“No. But it’s ten which means you have a whole hour until your roomie comes back.”
“And?”
“And don’t you want to take advantage of that?”
“It depends.”
“On what?”
“What you have in mind.”
Shayler thought about it for a moment. She hadn’t thought she’d want to stay longer until she’d blurted it out. “A movie?”
He went to the kitchen and grabbed two waters, offering one to her. She declined. The only clear liquid she liked to put in her body was a hundred times more potent than water.
“What movie?”
She huffed and spun on her heel, strutting to his living room. Shayler dropped to the scratchy rug-covered floor, scooting herself closer to the black entertainment center that took up half the room. She opened the cabinet doors, pausing for a moment. Somehow, she knew all of his movies would be there in nice, neat rows, but she hadn’t expected them to be alphabetized by genre.
“Holy shit, David.”
“What?” He dropped down next to her.
“I thought my best friend was bad, but this is awful. Do you categorize your DVDs?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s a little anal, don’t you think?”
He crossed his arms. “I like my things organized.”
“So does Martha Stewart, and you know where she ended up.”
“Correlation doesn’t equal causation.”
“Oh, okay. But how do you feel … now?” She snatched Die Hard out of its spot and shoved it beside War of the Worlds.
He reached forward, probably to fix it, but Shayler grabbed his forearm and pushed him back. She took more movies out of their spots, mixing them and sticking them haphazardly back into the cabinet until it looked like a game of Jenga gone wrong.
David let out a grunt of frustration as he circled his arms around her waist and dragged her away from the mess. Shayler struggled against his chest, digging her nails into his arms. It didn’t faze him though, only made his body shake with what she assumed was laughter. The harder she struggled, the more he shook. It wasn’t until she dug her heels in the ground and launched herself backward that she realized how close they were, especially now that she was practically sitting on his lap.
David seemed to notice at the same time. He loosened his grip, but didn’t drop his hands. Instead, Shayler continued to sit there, lying against him like they were in a too-small canoe. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. He rested his chin on her and sighed.
“That escalated quickly, huh?”
“Guess neatness gets me all hot and bothered,” she said.
David’s arms dropped away from her sides, and she used the opportunity to crawl away. Sitting on her knees, her body felt colder now. Heavier. Emptier. She shook her head, trying to process what her body was telling her when David sat up to reorganize his collection.
“You call me bad, but where do you keep your movies?”
“Dunno.”
“You want to rag on me, but you don’t even have a place for yours?”
“Calm down. They’re movies, not sacks full of diamonds. I just put them where I put them. Around my room and stuff.”
“What happens if you want to watch a movie but can’t find it?”
“David, it’s the twenty-first century. I download it illegally onto my laptop.”
“And risk viruses? You’re crazy.”
“What can I say? I’m a risk taker.”
He grinned as she passed him a copy of some zombie movie. They discussed their options for a while, but mainly that turned into a debate over why Shayler thought the sci-fi genre was boring and why David thought romantic comedies were too mainstream. The whole time, all Shayler could think about was how peaceful it was. Even in the middle of an argument, being near David was like wearing a safety blanket, allowing her mind to settle to a dull roar. Something she could usually only achieve with a good amount of alcohol.
The front door opened with a bang, smacking the wall as it slammed back into place, and Shayler grabbed onto David in surprise. He, however, appeared unfazed and turned around to give his roommate a short hello.
His roommate dropped his keys onto the counter and sneered at them, which was a weird image since his shaggy hair and brown eyes reminded her of a golden retriever. A lightbulb clicked on in her brain as recognition bulldozed into her. David’s roommate was named Kyle. As in the Kyle she’d dragged outside the previous semester so Rebecca and Derek could talk alone. As in the Kyle she’d secretly turned down after he’d begged for a date like a starved dog. She was shocked to see him again, especially here.
“What’s up, Kyle?” David asked, not bothering to move.
“She dumped me.”
Shayler looked between the two of them, but no one elaborated. Kyle pounded his fist on the dining table as he neared them. She inched closer to David’s side.
“She dumped me for some fucking freshman.”
“Are we talking about Meg?”
“Yeah.”
David squinted. “And she’s the one you’ve been screwing around on for the past month?”
“Dude, we had an open relationship.”
“So…”
“And she left me. For monogamy. With a little wimp. Bro doesn’t even go to the gym. He studies biology, David. Biology.” Kyle fell onto the couch behind them and rested his head on his hands. “I can’t compete with science.”
“It’s okay. There are a lot of girls on camp—”
“Stop.” Kyle raised a hand. “Please, stop. I’ve been given the fish in the sea lecture by my brothers.” He sniffled. “Doesn’t work. I think she was the one.”
Shayler raised an eyebrow. “She was the one, but you had an open relationship?”
Kyle blinked, his gaze finally meeting hers. “What are you doing here?”
Shayler undid her bun and shook her hair out. “I’m just saying. I think you’re more upset about getting rejected and tossed aside for a guy who wants to study the life cycle of trees for a living.”
Kyle wailed. “Not. Helping!”
David glared at her, but Shayler wasn’t done. “Let’s say.” She thought about the sorority girls she’d met in her time hanging around the frat houses. “Cami Ward walked in here, stripped her clothes off, and flung herself on your bed. Would you be sobbing out here or fucking the AGG president?”
His cries stopped and he tilted his head, yellow bangs brushing his eyelashes. “That … that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Sure it does. If Meg was the one, you wouldn’t want to blow your load all over some leggy blonde.” She felt David cringe at her side. Oh well. In order to make Kyle understand, she needed to speak to him on his level. “And since you’re just sad about the rejection part, you’ll be okay. It takes like two days to get over that, and sooner if you get under someone else.”
Kyle pondered this for a minute, nodding his head as he checked out Shayler’s body. “So”—he cleared his throat—“what are you doing right now?”
“Seriously?” David asked.
“What? I know she’s not with you. You don’t have girls over.”
“Actually, Kyle, I’m good.” She noticed his face start to slide into another frown. “But maybe next time.”
Kyle gave her a thumbs up and clapped David on the back before strutting to his bedroom. Once his door closed, Shayler collapsed in a fit of laughter. David joined in, leaning into Shayler as they both struggled to keep quiet.
“That’s your roommate?” Shayler asked.
“I told you I try to avoid him.”
“I thought he’d be a scary drug addict or someone that collects dead butterflies and hangs them on his wall.”
“Kyle is worse. But can we rewind to your ‘maybe next time?’”
“You think I was gonna have him turn into a puddle of tears again?”
The crease in David’s forehead smoothed, a
nd Shayler wondered if it was out of relief. “My roommate moved out last year, and I had to find another one fast so I could pay rent on time.”
“And you picked Kyle?”
“I had no choice. It’s too expensive to rent a house for most people, and since he opted out of living in his frat, he had some extra money to spend.”
“I’m so sorry,” she teased.
David smiled and stood, holding out a hand for her. Shayler took it, allowing him to help her up. Electricity spun in her veins and shocked her spine. It’d been a short touch, one that lasted for less than three seconds, but her entire body felt it.
Shayler stumbled backward, trying to gain her footing. David stepped toward her, grabbing her waist to steady her. But didn’t he realize he was just making it worse? Didn’t he know he was setting her on fire?
She stared at him, flames scorching her from the inside out. The intimate touch sent goosebumps up her arm, and, as if maybe he felt it too, he didn’t take his hand away. Like before, neither of them moved. This time, however, Shayler found herself lost in his stormy eyes. She could’ve swam laps in those murky pools all night.
Her head tilted instinctively as she stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck as her lips sought his. Screw it, she thought, screw the whole thing. She wanted him, wanted to feel his mouth on hers. Needed his hands to roam her skin, caressing her, making her weak.
David was less than a breath away, and she could smell the mints he must’ve taken earlier. Aside from that, his scent was all genuine. No cologne—no Pine Scented Forest or Wolves on a Boat. He smelled like rain that’d just hit the pavement on a summer day.
His lips grazed hers, just barely, and Shayler’s toes curled. She wrapped her arms around his neck, ready to push her body fully into his, when there was a gentle push on her shoulder. Shayler froze and pulled away. David stared at her, looking… sorry. Apologetic.
She searched her mind for an excuse. “I… I…” Had she just tried kissing David? Had he pushed her away? Shayler wished she were a turtle so she could huddle inside her shell and disappear from sight. This was so much more embarrassing than when she’d described how she wanted to have sex with him.
“Shayler…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, I just—”
“No! No. I mean, it’s okay. I wasn’t thinking straight.” She yanked her bag off the table. “I never did take that nap, and it’s late, and I haven’t eaten dinner…” She made it to the door, seconds from throwing it open and sprinting to her car.
“Shayler,” he tried again.
“Stop. Forget it. It was a-an accident. Dumb mistake. I’ll see you in class.” Shayler spun away from him, racing to her car as she blinked away hot tears.
Chapter Sixteen
“I’ve called you here for one reason and one reason only, to get me laid.” Shayler passed packets out to the four girls that surrounded her, wishing all the while that Rebecca was there. She would’ve made the event more organized, would probably have used staples to put the packets together instead of taping the edges.
“I’m confused,” Whitney said, her frizzy waves bouncing around her cherub cheeks with each subtle shake of her head. “Why can’t we just go to a club like normal?”
Shayler frowned and cocked her hip. They were all staring at her from their spots on her living room floor, looking either annoyed or bored. Although, Ansley was the only one who seemed to be the latter.
“Because it’s not working anymore. For some reason, I’m in a funk, and I desperately need out. It’s been, like, thirty-five days since I’ve had sex. I haven’t gone this long without it since I got mono in tenth grade. So, now I have to go where I’ve never dared to go before and do things the old-fashioned way. I have to use technology.” Shayler flashed them her newly downloaded Timber app, shamefully flicking right to accept a guy who held an actual live fish in his profile picture. She winced at her desperation.
“When I wanted to use Timber, you told me I was out of my mind,” Vivian complained, tossing her packet of apps and info on the coffee table.
“Yeah, because it’s the bottom of the barrel. It’s the crap left on your shoe after you step in dog shit and try to wipe it off on the ground. It’s the ripped up teddy bear you get at the fair when you manage to miss all the ducks after your tenth try at that dumb shooting game. It’s … it’s the last place to look. And, now, it’s my only hope.”
“But why? Tons of people fall in love using—”
Shayler turned her attention to Whitney. “A man searching for sex on an app like they’re ordering Taco Bell makes us nothing more than technological afterthoughts. It’s too … easy.”
Ansley snorted. “Come on. If you showed up at Skeeter’s in a sweat suit, there’d still be a line of dudes that’d be down for whatever.”
“Apparently not, Ans,” Shayler cried. She was on the brink of madness. Her curls were coiled like small snakes, slithering around her shoulders every time she moved. She hadn’t changed her clothes since she’d left for David’s house yesterday. And even thinking his name made her clench her fists and wince. Rejection. So much fucking rejection. “If you’ll check your packets, I’ve assigned each of you an app to put me on. All the profile information you need to fill out is listed as well. In your phone, you’ll find I’ve sent you an acceptable picture to use. The only thing that’s up to you is the dumb relationship status box. Put whatever, but don’t put the one that says I’m DTF.”
“Isn’t that what you are?” Gigi asked with a raised brow.
“Obviously. But I don’t want some guy to swipe right because I’m a quick target.” She quirked her head and pressed her pen to her lips. “Also, no murderers. Or sociopaths. Actually no ‘paths of any kind.”
“Including telepaths?” Vivian asked.
“Oh God, who would say no to James McAvoy as Professor X?” Whitney gushed.
“Who’d say no to Patrick Stewart as Professor X?” Ansley mumbled dryly.
“Enough with the jokes,” Shayler said. “This is super serious stuff.”
“Remind us why we’re doing this again,” Gigi said, dangling her phone from her fingers. “’Cause I could be down at the club right now, getting my grind on, and that sounds a hell of a lot better than sitting in this stuffy room staring at my damn phone.”
Shayler sighed. “A week ago, I was rejected flat out by three different men. One of those men rejected me again the last night—”
“Are we talking about your tutor?” Vivian asked.
“He’s not… Ugh, yes. I’m talking about my tutor. A nerd with absolutely no sex in his life literally pushed me away. And I was wearing my good leggings that sculpt and mold, see?” Shayler turned to show them her butt.
“You have a giant red stain on your left cheek,” Gigi said.
“That’s from today. I accidentally sat on one of my cheeseburgers.”
“How do you accidentally sit on a burger?” Ansley asked.
Shayler crossed her arms. “Off topic. The point is my vagina is basically the Sahara and I need to be Niagara Falls.”
“Ew,” Whitney muttered.
“We’re on it,” Vivian said.
Everyone pulled out their phones, and the sound of pages turning filled the room. Ansley put on some hyped music playlist as Shayler tossed a few bags of chips onto the coffee table. She’d also gotten a pizza as well, but some time that night while she’d been waiting for Ansley and Whitney, she’d eaten it.
Actually, in the last twenty-four hours, Shayler had eaten more than she thought was possible. After fleeing David’s, she’d stopped for cheese fries and a milkshake. When she’d woken up and hustled to her fridge, she’d dug out two tubs of old rice and stir fry noodles. It’d only taken her ten minutes to finish them. And up until the little gathering she’d called, Shayler had spent her day munching on candy, donuts, and ice cream.
She ruthlessly chomped down on a chip, crumbs spraying all over her shirt and floor. But she didn’t care, nor did she g
ive a crap that her screen was becoming slick with grease. The only thing that was important at the moment was her finding someone she liked enough to let penetrate her. Hopefully for more than five minutes too, she thought as she swiped left on a shirtless dude kissing his oversized bicep.
“Ooh!” Whitney cried. “I got a match already.”
Shayler tossed her phone onto the couch but kept hold of her other chip. “What? Who? Is he hot?”
Whitney bounced up and down. “Depends. Do you like blonds?”
“Eh.” Shayler tilted her hand both ways.
“I don’t think now’s the time to discriminate based on hair color,” Ansley said.
“Just let me see,” Shayler said, shoving Gigi aside so she could get to Whitney’s phone.
She stared at the screen, glancing between the picture and her friends. It took a few seconds before she remembered how to work the muscles around her jaw, and she opened her mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again.
“Well?” Ansley asked, flicking away an old condom wrapper that looked like it’d been there since before Shayler had moved in.
“Uhh…” Shayler gulped. “I don’t really have words right now.”
Vivian laughed. “You always have words.”
“Oh my God, give me.” Gigi snatched the phone from her palm and stared at the profile. “What? What’s so weird about this guy?”
The rest of the girls squished around her, each taking turns holding the phone before facing Shayler with puzzled expressions.
“He looks normal,” Ansley said. “Well, normal for college. Floppy hair, no shirt, dumb, vacant look in his eyes…”
“That’s my tutor’s roommate.”
Gigi rocked back on her knees until she fell on her butt. “The crazy guy you said cried about his ex?”
“Yep. The one I told to go find someone to fuck.”
Ansley made a small grunt sound. “Not sure this is a good idea.”
“I didn’t say it was,” Shayler said.
“You haven’t stopped grinning since you looked at the phone.”
“It’s gotta be meant to be, right?”
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