“Cara?” he called after me.
“Yes?”
“Thanks for staying this time.”
“You mean you enjoyed last night better than my fuck and run?”
I heard laughter, and it wasn’t from Chase.
I turned and nearly collided with Riley. “You leaving, Cara?”
“Yeah. I have class.”
“Great, I’ll head down with you.” He was dressed in a suit and was holding a briefcase, so I assumed he was on his way to work.
Awkward. “Okay, sure.” I waved to Chase one more time before following Riley down the stairs.
“Have a good night?” Riley asked as we reached the ground floor.
“Yes. It was nice to see Chase again.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure seeing him was fun.”
I tried to laugh. “I don’t know what you’re implying.”
He walked down the street with me. “You’ve definitely got Chase’s attention.”
“Yeah.” I looked at the rows of restaurants and stores that we passed. If I’d had more time, I would have taken a stroll along the battery again, but I had to put that off until later.
“You’re not the typical girl he sees, but that’s a good thing. Give him a chance. I think he may surprise you.”
“I’m giving him a chance, but is he really acting differently with me? I mean, when he says he doesn’t hook up with lots of girls, is that really the truth?”
“Listen, can I be completely honest with you?” Riley gave me a serious look.
“Of course.”
“I love both of my brothers. They both love music, but other than that they live different lifestyles. If you were getting involved with Len, I’d tell you to be careful.”
“I guess I should be glad that Jade left.”
“He’s not a jerk. She’s seriously young and he wouldn’t have taken advantage of her, but he does go through girls. Chase is different though. He’s had a few relationships, but otherwise he just flies solo. Sex isn’t his vice.”
“You make it sound like he has another vice.” Thoughts of alcohol and drugs came to mind.
“He’s obsessed with his music. When he’s writing an album, he’ll sometimes spend days locked away.”
“That’s not such a bad vice.” Not bad at all. At least it wasn’t hazardous to his health and those around them.
“No, and it’s not any worse than any of mine. I’m just making sure you don’t keep your distance out of misconceptions. Chase might be a musician, but that’s not who he is. You understand?”
“I get that.” I stopped in front of my street. “This is me.”
Riley smiled. “It was nice meeting you, Cara. I hope to see you again sometime.”
“Definitely. Tell Rachel I said bye.”
“I will. Don’t be surprised if she calls you for coffee. She’s pretty new in town and always looking to make some new friends.”
“Oh cool. I’d enjoy that.” I liked Rachel, and the Delta Mu connection would give us something to talk about. “Have a nice day.”
“You too.” A cool breeze had me crossing my arms over my chest. Evidently, the unseasonably warm front was heading out. It was definitely a jeans day. I walked the rest of the way to my house in a good mood. I’d had a great night, and no matter what happened, it was worth it. I felt great when I was with Chase, and even better, I felt good when I wasn’t with him. With Aaron, I was constantly worried about what he was up to without me. I didn’t care about that with Chase. I just wanted to keep enjoying any time I could with him. I knew if I wasn’t careful I was going to get hurt, but I could be careful. Besides, he couldn’t hurt me more than I’d already been hurt.
“Cara!” Aaron’s angry voice froze me as I reached the front steps of the house.
“What are you doing here?” I tightened my arms around myself. What the heck did he want?
“Where the hell were you? I was worried enough when you skipped the mixer. When have you ever missed a sorority event?”
I couldn’t help but let my anger seep into my words. “I had no interest in spending time with the Kappas for a very obvious reason.”