I was wet!

Actually, wet might have been an understatement. I'd walked five kilometres in torrential rain. Two kilometres of that in heels, which seemed like a feat in itself. I'd taken my heels off when my second blister busted and the pain became unbearable.

I wasn't unhappy though. I was damn near elated. The date my mother had set me up on was horrible. The asshole son of one of her colleagues was a self entitled and conceited son of a bitch. When he tossed me out of his car forty minutes ago because I wouldn't put out, I'd smiled happily and waved goodbye.

Why? Because doing my mother the favour of dating her colleagues son had bought me two week a holiday in Hawaii. That's why I didn't care how sore my feet were, how wet I was, or that I probably looked pretty pathetic skipping towards the late night Pitstop Cafe resembling a drowned rat. The Pitstop was a heritage listed building that had been converted into a cafe,  adjoined with a seven-eleven service station.

I bounced up to the doors with a smile on my face and day dreaming about the sort of bikini I should buy for my first vacation in two years. That was the only reason I went on this date from hell.  I stopped once I was under cover and attempted to wring myself of excess water. The glass doors slid open, the buzzer sounding to let the employee know he had a customer.

I smiled as Joshua, a high school senior and night shift employee, stepped around the corner from the cafe, his blue eyes going wide as I stepped inside the doors. His pouty mouth moved but no sound came out. Joshua was two years behind me at school and under normal circumstances I would have no idea who he was, but I tutored him for my two senior years. I was a quarter of the way into my second year at university now, but continued to tutor Joshua, so we knew each other well.

"Band aids?" I asked pulling my dripping, sable coloured hair back off my face. That was my one regret for tonight, wearing my hair down. I probably looked like the psychotic dead girl from 'The Ring.' Instead of crawling out of the television, I was walking through the door.

"Second row from the back." Joshua answered then dashed around the corner back into the cafe.

Okay. Guess I've looked better, but I wasn't used to that reaction. I looked behind me as I squatted to get a packet of band aids and realised I'd left puddles in my wake. Joshua had probably run off to get a bucket. As if on cue, he appeared in the doorway, setting up a wet floor sign before quickly moving towards me as he mopped the floor.

"Sorry." I apologised. "I did try and squeeze all the water out before I came in."

"It's okay. I've been mopping all night." Joshua smiled holding out a dry towel. "Give me your coat. I'll hang it in front of the fire in the cafe."

Lowering my handbag and heels to the floor, I smiled unbuttoning my ivory duffel coat and swapping him for the towel. "Thanks Josh."

Joshua graced me a natural smile as he went back to the cafe. He'd changed a lot in the last four years. No longer the cute kid, he'd filled out a little and was previewing the handsome man he'd become. At eighteen he wasn't there yet. There was still a boyishness about him that still made me think of him as a kid.

I used the towel to dry my face, hair, and legs, then grabbed the band aids with my stuff and walked over to the counter.  I retrieved my comb out of my bag and pulled my hair back into a pony tail. Joshua still hadn't come back so I took out a make-up wipe and my compact and cleaned all the make-up off my face. The mascara smudged black around my eyes, but I cleaned it till it just looked like eyeliner.

"Now you look like yourself." Joshua teased coming to serve me on the other side of the counter.  He picked up the band aids and scanned them. "Need anything else?"

"A hot chocolate and something hot to eat." I chuckled handing over some cash.

"Kitchen in the cafe is closed, but there are a few hot dogs left if you want that?" Joshua offered pointing to the hot dog machine.

I eyed him. "Two hot dogs would be awesome, as long as there is cafe quality hot chocolate to go with it?"

Joshua smiled and rung up the hot dogs for me. "Grab your food and come in the cafe and get warm." He took my change, his eyes dropping to my cleavage before he moved around to the cafe.

I looked down and blushed at my nipples high beaming through the sapphire silk of my dress. As far as dresses went, it was conservative. It showed more leg than anything else. However, when you've walked barefoot, through torrential rain in Autumn, your body tends to tell you in anyway possible that you are cold.

Wrapping the towel around my shoulders like a shawl, I grabbed my hot dogs. With my hand bag over my shoulder, heels in one hand, hot dogs in the other, I moved round to the cafe. If I'd been paying attention, I would have noticed the voices coming from the cafe before I walked around. I didn't.

At first all I noticed was a table with seven men sitting around it playing cards. An assortment of hoodies, leather jackets, and sport team jackets hanging from the back of their chairs. At first it didn't really phase me. This cafe was a popular hang out for a lot of the local seniors, though, usually they'd all be at a party on a Friday night. It wasn't until one of them lifted their head to watch me walk to the counter and  a few others looked to see what caught his eye, that I became unsettled. While some of them looked decent enough, at least half of them could pass for members of a drug syndicate in a Hollywood movie.

At the far end of the table, were the last set of eyes I expected to see hanging in a service station cafe on a Friday night. Crystal blue in colour, those eyes were almost a perfect match for my dress. They were surrounded in thick long lashes that most girls would kill to have naturally, and as those eyes dropped to scan my appearance, they drew my eyes down to his perfect pout, surrounded in a couple of days worth of scruff.

I pulled my focus back a little to take in the olive skin, mop of black unruly hair, the long sleeve black heavy metal shirt with a hood that while generous, still managed to draw attention to the broad shoulders and solid physique it hid. I bit my lip, turned my focus forward and pointedly ignored Aaron Wish, catalyst of my raging hormones. Suddenly, the only part of me that had managed to stay dry all night, was just as drenched as the rest of me.

Aaron had been a year ahead of me at high school. Like Joshua, he'd been a scholarship student - poor kid at a rich school - and rumoured to be a local drug lord, womaniser, and voted most likely to become an assassin. I had crushed on Aaron Wish something fierce from age fourteen. I'd like to say that when he left for university my crush left with him, but it didn't.

As an Excelsior student - an advanced learning student - I had chosen to leap ahead with my university studies by taking two first year units each semester for my two senior years of high school. So instead of Aaron vanishing from my life when he finished high school, we'd ended up having two university units of study together each semester in his first year, all the same classes last year, and one class each semester this year. The saving grace I had, was that Aaron Wish didn't even know I existed. Sure, he knew me from school, but I kept my head down and hid up the back of my classes at university, so no one even knew I was there.

Joshua slid a mug of hot chocolate across the counter to me as I reached it. "There you go Caly. Go sit by the fire and thaw yourself out."

I slid my money across the counter to pay for the drink. "Thanks Josh." I took a sip while I waited for the change, then dropped it all in the tips jar.

"You're too generous, Caly." Joshua sighed. Joshua was a scholarship kid too, and when our math teacher suggested he get tutoring and introduced me, he'd had to admit that he couldn't afford it. I'd volunteered to tutor him for free at lunch in the libraries in exchange for Mr Downs writing me a glowing recommendation for early entry to Eleri University. A deal was struck and despite no longer being bound by that deal, I'd grown to like Joshua and wanted to see him get into medicine like he hoped to.

I moved to a table by the fire that was still far enough away from Aaron Wish and friends that they'd hopefully forget I was there. I put my back to the group, took a large mouthful of my hot chocolate before retrieving my mobile from what I was grateful was a waterproof handbag.

"How'd the date go?" Penny, my best friend and room mate answered on the second ring.

"Total bust. Bastard ditched me halfway between Charlie's and the Pitstop Cafe because I wouldn't blow him." I informed her before taking a big bite of my hot dog.

"That asshat!" Penny exclaimed venomously. "It's pouring rain and he left you in the middle of nowhere at night?"

"Yep." I answered around my food. Totally unlady like, I know, but I was cold and starving. Charlie's was a five star restaurant that barely served enough to satisfy a gold fish's appetite.

"Shit! Where are you now."

"Pitstop." I answered then swallowed the last bit. "I've busted my favourite pair of heels, I've got blisters the size of mount Olympus, and I'm drenched to the bone, but I have a holiday to Hawaii secured in the bag."

Penny chuckled. "No wonder your mum had to bribe you to go out with such a prick."

"Agreed. Can you pick me up?" I pleaded.

Penny groaned. "God Caly. If you'd phoned an hour ago I'd be in the car in a heartbeat, but I went over to see Simon, there is a party on at his place and I'm about three drinks over the limit already."

I dropped my head in disappointment. "Well shit."

"I'm sorry hon." Penny said sincerely. "Can you afford a cab?"

I couldn't, not really. "Yeah. I'm guessing you're staying with Simon tonight so I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay hon. Let me know when you're home safe." Penny insisted. She was the motherly one out of the two of us. Wild, but motherly.

I hung up and took another bite of the hot dog as I contemplated how I was going to get back to campus tonight. It was a good thirty minute drive from the Pitstop. I slumped down in my chair, pulled out my iPad and searched the bus timetable using the cafe's free WiFi. The only bus that came by here towards the campus for the rest of the night was still another hour away.

With some free time up my sleeve, I logged onto my blog site and wrote a new post while I devoured my food. I hit post, finished my hot chocolate and called my mother.

"Caly, I didn't expect to hear from you till tomorrow." My mother's voice came over the line rushed.

"I expected to get your voice mail. Aren't you at a conference in Singapore?" I frowned looking up the time difference.

"I'm just walking into the dinner. How did the date go?"

"He wined me, dined me, then dumped me by the side of the road when I wouldn't let him sixty-nine me." I answered honestly. "I've already blogged it, so you can read it when you get a minute."

I could hear my mother's heels stop clacking across the marble floor. "Are you safe?" She asked with true concern. My mother was a high powered business woman in the world of biochemical engineering. She'd given birth to me between replying to work emails and directing her team on phone calls, worked from home for two weeks, and then I went to work with her.

"I am." I assured her. "I broke those Jimmy Choo's you got me for my birthday last year, but I'm safe. The blisters are worth a holiday to Hawaii." I smiled.

My mother let loose a small laugh and the echo of her expensive heels striking marble started up again. "A deal is a deal. Tell me the dates in summer you want the flights booked and where you want to stay and I'll get it organised."

"I'm doing summer school this year, so I think that cancels out summer as an option." I informed her. "How about during winter break?"

"I'm heading into the dinner. We'll have dinner next week and discuss it then. Love you."

"Love you too mum." I replied as the call disconnected. With a sigh I looked at the time and then checked my cash flow. I had enough for the bus ticket home and a least one more hot chocolate. Standing up, I made my way back to the counter, which unfortunately took me close to the table of men.

I kept my eyes on the counter where Joshua was leaning reading. He looked up when I stopped in front of him. "Hot chocolate or something stronger?" He asked with a smile.

"Unless you sell Bourbon it's hot chocolate." I smirked putting my money on the counter and picking up his book. "Mary Shelly's Frankenstein?"

"Set reading." Joshua informed me.

I nodded placing it back down so he wouldn't lose his page. A masculine laugh burst out behind me and I cringed at the way it heated my body better than the fire had.

"What's so funny Ayah?" One of the guys asked.

"There's a blog I started following in high school. It's by a girl who calls herself Nymph." Aaron chuckled. "It's effectively her dating life. She called it Blue Balls because it started off as a blog about all the ways her boyfriend used to try and get her to have sex with him. They broke up a few years back and now it's about her dates."

I froze, holding my breath, realising he was reading my blog. My mum and Penny knew it was my blog, but I'd never told anyone else. I wanted to get my stuff and go wait at the bus stop, but at the same time, I was impressed that he liked it.

"Is it dirty?" One of the guys asked.

"Sometimes, but it's not graphic sex or anything." Aaron answered. "It's still all about what guys say or do to get girls to have sex with them. Like tonights." Aaron chuckled and I wanted to melt in a puddle of embarrassment as he started reading.

"I went on a blind date. I normally would never do a blind date. Let's just say I was coerced into it and no matter how bad it went, I was still going to be the winner. So, I went on this blind date with a guy in his mid-twenties. He's the son of a successful business man and now works for his fathers company. He's good looking, well-educated, and wealthy. I couldn't really understand why this guy needed to be set up on a blind date. I accepted he may be too busy to meet women and went along thinking I might at least enjoy a nice evening."

Aaron chuckled again, taking a sip of his hot beverage as he scrolled the screen on his phone. "He arrived on time, was dressed well and even opened the car door for me. So far, so good. He took me to a posh restaurant. Not really my scene, but he was obviously trying to impress. He insisted on ordering for me, instant turn off, and then proceeded to talk about himself and how good he is at everything, that I was bored before the entree arrived."

Joshua pushed my mug of hot chocolate across the counter along with my change. He was also listening to Aaron and totally captivated.

"After two hours of listening to this guy talk himself up, and replays of American Psycho happening behind my eyes, the waiter arrived with the dessert menu. Finally, the night was looking up. I'd heard the desserts at this restaurant were orgasmic so, considering it was obviously the only orgasm I was getting tonight, I was all for dessert. So you know what Ego did? He told the waiter we wouldn't be needing dessert. He followed this up by leering at me over the table and saying, and I quote. 'You're so hot, you don't want to ruin it by eating desserts.'" Aaron burst out laughing and his friends made combined hissing and sounds of imminent danger.

"Ouch!" One guy laughed. "I'm surprised he's still walking."

Aaron started again. "So we leave the restaurant. I plan to say goodnight, I understand why I was begged to date you, good riddance, when he pulls the car off onto a side road. Ego then proceeds to remove his seatbelt, unplug mine, push his seat back as far as it will go, unzip his pants and pull out his Johnston and tells me to climb aboard."

"This guys an idiot!" someone exclaims. The others murmur agreement. I nodded ascension. Joshua chuckled at me and leaned over the counter to hear better.

"Needless to say I refused his offer, both for moral reasons, and the fact that he was either flying at half mast or, in my experience, was not god's gift to women - if you get my meaning." Aaron started laughing again. "Ego then informed me that if he shells out, I need to put out. When that didn't work he tried to negotiate for a blow job, and on my refusal acknowledged he'd settle for a happy ending."

"Jesus! This guy obviously should just stick to paying for it." Aaron's friend laughed.

Aaron smirked. "When none of his demands for me to 'take care of his needs' were met, Ego, ever so politely climbed out of the car, came around to my door, took my upper arm and forcibly removed me from his car."

The crowd grew quiet. "I don't like where this is heading Ayah." One of the more dangerous looking guys warned.

Aaron put up a placating hand. "Don't worry, I've already read it through and she's home safe or she wouldn't be blogging about it already." Aaron assures and the big guy sits back. "Where was I? From his car. He grips me rather tightly and tells me to get on my knees or walk home. Now, I must tell you, Ego hadn't bothered putting his little fella away, and it was still poking out like a hitchhikers thumb. Yes, it's cold, and we were getting rained on, so I'll give him some shrinkage allowance, but it had been warm inside the car, so not that much."

By now all the guys are holding up their thumbs and snickering. "Give the girl my number. Shrinkage need not apply." The big guy leans in with a grin. His eyes lift to me and he winks. I chuckle and pick up my hot chocolate and take a drink while the big guy let's his eyes check me out.

"So." Aaron shakes his head with a laugh. "On my knees or walk. All lady like, I lift my knee rather forcefully, and as he falls to the ground cursing, I politely decline. I was so graceful the queen of England would be impressed. I collected my bag and enjoyed the walk home. Of course, who do I trip over on the way? Lancelot. The one place I wasn't wet from the rain, I am now." Aaron chuckles putting his phone away.

"Is Lancelot her fuck buddy or something?" Joshua asks beside me. I nearly spit up my mouthful of hot chocolate, but quickly cover it as all eyes turn in our direction.

Aaron frowned. "I don't know. He's the one guy she's never talked about."

"So why call him Lancelot?" Joshua considered. "Lancelot was Guenevere's affair. I would think they must be sleeping together, especially with her saying she tripped over him."

Aaron smiled shaking his head. "He's been on the scene since she was with her ex-boyfriend. She called him Lancelot for being her temptation, not because they hooked up. He's always just mentioned in passing." Aaron clarified.

The big guy was watching me again. "Speaking of lady's out walking by themselves at night... what's a pretty thing like you wandering around in this weather for?"

All eyes turned to me. I pasted on a false smile. "My room mate had a few too many drinks at her boyfriends party tonight and decided to crash there the night. I'm just going to wait for the bus and get back to campus so I can sleep in in the morning." I bent the truth.

"Except you work the weekends." Joshua corrected me.

"Yeah, but I'm closer to work so I can sleep in somewhat, and I get my bed to myself instead of sharing with some jock who thinks he's entitled." I clarified. Joshua smiled.

"Hey, I am entitled." One of the guys at the table pouted in humour.

I turned and smiled at him. "Not to me you're not." I winked and all the guys laughed.

"What about me?" The big guy asked.

"What about you?" I asked.

"Am I entitled?"

I opened my mouth to answer but Joshua beat me to it. "Dude, no. Caly's spoken for."

I looked at Joshua surprised but didn't refute it. I picked up my mug and started walking back to my seat.

"Of course she is. She's too fit not to be." The big guy complimented. "I can still give you a ride home though."

I chuckled and saluted him with my mug as I walked. "Thanks, but the bus doesn't require me to get on my knees and worship, so I'll take that option, thanks."

All the guys chuckled and returned to their card game as I took my seat and opened an ebook to read while I waited for the bus. About ten minutes later chairs scraping across the floor caught my attention. Aaron and his friends were leaving. All of them making their way outside except for Aaron and the big guy. The big guy instead came to stand beside me.

"My offer for a lift is still there. No expectations. I don't like women being out and susceptible at night. Bad things happen, even on busses." He offered.

"Thank you, but I was taught never to hop in a car with a stranger." I gave him a friendly smile.

He returned my smile. "You're friends with Josh?" He asked. I nodded. "And you live on campus?" His smile grew bigger. I nodded again. He looked over to where Aaron was straightening up the tables. "Ayah?"

"Yeah man?" Aaron stood up looking our way.

"Give Caly a lift back to campus. I'll sleep better knowing she made it safely."

"No, really..." I tried to object.

Big guy put his hand on my shoulder. "Josh will be in the car for most of the ride and Ayah lives on campus, so he's going there anyway. Aren't you Ayah?"

Aaron folded his arms across his chest, face stern. "Yeah. I'll get her home safe."

Big guy smiled. "Thanks dude." He patted my shoulder. "Names Dwayne by the way. Josh can give you my number if you ever stop being spoken for." Dwayne winked and walked out.

Aaron was still looking at me. "Pack up. Josh is just closing up. We'll wait in the car."

The lights in the shop area went out a second later. I turned my attention to my gear and shoved my iPad back in my hand bag, along with the bandaids I was going to need for work tomorrow morning. I grabbed my coat off the chair and pulled it on, Aaron grabbing his leather jacket and yanking it on, his eyes still on me.

Swallowing, I picked up my empty mug and took it to the counter. "Leave it. The morning shift will deal with it." Aaron told me. I turned around and he was holding  my bag and heels in his hand. He was looking at the broken heel. "You were awfully dressed up for a house party. Don't know many girls who would kill a pair of fancy heels and walk in the rain to the bus stop, rather than take the couch."

I took my bag and heels from him. "I'm not the average girl."

Aaron squared himself to face me. "Caly Zilla, popular but always reserved at school, dated one of the most popular boys in my year, top of your class, rich but rarely showed it, right down to you even working as a tutor to give yourself spending money, and an Excelsior student." Aaron listed off. "You were a year behind me and yet you've been at uni since I started."

"There a year before actually." I corrected.

Aaron smirked. "I'm in my third year and you are in half my classes."

"I know." I blushed. I wasn't sure if I was blushing because he'd noticed me, or because I'd acknowledged to noticing him.

Aaron's eyes lit up. "Let's go wait in the car."

"Does this lift carry the expectation of a blow job?" I asked pointedly.

Aaron snickered. "No expectation, but I wouldn't turn one down if you feel the need to say thank you." Aaron teased. I rolled my eyes and followed him out to the car park. Aaron opened the door to a two door sports car and pressed the lever for the front seat to slide forward. "Josh needs to get out first, so you'll have to take the back seat."

"There is an irony in that comment I'm sure." I scoffed stepping forward.

Aaron just smiled and slid the seat back in place, effectively locking me in the back of his car. He closed the door and walked around dropping into the front seat. "You look good in the back seat." He winked.

"You probably say that to all the girls you get in your back seat." I teased back.

Aaron grinned. "Do I look like I fit in that back seat?"

No, no you don't. At well over six foot, Aaron Wish stood a head taller than me, and his shoulders were nearly twice my breadth. I wasn't short, but Aaron certainly made me feel it in his presence. Taking a deep breath I decided to divert the conversation.

"So, did you become an assassin like your class mates predicted?"

Aaron smiled as he pressed the button for the engine to start. "Can't really fit many weapons or bodies in the trunk of this car."

"How does a guy on scholarship afford a car like this?" I asked straight out.

Aaron's smile faded. "Life giveth and life taketh away."

My smile faded too and my hand automatically went to the locket at my throat. I couldn't remember a time I hadn't worn the locket. Even at school where necklaces were banned, my mother had gotten special permission for me to wear my locket. It was a gift from my father to my mother. I'd never met him, had no idea who he was. As far as I knew, he was gone from her life before I was born. The locket was all I had of him.

The passenger door opened and Joshua slid in. He did up his seat belt and gave me a smile. "Catching a lift to campus?" He asked. I nodded. Joshua's eyes flicked to Aaron. "She's the reason my grades are good enough to get into medicine next year, keep her safe."

Aaron looked at Joshua. "I know. I will."

There in the dark, illuminated only by the dashboard light, I saw the resemblance in their facial structure I'd never noticed in daylight. Aaron was all dark and brooding compared to Joshua who was light and upbeat. Joshua was more auburn in his hair, and his skin a little paler, but their silhouettes and eyes were a perfect match.

"Are you two related?" I asked as the meaning of that clicked in my head.

Aaron smiled. "Josh is my baby brother." He put his arm across the back of the passenger seat and looked at me as he started reversing. "He's been telling me all about you for years."