Trina had been back two days and her mind had been on Tristan and her goodbye note for two days. She could still see the flash of hurt in his eyes, the mask that fell over them as he distanced himself. The heavy feeling in her gut when she remembered. She sighed deeply, she wish that she didn't remember. Weren't flings supposed to be temporary moments? Something to look back on as a fond time then move on from? While she had registered for classes she did not get a dorm. They went fast but the plus side was that Cam and Joss were in the same boat. She was meeting them to discuss plans for living arrangements during their term.
She walked into Kelly's smiling as she approached the table where her friends were sitting. "Hey, guys, what's up?" She pulled out a seat.
"Spencer Cassadine." Sitting down in her seat, Trina frowned at the sound of the name. She had heard his name in passing but she didn't know much about him or the Cassadines. Just that Ava was married to Nikolas Cassadine.
"Your childhood friend?" Trina asked.
"Yes! He managed to get a nice house for us to live in instead of the dorms." Trina was looking forward to living in the dorms. That was a big part of the college experience. She had it all mapped out.
"I really wanted a dorm." She admitted. "Then we could get a place our junior year."
"I know but what can we do? The dorms are taken." Joss shrugged.
"We can make it like a dorm. It is a big seven-bedroom house. Mr. Cassadine owns it. So we can save money and that is a big help for me. It will be us, Spencer, Emma, and Paris." Trina didn't know Paris but had heard about Emma.
"Who is Paris?" She asked.
"Emma's friend from San Diego. They want to go to the same college. Emma wants to be an agent like her grandparents. Paris is pre-med." Joss smiled.
"That's a pretty well-rounded group. We can make the living room a common area. We can make this work." Trina sighed, it had better work. She could also use the money that they save to study abroad for a semester.
"Okay, I am in." She decided. Joss squealed and pulled her into a hug.
"Hello, Josslyn." Dex waved as she walked toward them.
"Hey, Dex." He looked at Trina.
"This must be the famous Trina?" Joss introduced them excitedly. Trina took his proffered hand when he extended it in greeting. She had heard nothing about him.
"Nice to put a name to the face. I have heard a lot about you." Trina raised an eyebrow. Just how well did Joss know Dex and what did Cam think about their blossoming friendship? She knew the look on Joss' face. The playful toss of her hair, the giggle, and the glow in her bright blue eyes. Trina held back a sigh, things were about to be a mess she felt.
"And I have heard nothing about you. Nice to meet you, though." He chuckled.
"Feisty, I like it. I just wanted to say hi. I think my order is ready." He walked away, Trina didn't miss the way Cam looked at him.
"He's cute." Trina tried to cut the tension.
"If pretty boys are what you are into. I sometimes wonder if it is what Joss is into." Joss stood so quick that the chair skidded backward with a loud scrape on the wooden floor.
"I will not do this with you today." She stormed out, Trina looked after her but when she saw the defeated look on Cam's face she stayed.
"What is going on Cam?" Cam told her about his mom and all the additional responsibilities laid at his feet.
"We never get to see each other and every time I turn around, she is running into Sonny's henchman. She hates Sonny and what he does so tell me why she is so friendly with him?" Trina struggled for the right words to reassure her friend.
"Cam, I am out of the loop here. Yeah, he is cute but so are you. You and Joss have a history and that trumps cute any day. You trust her, right?" Trina ducked her head to meet his gaze.
"Yeah but..."
"No buts. You trust her and that is all that matters. So, who is Dex anyway? Catch me up." Cam told Trina all about Dex. She didn't like the feeling she got from him and Joss. There was definitely something going on but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Besides, how would it look considering her very own feelings for Cam? She would look jealous and scorned. She was not having any of that. She snatched half of his bagel and broke off a piece.
"Walnut honey, still?" She grinned.
"You know it. The sweet cream cheeses are the best." She smiled as her mind drifted to Tristan.
"Mademoiselle, I present to you an array of muffins. I say the orange cranberry is delectable but your choice. Bagels with cream cheese if you are into that. I like the sweet cream cheese. Strawberry or honey walnut gets me going." She grabbed a cinnamon sugar bagel and slathered it with honey walnut cream cheese.
"I would say woman after my own heart but balance the sweetness. I like sweet but a hint, not too much." She took a bite, took her time chewing then swallowed.
"I like more than a hint." He grinned back at her.
"Duly noted." He continued with his display. "And you have your usual flare, fruit, bacon, eggs, yadda." She chuckled.
Trina shook her head, she missed him already. She didn't understand how it was possible. She had no way to contact him which was by design but she still wanted to.
"Did I lose you?" Cam asked waving his hand in front of her face. Usually, she would read into such a question. She would analyze and look for deeper meaning but at that time she didn't.
"Tristan likes walnut honey. I was just thinking of him." She admitted with a sigh.
"You really like this guy?" Cam asked looking for the gossip.
"I really LIKED him in the past tense. We knew what we had was temporary." Cam sat back assessing her. He knew Trina well, probably better than Joss had. She was lying to herself. She was into the guy and he didn't like how that made him feel.
"Then why are you still thinking about it?" He challenged.
Because it was so good. She wanted to be honest but it was private. A special moment or moments that only belonged to them.
"The bottom line is, I need a distraction." Yes, another one. It was becoming an unhealthy habit and she realized that. Still, she couldn't help but wonder...What was his social media? Was he on the Gram, Twitter, or Snapchat?
"So tell me about Spencer. Is he cute?" Trina leaned in waiting for the scoop on Spencer Cassadine. Cam sat back in his chair ready to tell all.
"I don't know about cute. He's my cousin. I love him but he's a lot. He is spoiled, privileged, bratty and he was always coming up with hair-brained schemes." Cam laughed.
"He used to call me townie. You know me being lower middle class and all that. That was when we were kids. He was shipped off to boarding school and never looked back." Cam thought about the life Spencer lived.
"He lives a life of extravagance. He is a spoiled rich kid who jet-sets around the world during summers and holidays. Ever since his breakup he has been flaunting different women around." Cam sighed, he was looking forward to Spencer coming home. Mainly he was like himself, but there was something going on underneath the show he put on for the world.
"He is also a prince a title that he took very seriously as a child." Cameron laughed as he thought about young Spencer.
"A prince? For real?" Cam nodded.
"You work for the princess and you had no idea?" Trina shrugged.
"It is not something Ava talks about." She took a sip of her drink. "So when are you going to go after Joss?"
"I am not, not this time." He shrugged, he would just keep avoiding the truth. One big truth was that he had too much on his plate to deal with it.
"Spencer's not good enough for you. Cute or not." Cam smiled at her. She smiled back as her brown eyes met his. There was something slight but the butterflies that used to flutter in her gut when he smiled at her weren't fluttering anymore. She had to smile because no matter what was going on between him and Joss, nothing could ever happen between them now that he had been with Joss. It was a girl code she planned to honor even if Joss hadn't fully.
"Let me be the judge of what is good for me." Trina teased noticing his cheeks redden in the way they did when he was irritated. What was he playing at? She knew for a fact that he was not into her so it couldn't be jealousy. He was likely keyed up about Joss and his suspicions of her with Dex. She shook her head to clear her wayward thoughts.
"Again, he isn't for you but he is fun. In that respect, I suppose you two will get along great." Trina smiled as she leaned in.
"How does Joss feel about Emma rooming with us? I mean, you had a pretty big crush on her." Cam rolled his eyes.
"My crush had more to do with one-upping Spencer. We were children." Trina chuckled and then looked at her watch.
"I have a few things to get done before dinner with my parents." She took one last bite of her bagel before standing. "Thanks for the bagel. See you later." She waved and dashed out of Kelly's like a woman on a mission.
Trina was not impressed by her parent's blatant attempt at setting her up on a date with the latest rookie cop on the PCPD. Sure he was cute but he was also dull. She stirred the ice in her coke as she thought about her options. There was Tristan, a man she would never see again. There was also Spencer, a man she had never met and Cam warned her away from, however, that only intrigued her more. Then there was good on paper Rory, recommended by her mother, frowned upon by her father; and well, Rory just seemed to try to get along to get along.
"Trina loves art and I hear that Rory is into Comics." Portia grinned trying to find a common ground between the two.
"Comics aren't necessarily art," Trina interjected. Rory just smiled.
"What? Can't comics be art? What about Webtoon? So many artists flock to that platform to use their art to tell a story." Rory challenged. She wasn't so stuck up that she couldn't admit that he had a point but she hated being fixed up. She hated being fixed up by her parents more. It made her feel awkward and like she couldn't find a date of her own. How pathetic was that?
Trina sipped her iced tea and then thought about it. Rory wasn't her type. He was very attractive but she felt nothing for him. They weren't vibing at all. He could be the perfect distraction.
Trina's Rules for Moving on From a Summer Fling
1. Find a fall companion. He must not be a fling but someone to do things with like attend a fall festival or fair, go to a movie, or have a bowl of chili at Kelly's.
2. Things must not get sexual with the companion. Sex confuses things and people. I must keep my wits about me. Plus, we don't want the rookie falling in love.
3. These rules may be amended as needed.
Trina smiled at Rory, yes, a fall companion to help her forget all about Tristan Matthews, the house manager's grandson who had way too much freedom at the villa. Who also doesn't seem to exist on social media.
"Well, I can't argue with that. I actually like a few Webtoons." Trina admitted and the boring conversation began.
Fall companion secured, a swanky domicile to live in, well she at least hoped that it was up to par. Trina was meeting the gang at their digs for the fall and probably the spring.
"I have the key." Cam held up the key to the house. "We are here first Miss Prompt. Any room is up for grabs except the master. That is for Spencer, he was clear about it." Trina agreed. She didn't care as long as it was clean and comfortable.
"Where is Joss?" Cam shrugged, the temperature dropped about ten degrees when she asked. They were going to have to talk about it at some point, she just wasn't sure how to broach the subject.
Trina and Cam walked into the mansion, it had high ceilings and modern decor. There was a lot of art in the halls and some in the living room. She noticed a common theme.
"Chiaroscuro" She smiled. "Whoever decorated this space has good taste in art." The living room had an art deco style to it. Dark pieces highlighted by bright reds and yellows.
"I know you love the stuff but it is just pictures to me." Trina chuckled. She made her way upstairs and chose the second master which was next to the master.
"HEY ROOOMIES THE PARTY IS HEREEEE!" Trina was startled by the loudness from downstairs. It must be Emma or Paris. She went down to greet them.
"Hello, you must be Trina, I am Emma and this is Paris." They were both beautiful and seemed nice enough via the introductions. Cam joined them.
"I see you have met Emma, who has gotten louder since living in California. Paris nice to meet you." Paris grinned.
"You as well, Cam. You as well. I have heard so much about you." Cam smiled at that then gave them a tour of what he saw and informed them of the rooms that were taken.
"We should commemorate this moment by going out to celebrate." Trina wondered about Joss and Spencer, the owner of the house.
"Should we wait for the others?" Emma laughed.
"Text Joss. Spencer likely has a big entrance planned. Not being here for it is the ultimate prank." Emma suggested rubbing her hands together like an evil villain earning a laugh from Cam while Trina and Paris looked on curiously.
Spencer didn't make a big entrance but he made an unforgettable one. After a night of partying Trina went to her bedroom and got ready to shower. As she undressed and approached the shower he came walking out of it, drying his hair. She didn't see his face so she grabbed her pepper spray, aimed, and sprayed.
"WHAT THE HELL!" He shouldn't have yelled because he started to cough.
"Tristan?!" Trina gasped.
A/N some visuals:
Also in this story, Victor is the villain, Stephan, who I believe should have never died and so in this universe is alive. He mentors Spencer similarly to the way he mentored Nikolas.
Paris : name/nm4725344/mediaviewer/rm107739905?ref_=nm_ov_ph
Emma : artists/isabela-merced
Rory : Looking for suggestions. I thought about Henry Melton then changed my mind. Looking for Asian or Latino.