Page 58 of Keep Me Still
“I know what you’re doing,” he says, his voice soft and deep, laced with the hint of a threat. “Just be ready to get what you give, sweet girl.”
My hand freezes on his leg, and now I’m the one tensing up. I turn my head and smile into his eyes. “That a promise?”
“It is,” he tells me, taking a drink of his shake without breaking eye contact. “You about done?” His head tilts towards my half-empty glass.
I glance at my unfinished drink. “I am now.”
Skylar clears his throat and I jump, causing Corin to giggle out loud.
“Can she get a to-go cup?” Landen asks the passing waitress without acknowledging our company. There’s a man slumped over in the booth across from us, and I try not to stare as the waitress refills his coffee.
“Sure thing, handsome,” the waitress replies with a wink. I look to see if Landen notices but he doesn’t. Skylar looks a little miffed though.
Corin smiles at me while I try to figure out a way to be alone with Landen without ditching her. “Skylar’s got study hall for athletes at the library, so I think I’m going to join him. My Calc class is a bitch, and the professor speaks zero English, so I’m going to see if there’s a tutor available to meet with me.”
I’m just about to ask if she’s sure it’s okay, but Skylar gets out of the booth and drops a twenty on the table. Their bill couldn’t have been more than ten or twelve bucks, but he doesn’t seem to care. He’s too busy watching Corin slide out after him. His hungry gaze says the double bacon cheeseburger he just inhaled didn’t help his craving for Corin. She stands up and takes his hand willingly.
Celibate or not,somethingis going on with those two.
“Kind of late for a study session, isn’t it?” Landen asks, arching a brow at his roommate.
Skylar glares but doesn’t respond.
“Corin, you can stay out as late as you need to. I’ll go to Intro tomorrow and get the notes.” I’m only hit with a tiny twinge of guilt since I know she’s smart enough to realize this is a mutually beneficial arrangement.
“Fuck Intro,” Skylar declares, nearly scaring the waitress to death as she hands us our checks and me my to go cup. She makes a point to smile at Landen, and I notice extra numbers scrawled onto the ticket she hands him. “Dean and Mike can go the rest of this week. We’ll take next week. This every other day shit is for the birds.”
“Agreed,” Landen says, adding a few bills to Skylar’s twenty and leaving the slip of paper with the waitress’s number on the table.
Maybe the big tip will ease the sting of rejection.
“Hey, can I get a ride to the body shop this weekend? My truck should be fixed, and I need to run downtown to pick it up or the bastards are going to start charging me for leaving it parked there.”
While the boys work out the logistics of retrieving Landen’s truck, I turn to Corin. “Hey, run to the ladies room with me?” I ask, hoping she’ll agree without a big fuss. She nods and we tell the guys we’ll meet them outside.
Once I’ve used my herculean strength to open the fifty-pound bathroom door and we’re safely inside, I whirl on my roommate. “Please be honest with me. I’m not an idiot, and I highly doubt the boys have mandatory study block right after a scrimmage. Where are y’all really going?”
“I love when you say y’all, Georgia.”
I glare at her until she answers my question.
“Geez, Lay, relax. It’s not mandatory. It’s just a blocked off time where the athletes get to use the Arts and Humanities library and it’s closed to everyone else. Tutors are available and they give free help. I mentioned I was going to get a job to pay for a tutor since I’m probably going to bomb Calc, and Skylar invited me along—says I can say I’m on the girls’ soccer team and the tutors don’t really check to verify.”
Corin holds her hands out as if to prove she’s telling the truth. As if clenching your hands closed means you’re lying or something. I chew my lip and study her face, looking for any traces of bullcrap. “There’s an assignment due tomorrow that might as well be in Japanese. Actually, that’s the only language my professor speaks and unfortunately I don’t.” She shrugs and I ease up on the inquisition.
“Sorry to get all in your face, but I don’t want to bethatroommate.”
“Um, okay. What roommate? Far as I know, you’re the only one I got.” Corin turns to the mirrors beside us and does a quick check of her makeup.
“The one always running you off so I can be alone with my boyfriend.” Wow. Saying it out loud makes me feel really stupid. Boyfriend actually seems kind of minimal a term compared to what Landen really is to me, but I don’t have the mental energy to figure all that out right this second.
“You’re not, trust me,” Corin assures me with a shake of her head. “If you were, I’d totally tell you to get a room. I really do need help with my homework, and if I can scam a free tutor…then hell yeah. Who knows? Maybe hanging with Skylar will be beneficial after all.”
“Yeah, looked like y’all were negotiating some benefits earlier.”
Again, Corin blushes and it throws me off.
I’m not sure what to think. “Seriously, you can tell me to mind my own business, but what’s the deal with you two?”
