Page 4 of Entangled in the Woods
I laughed uncomfortably. I couldn’t tell if she was teasing me or was serious. Maybe she was nervous like I was. I wasn’t used to the attention she was giving me.
Hoping to change the subject, I answered her question. “I’m from the East Coast. I’ve been studying forest conservation around the mountains for the last couple of years.”
“I’ve never been to the mountains. There usually aren’t the predators I’m interested in out there,” Jenny said. “I’m here for the wolves. I study pack behavior and hierarchy.”
“I’m a water guy myself. Winding streams, wet marshes…any damp environment, really.”
Jenny’s eyes widened as Leo finished his sentence. My head tilted to the side, trying to read the situation. I couldn’t tell if he purposefully spoke in sexual metaphors. Maybe I was reading too deeply into the situation—I tended to do that.
I made a move to excuse myself and unpack. Jenny quickly grabbed my arm at the elbow and pulled me down the hall to my bedroom. I could hear Leo laughing to himself.
My room was at the back of the house. A full bed with a patterned quilt took up most of the space. There was one large window that looked out into the woods and a small closet with minimal hanging space. I made a mental note to grab my plants from the car. They would be happy on the sill of the window here. A sizable desk stood under the window, complete with a couple of drawers and a chair. I set my bags on my bed. Luckily I didn’t have much to unpack.
Jenny bounced on my bed, making herself comfortable. “Was it just me, or did he come on…strong?” she asked.
“I think he came on super strong.”
“He’s cute.” Jenny played with her curls, wrapping them around her fingers.
“He’s all yours. I’m not here for any of that.”
“Good. Because I might be interested in some of that.”
Raising my eyebrows, I looked at her. “Well, he seemed very interested. Especially in wet and damp places.”
Jenny groaned and rolled her eyes. “Not you too, with the sexual innuendos. I’m going to be in trouble this summer. I just know it.”
Shaking my head with a smile on my face, I started unpacking my clothes, hanging what needed to be hung and folding the items that couldn’t fit on a hanger.
“You sure have a lot of athletic clothes,” my new roommate concluded as she watched me unpack.
“Yeah, I do a lot of running for exercise and hiking for research,” I said.
“Makes sense. I have a lot of athleisure too.”
I noted her words. Athleisure usually meant a two-hundred-dollar sweat suit, like the one she was currently wearing. My athletic clothes were not as nice.
“I brought a few jumpsuits as well. Never know when there will be an opportunity to go out.” Jenny looked hopeful. “There’s one jumpsuit in my closet that might be a little short, but you could make it work.”
I couldn’t imagine what I would need a jumpsuit for out here—they seemed like a bitch to pee in—but I thanked her anyway.
Just as I finished putting the last of my clothes away, Jenny and I turned our heads to the sound of glass shattering in the kitchen. Meeting each other’s eyes, we rushed out of my room and down the short hall to find Leo with a tray of two shot glasses. One shot glass was shattered on the floor.
“Well, jeez, that’s what I get for trying to kick off our research program with shots,” Leo said. He looked defeated as he set the tray down and picked up the pieces of glass. Jenny and I laughed as I grabbed a rag and started to wipe up the floor.
The smell of strong liquor hit my nose as I cleaned. “Is this tequila?” I asked.
“Yep, I thought we needed some welcome drinks to start this semester. And you two look like tequila drinkers to me.”
I couldn’t deny that I enjoyed an occasional margarita. Leo took my rag and threw it into the sink as we watched Jenny pour a shot into a fresh glass.
She raised her glass. “Cheers to new friends and a new summer semester!”
We raised the glasses to our mouths as Leo said, “May the marshes be damp and rivers flow. Here’s to the friends I’m about to get to know!”
Tequila sprayed all over the kitchen as Jenny started laughing. I couldn’t help but join her. She had one of those contagious laughs that drew everyone in. Unlike Jenny’s, myshot went down my throat. It burned and settled in my stomach, warming my body.
“We have to do another one! I didn’t even get to drink mine!” Jenny said. She started pouring from the tequila bottle into our empty shot glasses. “No toasts this time! Just drink!”
