Elsker - The Elsker Saga by S.T. Bende Read Free Book Online Page A

already scary enough.
     

     
    When Friday came, I was literally bouncing with nerves. I still wasn’t positive this was a good idea. My dating experience wasn’t extensive, but the handful of guys I’d been out with in Nehalem had all wanted something. Some wanted to find out what was wrong with Crazy Kristia; some had heard rumors and wanted me to tell their futures – like I had any control over what I saw. The rest just wanted to try to get on base.
    Ull seemed like someone who had everything – looks, money, brains. He didn’t know about my mental problem, so it wasn’t like he wanted to exploit that. And there was no shortage of girls around here who would have been more than happy to give him an all-access pass. There was nothing he could possibly want out of me – except maybe my fabulous notes – that he couldn’t go out and get for himself. Maybe, just maybe, he really did like me , not my quirky gift, or the way I filled out my jeans – my best asset, according to a highly inappropriate comment Ardis overhead at a football game and was kind enough to repeat to me. Starting fresh and winning people over just by being myself… wasn’t that what I’d been looking for when I came to Wales?
    “Just relax,” Emma soothed as she dusted gold eye shadow onto my lids. “He asked you out. I don’t think he’s ever asked anyone out here. He must be into you.”
    “I doubt that,” I mumbled. “He probably just feels guilty for borrowing my notes.” Either way, I’d been so anxious that I hadn’t been able to eat all day.
    “Tush,” came Victoria’s pert reply. She peeked from around the back of my head, where she was wielding a large-barreled curling iron through my thick mane. “Men don’t do anything they don’t want to do. He clearly wants to spend this evening with you. And why wouldn’t he? By the time we’re done with you, you’ll be the most beautiful girl on campus.” Her eyes set in steely determination as she curled and sprayed, creating the perfectly tousled waves I’d seen in her latest fashion magazine. When she was finished, Emma slicked gloss on my lips and handed me the tube.
    “Reapply every hour, as needed. Or whenever you’re done snogging!” She giggled, and I ducked my head. If only I could be so lucky!
    I stood in front of the full-length mirror under the critical gazes of my flatmates. Victoria ran her fingers along the base of my hair, lifting it for good measure before administering one final spritz of hairspray. “Absolutely beautiful,” she assessed.
    “Stunning.” Emma nodded her assent. “He won’t know what hit him.”
    As I looked at the stranger in the mirror, even I had to admit the girls did good work. I was definitely looking, if not feeling, my best. My stomach churned in anticipation. Victoria and Emma let themselves out, heading to the ice cream shop around the corner to give me some privacy when my date arrived.
    “We’ll see you when you get home… if you make it home!” Victoria trilled over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her. “I wouldn’t come home.” I heard her mutter as she walked away.
    “Me neither,” came Emma’s muffled reply through the door.

 
     
     
Chapter Five
     
     
    AT FOUR O’CLOCK ON the dot, I heard an authoritative knock. With a deep breath, I picked up my purse. My intuition told me this was a very important moment. I waited for the inevitable blackout to embarrass me, but it didn’t come. For once my brain was functioning on all cylinders – I was vision free. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then.
    When I opened the door, Ull’s glorious figure stood on the other side. His thick, blond hair was in disarray from the Welsh wind. His perfectly-shined boots were the same black as his tight-fitting sweater, and defined forearms peeked out from pushed-up sleeves. The dark wash of his jeans highlighted the long, muscular shape of his legs. He raked a hand through his hair, brushing a