see you tonight, you idiot. Remember? Girls’ night?” As much as I wanted to spend the night having no-space time with Stryker, I still needed my girl time. Especially now that Trish could dish on her new guy.
“Right,” she said, not looking at me as she let go. “So, I should get to that thing. That I’m doing. You know.”
“Riiigggghhhttt,” I said, getting into the driver’s side. She was a terrible liar. Something was up, but I sort of knew that already. None of them could keep a secret very well. Not even Stryker.
Driving back to his, I mean our, apartment wasn’t easy because I couldn’t see out my back window. When I pulled into the lot, there were more than a few cars that I recognized. The least they could have done was park down the street, but they weren’t that stealthy. Amateurs.
“Knock, knock,” I said loudly at the bottom of the stairs. Frantic movement ensued and then Stryker appeared, looking flustered.
“Hey, best friend. What you doing up there?” I said.
“Oh, um, nothing.” He made sure to close the door behind him.
“Sure.” I let him kiss me for a really long time. Clearly, he was trying to stall me, and it was working. His hands worked themselves under my jacket and shirt, hot and demanding.
“Are you trying to have your way with me right here, right now?”
“Maybe,” he said, kissing down my neck. He was very good at distracting when he put his mind to it.
“Uh huh,” I said, biting my lip as my legs threatened to buckle. “And this has nothing to do with the surprise you guys are trying to get together upstairs.” My words were all garbled, but he got the gist, raising his head from my neck.
“Were we that obvious?”
“Well, Lottie couldn’t keep something like this a secret to save her life, so yeah.” He rested his head on my shoulder.
“Damn.”
“Nice try, though.” I patted his head and he sighed, which tickled.
I nearly jumped when a very fake-sounding bird call emanated from Stryker’s partially open door. He called back, sounding very much like a wounded seagull.
“You are ridiculous,” I said as he led me up the stairs. He stopped me and put his hand on the door, and I heard some scurrying feet. Stryker waited a second longer and then swung the door open.
“Surprise!” Unlike with Lottie’s car, they all yelled it at the same time. Simon had practiced with them, no doubt. They were here, Simon, Brady, Lottie, Zan, Will, Audrey, Trish and Max. All smiling at me like idiots. God, I adored them.
“Oh my God, you guys,” I said, pretending I had no idea. There was a huge pink banner that said, CONGRATS ON LIVING IN SIN TOGETHER in white lettering.
“Thanks for that,” I said, giving Stryker a look. He just raised his hands in defeat.
“It was Trish’s idea.”
Of course it was.
She grinned from ear to ear, but at least Max had the decency to look sheepish, blushing under all that blue hair.
“We also have another little surprise for you,” Lottie said, coming around from behind the couch. “So you know how we are not going to be living in the same room for next semester, which made me crazy sad.”
“Uh huh.” I had no idea where she was going with this.
“Weeeelllll, there just happens to be an available apartment right below this one,” she said, giving me a huge wink.
“You didn’t,” I said, looking at Zan, who gave me one of his rare smiles.
She put her arms in the air in celebration. “We did!”
“And guess who is getting her own place, just down the street, and away from her psychotic roommate? This girl,” Trish said, raising her hand.
“Thank God,” Max said. “I didn’t think I could stand her staring at me every time I came over. I was afraid she was plotting to murder me in my sleep, or at least use me as a human sacrifice.”
“Don’t worry, I had a knife and a Taser under my bed. You’re safe,” Trish said, patting his arm.
“I love how prepared you are,” he said.
Simon made gagging noises, but he was wrapped around Brady, so he couldn’t really say much.
“So, who wants to help bring all my stuff up from my car?” I said and they all groaned in unison. They must have practiced that too.
***
As soon as we got all my crap up the stairs, Lottie announced that she wanted to get her stuff moved as well. Apparently Zan had already moved his things,