Off Limits: A College Romance Novel

  © 2019 Zara Rivas

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

  Terrance James Miller was only known as such through his writing. Being a thirty-year-old creative writing teacher in Manhattan, he was TJ to friends, family, and most of his students. A semi-published author, TJ Miller enjoyed teaching a handful of classes at a public university in the heart of the city while pursuing his passion for writing in his free time. His apartment was a well lived-in one and he was a frequenter of parks (or any space with a bench, for that matter), yet the seasons were changing and fall was giving way to winter. The colder weather drove TJ indoors and now he tended to slip inside any place that had a few empty tables and coffee available.

  This particular night, however, TJ had made plans to abandon his writing to seek entertainment elsewhere. Ashlee Kane, a fellow teacher at the university, had named a bar to meet her at which was a single subway ride and only two stops from the university. TJ, however, lived two more subway rides in the opposite direction. It was easy enough to get there and TJ didn't mind travel in the city, but when he arrived, it didn't seem like the invitation he'd been offered was remembered.

  Ashlee was surrounded by at least five males (from the university, no doubt) who looked to range from sophomores to juniors. After making his presence known and being rewarded with quite a bit of silence and neglect for approximately an hour, TJ wandered outside again. He lingered just in front of the bar, searching through his heavy coat with frozen fingers for his pack of cigarettes and lighter. He sighed upon flipping open the top of the pack to see only one remaining. He leaned his head back on his shoulders and stared up through his brown bangs as he tried to recall if he had another pack on his kitchen counter or not.

  Shaking his head to himself as he lifted his head and brought the cigarette to his lips, he cupped the end and lit it with the lighter as he inhaled and squinted from a harsh cold wind that picked up some of the light snow that had fallen over the day. Barely anything had stuck, but the canopies above the buildings had caught enough for the wind to carry.

  Nearly everyone at the bar that night had been enjoying themselves, with the exception not only of TJ but of a first semester freshman by the name of Natalie Green. That particular bar allowed anyone and everyone through its doors and while it was a bit of a risk to house minors evening after evening, it was too profitable to forgo.

  A recently-declared history major who had stumbled along through the first three-quarters of her first semester undecided, Natalie had been quick to make friends and even quicker to begin seeing her fellow male classmates. That night, she had gone out with the mentality of a singleton and had met a few new faces at the bar, but none that seemed interested in mere conversation. She and the two girlfriends she'd gone out with had made brief use of the small, crowded dance floor until things had gotten a bit out of hand.

  With only the option of leaving available to her in order to get away from the guys she'd met who were too drunk to understand the word 'no', she stumbled a bit through the cramped entryway and out through the front door of the bar. The heeled boots she wore were proving difficult to walk in after the five shots and two mixed drinks she hadn't even paid for herself and despite the bitter chill of the city night air, the thin jacket she wore and alcohol in her system were enough to keep her warm.

  "Assholes," she mumbled under her breath as she reached out to steady herself with a bare hand against the brick side of the building. Perhaps it was because she rarely drank (that night was quite an exception), but her emotions were a bit overwhelming that night. Never before could she recall herself crying over something as stupid as a disrespectful guy crossing such obviously stated boundaries, but there she was, reaching up with her free hand to wipe her fingers under her eyes and thankful she'd worn waterproof mascara.

  TJ turned, inhaling the first drag from his cigarette as it remained pinched between his lips as he went about pocketing his lighter. He politely turned his head aside to exhale as he withdrew the cigarette from his lips, his eyes lingering on the young girl who had just exited the bar and was now close beside him. Her mutter came across clearly despite the loud traffic and sounds of the city and his brows rose briefly in amusement until he came to realize she was crying.

  Not wishing to appear rude, but also feeling the need to make sure she was all right, he reached aside after his lighter was away and gently touched her forearm with his fingertips as he held his cigarette near his further hip. "Everything all right?" he posed to her softly, watching her hand disappear behind her blonde hair to wipe at her eyes.

  Natalie had been too focused on her experience within the bar moments ago to notice that someone else had been standing outside. The touch against her sleeve barely registered to her but the voice she heard certainly did and a bit uncoordinated, she stumbled back from him a step or two, her hand never leaving the cold brick wall. She lifted her brown eyes from the sidewalk and pushed back her hair with an embarrassed sound of recognition. Had she truly expected to stumble out onto a city street and be alone?

  "Yeah... m'fine," she mumbled, turning away and drawing a sniffling breath through her nose from both her crying and the low wintry temperature.

  She obviously didn't look 'fine' and so he offered a small reassuring smile before glancing up at the glass door and windows to see no one coming after her. It appeared she hadn't told any of her friends that something was bothering her. When his hazel eyes met hers, he recognized her from the dance floor inside (as well as the fact that she was clearly drinking though she was well under twenty-one). Nodding just slightly, he studied her for a few more moments before speaking up. "That's not enough," he offered, though stopped himself from continuing as he rolled his eyes at his typical 'grown-up' remark in regard to her choice of clothing for that cold evening.

  His comment didn't make sense to Natalie and she looked back to him with a questioning though somewhat unfocused and tear-filled stare, yet didn't speak. She reached up as she braced her shoulder against the side of the building for support and ran her fingers back through her straightened hair to comb it out briefly and keep the strands from sticking to her damp cheeks. She didn't recognize him at all and could only assume him to be a random occupant at the bar that night, taking a few moments for a cigarette break.

  He could feel her watching him though his focus was elsewhere and he cleared his throat as he glimpsed back over at her for a second. "It's thirty degrees out," he said simply with a brief gesture to her to convey his point shortly. He left it at that, however, and turned his face aside as he covered his mouth with a hand to take another drag of his cigarette, though his eyes briefly returned to her. She was still quite obviously upset.

  Natalie shrugged, her eyes dropping a bit sheepishly as if she was being scolded by her parents before she closed the front of her light jacket with her hands and folded her arms tightly to keep it that way. "I'm warm," she assured, glancing toward the street before pushing herself away to approach the curb. It wasn't a heavily trafficked avenue of the city, but the occasional taxi did make its rounds in hopes of scamming a car full of drunken college students who were too intoxicated to realize they were overpaying their fare to get back to the dorms.

  It seemed to TJ that she was about to catch a cab somewhere alone and her steps gave away her inebriated state. "Hey, you're not..." TJ began, though tried to stop himself from getting involved. He ashed his cigarette into the street as he stepped up beside her and nodded back toward the bar curiously. "Shouldn't you wait for some friends?" he offered. It just felt like a bad idea for her to go about the
city alone while drunk. Didn't she know any better?

  Though she acknowledged his presence beside her, she didn't take her attention from down the street, trying to spot any approaching yellow cabs. "I'm not going to make them leave with me. They're having a good time. I started having a shitty time... so I'll leave by myself," she explained as she wiped her eyes with a hand once more, stepping a bit closer to the street but failing to gauge her distance from the curb properly.

  His attention was downward, on the street as he ashed his cigarette once more, and he caught sight of half of her boot coming down against the edge of the curb. It was clear she hadn't meant to step in such a way and as her weight began to buckle he quickly acted, dropping his cigarette to the small amount of sludge remaining from the flurries earlier that day and quickly stepped into the minimal puddle in the street with one foot while keeping his other on the sidewalk as he caught her with an arm around her back. "I'll split a cab with you," he offered seriously with a roll of his eyes. He'd been having just as poorly a time.

  She had been drinking too much to tense up and as he caught her, she let only a brief gasp pass her lips for a few long moments. As she stared down at the street, supported by TJ's arm, her features slowly began to twist and her crying returned unexpectedly, her arms heavy at her sides. "...okay," she mumbled with a tired nod. She had no idea who this man was, but was in no state of mind to care.

  TJ grit his teeth, glancing over the girl's shoulder to see if Ashlee was visible from where he stood, but too many bodies inhabited the bar to make her out clearly. He knew he should find her and tell her that he was leaving, but truthfully she had been far too unconcerned over his whereabouts for the rest of the night for him to entertain the idea for too long.

  "All right, c'mon, let's walk a couple blocks. We'll never get a cab here. -can you walk?" he questioned half-seriously, beginning to gently release her. He briefly glanced to the ground where his damp cigarette laid and he mentally groaned at the fact that it was his last.

  Regaining her balance, Natalie heaved a sigh and wiped beneath her eyes yet again with her fingertips. "I can walk," she answered, licking her dried lips quickly as she stepped away from the curb with him and they began to walk along the slush that sat on the pavement. Though she knew nothing of her new companion, she could simply tell he was unlike the others she had met in the bar that evening. "You know," she suddenly began, her brows knitting in frustrated confusion, "I thought that maybe - maybe - guys in college would be different. That they wouldn't be after just, you know... sex. But I was completely wrong. It's like... I can't even talk to a guy without them wanting to get into my pants," she paused before allowing the alcohol to continue leading her rather verbal conversation starter, tripping momentarily as they walked, "I came out tonight and just wanted to have a good time and then all this shit... and - and it's like... what the hell, you know?" She looked to him, expecting agreement.

  TJ hadn't heard the drunken ramblings of a teenager in quite a while and it brought a smile to his lips as she continued in her frustration and hurt, wiping the look from his face when she turned to him for a response. He licked his lips and let his brows rise slightly before shrugging and glancing to her. "Yeah..." he mumbled, hiding a smile as he echoed her, "...what the hell."

  With something akin to an annoyed sound, she looked forward once more and hugged her jacket to her body. "I hate guys," she generalized, but after a beat or two, considered the fact that her comment might have been rude. "But you're all right, I think. I don't know, but I think so," she contemplated to him aloud, wiping her drying eyes once again before her boot slid on a patch of icy slush and she managed to grab his arm to steady herself.

  Once again, TJ was right there to catch her and this time he stopped along with her. "I think here's fine," he decided aloud, despite the fact that they had only reached the corner of the very same block the bar rested on. He looked out to the street in search of a cab, sighing at the lack of a yellow vehicle anywhere.

  TJ wondered when she might begin to sober up and what she might think of him having invited himself along with her. He hadn't even considered where she was headed; for all he knew she could live downtown while he lived rather far uptown. The girl was struggling, however, and he couldn't allow her to wander around alone.

  "Where do you live?" he asked with growing uncertainty. There were things he'd neglected to find out that needed to be addressed. "...I mean, if we're going to share a cab."

  Natalie had to actually consider his question for a moment. "Oh - um... I live in the dorms. The university across town," she told him as she recalled her residence. "You? I mean... I don't mean do you live in the dorms. You're not in college or anything."

  The closest university was across town (the very university he taught at) and with an audible sigh, he had to smile at the irony. He'd been at work for six hours that day...

  "Sure, I'll get you there," he offered since he knew what she'd meant. It was actually on the way and so he had to be thankful for that fact.

  The first two cabs TJ spotted were occupied, yet finally a whistle caught the attention of an on-duty driver and one pulled up to the curb. TJ pulled open the door and gently ushered the young girl inside (feeling strangely uncomfortable in doing so due to the driver's gaze on her), yet he promptly slipped in behind her and gave him the name of the school and his own street name for the two stops they'd be making. There was no point in taking the subway from the school when he already had a cab.

  Rather easily, Natalie slouched in the bench backseat and leaned against TJ's side as she closed her eyes, relieved to be off her feet as the cab gently pulled away from the curb. A quiet sound of contentment left her lips as she dropped her head against the relative stranger's shoulder but she couldn't be bothered by such a thing. His shoulder was comfortable and comfort was a priority to her in her current state. "You know, you should probably call whoever you were out with," she commented, presumptuously. "-girlfriend?"

  TJ didn't comment on the status Ashlee had never been to him, but she was the one he found himself with on occassion and so he knew she was clueless, but referring to the fellow teacher. Offering a brief shake of his head, TJ stared ahead as they came to a red light and merely allowed himself to be amused with the girl's head on his shoulder. "It's all right," he offered shortly. "She looked content without me there." He wasn't sure if she realized he was out with someone and had left them practically for this girl, but that was enough said. "-You're not going to be sick, are you?" he asked a little uneasily, low enough for the cab driver not to overhear in case he though of kicking them out to be safe.

  "Nn-nh..." she offered, barely moving her head as her eyes remained comfortably closed. "I feel fine," she laughed quietly, drawing in a deep breath through her nose and with it, taking in the lingering but impossibly faint scent of cigarettes mixed with the cologne he wore. "-and you smell nice," she added, her compliment a bit slurred.

  TJ's brow rose slightly as he stared out the windshield around the headrest in front of him. She was a rather amusing drunk and he couldn't help but tease her as he glanced aside to look down at her lap where one hand toyed with the edge of her (still too light) jacket. "Do I?" he mused, though felt the driver's stare on him in the rear-view mirror and left it at that.

  Though she had no knowledge of the man's identity (she could only guess him to be quite a bit older than herself), she felt at ease... most likely at fault of the alcohol. "So you're..?" she trailed off and finally lifted her head from his shoulder, opening her eyes halfway to watch him for an introduction.

  Be it his good-nature or his never-failing ability to screw himself over, he ceased any and all possibilities (as he liked to consider it), by promptly supplying, "Thirty."

  At first, it seemed Natalie nearly missed his misinterpretation as she began to nod with an exaggerated thoughtfulness. "Natalie," she mumbled simply in response and absently stared past him at the blur of colors from the passing scenery beyond the window
. Then suddenly, she shifted her attention dizzily back to his face. "You're like... really young-looking though," she commented, as if truly fascinated by the reality of his age. Again, it was the alcohol.

  Laughing shortly with a widening smile, TJ turned his face away from hers as he tipped his head aside. "Thanks," he offered with a nod as he looked back to her. Just after their eyes met the cab jerked to a stop and TJ's smile faded as he looked up to see construction blocking a decent portion of the road the cab driver had chosen to take. "Didn't I say-" he began, though dismissed the fact that he'd specifically told the driver not to take the particular road they were traveling on. All traffic was being rerouted and it would take an addition ten minutes just to get around the block they were trying to get to. "Forget it, this is fine," he announced and arched his hips to fish out his wallet. "I'll walk you the rest of the way," TJ assured her as he handed over the fee for the cab.

  Inside, Natalie groaned over his offer. Though she was far from cold, she was growing drowsy and walking a few lengthy city blocks was as unappealing as anything. "Okay..." she sighed and began to slide across the bench seat to step out into the street just after TJ exited. She hurried a bit over to the curb, careful in the slush with her heeled boots and stepped up onto the sidewalk as she folded her arms over.

  TJ shook his head, sighing at the fact that it seemed he would be taking the subway home since he'd given up the cab. He joined her on the sidewalk and had to sigh at how exhausted she looked. "Think you'll make it?" he teased, nodding in the direction they needed to walk. It was only four blocks up, but it was cold and he didn't doubt she longed to sleep off all the alcohol she'd consumed. Unlike Natalie, TJ hadn't been lucky enough to have more than a single drink and had he, he might be a bit more fun at the moment.