Another random one-shot from me. I have been inspired lately with these little romance stories and I hope everyone enjoys. Please read and review! I am thinking about possibly adding a second part onto this but I haven't completely decided yet.

All I Ask of You by Kate

As a favor, Vanessa agrees to pretend to be Simon’s girlfriend in order to make his ex jealous. What neither know is that John, Simon’s best friend, has loved Vanessa for ages and is now determined to steal her away and finally have her for himself.

“I need a favor.”

Vanessa Dunn looked up from the history textbook she was studying from to see Simon Worchester standing next to her table, a cup of hot chocolate from Starbucks in his hand and a pleading smile on his face. Without her offering it to him, he plopped down into the seat across from her and extended the paper cup towards her.

“You’re not supposed to have drinks in the library,” Vanessa informed him but she took it from him anyway, taking a greedy gulp, the lukewarm liquid soothing her throat. She glanced down at the cell phone next to her highlighter. She had been at the library for nearly three hours and she had yet to get up from her seat.

Hot chocolate was just one of her weaknesses and Simon always got her a cup before he asked her for something they both knew she would hate agreeing to. She sometimes hated that she and Simon had known one another since junior high. He always knew what he had to do to get her to do whatever he wanted. Vanessa Dunn admitted that she was a very weak person at times – especially when Simon was sitting across from her giving his puppy eyes.

“Good thing my powers of seduction are not wasted on the librarian then,” Simon grinned. He leaned back in the hard-back library chair, slouching down a bit. “Whatcha studying?”

Vanessa smirked, shaking her head slightly and then taking another sip, she began to put her focus back on studying for her history test she had the next morning. “What do you want, Simon?”

“I need a favor,” he repeated then after looking around as if to make sure that no one was eavesdropping, he leaned closer to the table, dropping his voice to a conspirator whisper. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Vanessa nearly choked on the sip of hot chocolate she had just swallowed and she slapped a hand over her mouth so none would spit from her mouth onto the table. She didn’t know why she felt so surprised. She had heard far more ludicrous things come from Simon’s mouth before. But as she stared at him, her heart seized in her chest and her lungs seemed to cease inhaling oxygen for a moment. He was dead serious about the question he had just asked – more serious than she was used to Simon ever being.

“Um… what?” She managed to sputter out, the English language now beyond her.

He smiled slightly. “I need you to be my girlfriend. Just for a week or so. You don’t have to sleep with me or anything and it would only be when our friends are around.”

Taking another sip of hot chocolate, she continued staring at him, frowning. “I don’t get it,” she confessed with a slight shake of her head. “I mean, I know Morgan broke up with you, Simon, but I don’t think you are thinking too clearly at the moment. Why on earth would you need me to pretend to be your girlfriend?”

“That’s just it, Nessa. Morgan broke up with me and I want to show her what she’s missing,” Simon said. There was more to the story however and Vanessa immediately detected it. He sighed heavily, scratching a hand through his dark unruly hair. “The whole story then?” He assumed and she nodded her head. “Can we at least get out of here? This whispering is making me feel like some sort of criminal and there are ears everywhere.”

Vanessa hesitated for a moment then decided to humor him. She had been studying too long anyway without a break and if she kept cramming like she was, she was bound to not remember a single thing she was reading. He took another sip from her cup of hot chocolate as she gathered all of her things and then, together, they left the library, climbing up the stairs from the lower level and exiting through the side door. Vanessa’s eyes immediately squinted as they adjusted from the harsh fluorescent lighting inside to the harsh sunlight outside.

They walked in silence for a minute or two as they made their way across the university campus to no point in particular. As usual, when Vanessa walked with Simon, she noticed several girls that they passed steal glances at him or try full-on to get his attention. They also shot her looks of envy which only made her sigh. She had known Simon since before they were both victims of puberty. He was the brother she had never had – which was one reason why the mere idea of even pretending to date him was slightly repulsive to her.

Yes, Simon Worchester was an incredibly handsome young man with the classic tall, dark and handsome looks but she had never felt anything besides platonic companionship towards him. The feelings of romantic inkling had just never been between them like that and Vanessa knew that they never would be. The two knew too much about each other, had known each other too long to ever suddenly switch lanes and feel love other than sibling love towards the other.

That was why Simon wanting her to participate in this charade he had concocted honestly confused her. But she did not push him with questions. She waited for him to explain the entire situation to her before she refused any part in this newest grand scheme of his.

“So, basically,” he sighed suddenly. “I told Morgan that I loved her and less than a week later, she breaks up with me.” He glanced over and saw that Vanessa’s mouth was hanging open and he smiled wryly. “I know, right? Me saying such a thing.” A flash of hurt passed over his eyes before he quickly covered it up. Simon Worchester did not fall in love with girls and if he ever did, he certainly never admitted it. He was hurt by Morgan’s rejection but Vanessa supposed that she was the only one to see it.

“Did you mean it?” Vanessa managed to ask.

He shrugged. “At the time, I thought I did. Now… who the fuck knows? Guess it wasn’t what I thought it was. My stomach felt weird so maybe I just ate something that didn’t sit right with me instead of being in love with her.” He turned to look at her. “That’s why I need your help. I want to show her what she had since she obviously didn’t know.” Getting the feeling that she was opening her mouth to protest, Simon gripped her shoulders gently with his hands. “Please, Vanessa. I rarely ask you for a favor like this and I really need your help. I promise that it will just be for a few days.”

Vanessa tilted her head up to look at him. He was right. He hardly ever pleaded with her for a favor like this. Actually, she had hardly ever seen him this serious about anything in all of the years that she had known him. How could she refuse him? He was one of the closest, oldest friends she had. What kind of friend would that make her if she denied him when he came to her, seeking her help?

“Would I have to make out with you?” She asked him and he broke into a grin, almost laughing, his hands squeezing her shoulder once more before slipping off.

“Maybe just a couple of pecks. I swear,” Simon said, still grinning. “But I’ll have you know that there are many girls who would kill you for an opportunity like this. I only asked you because you are the only girl I trust in a situation like this.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes making him laugh. “Yeah, yeah. I will try to keep myself from falling madly in love with you or swooning at your heart-stopping kisses.”

They began walking again, this time in the direction of her on-campus apartment.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “You don’t have to do this, Nessa.”

She smiled, bumping him playfully with her hip. “I know I don’t but someday, and that day may never come, I’ll call upon you to do a service for me.”

Simon slapped a hand over his chest and she laughed. “A girl who can quote The Godfather. Be still my heart. You better watch it, Vanessa, or I just might fall in love with you.”

Vanessa Dunn liked to think of herself as a simple person – and she didn’t see anything wrong with that.

She took great pleasure in small things that most people would overlook on a day-to-day basis. Mugs of hot chocolate, jeans being tugged on right when they come out of the dryer, the soothing power a warm blanket and a good book could have on a person. She loved history, reading of all the great men and women who had changed the course of the world forever, and hoped to become a teacher after she graduated from college. She was friendly and easy to approach but she chose to have just a few close friends who she trusted and who she would do anything for.

She didn’t think she was particularly beautiful, or even pretty, despite having multiple people tell her different over the years. She was close to both of her parents and spoke with her mom on the phone every day. She was the oldest of four daughters and even away at school, she knew she still had to set an example for all of them. She liked Asian horror movies, regency-era romance novels, and Cherry Coke. She believed whole-heartedly in true love and romance but she hadn’t been out on a date in nearly three years. No one had asked her that made her heart flutter in her chest and that was what she was looking for.

Her life was simple, almost quiet, and she knew that some would find it somewhat dull. But she was happy. Or at least, she thought she was. And wasn’t that what mattered the most?

If she hadn’t agreed to help Simon with this ridiculous plan of his, she would just stay home that night and study for her history test more. She never went out on weeknights. But there was a party that evening and Simon wanted them to make their first appearance as the loving “couple” they wanted to lead everyone to believe that they were so Vanessa had no choice but to attend with him. So after eating a dinner of macaroni and cheese, she went into her bedroom and stripped herself out of her blue jeans and turtleneck sweater before hopping into the shower. Simon said he would pick her up around nine and it was already seven-thirty. She wanted to look her best for some reason; wanted to show Morgan that she shouldn’t have hurt Simon like she had. Vanessa had never liked Morgan but had tolerated her for the year she and Simon had dated simply because Simon was her friend and Vanessa had learned to respect his decisions.

She assumed the normal people would be there. Every party she went to on the weekends, she only ever seemed to see the same bunches of people and she knew that the party that night would be no different. In their group of friends, there was Simon and Vanessa, and then there was Dominic, Marty, Logan, Jenny, and Craig – who everyone joked about that they should get married just because their names seemed to go well together. They all hung out together constantly after all meeting and living in the same dorm during their freshmen year. They were some of the closest friends Vanessa had ever had and despite it going against her usual norm, she was eager to see them that night.

There was another member of their group but Vanessa didn’t know if she would consider him a friend since he had barely said ten full complete sentences with more than two syllables since meeting her three years earlier. John Berry was Simon’s best friend and roommate and so Vanessa had had plenty of contact with him but she was silently convinced that he hated her for some reason. He never spoke to her and if he was laughing or talking, the instant she made her presence be known, he immediately clammed up and would only stare at her. It was rather nerve-wracking considering that Vanessa had no idea what she had ever done to him.

He was handsome, of course. He was the only boy she had met in her life who could actually make her shake with frustration and anger so of course she had to think of him as handsome. He was probably the best looking boy she had ever seen with sandy hair, grey eyes and the most pouted, kissable lips. She had often daydreamed of kissing those lips to see if they were as soft as they appeared to be but then she would quickly shake herself out of her reverie and remind herself that he hated her. Ever kissing John Barry – even for a split second – was a near impossible situation she would probably never find herself in.

Not that she ever wanted to find herself in that particular situation. Certainly not. The last thing she wanted to do was kiss John Barry. She would rather kiss Simon. And she supposed that she would be doing such a thing that night.

She dried her long, heavy locks of dark brown waves that fell down her back past her shoulder blades and then carefully applied makeup though her hand was never steady enough and she wished that she had thought to call Jenny over to help her get ready before Simon came. Jenny was the kind of girl who always looked flawless no matter what. She could have chicken pox and the flu simultaneously and she would still look better than Vanessa any day. At least, that was what Vanessa thought even though Jenny argued that she would kill to look like Vanessa.

Simon knocked on her apartment door just as she was slipping on the short purple dress she was wearing that night. She rushed down the hallway, struggling with the back zipper and the instant she opened the door, she spun around, not even looking at who was standing there, assuming it was Simon.

“Zip me up, please. I think it’s stuck,” she said, scooping her hair up and pulling it over one of her shoulders so her back was free from obstacles.

Simon was a natural flirt, always touching and hugging her and Jenny in some way or another so when she immediately didn’t feel his hands on her back, she glanced back to see who stood there if not Simon. Her heart instantly sunk like a lead anchor as her large brown eyes looked into pools of grey. Shit, she thought to herself, instantly growing mortified.

“I’m sorry. I thought you were Simon,” Vanessa quickly explained, turning around so she was facing him and he was no longer looking at her bare back.

“He’s still outside,” John said, staring at her and she quickly looked away.

She absolutely hated when he looked at her like that. She felt so low, like he was sickened at just the sight of her. One day, she would have to get extremely drunk and finally confront him as to why he hated her as much as he appeared to.

“Come in,” she said in a whisper, stepping back and pulling the door open more.

John glanced at her once more before going into her apartment and Vanessa looked out into the hallway, silently trying to send telekinetic waves to Simon and plead with him to hurry up. Despite having known him since freshman year, she had never actually ever been alone with John and she wasn’t too eager to be now. She felt so uncomfortable around him. He had such an intensity about him that rolled off in waves, threatening to swallow the oxygen in the room and Vanessa didn’t know how to react around him. How did one act around someone who didn’t even try to hide their discontent for them?

She watched as he looked around at her belongings, leaning in closer to look at the framed photographs of her family and friends, looking at the movie and band posters and the prints of famous artwork on her walls. He saw the stacks of textbooks and romance paperback novels worn from multiple reads each on her coffee table and couch. She nearly died of mortification when she noticed that a laundry basket of her panties and bras sat on the floor next to his foot and he glanced down to look at it. She cursed herself for not having folded the offending garments when she got home from the laundry mat earlier that morning.

He then turned and looked at her, his grey eyes setting on her, staring at nothing but her. She avoided his eyes like she usually tried to and once again, began struggling with the zipper of her dress. Maybe she should just go and change into something that wasn’t so stubborn in refusing to be put on. She wanted to look her best that night but she had other dresses to wear even if this purple dress was her favorite in all of her closet. She always felt so beautiful whenever she wore it.

She wondered if John knew of the plan. He was Simon’s best friend after all and she imagined that the two told one another nearly everything. This certainly seemed like something that Simon should indulge John the knowledge of their new “relationship” – no matter how fake it was. If he didn’t know, she didn’t want to tell him. From that afternoon, she gathered that Simon didn’t want to tell too many people, wanting it all to seem as realistic as possible. If too many were in on the secret, Morgan would find out which would make this entire plan of Simon’s fruitless.

John watched her still struggling and then, still without saying anything to her, he stalked to her with such purpose, she took a step back. He rolled his eyes and she gasped when he suddenly came to a stop so close in front of her, her breasts nearly brushed against his chest as he circled his arms behind her. Staring down into her eyes and she completely hypnotized by him, his fingers deftly pulled the zipper up with a sharp hiss, securing the dress firmly onto her body finally.

She couldn’t breathe. His hands remained on her back and his eyes continued boring down into hers. He had never stood this close to her before. She was certain that he could feel her chest heaving up and down, her heart pounding so loudly, it drummed in her ears and she was certain it did the same in his as well. He kept standing there, their bodies so close, a scrap of paper would have difficultly passing between them.

Both heard thumping on the stairs and Simon singing “Mr. Roboto” by Styx at the top of his lungs and John pulled away just as suddenly as he had approached her and without even a second glance at her, he went back to looking at her things. Vanessa remained paralyzed, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to even think clearly or blink her eyes. What had just happened? She could still feel his hands on her back, his touch burning into her bare skin and his eyes staring into hers, looking beyond the orbs and seeing so far into her, she felt naked before him. Her skin flushed deep red.

“What a wonderful night for college drunken debauchery!” Simon exclaimed, stepping into the apartment through the still open door and slammed it behind him.

Vanessa’s nose wrinkled. “Were you smoking?” She asked as the smell wafted from off his clothes into her otherwise peach-scented apartment.

“Just one, love. I swear,” he grinned at her then gave her an appreciative up and down roving of his eyes. “Damn, Nessa.” He let out a whistle and Vanessa couldn’t help but smile. “Are you sure I can’t persuade you to make out with me tonight? It is, after all, what boyfriends and girlfriends do.”

“What?” John asked suddenly, his voice low.

Simon’s grin faltered only slightly before he slipped an arm around Vanessa’s shoulders. “That’s right, buddy. I asked out the elusive Vanessa Dunn and she has agreed to escort me to this romantic kegger tonight.”

John stared at him for a hard eternal minute before flashing his eyes towards her. Vanessa nearly shrank back before she realized that she didn’t have any reason to. Apparently, Simon didn’t inform John of their little charade but even if he didn’t, what reason was there for John to look so… pissed?

“You and… Vanessa? You’re dating?” John asked as if the mere thought sickened him and he had to swallow the bile rising in his throat. He grew visibly paler but his eyes flashed almost dangerously with increasing anger.

Vanessa frowned. What was wrong if someone wanted to date her? Was she really that hideous to him? Why did he dislike her so much? Her heart twisted achingly and she slipped away from Simon, both boys turned their heads to look at her. She managed a pained smile across her face. She didn’t want John to have the satisfaction of knowing just how much he always managed to hurt her feelings.

“I need to go get my shoes,” she informed them quietly before turning and disappearing into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. If they talked after she left, she didn’t hear and she rested back against the door with a heavy sigh, closing her eyes.

How was it possible for a boy to blow such hot and cold like John Berry managed? Had she imagined it or had he seemed almost jealous upon hearing of her and Simon? Not possible, she shook her head fiercely and began searching the floor for her heels. She almost laughed at the insane thought. As if John would ever be jealous of anything that had to do with her. He could hardly stand her mere presence around him. He hated her for some reason completely unbeknownst to her and his reaction out there had been completely made up in her head. He could have cared less.

“What the fuck are you doing with her, Simon?”

Vanessa suddenly heard John ask Simon, his voice a bit louder than it had been when she was present but despite the low volume at which he spoke, it sounded as if he had taken on a dangerous sharp tone now. It nearly sent goose bumps over her skin. She had never heard John talk like that before. Normally, he was so calm. So cool. He never lost his temper. It was as if he cut himself off from everyone around him and was void of any type of human emotion. The only thing that ever gave him away that let others know that he was thinking or feeling anything was those gray eyes of his. Quick flashes crossed his eyes before he could stop himself and cover it up and hide himself again.

It always drove her crazy. She would look at him and try to solved the mystery that was him. They had known one another for three years already and hung out constantly due to having the same friends but he didn’t let her, or anyone for that matter, know anything about him. Simon was the only one to know things about him but even then, Vanessa had a feeling that even those details were mundane and of little importance to even John.

“She’s just helping me out with something. What is the big deal?” Simon asked, innocently, confusion making its way through into his words.

Vanessa pressed her ear to her bedroom door, holding her breath, waiting for John’s reason behind his sudden anger.

“Why her, Simon? Why, of all of the girls you could ask out, did you ask Vanessa?” John demanded to know.

“Because besides you, she’s my best friend and I knew I could count on her to help me. What the fuck is your problem with her?” Simon somewhat growled. “You have been an asshole to her since we were freshmen and I am getting really fucking sick of it! It is none of your fucking business if I date her and if I want to make out with her… hell, if I want to sleep with her-”

A sudden crack of a fist hitting jaw resonated in Vanessa’s ears and she bolted from her bedroom, skidding to a halt upon seeing Simon on the floor, having been knocked down from John’s punch, his fist still clenched tightly at his side. She stared at him, her mouth hanging open in shock and he lifted his head to look at her. His eyes were dark with anger but upon seeing her, his fingers slowly loosened and he took a step back. It was almost as if he had forgotten that he and Simon had been fighting in her apartment and that of course she would be there.

“John, what is your problem?” She demanded of him angrily before dropping to her knees next to Simon, who was holding his tender jaw, red and already beginning to form a bruise. She couldn’t believe that John would punch him – and for no reason at all! None of it was making sense and she gently took Simon’s head in her hands, turning it slowly so she could have a look at the damage done to his visage.

“Such a cute fucking couple you two make,” John said through nearly clenched teeth before turning and storming from the apartment, slamming the door so harshly behind him, Vanessa jumped.

Simon closed his eyes and then shaking his head slightly, fell backwards onto the floor again. He slowly blinked his eyes again and stared up at the ceiling. “God, I am such an asshole.”

Vanessa frowned, her forehead furrowing with confusion. “Why? You’re not the one who did anything. It was John! I can’t believe that he would just punch you like that!”

He looked at her. “Nessa, why do you think John punched me?” He asked then shook his head again. “I am officially the dumbest person in the world for not seeing it.”

“See what?” She asked urgently, concerned that perhaps Simon’s brain had been rattled from the punch. She sighed, not understanding what Simon was talking about. No reason John, and apparently Simon now as well, thought was justified enough to go around punching one’s supposed best friend. “I’ll get you some ice. And aspirin.”

No longer in a partying mood, and Simon reluctantly agreeing with her, Vanessa changed into her pajamas and began studying once again for her history test the next day. Simon took the aspirin and then drank a beer from her refrigerator before deciding that maybe he should head home. Vanessa saw him to the door and she stood up on her toes, placing a light kiss on his bruised jaw.

He smiled wryly. “If I had a dollar for every time one of my plans went awry.”

She almost laughed. “It would have probably worked fine if John hadn’t acted so strange,” she shrugged.

He smirked, stepping into the hallway. “When you figure it out, you will feel about as stupid as I do right now. Thanks for everything, Nessa.” Before she could say anything in response, Simon gave her a wave and headed back down the hallway.

She closed the door after him and immediately locked it. What a strange, surreal evening. Nothing was making sense. It had started out as her helping Simon out and then all of a sudden, John was punching Simon. It didn’t flow right. There were pieces missing and Vanessa had no idea what those could possibly be. It was beginning to give her a headache and she had difficulty reading the chapter on Napoleon that she should have been putting all of her focus and attention on.

That night, she couldn’t sleep. She curled up on her bed underneath the covers and thought of John though she tried to banish him from her thoughts. She kept replaying the scene over and over again of him zipping up her dress for her. She had nearly fallen as she felt her knees give out from under her. His smoldering eyes, the heat from his body pressed to hers, those lips… She nearly groaned, rolling over and burying her face in her pillow. Thinking of John brought her nothing but trouble and now confusion. Of course, he had always confused her. His manner towards her was always a cause for raised eyebrows but now, he was just giving her a migraine.

What did Simon know that she didn’t? Why had John punched him? What couldn’t she see? Vanessa wasn’t a normally stupid girl. She was on the Dean’s list every semester and she was attending school on an academic scholarship. She read dozens of books and she understood most things she learned about. But perhaps she wasn’t as intelligent with the opposite sex as she had previously thought. Why did they have to be so complicated? Why couldn’t they just come out and say what they were thinking? Why couldn’t John just come out and say why he didn’t like her instead of giving her touches that sent her skin blazing and her heart hammering?

The next morning, she was exhausted, having barely slept the night before. Stupid boys and their stupid ways of expressing their emotions.

She had bigger things to worry about though. Her test was that morning and after getting dressed and grabbing a peach to eat for later, she left her apartment and began heading across campus – a low fog still suspended a few inches above the ground and the sun just starting to rise fully above the horizon. She loved having morning classes when most of the campus was still quiet like this. She supposed she was one of the few people to actually willingly sign up for an eight a.m. class but she preferred having all of her classes in the morning and then having her afternoons free to do whatever she wished.

As she neared the academic building in which her history class was in however, she was intercepted. Someone grabbed her elbow and quickly, but still gently, pulled her over to the small alleyway between two of the buildings and pushing the hair out of her eyes, she looked up at who had kidnapped her. She instantly took a step back.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She hissed at him. Never before had she been so bold towards him but after last night and what he had done, she supposed that different times called for different manners in which to act. “I have a test to get to.”

John gave her a look. “In twenty minutes.”

She opened her mouth to ask how he knew when she had class but then decided against it. There were bigger fish to fry at the minute. “What do you think you’re doing?” She decided to ask him again.

The alleyway was small and narrow enough to where when John leaned back against the wall opposite of her, his hand still remained cupping her elbow comfortably. Vanessa tried to ignore how wonderful his touch was – even through the sweatshirt and jacket she was wearing for the cool weather that morning.

“I wanted to apologize,” he said simply.

“How wonderful of you, John,” she snapped sarcastically, wondering why she wasn’t yanking her elbow away from him. “But I wasn’t the one you punched in the face.”

“I already talked to Simon last night.”

“Good. Then your job is done. Now let me go,” she demanded of him. She wanted to ask just how much he and Simon talked about the night before but she didn’t want to stay there longer than she had to. The alleyway was too enclosed. She was standing too close to him. She could not think properly with his body just mere inches away from her.

Damn him! He behaves abominably and yet, her stupid brain still insisted on thinking of what it would be like to kiss him. She did NOT want to kiss him at all. Why would she? He confused her more than any other human being she had ever had contact with before in her entire life. Why would she subject herself to a lifetime of headaches by kissing him? Because, surely if she did kiss him, matters would only get more confusing and he would act or do something to set her head reeling in a tailspin and she didn’t know if she would be able to handle that.

“You think too loudly,” he informed her.

“As if I don’t know that,” she snapped at him again and she was shocked when she saw a hint of a smile tugging at one side of his lips. This was a sight she thought she would never live to see. She, Vanessa Dunn, had made the John Berry almost smile. She turned her head to make sure that the sun was still indeed still rising and with it, the apocalypse wasn’t coming.

She looked back at him with slightly narrowed eyes. “What is going on with you? Why did you punch Simon last night. He’s your best friend, John. Why are you talking to me all of a sudden? You never talk to me. And while we’re on that, why don’t you talk to me? Why do you hate me?”

He instantly frowned at the questions and something flashed across his eyes but she couldn’t determine what it was. She gasped when he suddenly pushed himself off the wall and she barely had time to realize that his one his hands went to her hip and he pushed her until her back was pressed against the wall behind her, his other hand planted on the bricks next to her head, successfully pinning her there.

She gulped, tilting her head up to look at him, his grey eyes dark like a storm and his jaw sharp and clenched as he stared at her. She felt her skin flush and a shiver shoot down her spine. Just like he had last night, his body was so close to hers, if someone was to glance into the alleyway and see them, they would be confused into thinking that they were an intimate couple.

“I don’t hate you, Vanessa,” he told her lowly, his voice sounding almost hoarse and she couldn’t help but think that perhaps, standing this close to her was having the same effect on him that his body was having on hers.

“I think that is the first time you have ever said my name to me,” she whispered because she didn’t know what else to say. Of course he hated her. He had hated her for three years. He couldn’t even stand to be around her. Everyone knew that.

“And I punched Simon last night because seeing him with you… that should have been me. I should have been the one picking you up to take you out,” he said.

And with that, he cupped her cheeks in both of his hands and before she could breathe, or think or speak, his mouth descended onto hers and he kissed her hard and passionately, pushing her more against the wall. Vanessa remained paralyzed for a moment, feeling John’s lips on hers, his mouth covering hers, his tongue slowly pushing into her mouth.

Whoa!

Putting both hands on his shoulders, she managed to push him off of her slightly. Both stared at one another, panting. Vanessa felt her lips tingle and her entire body begin to hum – just from one kiss. That was what she had been waiting for. That was why she didn’t date often. No guy had ever sent her body into tingles or made her heart flutter as if it sprouted butterfly wings.

No guy had ever done that to her … except John.

She had so much to ask him, to demand that he tell her. She was so confused and yet, she didn’t care at the moment. She stared at him and he stared at her and then he smiled – an actual smile – but just for a moment because Vanessa threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

When she finally ran into the lecture hall for the test, she was ten minutes late, her hair was mussed and her lips were red and swollen. She definitely looked like a girl who had just been thoroughly kissed. But she didn’t care. She practically floated to her seat and as she bubbled in her answers, she couldn’t stop smiling.

Vanessa Dunn liked to think of herself as a simple person. She liked hot chocolate, scary movies, romance novels… and apparently, she liked John Berry more than she had ever admitted to herself before. And she supposed that he just might like her after all as well.