Back on campus...

My mother was officially dead to me.

Okay, maybe not dead but pretty close. This was so like her. I knew she and her friend Joy were a disastrous duo but this was ridiculous. I was her daughter, not some harlot for hire. I didn't care if the guy who stood in front of me was more attractive than anyone I had attended high school with. My mother set all of this up and my body would have to be cold and dead before I'd take any part in her sick fantasy.

That didn't stop my eyes as they wandered the length of Clark's body. It had never occurred to me that Joy's offspring was a male. Up until this moment I'd assumed he was a she. His mother called him Clarkie for crying out loud, something that screamed feminine.

But oh man was I wrong and with great horror, I found I preferred this version of Clark to the one my imagination had concocted.

He towered over me, or so it felt, even though he was maybe only six inches taller. If I was five foot eight he had to be at least six foot two. His strawberry blonde hair was unusual to see on a guy but as the light red caught in the rays of sunlight it made his brow eyes glimmer.

Dear God, I was in some serious trouble.

An awkward silence slowly consumed the room. I had no idea what to say or how to act for that matter. He was more attractive than I wanted him to be and that was something I wasn't equipped to handle. At all. There was also the tiny little issue of his mother being Joy. I'd bet my right leg there was a 99.9999 percent chance my mother wanted me to like him.

My body definitely wanted the guy but I'd have to be six feet under before I'd let the lust overtake me.

I needed to find a defect in him, pronto. My integrity depended on it.

"You and your mom seem unnaturally close," I noted slowly and without as much confidence as I'd hope my voice would.

The guy laughed nervously as he stepped up to the bed I'd left for him and dropped his green oversized duffle bag onto the mattress this ease.

"Is that weird?"

Yes! My inner voice screamed at him while my mouth stayed clamped closed. My mother's filter was damaged which so I made damn sure mine wasn't. This was a covert mission, delicate and strategic. The last thing I wanted was to make things uncomfortable beyond repair.

"Just a little, but hey, you do you."

Clark laughed as he slowly unzipped his bag.

"She's my mom. You only get one, ya know? Gotta enjoy the crazy while it's here."

Bingo.

I had found my focal point, the one flaw that I would obsess over to develop a deep dislike towards him. It'd be easier said than done though since all my mind wanted to do was sneak a glimpse of what treasures were no doubt underneath his grey tee.

I took a breath to reset.

"Wait, so you're not upset that she set you up? I mean, this whole con had to be years in the making right?"

Clark shook his head as he casually began to unpack his bag. I watched as his frame silently shook from clear amusement at our setting.

"Nah. It's actually pretty funny."

My brow furrowed at his words. I had managed to find the holy grail of flaws. There was no way in this universe or any other that this was funny. Our mothers had plotted this for at least a year, if not more.

For me, it brought to light why my mother supported my choice of schools and ignited a fire inside me of intense annoyance. I hated it when my mother meddled in my life. It made me feel like she didn't trust me to make my own life choices. College should have been different but here we were, once again, in a situation she made happen.

But how did Clark end up here?

I filed the question away for future conversation as I crossed my arms over my chest and rested my weight on my left foot.

"Manipulative, sick, and deranged are the words that come to mind. Not funny."

Clark paused what he was doing.

"Think about it this way. Two crazy mothers were bored enough to formulate an elaborate scheme to bring their kids together. It's like the start of a novel or something." He rationalized, humor-laced throughout his words.

"Are you some sort of romantic sap? Because if you are..."

The words died in my mouth as Clark turned around to face me, his eyes now locked with mine.

It felt like worms slowly filled my chest cavity. I couldn't tell if my heart accelerated or I'd imagined it. His eyes weren't the simple brown I had originally thought them to be. The brown was more gold and lined the thin ring of evergreen that surrounded his pupil. The last thing I needed or wanted was to lust after him but there it was, right under the surface.

"You aren't?"

Just breath Nick...

His words brought me to the edge of a cliff where I teetered dangerously. I hadn't expected him to admit my accusation was correct. Guys were supposed to deny that sort of thing. So why didn't he? As I watched his eyes dance a realization began to sink in and irritation slowly took hold of me. He was messing with me.

That fucker...

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Well done Nick! Very smooth 😂🙈

Hope you are enjoying the ride these two are starting.

Stay tuned for the next development!!

Thank you for the 💬 and ⭐

SHOUT OUTS!

I always smile when y'all leave comments. Here is my favorite from the previous chapter.

eliyeda, I'm so glad you find Joy so relatable!