Page 15 of Without Bound
“Calm down. It was just a joke…I didn’t kill the guy. I just turned him down.” That little remark has Nix’s face turning red and steam billowing from his nostrils.
Bishop clamps a massive hand on his arm, prepared to hold him back, but a loud shriek breaks the scowl on his face.
“Oh…my…gaahhh! Did I just die and end up in hot guy heaven? Lord help me.” A girl who I assume is my roommate appears in the doorway and freezes, her mouth hanging open with traces of a smirk.
“Hi,” I call out from behind the guys and push my way past them. “I’m Anais. Are you Keyara? My roommate?”
Her mouth keeps catching flies and she nods her head.I can see her eyes are the size of boulders from behind her round glasses, and I’m pretty sure there’s drool falling from the corner of her mouth.
“Do they come with the room, or do we have to give them back at midnight?” she asks.
With a laugh, I explain. “This is my Uncle and his friends. They’re just helping me move in.”
Uncle Nix steps forward and holds out his hand. “Hey there. I’m Phoenix. These are my fr–”
A scream has us all shrouding our ears. “Holy fuck! You’re Phoenix West. I-I…I need to sit down,” she pants, out of breath.
I help her to the chair that sits at her desk and begin fanning her off. She twists her long braids around her hand and holds them up, using her other hand to wipe down her face.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Hell no. The best baseball player in the league is standing in my dorm room and you’re telling me he’s your uncle?” I nod my head and she continues to stare. “Please tell me the other ones aren’t related to you? I need to know which one I have a shot at.”
I think she thinks she’s whispering, but there was nothing hushed about her words.
“These are friends of my uncles. That’s Vaughan, he’s very married,” I tell her, pointing to him as he lifts his hand with a hello. “That’s his brother Hayes–”
“Wow! Two of you. Goddamn.”
“And this is Bishop. He’s actually the baseball coach here.”
“Hi Keyara. Nice to meet you.” Bishop holds out his large paw and she grips on to it with two hands.
“Did I mention I play baseball? Yup. Centerfield. Think I have a shot at making the team,coach?”
We all laugh and Bishop answers with a smile, “Sorry young lady. We’re all set at centerfield. Check back next season.”
“Oh. I will.”
“What the hell is going on in here?” A man's voice calls out.
We whip our heads around to see a man with glasses similar to Keyara’s standing with a bag from the bookstore in his hands.
“Jesus Christ, you’re Phoenix West,” he says, sounding very much like who I assume is her dad.
A petite woman steps up behind him and freezes for a moment. Then she takes a step back, gazes at the board hanging on the wall just outside our door, and steps back in. Her eyes wander the room, studying the face of each guy standing around her daughter.
“If I wasn’t so dead ass tired, I’d be asking a lot of questions. But we just drove four and half hours from Frisco and I just want to sit down and then find the nearest restaurant with the biggest margarita so I can drink myself into tomorrow when I have to leave my baby.” I snort out a laugh and quickly slap my hand over my mouth when Uncle Nix pokes me in the back. “Hello. I’m Shelleen, and this rude gentleman is my husband, Cameron. We’re Keyara’s parents.”
“Hello ma’am. I’m Phoenix. This is my niece Anais. We were just helping her move in.” Uncle Nix juts his hand out towards Shelleen and she takes hold of it.
“Lord, you have big strong hands,” she mutters. “And please call me Shelleen. I know ma’am is the thing here in the South, but it makes me feel so old.”
Uncle Nix smiles then introduces the rest of the guys. When he gets to Bishop, Keyara’s dad perks up once again.
“Damn. Phoenix WestandBishop Michaels in one room. Kirby is going to lose his shit when he finds out he passed up a chance to meet y’all.”
“Cameron,” Shelleen chides.
