Read The Upside of Being Let Down (new adult romance - 1) for Free Online Page A

around him and hugged. I never
really hugged people because it implied sex. I mean, think about a hug for a second.
It ’ s people lining up their
parts, right? I hug a guy and his junk is right against my stuff. My chest
pressing. Even two girls hugging or two guys hugging. How the hell did guys
hug? With their... stuff ... so close to rubbing.
    But I hugged Bryan.
    “ Wow,
that cell phone must mean a lot, ” Bryan said.
    I shook my head and closed my eyes.
I wanted to get lost in him for a second. I wanted to smell his manly scent. To
feel his muscle. To have him hold me. I wiggled my shoulders, waiting for him
to make a move.
    He didn ’ t. At least not at first.
    What the hell was wrong with
this guy?
    I was a decent enough looking girl.
I had a bad night. I was vulnerable. I would probably put out in some shape or
form... even if it was some kind of quickie, with my hand more than likely. But
Bryan didn ’ t get that hint.
I stared at his fingers curled at his pocket. He seemed nervous, like he wanted
to do something. When he finally took his thumbs out of his pockets, the subtle
hint of his cologne became replaced by something else.
    Something more harsh.
    Something...
    “ Ew, ” I whispered and ended the hug.
    I pushed off Bryan and stepped
back, holding my hands out, looking down at myself.
    “ What ’ s wrong? ” he asked.
    “ Did
you throw up? ”
    “ What? ”
    “ I
smelled vomit. On you. ”
    Bryan ’ s
eyes shut for a second. His lip curled and his hands went into fists.
    “ What
happened? ” I asked. My mind
raced. Who threw up? “ Did
you throw up? Did that drunk chick throw up on you? Did your girlfriend throw
up on you? ”
    I had to slip that last one in
there, because face it, there wasn ’ t
really an easy way to find out if someone was single. It wasn ’ t like we all wore something
like married people did. Maybe there should be a single ring or necklace. Maybe
something that had purpose for each step of a relationship leading to marriage.
    Then again, I had been kicked out
of college, so what did I know?
    “ No, ” Bryan whispered. “ I took care of everything with
that girl and her boyfriend. ”
    I reached for Bryan ’ s hands. As I brought them up I
turned my head and took a deep breath. I held my breath, my cheeks puffed out
like a squirrel with a mouth full of nuts. I looked at Bryan and he didn ’ t seem amused at all. I looked
at his hands, at his knuckles. They looked fine. Nothing that suggested a
fight.
    Which was good.
    I guess.
    I mean, a fight would have been
sexy. Not that I wanted guys to go out and pound each other for the sake of a
drunk woman and an outspoken person like me, but it was hot to think about.
    Okay, fine, I was pushing it.
    I dropped Bryan ’ s hands and exhaled my breath.
    “ What
the hell are you doing? ” he
asked.
    “ Looking
for blood. Making sure you ’ re
not a wanted man. On the run from the law. ”
    “ Does
that turn you on? ”
    I scoffed. “ No. Just didn ’ t
want someone like you in my apartment then. ”
    “ Your
apartment? ” Bryan asked. He
looked at the door, then at the boxes on the ground. “ How ’ s
that going? ”
    He had a look about him as though
he knew. “ Is it your
business? ”
    “ Looks
like you ’ re moving out. Or
getting rid of some junk. ”
    “ Hey, ” I said. I kicked the top box
and my lamp rolled to the other side. “ This
isn ’ t junk. These are
timeless treasures. ”
    “ Why
aren ’ t they inside? ” Bryan asked. “ Fight with the roommate? ”
    “ How
do you know I have a roommate? ” I asked.
    Bryan ’ s
mouth opened and he stepped back. He licked his lips, trying to come up with
something.
    “ Whoa,
whoa, ” I said. “ How did you get here? ”
    “ I
drove, ” Bryan said.
    “ Yeah,
sure. But how did you know? ”
    “ What
do you mean... I... I mean, school. College. ”
    “ School?
College? What would you know about it? How would you know if I was in college? ”
    “