Saving Ever After (Ever After #4) by Stephanie Hoffman McManus Read Free Book Online Page B

Again. But I couldn’t
pass on a third weekend of partying without disappointing Jillian, so I put on
my smile and followed her out the door.
    Later that
night, when I returned to my dorm, I was mostly sober and feeling better about
having gone out with Jillian and the group. I felt good after a night of
laughing and dancing with friends, this time not on the coffee table. I’d kept
just enough of a light buzz all night to be able to let loose and enjoy myself,
but not enough that I would have any lingering regrets in the morning.
     Leland had
spent most of the night flirting with me, and even that was fun. I wasn’t sure
if I liked him like that yet, but he was funny and great to hang out with. It
didn’t hurt that his light hair and pretty blue eyes reminded me of someone
else. Maybe that was wrong, but Leland wasn’t completely out of my league like
a certain rockstar was. He might help me forget him though. At least I pretended
that was actually a possibility all week.
    Monday
afternoon, after my lit class let out, I got back to my dorm to find Leland
hanging around outside, waiting for me in hopes that I would go get coffee with
him. I smiled and told myself that I was happy to see him, excited even that
he’d been waiting for me, and that the lack of flutters I felt didn’t mean
anything. There was no rule that said a guy had to give you flutters or you
couldn’t accept a coffee date invite. It wasn’t his fault that all my flutters
had been hijacked by someone else.
    He took me
to a little local shop just off campus, frequented by college students. He
paid, we sat and talked. It was nice. He was nice. He was more than nice. He
was funny and charming and smart and easy to look at.
    All week I
kept reminding myself of those things, pushing away all thoughts of Chris. Or,
at least trying to. Every day, Leland found a way for us to spend time
together, whether he found me studying in the library, or dropped by my room
and invited me to lunch. Every time he appeared, I waited for the flutters, or
just a little rush of anything, and tried not to be disappointed when it didn’t
happen. It was enough that I liked hanging out with him and he didn’t hide that
he was interested in me, or at least, I wanted it to be enough.
    As much as I
enjoyed his flirtations, by Friday night, when he invited me up to his room for
a movie night with some of the group, I was coming to the conclusion that it
actually wasn’t enough, and whatever I felt for him wasn’t going to progress
beyond friendship. There was something holding me back and I couldn’t get past
it.
    Derek was
there since he was Leland’s roommate, and so were Dawn and Heidi, so it should
have felt like any other time we all hung out, but there was something
different about that night. It felt more intimate than usual when he flipped
the lights off and pulled me down to sit with him on his bed in a very cozy
kind of way that resembled cuddling.
    Heidi gave
us the occasional odd look, and every once in a while I thought I caught Derek
grinning at Leland, but that was the only reaction we got. Leland seemed very
relaxed and comfortable with the lack of personal space between us, but I just
couldn’t make myself feel as comfortable with it. I was stiff and awkward all
night. No matter how much I tried to tell myself that Leland was exactly the
guy I should want to be cuddling and having movie nights with, should didn’t matter.
    What I should
want didn’t stand a chance against what I did want, and I wanted Chris. I
wanted him so bad it hurt.
    I found out
just how much it could hurt at the engagement party the next day.

Chapter 5
    Mia
     
    Saturday morning I woke
feeling excited and nervous. All morning the
anticipation grew and that excitement bubbled up inside me. It was an
excitement that I hadn’t once felt around Leland, or any of the times leading
up to seeing him. That told me everything I needed to know, even if I wished it
wasn’t true.
     My