Chapter 6
He knows for a fact I would rip his balls off in his sleep
“Okay, you’ve been looking at that phone like it’s a bomb about to blow up in your face for the last three days. Enough or I’m confiscating it.”
I turned around, crossed my arms over my chest, and glared at Cassidy, my roommate. “You can’t.”
“Why? He won’t call you. You told me it was over for real between you two, and there was nothing more to say.”
I blew out a long breath. “Thanks for the reminder. I’m aware of our breakup situation.”
“Listen. Except your friends here, he was the only one calling you on your phone. Even your parents use the landline, for God’s sake. You can totally live without that thing for a while.”
“It’s not… I’m not… It’s weird, okay? It’s my first-ever official breakup, and it’s not as easy to navigate as I had thought. There were feelings involved, and I’m trying to sort them out.”
“Did you love him? Like, really love him? Be honest.”
“Huh… Again, not that simple. I cared about him…a lot. For eight months, he was my best friend…my only friend.”
“See? You’re hesitating, which means breaking up was the right thing to do. It’s like removing a painful tooth. You’re way better off once it’s gone.”
“Did you just compare my boyfriend to a tooth?”
“Ex-boyfriend. Anyway, we’re going out after your shift tonight, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Do you recall I have to be at the pool at the crack of dawn tomorrow?”
“Yep. I didn’t say I would get you drunk.
We’re just gonna grab a slice of pizza or something.
Anyway, your shift ends at ten, and I promise I’ll have you in bed before midnight.
” She joined her hands in prayer underneath her chin.
“Say yes. Pretty please. We barely see each other these days, and you need to get your mind off You Know Who.”
“Okay, fine.”
The smile drawing on her lips looked way too big for her small face.
Cassidy and I were as different as our respective sides of the room.
While my hair was brown and wavy, hers was jet black, straight, and styled in a layered bob haircut.
My irises were turquoise, and hers were a deep cinnamon shade.
Bare feet, I towered over her by at least four inches, which nobody could suspect since she always wore black sky-high heeled laced boots with everything.
Her wardrobe consisted mostly of black faux-leather pieces and fishnet tights.
Mine was a rainbow of mix-and-match colors and textures, mostly consisting of jeans, cute shirts, knitted sweaters, varsity sweatshirts and sweatpants, sneakers, and ankle boots.
My roommate often said I was the day to her night, but we couldn’t be a more perfect match.
Cassidy had relocated from Vancouver, Canada, and knew no one in town.
From the day we moved in together, we’d been best friends.
Sometimes, she reminded me of Paige with her selfless heart and the softness emanating from her, but a more grunge version of my former best friend.
Twenty minutes later, I walked toward Jules, who was waiting for me in the quad by the fountain. She waved, and I returned her smile and handed her the pumpkin-spiced mocha I’d picked up for her at Hot Shot on my way here, as we fell into step.
“This thing is like dessert mixed with coffee,” my friend said, lifting her to-go cup in my direction as a thank you. “It tastes like autumn and fallen leaves, turtleneck sweaters and first snow.”
I blew on the steam billowing from the small opening in the lid of my cup. “It’s way too sweet. I tried it once, and my jaw tickled when it coated my tongue. I’m sticking to lattes.”
“You have no idea what you’re missing out on. Speaking of missing out…huh…my brother asked about you.”
I coughed. “About me?”
“He came over a few days ago, and I told him he should meet my super-extraordinary-fabulous-now-single friend. I swear you two would get along.” She watched me with a tipped brow. “Do you trust me?”
“You know I do, but I’m not actively looking to be set up. Not right now. My schedule is busy. I have no free time left to date and meet new people. And my breakup still stings.”
“You were with the guy for almost a year. I don’t understand why you’re not more heartbroken. You sure you’re all right?”
“I think Jay and I…we-we were more friends than lovers. It’s hard to explain. Does it make sense?”
“I happen to have a theory. It’s usually when you’re not actively looking that the best ones come along.” She tapped her forefinger on her chin. “What do they say? Oh yes. To get over a guy, you gotta get under another one.”
I slapped her arm. “Ugh, Jules. Don’t say that. It-it’s…it’s gross.”
“But it’s true. I’ve never tried it, but I can attest it makes perfect sense.”
“I don’t wanna be your guinea pig.”
“Damn, I thought we could do some sociology experiment together.”
We both burst into a fit of laughter.
She pointed at me with her chin. “Oh, and I love your skirt, by the way. It’s very October-like.”
“I wasn’t sure if it was too early in the season to wear a wool mini, but I just bought it and thought, Who cares? According to the calendar, even if it’s still sunny and warm outside, it’s still fall.”
“Next time, drop the sweater and go with a white shirt.”
I glanced at my outfit with a frown. The skirt was plaid—navy blue and cherry red—and I was wearing a knitted navy-blue sweater with matching knee-high socks.
“Why?”
“If you wore glasses and tied your hair in pigtails, you’d look very…huh…college student porn ready.”
“Gosh. Stop with the sex stuff today. Ask Shawn to take care of your needs and quick because your head is filled with naughty thoughts.”
“Yeah, sometimes my mind is a fun place to be. Anyway, your look is very Britney Spears Baby One More Time era. Classic, but it could easily veer into ‘slutty’ with a few tweaks.” She gave me a cheeky grin.
“I’m just messing with you. Don’t change a thing.
I love it, and it suits you perfectly. I was thinking of getting a similar romper for myself.
It’s tweed and has a few buttons down the front. ”
“With a white shirt, it will look great.” I winked, and she mirrored my smile.
“Touché. Back to business. Jett is tall, funny, and he plays hockey. He’s not a serial womanizer or a dick.
I swear. He doesn’t fuck around and doesn’t care about puck bunnies.
He had a serious girlfriend for a long while.
They broke up last year when she moved to Tucson.
He’s studying to be a doctor and is a no-nonsense kind of guy.
I’m telling you, if we weren’t related, even I would date him. ”
“Don’t ever say you’d date your own brother again. Yuck. Mine was a hockey player too years ago…and a serial dater. Now he’s a country music star. Not sure if he’s changed his ways with women, though.”
“For real? What’s his name? Can you introduce us if things with Shawn don’t work out? I can see myself dating a musician. I’m sure his voice sounds like sex when he sings. They all do.”
I snickered. “Not a good idea, believe me. I’ll tell you his name one day. He has a stage name, so don’t bother trying to look him up. You won’t find him.”
“Do you think guitarists are good with their fingers?”
I pretended to gag. “Stop. You are putting images in my head I never wanted in the first place. Ugh.” A chill lined my spine, and I shook it off with a roll of my shoulders.
“Anyway, back to your brother. I’m sure he’s nice and everything, but seriously, I’m not in the mood for blind dates and stuff.
If my relationship with Jayden taught me something, it is that I should stay away from athletes…
and guys in general, and focus on myself.
For now. I’ve been burned twice by football players.
Never again. When we agreed to try the long-distance thing, I never would have thought Jayden would call it quits within a few weeks. ”
“He didn’t deserve you. Football players think they’re more important than they really are.
People treat them like they’re better than the rest of us.
It’s a truckload of crap if you ask me. Think about my offer.
Jett is in town because his landlord is fixing the bathroom in his apartment off-campus.
Since his college is just forty minutes from here, he drives back and forth every day and is crashing on Shawn’s couch for the time being. ”
“Can’t he stay at one of his friends’ or teammates’? That would be a much shorter drive to get to school every day, no?”
“That’s what I said. He’s friends with Shawn, and according to him, we don’t see each other enough as it is, so it gives him an excuse to spend some time with his baby sister.”
“It’s sweet.”
“Yeah.” She pulled her jacket shut with one hand as a gust of wind blew in.
“Anyway, back to business. For the record, he would never dump you for shitty reasons or cheat on you because he knows for a fact I would rip his balls off in his sleep if he ever hurts anyone I care about and force him to eat them for breakfast.”
“Stop. More visuals I don’t need or didn’t request.”
“Our sibling relationship is quite colorful.”
“I can see that. My brother and I aren’t that close. He’s five years older than me, and for the longest time, we barely had anything in common. We’re trying to fix that.”
“Is it working?”
“We talk on the phone more often. He’s supposed to visit for a weekend later this year, and he says I can go spend a week in Nashville with him during Spring Break if I can get off work.”
“That’s exciting. If he ever comes to visit, I really want you to introduce me. About Jett, are you sure you don’t wanna meet him?”
I rolled my eyes in fake annoyance. “You won’t let it go, right?”
She shook her head no.
“Fine,” I said, laughing. “I’ll think about it.” I plastered a curl on my lips, praying it looked genuine.