“I’ll go shopping with you, Zo. Whatever you need from me, you’ve got it.”
Even though she and Keely fight like crazy, she’s always had her close by. There’s no doubt in my mind that, once Keely goes back home, Zoe’s going to feel like a piece of her is missing. I want to be the one to fill the void in her life.
My words must comfort her because she sits up and cuddles into a smaller ball against me. “You’re such a good guy, Dylan. Thank you for being so good to me—and for figuring out my housing problem. I’ll make it up to you someday. Maybe when I’m a rich doctor, I’ll buy you your own lobster tank or something.”
Smiling, we both stare at the TV, but I couldn’t tell you a single thing that happens in the rest of the movie. All I can focus on is the way Zoe feels next to me. How it’s so hard to keep my hands off her that I’ve resorted to counting the white, spitball-looking dots of the popcorn ceiling.
When that’s still not enough for me to get a grip on reality, I realize I’m in love with her—and I probably always have been. Whether intentional or not, the three very sacred words I’ve never spoken have always been reserved for Zoe.
By the time the movie ends, she’s sound asleep, her hand still dangling inside the popcorn bowl. As I watch her, I want nothing more than to scoop her up and lay her down next to me in my bed. It’s exactly what I do; only I don’t stay with her.
After I pull her glasses off her face and set them on the table next to the bed, I leave my bedroom and take the couch. It’s still warm from her body, and her comforting vanilla scent still lingers on her blanket. She may not be sleeping in my arms where I want her, but she’s wrapped up in my shirt and surrounded by my things. For now, that’ll have to be enough for me.
I close my eyes, picturing what it’d be like to be able to tell her how much I care about her. Would she be surprised, or would she be so relieved to hear me say the words she’d run into my arms the way she did in the living room of our new house?
It’s the last thought I remember having before falling asleep.
Sometime the next morning, I’m woken by the smell of eggs and bacon. My nose takes me into the kitchen where I forget I’m not dressed. Wearing only my boxer briefs, Zoe raises her head and stares. The hand that was holding the spatula goes limp, and it falls into the pan of sizzling bacon. “Shit,” she mutters as she fishes it out of the hot grease.
“Did you burn yourself?”
“I’m fine. Still tired I guess.”
Smiling as I reach into the fridge, I grab the chocolate milk. “Did you sleep okay?”
She huffs, blowing a piece of hair away from her face as she wipes her cheek with the back of her hand. “I would have been fine on the couch, Dylan.”
“I’m sure you would have. It’s a nice couch.”
“But somehow I ended up in your bed.”
“You’re too good for the couch, Zo.”
I come up behind her, brushing my chest against her back as I open the cabinet next to her, reaching for a glass all the way on the shelf. She sucks in a breath and inches closer to the stove, trying her best to put some space between the two of us.
I’m affecting her.
“Your back’s going to hurt all day. You’re a lot bigger than me.”
“I told you, I don’t mind. Now, pass me some bacon and stop arguing with me.”
Shaking her head, she smiles, but she pushes me out of the way with her ass, not letting me get any closer to the bacon. “You’re practically naked. Get away from the stove before you get burned, too.”
“That ass.” I don’t catch myself until it’s already slipped out. I try to cover it up with a cough, but fail miserably, so I take my usual seat at the table, watching as she concentrates on flipping each piece of bacon one last time before laying the slices on a paper towel. She’s as meticulous with her cooking as she is with her schoolwork.
“Do you have plans today?” she asks as she walks toward the table with a plate full of bacon and eggs.
“Just a meeting at the new place. You should come if you can.”
She groans like it’s a terrible idea. “Keely told me she’s picking me up for some mystery trip this morning. I didn’t want to go last night any more than I do now.”
“You need to start telling that girl no. Stand up to her, Zoe. Don’t let her walk all over you.”
“She’s usually not this bad, but she’s been so persistent. I feel like something’s going on with her that she isn’t telling me. Her behavior’s erratic sometimes, but lately, it’s all the time. This could be her way of reaching out to me, so I have to go.”
“You’re a good person, Zo. Not many people have that kind of patience. Take me, for example. She wore me down fast.”
Under normal circumstances, I’m the kind of guy to fight for a relationship—to never take no for an answer and to work through whatever challenges punch me in the face. When it came to Keely, I did the exact opposite. I ran away as fast as I could. I don’t regret it.
“You two weren’t compatible, that’s all. It doesn’t make you a bad person for dumping her. If anything, it makes you an honest one because you didn’t string her along or make her believe you felt more than what you did. I respect that about you.”
Considering Zoe’s opinion is the only one that really matters to me, I breathe a sigh of relief. “What time do you have to leave?”
She checks her watch, sighing when she sets the pan in the kitchen sink. “She’ll be here any minute.”
“She’s coming here?”
Chewing on her thumbnail, she nods and sits down at the table. “I had to message her that I wouldn’t be at my dorm. One question led to another and before I knew it, she was telling me I fell asleep on your couch on purpose because I secretly want you. Can you believe that?”
I swallow the mouthful of eggs I shoveled in, curious what else Keely had to say. If I was a betting man, I’d have put money on Keely ruining any chance I may or may not have had with Zoe. From the sound of it, she’s actually on my side.
“What did you tell Keely?”
“The truth. We were up watching movies, and I fell asleep on the couch. Simple as that.”
I push my chair away from the table with my empty plate in my hand. I can’t help but smile as I set it in the sink. “But you didn’t tell her you slept in my bed, did you?”
“Dylan,” she says like she’s tired of having to defend herself. “That would have added fuel to her fire. It wasn’t like that, and you know it.”
“It could have been like that,” I mutter under my breath.
When I turn back around, her cheeks are pink—like she might have heard what I said to myself. Either way, I’m fine with it. Subtle hasn’t been working well for me, and I’m already on my way to putting this master plan of mine into motion now that the lease has been signed. I’m so close I can taste it—or her. Fuck.
Saved by the horn from this entire conversation, Zoe jumps when she hears Keely honk in front of the house. As if she can’t get out of here fast enough, she grabs her coat and stands facing the door like she can’t risk looking at me. She definitely heard me.
“You okay, Zo?”
Her hand’s on the doorknob, freedom only a second away, but she slowly turns around. “I’m cool. Fine. Great. See you later, okay?”
Laughing, I nod. “We need to talk about the house tonight.”
“Okay!”
She’s through the door and in the car with Keely faster than I’ve ever seen her move. I love every second of her discomfort because if she didn’t care about me, it wouldn’t have bothered her in the first place.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Zoe
“What the hell’s gotten into you?” Keely asks, scraping her hubcap as she pulls away from the curb. I’d yell at her if I weren’t in such a hurry to get away from Dylan.
“Nothing’s wrong. I drank too much coffee this morning.”
; I can’t tell her what I overheard Dylan saying. Not only would it be all kinds of wrong after they broke up, but it would also mean he didn’t care about her that much in the first place.
Part of me figured that might have been the case all along, but no matter what story I arranged in my head, I still couldn’t figure out why he picked her of all people to finally date.
“Simmer down, love. I’ll need you to stay still for what I have planned.”
“Why are you being creepy, and what are you talking about?”
“You’ll see. Just promise me you won’t run away screaming. This visit has a purpose.”
My heart races from the moment she finishes her sentence all the way to the parking lot of the salon. The only reason I relax is because I actually like getting my hair cut a lot more than half the other things she drags me to.
“Who’s doing my hair?” I ask her as I slide out of the car.
“Vanessa,” she says quickly.
“But Vanessa doesn’t do hair. She’s in the spa.”
Tugging on my arm, she pulls me inside the salon and to the sofa inside the door. “You’re right. She doesn’t do that kind of hair, but she does hair.”
“I’m not following, Keely. Why are we here?”
Before she can answer, Vanessa’s standing in front of us with a smile on her face. “Are you ready for your waxing?”
“Waxing?” I bring my hands to my brows, smoothing them down. “I plucked them the other day. I don’t need them waxed.”
“Yeah, about that, Zo. We should probably talk it over with Vanessa. Come on.”
“I haven’t been over-plucking. I follow the little template you made me.”
She pushes on my back, hurrying me down the hallway.
“Your brows look nice, but that’s not why we’re here.”
“It’s not?”
Keely practically shoves me into Vanessa’s room and hands me the robe on the hook just inside the door. “What’s this for?”
Still smiling, Vanessa says, “I’ll need you to undress from the waist down. You can keep your bra and top on.”
“What?” I look back and forth between the two of them. “Last time I checked, this wasn’t the gynecologist.”
“She’ll be ready in a minute,” Kelly assures Vanessa before pulling me into the corner of the room.
I wait for Vanessa to leave before I throw the robe at Keely’s head. She yanks it off only to hand it right back to me. “Put it on and stop being difficult. This is for your own good.”
“My own good? I’m not getting my pubic hair ripped out of my vagina, Keely. It’s barbaric and unsanitary.”
“Will you shave it?”
“What? Maybe I already do!”
“I can tell you’re lying.”
“Keely, nothing’s going on down there. Who cares what it looks like?”
“Nothing’s happened yet, but it’s going to.”
“How could you possibly know what’s going to happen when I don’t even have a clue? I’ve never had sex. It’s not breaking news.”
“Exactly, but you’ve suddenly found yourself with an attractive, male roommate who would like nothing more than to get in your pants. And when it happens, which it will, I want you to be prepared. He’ll appreciate the effort, trust me.”
“Trust you? Why? Because he’s seen yours? Or trust you because you know what guys like?”
She thinks about it for a second before dismissing me with a wave of her hand. “Doesn’t matter. All that matters is that this happens. Today.”
I throw the robe over my own head, both mortified and pissed off. “You said you didn’t sleep with Dylan.”
“I didn’t. We never had sex.”
“But he was down there.” I point to her crotch like it’s a country on a map—clearly it’d be Australia if we’re going down under.
“He explored one time with his hand. There was no visual. In fact, I don’t even count it as anything because we were both drunk and tired.”
“I can’t believe he touched you, and now you’re pushing me to date him.”
“Ohmigod, Zoe. We’re twins, not the same person. Just take your clothes off and lie down. The sooner we mow the grass, the sooner you can get back to your books.”
I stand in the corner of the room, staring at the table in front of me. The wax is all set up, the lights are dim, and the soothing music playing calms my nerves a little now that I’ve stopped arguing long enough to hear it. But the thought of Vanessa in my nether region makes me want to run for cover.
“Shit, I left my bag at Dylan’s.” I couldn’t run if I wanted to. I don’t even have my keys with me.
“We’ll get your bag after we’re done here. Though, if you ask me, I’d assume you left it there so you had a reason to go back.”
“No, Keely. It’s not like that at all. Some people forget things. You wouldn’t know what that’s like because you think you know it all.”
She’s about to say something else but stops herself. “That was harsh.”
“And this isn’t? You have to stop ordering me around and making me do shit I don’t want to do. And for the millionth time, there’s nothing going on with Dylan. There never has been, and I want it to stay that way. He’s my best friend. Please, stop making us more than we are. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”
“Fine. I’m sorry I’ve been so bossy. Will you do this anyway? Just in case you meet someone who wants to explore the jungle.”
“If I do this, you’re going to need to leave. It’s bad enough Vanessa has to see me naked.”
“Okay, I’ll wait outside, but please do it. Even if Dylan isn’t a possibility, there’s always Chaz.”
“Keely!”
“Okay! Excuse me for wanting my sister to get laid.” She’s out the door before I have a chance to tell her what I really think about Chaz. None of which is very nice.
Even though I hate to admit it, she might be right about this being a decent idea. Especially since she planted the idea in my head about finding some guys to date. I’d be embarrassed if I got to the point of the physical stuff and was a mess.
“Are you ready, Zoe?” Vanessa asks as she walks in the room.
I pull my pants and panties off, setting them on the chair in the corner. Hurrying to the table, I hop up with my face on fire. I can’t believe I’m doing this. When I got up this morning, this wasn’t how I imagined my day going.
My knees are practically glued together when Vanessa tries to pry them apart. “Relax. I have to get in there.”
The irony—the first person who wants in and it’s a woman. “How bad is this going to hurt?”
“It’ll burn and sting for a few seconds, but it passes pretty quickly. I have some lotion that helps with the stinging.”
“Sounds lovely.”
The wax is warm, same as if she were doing my brows, but I jump when she touches my skin. Staring at the poster on the ceiling, I try to transport myself to the beautiful scenery above me, but when the fabric strip that’s about to kill me passes by my head, I grip the table.
“I’ll pull it off on the count of three. One. Two. Th –”
She doesn’t even get the last number out before she yanks and sends me spiraling down the deepest, darkest hole of death. I clench my fists and close my eyes, waiting for this not-so-awful pain to come and go like she promised. Only it doesn’t go—it fucking lingers forever.
Like I’ve been shot, I curl into the fetal position, wishing I was in my mother’s arms instead of on this table. “Are you fucking crazy?” I grit out between labored breaths. “This can’t be legal.”
“The pain doesn’t last long. This next one won’t be as bad. It’s the initial shock that you’re experiencing.”
“Shock? I’m pretty sure you just threw my skin in the trash can along with that strip. There’s no way I can’t do that again.”
She grabs a mirror off the c
ountertop, offering it to me like I really want to see my angry vag right now. I don’t look at it on a good day. Why would I want to now?
“Maybe after you see the difference, you’ll change your mind about continuing.”
Against my better judgment, I glance at my reflection. My usually pale skin is the angriest shade of red I’ve ever seen—even worse than a sunburn. As much as I want to run out of this room and pretend none of this ever happened, I can’t. Now that I have visual confirmation, I’m stuck going through with the rest of this torture. I can’t walk out of here with a landing strip and two bushes.
“How many more times until you’re finished?”
“Just a few. It won’t hurt as much this next time or the time after that. Your body will naturally numb itself.”
“Do you get this done, Vanessa?”
She shakes her head, taking away what little credibility I thought she had. “It’s been a while.”
“Makes sense. Why would you torture yourself when you can break other people’s vaginas and get paid for it?”
Laughing because it’s true, she prepares another strip. “Just think how happy your boyfriend will be when he discovers what you’re doing for him.”
“Now you’ve given me a new problem. The hair will be gone, but considering I don’t have a boyfriend, I’m going to have to find someone to do it with before it all grows back. How long do I have?”
“You have some time. I’d avoid any contact tonight. You’ll be really sensitive.”
“No kidding.” I did say I wanted to do it and get it over with. This is all the more reason to make it happen sooner rather than later. All part of Keely’s evil plan, I’m sure.
By the time Vanessa finishes, I’m numb from the waist down, as she said I’d be. I can’t even put my underwear back on without wincing. “I’m tipping you today because it’s proper business, but nothing about what you did to me deserves to be rewarded.”
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