“Stop changing the subject.”
“He just…he just makes me so…ugh!”
She waggles her eyebrows at me. “Horny?”
I shudder. “Oh my God, never say that word to me again. I hate that word. It’s so crude and not even a halfway decent way to describe what Landen O’Brien does to me.”
“Mmhm.” She leans back and lets her eyes scan over me. “You can clutch your pearls all you want, Georgia. But that boy twists you all up, and I don’t think kissing’s gonna get the job done.”
“Whatever. You basically said he was nuts. Now we share one kiss and I’m supposed to do him?”
Her forehead wrinkles as she contemplates this. “Ah, no, you’re probably right. Maybe hold off on that. But sometimes we have to let things happen to us, you know? Even uncontrollable things that might turn from bliss to shit before we can rein it in. Because that’sliving. Things have to happen, you have to go on scary adventures, follow your heart, and let it lead you down dark alleys that may dead end in a pit of despair. Otherwise you’re justexisting, and who the hell wants to settle for that?”
Is that what I’ve been doing? Her words spin around me in the tiny room, taunting me, smothering me. “But…”
“But nothing. You need to decide if you’re ready for this, ‘cause it’s coming. He’s here, and I saw the look on his face, in his eyes, every time I interrupted you tonight. There’s a storm brewing between the two of you. Either hang on, let it pick you up, and risk letting it beat your heart to hell and back before setting you back down or you can batten down the hatch and tell him to leave you the fuck alone. And if he hurts you, I’ll be here to put a hit out on him with a few simple texts and a photo. But you have to know it’s a possibility. Which, judging from the condition you were in earlier…you do.”
Corin’s voice is filled with emotion. There’s an experience behind the pain she’s warning me about, and I want to ask her to tell me about it. But I’m hoping she will when she’s ready. Her warning hangs in the air between us, and I’m trying desperately to weigh the pros and cons of giving Landen a second chance in my head. But all I can see is his face. All I can hear is his voice. And the thought of never again feeling his warm touch sending trails of liquid fire down my skin has me cringing inside.
I suck in a lungful of air and look up at her. “What if I don’t know what I want yet?”
“Then you need to tell him to back off till you figure it out. Good luck with that.” She snorts, and I smile at the thought of him watching me dance tonight. He was right—I am different. But it’s a good different, and it’s because of him. He should be the one to reap the benefits of all his hard work. “And hey, whatever he was wanting you to tell me so bad…you can. I know it may not seem like it after tonight, but you can trust me.” Corin’s normally clear voice is soft and clouded with emotion
“I know,” I answer back just as quietly.
“Boys,” she sighs out, raising her voice back to its normal decibel. “Can’t live with ‘em, can’t tie ‘em to your bed and use them as you see fit.” She shakes her head in mock exasperation. “Damn societal norms.” I can’t help but laugh, but when I sober up a little, she puts on a straight face. “Maybe just take it one day at a time. Like, what do you want right now?”
I stretch and yawn, feeling my neck and back shift with a satisfying pop before I answer. “Right now, I want to eat those double-stuffed Oreos you’re hoarding behind your makeup bag and watchPitch Perfectuntil I pass out on this futon.”
Corin’s laughter is like bells chiming, and I notice for the first time that she has a few freckles across her nose. Maybe that’s why she wears so much makeup. But they’re cute, and I bet Skylar Martin would agree. Hm, another complication. If my roommate dates his roommate and teammate, could I really rid myself of Landen anyways? Do I even want to?
Before I have time to answer myself, Corin jumps up to grab the Oreos and the movie and my phone buzzes on my desk. “Can you grab that while you’re up please?” I ask, pulling the patched quilt Aunt Kate gave me up over my lower half and getting comfy against the pillows. Corin drops the Oreos in my lap and I rip back the plastic. “Why do they even bother to make regular Oreos when there’s double stuffed?”
“You have one new message,” my roommate says in her automated voicemail voice, ignoring my question as she hands me my phone.
Had a great time 2nite. Sleep might not come so easy if you’re mad at me…
My heart speeds up and my face goes all tingly.Batten down the hatch!
But I can’t.
Hmm, poor baby. Hate to think of you tossing and turning all night.I’ve barely hit send when my hand vibrates.
You could come over and read me a bedtime story.
Oh dear Lord.Not sure how your roommates would feel about that.
He mentioned earlier that he and Skylar share an apartment-style set up with two other guys and that the four of them share a bathroom with another four guys. I wonder if female athletes have the same set up. No way in hell eight girls could share a bathroom. Boys are weird.
They’d deal. We can be quiet.
What am I going to do with this boy?Have you lost your mind?
A few minutes go by with no response, and I wonder if I’ve been too much of a prude. He knows I don’t know how to do this sexy texting stuff. I don’t know how to do anything sexy really. And for the first time, this makes me sad. I want to be sexy, want him to want me like I want him. Because he has sexy down to a damn science.
“Layla, we watching a movie or what?” Corin asks, raising an eyebrow at the ridiculous parade of emotions marching across my face as she leans towards the television.
“Um, yeah, I—”