Page 11 of Reverse Pass
“What we all need to do I guess,” I relent.
“Probably why Nora suggested you come here, yeah? All of us focused on getting shit straight?” She says softly, trying to be sensitive to the bounds I’d set up earlier in the conversation.
“Yeah.” I pause, and then realize it’s time to exit. Clearly neither of us are interested in bearing our souls tonight with so much weighing so heavily. I don’t have the right words for either of us, and in front of her I have even less. I stand up and head for the door.
“You’re definitely welcome here for as long as you need. Just let me know how I can help.” She offers a small smile.
“Thanks Vi.” I return the smile before I exit the room, softly closing the door behind me.
FIVE
Violet
“So arewe going to talk about the noises I heard coming out of your room last night or are you still mad at me?” Joss smiles at me as we both grab coffees on our way into campus.
“Still mad, and there were nonoises.” I use air quotes to emphasize the noises part of that sentence.
“It definitely sounded like things were getting physical in there.” Her tone is half amusement, half accusation.
“Not like that! It was just tickling…” I trail off when I realize that doesn’t sound much better.
“Tickling?” she asks, pausing to cover her mouth as a laugh threatens to burst out along with the sip of latte she’s just taken.
“Again, not like that,” I protest, realizing tickling probably sounds even more bizarre than what she thought was happening.
“Oh, I definitely think it was exactly like that.”
“It was definitely not.”
“I’ve seen the way that boy looks at you. I’m telling you. It was definitely like that,” she argues.
“What are you talking about? He does not look at me like anything other than his big sister’s friend. Don’t be weird!”
“You are so fucking blind, Violet. Honestly, I love you, I do. But Cam really screwed you up.”
“Excuse me?” I look at her incredulously.
“He did. You barely date. You can’t flirt. Now you can’t even realize when someone’s flirting with you.” She shakes her head in disappointment and takes another sip of her latte before continuing. “I don’t know your history with him, but that boy definitely doesn’t see you as anything remotely related. Definitely not as a sister. I’d bet money the tickling was just his backasswards way of getting his hands on you. He wants to—“
“Stop!” I shout, not wanting to hear another word.
“What? You’re telling me you wouldn’t enjoy it?” She’s the incredulous one now.
“Definitely not!” I protest but something in my stomach flutters the slightest bit at the thought. I wouldn’t, would I? I can’t stop to consider that right now, so I bluster on. “He’s my best friend’s little brother. I’m pretty sure she’d axe me for even thinking about it. Besides, we ran around as kids together.”
“Forget the past for a minute. Imagine he’s not someone you know. Just a regular guy off the street who ends up rooming with us. You’re telling me you look at that body, those dimples, that absolutely gorgeous panty-dropping smile, and don’t want to end up in his bed several nights a week?”
“No, do you?” I counter, wondering if I’m going to have to worry about listening to the two of them having sex given how much she’s raving about him. I’m telling myself it’s definitely not a twinge of jealousy I feel in my gut at the thought, one that needs to be stamped out immediately.
“Not when he very obviously has a thing for my friend!”
“He does not.” I roll my eyes.
She glares at me over her cup, and I realize I need to be more convincing—for myself if not her.
“Ben does not have a thing for me. He’s a flirt, and it’s obvious he’s used to women falling at his feet. I don’t think he knows how to interact with a woman without flirting with her. It means nada when it comes to me though. It’s just his charm and our shared past creating a sense of familiarity. That’s it,” I say firmly.
“Fine, then go out with me this weekend. Eddie asked me if I wanted to meet him at a show and he said Oliver asked about you.”
