Page 3 of The Right Guy
“How about we work on your water phobia?” he finally muttered. “Tomorrow morning. I’ll pick you up at six a.m. Outside your dorm. Don’t be late, Ada.” His hands slid into his pockets, and he swiveled on his heels.
“Why so early?” I yelled as he moseyed out the door.
“Just be there.” He didn’t look back.
Two
Roomies & brothers
My friend and roomie, Kim, lay on her bed in our plush dorm room with a pen tucked behind her ear and a notepad propped up with a cushion.
I’d finished my shift at The Reef. The leisurely stroll along cleared my fuzzy head. Until thoughts of Ro, working out in mighty tight sports shorts and a bare chest glistening in sweat, made my steady heartbeat staccato.He’s got such a defined stomach with lean muscular arms. I’m aware of this because I’ve watched him from the bleachers on many an afternoon. He was majoring in sports science and was the captain of the football team, so he trained most days on the track and worked out at the gym every day. He’s the fittest guy I’d ever had the pleasure of shaking hands with. Even though he was buff and toned, I couldn’t help but wonder if Theo could bench press him with both of his little fingers. Theo was big and bulky, like the ultimate hell-raising warrior, and Ro was supple and carved like the fittest, winning thoroughbred.
Kim repeated the same big word. “Varves.” She squeezed her eyes shut and covered the page with her palm.
“When’s your presentation?” I untied my laces and kicked off my tennis shoes, missing the bin as they bounced on the carpet.
“Shh. I’m concentrating.” After moaning aloud, her eyelids peeked open. “You’re messing with my Shui.”
“Your what?”
“My energy. I can’t remember what Varves means.” She shoved her face into the book and grumbled.
“You mean chi. And Varves has something to do with clay and melting glaciers. I think it’s used to measure recent geological events.”
Kim groaned. “Of course itdoes. How the heck do you know that when you’re taking business studies and always at the bar with Theo?”
Ah, Theo. My BMF, my boss, my fear fighter. He’d been so attentive earlier, bandaging my finger and making sure I was okay. That’s what good friends do.
“Hey, dreamer. What’s with the blank look? Are you mind molesting my brother again?” A pen hurtled through air, narrowly missing my cheek.
My toes curled as a vale of scarlet heat seeped over my skin. I wasn’t even thinking about Ro this time. “For real? No!” I blustered. “Why the hell would I be thinking about your brother?”
“You had an inappropriate facial expression thing going on. The same annoying doe-eyed gaze you wear whenever Ro swings by.”
With Ro being her brother, I kept my obsession to myself. I zoned out again, playing with the vision of Theo coaxing me to the shore. Him, all naked and strong and protective.Naked? Why would he be naked?
“Ada?”
Kim’s unimpressed tone reached right inside my skull and pulled me to friendship zone safety. There was no way I had the same look on my face. I was thinking about Theo—and we’re just friends. So why was I imagining the big guy’s bare, inky skin wrapping around those dominant muscles? Muscles… can I really go there? Below the belt, below the naval, to the… shit! Stop!
“When’s the presentation?” I seamlessly changed the subject, becoming strangely icky about putting naked Theo in the same sexy hot categoryasRo.
“Tuesday. I checked for you—you’re up tomorrow.” Kim lowered her eyes to the scribbles in her notebook.
“Tomorrow?” My hands flew to my temples, and my fingers scrunched into my hair. “I thought they were next week?”
At this point, mybelly did reckless somersaults, and my brain bounced higher than a basketball. There was a full chapter on semiotics I hadn’t read for my communication presentation. I scrambled to my desk, slumped in the chair like a sack of potatoes, and made a strange strangled noise that depicted my mood. “I’ve got nothing done.” My voice sounded a little whiny, like a stroppy teen. “Nothing!”
A soft giggle whispered around my panic. “Did I say tomorrow? Sorry, I meant to say next Tuesday.”
I spun around in the padded chair. “Kim Huxley, I’m going to get you one of these days. I promise I’ll get you back for all the shit jokes you’ve played on me.”
Kim’s face dropped to the sheets, stifling a cackle. White locks fell over her shoulders, resting on the bed as her body shook. “You’re so easy to wind up, Ada.” The damask bed linen muffled her words. “If you didn’t spend all your evenings with Theo, then you’d have more time to study.”
“You are a bad friend, Kim Huxley.” I launched at her. Instead of landing square on the mattress, my knee slipped off the edge, and I thumped to carpet. “Ugh! Why me?”
A wail of wicked laughter swallowed my strangled groan. I swear, my hip screamed when I landed awkwardly.
