9. My Kind Of Weird
Chapter 9
My Kind Of Weird
Cece
The chime of the doorbell has me leaping to my feet, knocking the half empty bowl of popcorn sitting beside me to the floor. Crap. I was stuck in waiting mode and got trapped in a loop of endless doomscrolling. What time is it? My roommates are all due to arrive at any moment, and I was planning on getting changed into something, anything. Of course, that would have required doing laundry, which I fully intended to do this morning, but couldn’t find the motivation for such a mundane chore. Nor did I bother to figure out which box contains the rest of my wardrobe.
And now, here I am, once again, brushing popcorn crumbs off my fuzzy pajama pants. It’s like I’m living in that old Groundhog Day movie Beau forced me to watch when we were kids. He loved the endless repetition. My tangled hair is hanging loose around my shoulders after a restless night of sleep. There’s at least one hair elastic in this place. I was using it yesterday when the guys were over.
The guys. Thinking of Dev reminds me of the reason I got no sleep last night. I spent two hours reviewing every detail of our weekend, followed by every glance and expression on his face yesterday. And when I did fall asleep, I had some of the most vivid, spiciest dreams of my life, starring his perfect hockey body. My nipples are tingling at the mere memory. But it’s only a shadow of the real thing.
The doorbell sounds again, a little longer this time, but not past the point of politeness. “Crap.”
I run over to the door, suck in a deep breath, and throw a smile on my face. I’m hoping it’s not too unhinged, but they’ve already signed the rental agreement, so they’re stuck with me either way.
A blonde with curly shoulder length hair is standing on the other side of the door. She’s got a Barbie pink rolling suitcase by her side and a beaming lipsticked smile on her face.
“Georgia. Welcome.” My volume of my voice has me wincing. Too much, Cecelia. Don’t scare them away on the first day.
She doesn’t seem to mind, throwing her arms around me in an effusive hug.
“Cece, so nice to meet you.” Her southern accent is as welcoming as her bright smile.
“You too. It’s great to meet you in person. Finally. A video call isn’t the same as a flesh and blood meeting, is it?” She’s perfectly put together. From the smooth perfection of her pink polished nails to the styled curls held back from her forehead by a wide blue headband.
She’s rolling her suitcase through the hall toward the living room. The living room. My stomach hits the floor. The popcorn. I dart ahead, glancing around, trying to remember where I stashed the broom. There’s no sign of it, so now I’m hunched over, scrabbling around on the floor like a scavenger, scooping popcorn back into the bowl, when my perfectly polished new roommate steps in.
“Oh,” she says.
“I’m so sorry. I was having a snack when you got here, and the doorbell startled me.” No need to let her know the bowl of popcorn was actually my combination breakfast and lunch. Clearly, she can already see what a hot mess I am. No need to drive the point home any harder.
“Not a problem. Let me help you.” And then she’s dropping down to crouch beside me, shoulder brushing mine as I’m picking up buttery kernels off the floor.
“Not the first impression I was hoping to make.”
“I don’t mind. It’s kind of refreshing, actually. My mom would have a positive conniption if I dropped a single toast crumb on the floor. College life has been very liberating.”
I dig the last couple of pieces out from under the couch, dropping them in the red plastic bowl and dart off to the kitchen. Georgia has settled right in, sprawled on the overstuffed beige couch, socked feet up on the shiny new coffee table when I get back.
“Feel that. Your mom is a bit much?” I ask her .
“I love mama to death, but she needs everything to be perfect all the time, but prim and proper is not really me. I like to dress up and look nice as much at the next lady, but I also like to let loose. If you know what I mean.” She winks at me with one of her impossibly long, thick lashes.
“Awesome. Me too.”
I drop next to her on the couch. “So, you’re working on your MFA, right?” After going through endless applications and a series of video calls that drained me for a week, I selected a group of roommates I could live with who also passed my father’s scrutiny.
“Sure am. Writing is my passion.”
“And you write horror and paranormal stuff?” My eyes travel down the pink highlights on her outfit, the perfect blonde hair and shimmery eye makeup.
Her laugh is like a tinkling bell. “I sure do. I love a spooky story.”
The doorbell rings again, interrupting my curiosity, and she joins me to greet our next arrival.
It’s actually two arrivals. Anna and Blake are both waiting on the other side with smiles on their faces. Did I neglect to mention Blake to my dad? Maybe. I’m a hundred percent certain he would not be all in on the idea of me living with a guy, but he and Anna came as a package deal. They’re best friends and have been living together since they started at Lakeview. Their last rental house got sold and they couldn’t renew their lease for senior year, so here we are. Anna slid through his background check, and I told Dad I needed to use the fourth bedroom as a library. I’m sure Blake will keep some books in there, and my father won’t take the time to drive all the way from Fox Chapel for a visit.
“Anna, Blake. Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Anna’s smile is a little more tentative than Georgia’s was, and she’s dressed much more casually in a graphic tee that says Game On paired with worn jeans. Blake’s got on a similar outfit and his blue eyes are shining with warmth behind his dark glasses. He steps ahead of Anna to hold out his hand for a shake.
Blake is craning his neck, taking the place in, while Anna untangles herself from Georgia’s embrace.
“I’d love to check out our rooms and grab the rest of our stuff.” The deep tone of his voice catches me by surprise.
“Umm, I’ll show you the rooms and you can take your pick however you want. Swords at twenty paces would probably be my choice, but it’s up to you.”
That steals a giggle from Anna.
“I’m more of a pistols girl myself,” Georgia says.
Blake holds up his hands. “I’m not getting involved in this. I’m sure either of you ladies could take me down. If it’s anything more serious than rock, paper, scissors, you can count me out.”
“Chicken.” Anna smirks at her friend, and there’s a teasing glimmer in her eyes when she looks at him.
She’s more tentative and quieter than Georgia, but I’m pretty good at getting people to open up. Look how many words I dragged out of Dev. I have got to stop letting every single thing remind me of him. It’s not happening.
“I’m going to make a suggestion before this comes to blows. How about if I show you the rooms and you three can decide if you have preferences. You never know. It might all work out with no one spilling any blood.”
Everyone traipses upstairs to check out the rooms, and after some discussion and a minor dispute between Anna and Blake, they all settle on their choices.
“I’ll let you guys unpack and settle in. I’m ordering dinner for everyone tonight. Want to make it an easy pizza night? Any vegans? Gluten-free?”
“Nope, Anna and I are pizza sluts. We’ll eat anything except for jalapenos or green peppers,” Blake says.
“The more meat, the better. I like a little sausage.” I do a double take at Georgia, not knowing her well enough to read her tone, but the smirk twisting her lips gives her away.
“Got it.” I scribble on an imaginary pad. “Extra sausage for Georgia.”
“I think I’m sleeping here tonight.” I flop back against the couch with a groan, patting my aching belly. “Unless someone can roll me up the stairs.”
“You’re not going to sleep yet. We have to get to know each other.” Georgia bounces in her seat, turning to face me. “Tell me about the best sex you’ve ever had. ”
She is one surprise after another. “Way to dip your toe in the pool. We can’t start with something the tiniest bit less personal. Like, I don’t know. My favorite color or something? It’s red, by the way.”
She waves me off with her pink-tipped nails. “No way. We’re going to be living together. I’m all for diving right in. Then there are no surprises. If you need me to, I’ll go first. His name was Damon.” Her dramatic pause has me tapping my foot impatiently. “Black hair and dark brown eyes, but that’s hardly important. It was last summer. We went on a family vacation to Florida to visit my gran. He was a lifeguard. Yum. You can not imagine the muscles on him.” She closes her eyes, a dreamy smile spreading across her face. “He took me up the lifeguarding tower after it closed for the night, and I’m pretty sure several people reported hearing a banshee that night. I may never scream that loud again. Sadly.”
That was informative. “You’re lucky he didn’t murder you and throw your body out to sea,” I say.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t had a one-night stand?”
“Of course I have. In fact, my last one was only two weeks ago...” I trail off, unsure if I should share this. It’s one thing to share a story about an anonymous guy you’re never going to see again, but talking about someone that is now so close seems a little dangerous. As if I’m going to invoke his spirit or something and he’ll show up at my doorstep. Or he’ll overhear me.
“Ooh. Do tell. This sounds juicy.” Georgia is egging me on, and both Blake and Anna are leaning forward .
The couch cushion bounces under the weight of my head, and I scrub my hands down my face. The words are ready to burst out of me, but I’m still hesitant. If I put the experience out into the universe, will he know I’m talking about him? Will I be able to look him in the eyes when we run into each other? Beau typed his number into my contacts. Just in case my dear brother isn’t around to bail me out of whatever situation I end up in. As if I haven’t been living quite capably on my own for the past three years.
“I’ll share if you share.”
My eyes pop open at the softer voice, and I catch Blake glancing curiously at his friend. As if he wants to find out her secret confession. That’s enough to convince me. He’s not a ghost. I’m not going to summon him by speaking his name out loud.
“Fine. I was at the Great Lakes Con.”
“You were?” Blake asks. “Anna and I were there too. If we’d known, we totally could have hooked up with you.”
“That would have been epic.” Except... then I might not have ever met him. Although with the recent turn of events, maybe that would have been for the best.
“Shush, Blake.” Anna lands a friendly smack on his arm before turning back to me. “Go on.”
“Right. I was supposed to go with my friend, Tess, but she ended up having to bail out last minute. So, I was waiting in the registration line, and there’s this guy in front of me. Massive.” In all the right ways .
“Tall? Muscular? Like a bouncer, or more beer gut? What are we talking about?” Georgia asks.
“Like athlete. Tall, muscled. He’s a hockey player.”
“Ooh. Nice catch. Nerdy and a hockey player. Put a ring on it.”
“Um, no. It was a strictly one weekend kind of thing. We were both heading back to school. But honestly. The things he did to my body. The places... against the window, the shower. I didn’t think it was possible to come that many times in a twenty-four-hour span.”
Blake’s eyes are wide, and heat zips up my neck to my cheeks. Maybe that was too much information for our first day as roommates. I need to learn when to stop.
“Amazing. You win. I mean, we still need to hear Anna and Blake’s stories, but this sounds like a winner to me. Did you get his deets so you can hook up with him again, or is he just going to be future fodder for your sexy dreams?” Georgia asks.
“No. Definitely never happening again. That’s a hard no.” My brains are as rattled as my thoughts from the vigorous shake of my head. I got so caught up in the story I almost forgot who Devlin is. And that information is far too intimate for this fledgling friendship.
“Too bad. You could have introduced me to one of his hockey player friends. I’m not a skater, but I’d share the ice with one of them any day.”
“My brother plays. ”
Her whole being lightens up at my offhand remark. Her big blue eyes sparkle, her blonde curls look even shinier. If that’s possible. “Really? I’m going to need you to introduce me.”
“Ew. Not my brother.”
Her curls bounce as she shakes her head. “Well, no. That might be weird. But there’s an entire team to get to know. I’ve tried out a couple of the football players, and I even dated a soccer player for a coupe of months, but sexy hockey player is at the top of my TBF list. Preferably with all teeth currently intact.”
“TBF?” Anna asks, looking about as confused as I am.
“To be fucked. Obvi.”
Hearing all the dirty thoughts spilling from Georgia is a little jarring when you compare it to her perfectly demure designer outfit but, I love it. She’s my kind of people.
“My brother doesn’t like me near his hockey friends. Ever since...” I trail off.
“Ever since what?” Anna asks.
I tilt my head up to inspect the ceiling. It’s flawless, not a single crack or tiny bug to fixate on.
Georgia snorts. “Honey, if I listened to everything my overprotective brothers told me to do, I’d be wearing a nun’s habit right now. And honestly, I’ve never been into LBDs, much less BBDs. I’m fond of a little color in my wardrobe.”
I may have just met the girl, but I cannot picture her in chaste nun’s clothing, that’s for sure.
“I guess I can snag us tickets for the first game of the season. It’s October seventh, if you can wait that long.” Beau can’t object to me attending one of his games. He doesn’t need to know the real person I’m there to watch.
“Excellent. It’ll give me time to do some research.”
“Hockey research? I can fill you in on the rules if you’d like. I may not be into the game, but I’ve been dragged along to enough of them over the years that I could hold my own against some of the most avid fans in a trivia game.”
She laughs again. “Not that kind of research. Unless you’re familiar with the Lakeview players. I’m going to dig into their social media. Check out their pics, see if they any of them are off limits. I am not a cheater.”
“Gotcha. Anna, Blake, want me to get you tickets too?” I turn to them. Might be fun. A bit of a bonding experience with my new housemates.
Anna laughs. “No, thanks. The only sports match we’ve ever gone to is Quidditch.”
“Respect.” I nod. “Okay, Georgia. It’s a date. I’ll snag some tickets.”