure out what was going on. The room closed in on me, too many bodies in one place. I smiled up at Rhonda, and Troy held me tight as they continued their conversation.

  A draft of cool air came rushing in as someone entered from the patio. I made a beeline for it. I needed some air.

  I held onto Troy's hand, so he had no choice but to follow.

  "Hey, baby, you okay?"

  I sucked in the fresh air. Thinking maybe she did try and suffocate me. She'd put some weird spell on me and slowly stole my breath so she could have her boyfriend back—my boyfriend back.

  "You're not freaked out about Rhonda?" he asked as he pulled me close, and I placed my hand on his chest to get some space. The mention of her name made my heart race.

  "No," I said but didn't sound convincing, even to myself.

  "I didn't know she was coming down. She's here to visit Stac."

  "You don't have to explain, I'm fine. I just needed to get some air. The two of you are so tall."

  I was five-foot-seven, but standing between the two of them made me feel small, and not in a good way.

  Troy smiled, as he leaned over and kissed me.

  "I prefer my woman under six-foot. Makes me feel manly."

  "And what about the legs up to her neck?"

  "Don't do a thing for me."

  "And the flowing red hair and emerald green eyes."

  "Damn, you saw all of that in four minutes."

  "Yeah, well, I'm very observant."

  "Well, can you observe the fact that I am crazy about you?" He pressed his lips on mine, and I felt like I got a shot of oxygen.

  I walked back into the party with Troy and proceeded to ignore the six-foot redhead in the room.

  ***

  The next day on campus, I spotted Stacy and Rhonda sitting at a table outside having lunch. I thought about diving behind one of the trashcans to avoid detection, but they spotted me.

  I wasn't jealous of Troy's ex-girlfriend, but I didn't feel any need to get to know her, and we did not need to be friends.

  Her fake personality annoyed me. I didn't get the big hug and why she took our photo last night. When Troy and I left the party, she made a point of walking over ten people to give me a hug goodbye while whispering in my ear, "I am so happy for you and Troy."

  I sat down across from them, and Rhonda began interrogating me. Stacy enjoyed every minute of it. She asked me about my hometown, my major, and my past boyfriends, which I deflected. She asked about my parents, my goals, and my hobbies, but then she asked me about Troy.

  "Was it love at first sight?"

  "I don't really know," I said, and laughed.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Troy and I were four when we met."

  This bit of information seemed to throw her a bit.

  "I don't understand." Rhonda turned to Stacy, who sat there with her mouth open. Stacy and I were friends because our boyfriends were best friends. We had no other connection, but I didn't understand why she wouldn't have told Rhonda. Way to blindside your best friend.

  "Troy and I grew up together. We used to live next door to each other when we were kids."

  "You guys decided to meet up again in college."

  "No, I moved away when I was ten, and we haven't spoken since we were kids. Then, I looked up the first day of class and there he was. It's kind of romantic, don't you think?" It was romantic, this version of it anyway.

  Rhonda flashed me a bitter smile. When Stacy excused herself, Rhonda's eyes darted around, and she leaned in closer.

  "Isn't Troy the best kisser?" she said as she touched her hand to her lips and cocked her head to the side. I bet she worked on that face in the mirror at home. She executed it with perfection.

  I didn't answer. I took a bite of my sandwich, but it was hard to swallow.

  "The first time we had sex, it was so funny. Neither of us really knew what we were doing. We were each other's first." Her cheek grew flushed as she held her hand to her heart and spoke about having sex with my boyfriend. "He got good really quick. His, well, you know, is like perfect." She leaned back as Stacy joined us and took a sip of her drink while Stacy proceeded to talk about her latest fight with Ryan.

  I didn't hear a word. I plastered a slight smile on my face, but tapped my fingers on the table thinking about Rhonda's little walk down memory lane.

  I mean, who does that? Rhonda giggled at Stacy's story as she stared at me over her cup. I finished my sandwich, excused myself, and headed to class.

  I couldn't wait to tell Troy.

  ***

  After my last class, I waited outside the athletic facility for Troy. I enjoyed meeting him after practice. Although he had showered, he was all red-faced and adorable like when we were kids, and we played outside all day. He moved a little slower and talked slower, all mellowed out after a hard workout. Even his kiss was mellow and lingered on my lips as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He leaned into me like he needed my help to stay upright. It was my favorite kind of hug. We walked arm-in-arm over to the Jester Dining Hall. I grabbed a seat as Troy got enough food to feed three people. We joked about his huge appetite at every meal. Troy explained that he burned a lot of calories thinking about me.

  Usually, I picked at whatever was left over. Tonight, I didn't feel like eating at all. He handed me the rest of his chicken as he started in on a grilled cheese, but I pushed it aside and waited for the right time to ask him about Rhonda. I hesitated because I didn't want to ruin his mellow mood.

  "Why did you and Rhonda break up?" I said trying to sound casual.

  "We were going to different schools, and we didn't want to do the whole long-distance thing."

  "No dramatic breakup? She didn't cheat on you, or you on her?"

  "No, it was mutual without much drama." Troy put down his fork and tilted his head. He knew something was up "Why?"

  "Did you guys hook up at all since you broke up?"

  He paused trying to figure out why I asked but finally gave up and answered my question.

  "A couple of times, but I haven't been with her since
before spring break last year."

  "That explains it."

  "Explains what?" he said.

  "Why she is still in love with you."

  "No, she's not." His matter-of-fact tone was starting to annoy me. My perceptive, smart boyfriend couldn't be this naive.

  "Yeah, she is."

  "Why do you think she's in love with me?"

  "For starters, she was being really nice to me last night."

  "Oh, yeah, that explains it. The cashier was nice to you, too. You think she's in love with me?"

  "Why are you so agitated?"

  "Because you're being ridiculous," Troy said, now with some animation in his voice.

  "I'm not being ridiculous. I don't think your old girlfriend should be telling your new girlfriend about how perfect your penis is," I said that last bit a little too loud. The group at the table next to us started snickering. I looked at Troy, and his face was red, but not from practice.

  "Whatever. I don't have feelings for her. I was never in love with her, even back then."

  "Well, she's in love with you, now," I whispered. I placed my hands in my lap to try and stay calm. "I can't believe you don't see it."

  "I can't believe you're so insecure," Troy said. He made no attempted to lower his voice.

  Now the group next to us stared. He went from animated to angry in two seconds flat. This conversation was not going the way I had intended. I didn't understand his anger. I was the one who had the right to be pissed, and he had no right to bring my insecurities into this conversation.

  "I am not being insecure. This has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with you wanting everything to be perfect. God forbid anyone say or do anything to mess up or derail Troy's perfect life."

  "And maybe you need to grow the hell up and stop acting like the whole world is out to get you." He stood up so fast, his chair flipped over behind him. He walked out of the student center and left me sitting there alone. He didn't even finish his sandwich.