foreign flutter in my stomach. It isn’t a reaction I have to men often. The feeling sends off alarm bells in my head. His black eyes glisten with his naughty thoughts.
“You waitress at Oblivion? I haven’t been there all summer. I went home to Tampa for the summer,” he explains when I stare blankly at him. “Anyway, that’s my spot. You go to the university?”
“No.”
He frowns. “No frat parties?”
“No frat parties. Unless you want me to come, of course. Wingman and all.” I smile sweetly at him.
He stares at my smile doubtfully. “Already slipping.”
“Slipping or saving my ass. Depends on how you look at it.”
“Hmm.” He steps back. “Come in, then. I’ll show you your room. You won’t be on the lease, so keep yourself scarce when the landlord comes around. Makes things easier on both of us when we part ways.”
“Makes sense.” I step into the apartment after him.
We enter into the living room. It’s spacious, with a long dark beige couch and a similarly colored coffee table. The entertainment center contains a large flat screen, video games, and a stereo system. The walls are bare. The carpet is clean and looks like it was recently vacuumed. The room is also hot. Sweat drips down the small of my back and trails between my breasts.
“Why’s it so hot?” I ask, fanning myself with my tank top.
“The A/C went out last week. I’ll fix it with your rent money. You have your rent money?” He looks over his shoulder as he pauses in front of a door in the hall.
I nod enthusiastically.
“Good.” He turns the knob and steps back, waving a hand inside. “Welcome home.”
The pressures of the last few hours evaporate at his welcome. I sigh in relief and step inside. It’s completely and utterly bare. The carpet is fluffy and clean. The walls are painted white. It’s a simple room, but the promise of having it calms me further. The window is open to the apartment pool area. I walk over and peer out. There are girls in bikinis splashing around in the hot tub. Kent joins my stare and we both watch them bounce and giggle.
“You see the one in the green?”
I spy a brunette in a lime green bikini. “Yes.”
“If she ever comes to the door, tell her I don’t live here anymore.”
My suspicions flare at his warning. “Clinger?”
“Level ten. Pregnancy scare and everything. Her name is Arissa.”
“Did you get her pregnant?”
“No. I said a scare. She was lying. She wanted me to be with her.”
He sounds so cold when he speaks of her. “Did she love you?”
His dark eyes bore into me. “She blew my last roommate in the laundromat and then came over to have some fun with me and gave me a kiss. If that’s love then she was head over heels.”
I cringe. “How did you find out?”
“My roommate told me after he saw her kiss me. Nice guy he is.” His tone is bitter. “You can’t trust women in this world, Raina. They’ll get you every time.”
I suspect it is wise to overlook his comment. “Did you love her?” I ask shyly, ignoring his rant.
“No. I don’t do the love thing. Not anymore.” He swallows deeply and then blinks his emotions away. “So this is your room. My room is off limits. The laundry room is downstairs under apartment twenty. You buy your own food. I won’t touch yours if you don’t touch mine. Same goes for our other roommate.”
“Other roommate?” I ask, worried.
“Yeah, his room’s in the back. He’s a quiet guy. Sticks to himself. We grew up together so he gets a free pass.” He looks away as we exit my room. “Don’t talk to him unless he talks to you, all right? He’s…shy.”
I can sense his unease about the other roommate. I wouldn’t push him anyway. Especially since I need this room. “All right.”
“This is the bathroom. James has his own so you and I will be sharing this one.” He nudges open a door with his foot and flips on a light.
The bathroom is clean and neutral, with a tacky see-through shower curtain. Becca would change it immediately. She prefers a lot of color. I’m kind of satisfied with the neutral tones. It’s strangely descriptive of our personalities. No matter, this is home until I can find somewhere more palatable to how I prefer to live. I’m sure Kent doesn’t want me here. He’s being nice. I’ll take it. Right now nice is all I need.