Page 13 of For the Plot
“Honestly?” I straighten up, pushing my shoulders back and speaking with a confidence I don’t yet actually feel. “I know there’s a chance it could. But James has almost exclusively casual sex, so why is it so wild to think he could have casual sex with me? Besides, I can’t think of anyone else I could trust to teach me, and obviously it’s not going to work with a stranger, so what option do I have?”
She sighed. “So many other options, Nikki. So many. Many that don't involve having sex with your friend-slash-roommate."
“I have to get this book written, Noah! It is so past due, there’s no way they’ll give me another extension. I’m still waiting to hear back from Lucy about what they're going to say about asking forthisextension. Lucy is so patient with me, but I can’t keep doing this to them. And if what I need to fix my sex scenes is research, then research it is.”
“God, that sentence is so weird.”
I cracked a smile. “I know right? This really is equal parts the best and worst job, isn’t it?”
“So.” She smirked. “You’re going to dohimfor the plot?”
“Literally,” I shot back as we both dissolved into laughter. I didn’t get that much time with Noah anymore, so these were the moments I really treasured, just being together. But she had a life to get back to, and eventually she had to get going.
Noah heaved a deep sigh as she stood up, reaching an arm down to help me do the same. “Well, I may not like this plan, but it seems as if you have actually thought it out. Though, as aromance author, you should know that the casual sex trope only ever ends in one of two ways.”
I waved off her concerns as I walked her to the front door and hugged her goodbye. “Please. Like you said. I’m a romance author. I totally know what I’m doing.”
8
Nikki
Bad Decisions - The Strokes
Ihadnoideawhat the fuck I was doing. I was pacing a hole in the carpet in front of my closet, staring at the clothes inside, wondering which of my outfits said “Hey, roomie! Wanna teachme how to have sex so I can write my romance book and pay the rent so I don’t have to move out or become homeless?”
Little black dress was probably too sexy, but comfy at-home clothes were far too casual. Maybe jeans?Ugh, no. I dropped to the edge of my bed, running my hands up and through my hair so I could grip it and tug lightly. It was one of the ways I stimmed for self-soothing. The pressure and very slight sting felt more comforting than painful, and gave my brain something to focus on other than my spiraling thoughts.
It had been two hours since Noah left, and I had spent that entire time freaking out over what outfit to wear when I asked James.Worrying this much over just the outfit is not a good sign for how this is going to go, Nikki.I told my brain to shut the fuck up.
“Well, well, well, what’s going on in here?” A voice filled with amusement floated in from the open door, and I looked up to find Collins leaning against my open door frame, taking in the explosion of clothes across my room.
“I’m looking for an outfit?” The words squeaked out of me, unsure, and I cringed, my shoulders hiking up to my ears.
“Are you asking or telling me?” He raised a brow, coming farther into the room. “It looks like a hurricane went through here.” He looked around, picking a lacy bra up off the bed and waggling his brows at me. I snatched it from his fingers and shoved it behind an overflowing laundry basket in the closet. Collins walked over to me, putting his hands on my shoulders until I stopped fidgeting and looked at him. It was probably all the experience he had dealing with his own ADHD, but he always knew just what to do and say when I got overstimulated.
“Breathe.” He kept eye contact with me as he loudly breathed in for four seconds, hold for four, out for four, hold another four. We repeated this three times until I was finally calm enough toreally see through the spiraling thoughts clogging up my brain. He was always good at helping me calm down when I needed to.
“Hit me with it. What’s got you all…” He gestured at me with both of his hands in a chaotic motion.
I chewed on my lip, trying to think of what I was supposed to tell him. I had forgotten to think about Will and Collins in all of this. What would they think of it? Should I even tell them? Definitely not before asking James. What if James just laughed in my face? No, he wouldn’t do that. There was a chance that he would reject me, and that was something I just had to accept if I really wanted to go through with this. But he would never laugh at me.
Telling Collins or Will was out of the question right now. Maybe James and I would just do ourresearchand then never talk about it again, and no one else would ever need to know!
Sure, this was totally going to work, and not blow up in my face at all.
I’d always found the best way to get away with a little white lie was to base it in truth, “I’m trying to figure out what to wear to ask someone to hook up with me?”
Collins’s brows raised all the way to his hairline, letting out a low whistle. “Damn, she’s got balls.”
I pushed on. “So, don’t let this go to your head, but after your comment the other day–”
“You know I love you,” Collins started seriously, cutting me off, and I side-eyed him, wondering where he was going with this, “but it’s more of a sisterly way. I’m very flattered that you want a piece of me—”
“Oh please." I shoved his shoulder, knocking him off balance as he burst into laughter. “I would never sleep with you.” I shuddered in disgust, and he gasped in mock outrage.
“Anyways,” I said pointedly, “it just kind of made sense. Maybe to get out of my head, I need to, I don’t know, getintomybody?" I shuddered when I realized what I'd said. "Oh my god, that sounded so much worse out loud than it did in my head.”
I sat down on the edge of my bed, Collins following next to me.
