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Emerson
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I’M WOKEN BY THE APARTMENT door opening and closing. Stretching my body, I groan and peel my eyes open, shielding them from the sun seeping in through the crack in the curtains.
The bitter smell of coffee fills my nostrils and I moan as Colt waves a steaming cup in front of my face.
I push myself up to a sitting position and accept the coffee. “How was your run?”
Colt shrugs. “Good. Fed some ducks. Played some laser tag. Oh, and I took an old lady out for coffee. She gave me her number.”
Anyone else would find the fact he seemed to do everything but run puzzling, but I’m used it. He runs every day, but he’s so easily distracted, it’s not unusual for him to come home with stories of all the different things he got up to. I’m surprised he’s stayed in school and kept his grades up, because he misses so many classes. But he’s one of those people who have a natural ability to succeed. He’s smart without trying.
I roll my eyes not questioning why he took an old lady out for coffee or what he’s planning on doing with her number, because he’d counter my question with ‘why not?’. I’ve learned over the years there’s no method to Colt’s madness. He does what he does.
“Sounds fun.”
“No need to be a smart ass.” He pinches my leg. “I'm going to grab a shower.”
He leaves and I sip my coffee, thankful Colt’s a morning person because I’m not. I need a coffee to get out of bed and make the coffee.
I reach for my phone to check the time. I have to work tonight and don’t have a class until after lunch, so I have the morning to myself.
There’s a message notification and I frown, wondering who’d be messaging me. Thinking it was Colt asking if I prefer blondes or brunettes, I ignore it and climb out of bed. Sipping my coffee, I drag my feet into the kitchen to brew a fresh pot.
Colt bangs on the wall and shouts out my name. “Em!”
If he’s calling me in there to show me his stupid soapy beard and announce he’s Santa again, I’ll stab every last one of his basketballs.
I rub the spot above my nose between my eyebrows and yell through the door, “What?”
“Come here,” he calls again.
I bang my head against the closed door, contemplating if I should open it. If I don’t, he’ll keep yelling. If I do, who knows what I’ll find on the other side?
I crack the door open a sliver, enough that I can talk to Colt without yelling, not enough to be a witness to unspeakable things.
“What?” My voice is harsh and more irritable than normal.
“Ooh, should have got you an extra shot in your coffee this morning. Someone’s grouchy.”
“I’m not grouchy.”
I’m tired and wound up. Stupid dreams keeping me awake half the night. Dreams about Colt’s lips, and kisses where I have no business dreaming about him kissing me. There’s something wrong with me. And it all started in the ice-cream shoppe.
“Are to,” he replies in a sing-song voice. He’s making me grouchy.
“Dammit, Colt, what do you want?” I rub my brow, the wrinkles aging me prematurely.
“World peace, a house by the beach with a pool, to make it pro, a poodle named Sally.”
“A poodle named Sa—what the...” I shake my head and try again, “What do you need, right now?”
“To get laid.” I can hear the grin in his voice. “Be a good friend and help me out?”
I clench my fists. I’ll punch him. “I swear to god, Colton, if you don—”
“Relax, I’m messing with you. I forgot to grab a towel. Can you get me one?”
“Shoot, I knew I forgot to do something. They’re all wet and need to be washed. Guess you’ll have to air dry.” Now it’s my turn to mess with him. I stifle my laugh and pull the door closed.
Colt speaks before I close it all the way. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.”
“Okay then.” The water in the shower shuts off and the rings from the curtain scrape across the bar as he pulls it open.
I bite my lip and close the door, trying not to imagine him standing in the middle of the bathroom with his arms out like a scarecrow waiting to air dry.
Except he doesn’t do that.
No. He pulls the bathroom door open and greets me with a giant grin on his face.
“Jesus, what are you doing?” I squeeze my eyes and put a hand up to his chest to stop him from leaving the bathroom. Naked.
“Air drying like you said. Want to crank up the heat? It’s a little chilly. Brrr.” His teeth chatter, and he shuffles around as though trying to keep warm.
I open one eye and peer at him, careful to keep my eyes on his face.
“What’s wrong, Em?” The bastard smirks. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”
Opening my other eye, I glare at him. “Nope. Not at all.” I lift a challenging eyebrow. I can do this; I can pretend he’s not standing in the apartment naked and dripping water all over the floor.
As long as he stays in the bathroom and out of my view.
Right?
But then my gaze falters and without realizing I’m doing it, my eyes trail down his body. Taking in the firmness of his chest and abs, following the v that points to his...
Holy shit.
My eyes widen. So that’s what a penis looks like. I snort. Penis. Such a weird word.
Cock? No, that sounds pornographic. I screw my face up. Dick? Eh. There really is no good word for it. Nothing appealing anyway.
“You know, that face you’re pulling does nothing for a guy’s ego, Em,” Colt says.
“Sorry, um... put that thing away would you? Before you blind someone with it.” I lift my eyes to Colt’s face.
“Thank you.” He stands a little taller, a little prouder. He took my words as a compliment. “Now, how about that towel?”
I grab a towel from the cupboard and throw it at him. “You knew the towels were clean all along, didn’t you?”
He wraps the towel around his waist and squeezes past me. “Yep. Washed them myself last night.”
Last night? When I was asleep?
“So then why...” I wave my hands at him.
He shrugs. “It’s fun to make you squirm.”
“You’re a jerk,” I call as I pad back into the kitchen and grab my coffee.
“You love me.”
“That’s debatable sometimes.”
“You got a message,” he says, and I scoot around the partition into the bedroom to find Colt lying on the bed with my phone in his hands, still in a towel.
My gaze travels down his body again and stops at the top of the towel. Nope. Not looking there. I shake my head and reach for my phone. “It’s not from you?”
“Nope. Pass me the ball?”
I pick up a ball from the floor and hand it to him, snatching my phone from his grip at the same time.
Opening the text message, I realize he’s right. It’s not from Colt. It’s from Austin. I didn’t think I would hear from him. It’s been almost a week since the party. Biting my lip to stop my grin, I read his words.
Austin: Coffee this morning?
I check the time and decide I have more than enough time to meet Austin for coffee before class.
Me: Sounds good. I can be ready in an hour.
Austin: Great, see you then.
We exchange a couple more texts narrowing down the location of where we will meet. He has a class this afternoon, too, so we’re meeting at The Brew on campus.
“Who is it?” Colt asks, throwing the basketball at the ceiling and catching it.
I tried that once, but I missed when it came down and almost broke my nose.
“Austin.”
Colt catches the ball and holds it to his chest, frozen. “What does he want? I thought he’d forgotten about you since he hasn’t called in a week.”
“Gee, thanks. We’re meeting for coffee before class.” I rummage around in my drawers and grab clean clothes before heading to the shower. I thought he’d forgotten, too, or changed his mind. Or he was busy.
“But what about me?” He pouts.
“What?”
“What am I going to do? You spend the morning painting, and I drive you crazy. It’s our thing.”
“Well, now you’re free to drive someone else crazy.”
He frowns and glances around the room like the lost puppy he is.
He chews on his lip. “You shouldn’t go. He might take advantage of you.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ll be fine.”
“Stay here with me,” he pleads, sitting up and reaching for my hand. It takes all my strength not to tell him that Austin and I are screwing with him and Rome.
“Will you kiss me if I stay?” I blink and stretch my neck, my eyes landing on a spot above Colt’s head. The heat of his fingertips on my hand is searing, scorching me from the inside out. My mouth is dry and I’m on tenterhooks waiting for him to respond.
He places his hand on my thigh, pushing it up toward the elastic of my panties, barely hidden by the hem of his t-shirt. If he says he’ll kiss me there, I might just let him.
I shake my head. My stupid dreams are getting to me. And it’s his fault.
“No.” Colt drops both hands to his lap and groans.
I shrug and step away from him, putting some much-needed space between us. “Maybe Austin will.”
He scoffs. “Yeah, and you’ll freak out like always and break his face.”
“Hmm, maybe not. There’s something different about Austin.”
There’s not. The thought of kissing Austin is enough to make my stomach churn, and my heart to suffer palpitations. Yet, two minutes ago, I was hoping my best friend would bury his face between my legs.
When did things get so screwed up?
Colt’s jaw clenches and he narrows his eyes. “You wouldn’t.”
I don’t give Colt a response and march into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. When I’m finished, the apartment is empty, and Colt is gone.
***
AUSTIN IS WAITING OUT front of The Brew when I arrive.
I smile and give him a small wave. I’m jittery and my stomach is rolling, but I can’t figure out why. This isn’t a date. There’s no reason to be nervous and I’m not sick.
“Hey.” Austin greets me with an awkward hug. “Ah, so, I wanted to wait out here for you because I need to tell you something.”
My heart sinks. Anxiety curls its claws around my heart. People make me nervous, and I’m putting myself out there now to make a new friend, to piss off an old one, and now he’ll back out. Not want to hang out with me. Or he’ll tell me he has a girlfriend. Or worse, wants to date me.
“When I picked this place for coffee, I did it because they make the best coffee on campus, but I screwed up.”
I tilt my head and eye him curiously. My heart hammers in my chest.
“Remember the girl I told you about?”
“Your best friend? The one you’re in love with? The one who doesn’t notice you?”
I knew it was all a line. A way to get me to go out with him. It’s how things usually unfold. Spin the right lie, lure the girl in. I’ve seen it a thousand times in movies, and read it in my books.
“Yeah. That one.”
“Vaguely. Sounds familiar.” My voice trembles.
He laughs. “Well, she works here, and I thought it was her day off.”
“But...” I can already tell where this is going.
“But she’s filling in for someone else, so she’s inside.”
“Is that a problem? Do you want to go somewhere else?” I ask, because it doesn’t bother me where we go. We’re having coffee.
“No, I didn’t want to make things awkward, though. Figured being upfront about it would be best.”
“Maybe this is what she needs to notice you,” I say, walking toward the door.
“What?” Austin holds the door open for me and follows me inside to the counter.
We place our orders and then find an empty table to sit.
“Do you bring dates around her often?”
“Keely? Ah, no. The girls I date are...” He pauses, twisting his lips up while he thinks of what to say.
“Fluffle-heads?”
Austin barks out a laugh. “What?”
“Sorry. Umm. Basket bunnies. Ball bitches.” I offer with a smile.
“You sound so much like Colt calling them ball bitches.”
“Yeah, a lifetime growing up with him, he rubs off on you.” I hate the term, but it sticks.
“I get that. Growing up with Keely kind of turned me into a closet book nerd.”
“You like to read?” I sit a little straighter, my heart swells. He reads. That’s so sexy. Colt makes fun of me for reading.
“Yeah, but don’t tell the guys. They’d never let me hear the end of it.”
“Your secret’s safe with me. So, you don’t bring the fluffle-heads around Keely?”
Austin’s eyebrows pull together and his lips quirk at my term of endearment. “No. She’s too sweet. Too naïve. And I don’t like the disappointment on her face when she sees me with one.”
“How’s she going to react to me?”
Austin shrugs. “You’re different. You’re—” He’s cut off by the waitress bringing over our coffee. His mouth drops open and he shifts in his seat, leaning back, putting as much space between us as he can. “Keely.” He greets her, too bright, too happy. He sounds suspicious. “Hey!”
Keely places the coffee down in front of us and smiles. Her eyes dart to me before returning to Austin. She tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and speaks. “Hi.”
Her eyes flick to me again and Austin clears his throat. “This is Emerson. Emerson this is Keely.”
I smile and reach my hand out to shake hers. “Lovely to meet you. Austin’s told me so much about you.”
She doesn’t speak. Her eyes lower, and her cheeks redden as she forces a smile which is more a grimace.
Whoa. She is super shy.
“I have to go. Umm, I’ll speak to you later?” She eyes Austin, hope tainting her voice.
“Seven o’clock?” he confirms and she nods, before looking back at me.
“Bye.”
I take in her appearance. The headband in her hair, sensible shoes, frilly socks. She gives off the innocent and naïve vibe. I glance at Austin, his eyes trained on her, and try to picture them together.
He’s tall, tanned, well built. There’s a scar running down the left side of his jaw to his chin. His golden-brown hair looks like he rolled out of bed. There’s mischief in his eyes. He and Keely couldn’t be any more different, yet he looks at her like she hung the moon.
“What’s at seven o’clock?” I ask, pulling my coffee mug closer.
“I meet her in the library, and we study together.” He shrugs.
Not what I was expecting, but it’s sweet.
I focus my gaze over at the counter and catch Keely watching us. She turns away almost immediately, pretending to be cleaning. I’m almost positive she doesn’t like the fact I’m sitting here with her best friend drinking coffee.
Jealousy is a universal language everyone understands, and right now she is screaming at me.
I face Austin, “I think we can work this to your advantage.”
“What?”
“Us.” I gesture between us. “This thing we’re doing to mess with Colt and Rome.”
“I’m listening.”
“If I’m not mistaken, Keely is over there right now staring daggers at me.”
Austin glances over at Keely and gives me an almost imperceptible nod.
“Which means, she’s noticing. You bringing a date into her work is like hanging a big flashing sign above your head. She can’t help but pay attention.”
“How are you so sure?”
“I live with Colt,” I deadpan, like that explains it all. “I’m used to the jealous stares, mostly from the fluffle-heads trying to get into his pants, but sometimes there is one that really thinks she has a shot with him, and I become enemy number one. I’m a threat to them. I guarantee Keely also views me as a threat now.”
“You think so?”
“Yep. This is good though. Because it might be what she needs to open up a little, to appreciate you as more than a friend, if she doesn’t already.”
“She doesn’t. Trust me.”
“She could be as scared as you and not willing to risk the friendship.”
Austin’s eyes light up and his hopeful smile is sweet. “Really?”
I nod. “I’ll help you.”
“Why?”
“Because I grew up believing love was only something that happened to princesses in fairytales, and real-life Prince Charmings were a myth. You’ve restored what little faith I had in love and I want to help you win the girl.”