Unraveling (Second Chances) - By Micalea Smeltzer Page 0,1

hurt?”

“No,” he smiled. “It’s going to take a lot more than some loser’s nose to hurt my hand.”

“Oh,” I said. My hand twitched again as it tried to escape the confines of his larger one.

My sexy savior led me around the perimeter of the club. My hand began to tingle where he held it and I finally stopped trying to pull away. After two years of running from every male except Rollo, the sensation was strange. I couldn’t decide if it was good or bad and whether or not I liked it.

Maybe, after two years, I was finally coming out of the funk I’d been incased in.

“What does your friend look like?” he had to bend down to my ear to ask, in order to be heard over the music.

The closeness of his face to mine startled me; making me jump. I was like a frightened bird, always ready to take flight and flee at a moment’s notice.

“Short with a curly blonde afro,” I yelled.

My savior quirked his lips. “Can’t be hard to miss then?”

“Definitely not.”

We were on our second lap of the club when Rollo came running up to me.

“Ohmigawd! Katy! Did you hear? Some guy just punched this other guy because he was groping on some girl! Apparently he broke his nose!” Noticing my sheepish glance at the guy beside me Rollo’s mouth popped open. “Oh gawd, it was you, wasn’t it?”

I bit my lip.

“She told him to stop.” He let go of my hand and crossed his arms over his lean chest. “He didn’t listen.”

I missed the feel of his hand in mine, which was strange. Ever since that night, I didn’t like to be touched by anyone. I must be in some alternate universe. Either that, or aliens had taken over my body. I never even talked to strangers, let alone let them hold my hand.

“Ohmigawd! Katy, are you okay? I should’ve been there! I know you haven’t been the same since-”

I waved my hand in an effort to shut him up. My sexy rescuer didn’t need to know my business. No one did. Everyone already thought I was weird and a freak, I’d prefer to keep my savior in the dark.

“Come on, I’ll take you home baby cakes,” Rollo slung his arm over my shoulders.

I turned back to my savior. “Thanks for… rescuing me… I guess.”

His lips quirked in a quick smile. “You guess?”

“Thanks,” I said, stronger this time. “Really, I mean it.”

“No problem,” he melted back into the crowd.

“Damn girl, he was sexy. I sure as hell hope you got his number or else I’m gonna have to beat you over the head with a stick. Or maybe a vibrator,” he chuckled as he led me to the club’s exit.

“I didn’t even get his name,” I sulked as we reached the street.

Now, I was sulking? Since when did I care what a guy’s name was? Had Rollo slipped something into my drink, turning me into a hormonal mess?

Rollo led me down the street and to my silver Cadillac CTS Coupe. It was a beautiful car but way too much in my opinion. I would’ve been happy with a Hyundai or a Kia but my mom wouldn’t hear of it. At least, she let me pick the color. I unlocked it and he climbed in the passenger side.

“You didn’t get his name? Jeez, Katy.”

I turned the car on and headed towards campus to drop off Rollo. My mother had insisted that I have an off campus condo, that was something I’d been happy to let her do. Sleeping in a dorm room, with a stranger, definitely wouldn’t have been good for me, and my state of my mind.

I shrugged. “It’s not like he’d be interested in me. A guy like that needs a model on his arm. Besides, you know me,” I sighed. “I can’t get close to anyone.”

Rollo sighed, which meant a lengthy speech was headed my way.

“Katy you are a gorgeous girl. I know that after what happened to you, you don’t see yourself that way, but you are. You’re beautiful and you deserve to be happy just as much as the next person. You have got to stop being so negative on yourself. Live a little,” he poked my arm.

“I don’t know if I can,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

“You can! You just get out there! Say hi to the cute guy behind you in the grocery store! Go out for a night of fun!”

I stopped him right