20. June
Ido everything I can think of to keep busy, but noon rolls around, and I’m bored out of my mind, which presents a problem. I have too much time to think about Bill, Danika, and the mess that is my life right now. Speaking with my mother didn’t help either. She didn’t flat-out say it, but I know she thinks I’m to blame for what Bill did. Maybe I am.
When Katrina video calls me, I answer on the first ring. “Thank God.”
“What’s the matter, hon?”
“Everything.” I laugh in derision. “Maybe I should have gone to work. Being alone has given me too much time to beat myself down.”
“No, we can’t have that. I have twenty minutes of my lunch break remaining. Tell me about your hockey boy. Who did you bang? And don’t you dare say you can’t spill the tea over the phone. I’m going crazy here with curiosity.”
“Oh, all right. They’re all wonderful,” I reply dreamily.
“Oh my. Too bad you had to pick only one.”
My face is burning something fierce. I’m nervous about sharing the truth with Katrina, but I take a deep breath and say, “Who said I did?”
She doesn’t speak for a couple beats, and her eyes blink fast. “Wait. What?”
Before I lose my nerve, I blurt out, “I slept with all three of them last night.”
Katrina’s jaw drops. “Oh. My. God. You’re not joking, are you?”
“Nope. I wasn’t even drunk when I made the decision, although I needed some liquid courage to go through with it.”
A sly smile unfurls on Katrina’s face. “It’s always the innocent-looking ones. I knew there was a sex goddess hidden behind those freckles. Tell me more. I want all the details.”
“I still can’t believe I did it. Me, boring old June, who had slept with only one man until last night.”
“You were never boring. You were with the wrong man. Having a hot evening with three hockey gods was exactly what you needed, baby girl.”
“It was amazing. Also, I never knew I was so... bendy.”
Katrina throws her head back and laughs. “Nothing like trying to handle three penises to discover that. I had a threesome once in college with my boyfriend at the time and his roommate. It was hard work. I can’t imagine adding another sausage to the party.”
I frown. “You never told me about that.”
Her brows arch. “It’s hardly a topic you can spring on someone out of the blue. Besides, after you told me you had only slept with Bill, I didn’t want to scare you off by oversharing.”
“I guess that’s fair. Was it awkward for you the day after your threesome?”
She twists her face into a grimace. “Yeah. My boyfriend started to act super jealous whenever his roomie was around. We broke up a month later. Some people can’t handle sharing.”
My chest tightens. My situation with the boys isn’t the same, but they are roommates, and I am their new neighbor.
“What’s the matter, June?”
“I don’t know how to behave around them. Last night, I thought I’d never see them again, and now I’m living in their building, hanging out in their apartment.”
“Were they acting differently this morning?”
“Not at all.”
“Then I wouldn’t worry about it. Just be yourself.”
“What if they want a repeat?”
She tilts her head. “Do you want a repeat?”
I nibble on my lower lip. “Maybe?”
Shaking her head, she chuckles. “You’d be crazy not to. I googled them, and damn, girl. They are fiiine.”
I laugh. “They are. And they’re used to sharing. This wasn’t their first time.”
“Then I don’t see why you shouldn’t entertain the possibility. You need to explore, gain experience, and find out what you like in bed. You’ve been living in a cage for too long. It’s time to spread those legs and ride some hot men.”
I start to laugh and end up choking on my saliva, which results in a coughing fit.
“Are you okay, June?”
“I’m fine,” I croak.
“Good. I have some time left. Let’s go for a tour of their apartment. I wanna see their bedrooms.”
“Uh... I don’t know. Doing that doesn’t feel right when they aren’t home.”
She gives me a droll stare. “And how are they going to find out?”
“I don’t know. They might have hidden cameras.”
“If they do and didn’t tell you, that’s on them. They’d be invading your privacy.”
“I guess....”
“Come on, June. Let’s explore. You need to make sure they aren’t psychos.”
I snort, already in motion toward Lachlan’s room. “They aren’t.”
“You don’t know that. That’s how they get you—by earning your trust.”
“You’ve been watching too much True Detective.”
“Shut up.”
I enter Lachlan’s room and flip the camera so Katrina can see his impressive collection. “This is Lachlan’s room.”
“Wow, he’s a nerd like you. Remind me again, which one is Lachlan?”
“He’s the goalie.”
“That doesn’t help me.”
“The blond one.”
“Oooh, he’s so cute and tall. Does that translate to... you know?”
I feel the blush creep onto my cheeks again. I’m glad the camera is pointed away from my face. “Yes, very much so.”
“Nice.”
I leave Lachlan’s room and continue down the hallway. “I’ve only been in Lachy’s room.”
“Lachy, is it?” Katrina laughs.
“His name is a mouthful.”
“That’s what she said.”
“Oh my God. You’re as bad as your students.”
“I’m an eighth-grade teacher. I have to be.”
I open the first door to my right, and without stepping inside, I know it’s Jake’s room. The scent that hits me in the face is undeniable. Even though this room gets as much natural light as Lachlan’s, everything is much darker. The walls are blue-gray, and all the furniture is dark wood.
“Oh, whoever sleeps in this bedroom is a total alpha,” Katrina chimes in.
“I’m pretty sure this is Jake’s room. He’s the team captain.”
“Are there any pictures anywhere?”
I look at the dresser, then the desk near the window, and see no photo frames. “No. But it smells like him.”
“What does he smell like?”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Like a dark room and wicked promises.”
“Hmm... that sounds lovely.”
I shake my head, trying to dispel the sudden lust haze that wrapped around me. I’m glad I’m on a call with Katrina, or I might do a little self-care on Jake’s bed. Needing to clear my head, I quickly walk out and continue to the last door in the hallway.
“This must be Ryan’s bedroom.” I try the knob, but the door is locked.
“Did he lock it?” Katrina asks.
“Yeah.”
I’m unsure why, but I’m disappointed Ryan locked his bedroom door. Did he think I’d steal from him?
“That’s a little sus, isn’t it?”
“He must have trust issues. It’s no big deal. I am a stranger.” I pivot and return to the living room. “What time are you coming?”
“About that, I completely forgot Beau has a work thing tonight, and I need to head straight home from work.”
Relief washes through me, making me feel guilty. Is it selfish that I want to keep the boys to myself for a bit longer?
“Oh, don’t worry. As you can see, I’m not a prisoner. I’m perfectly safe.”
“Come over tomorrow. I need to see you in person.”
“Okay, sounds like a plan.”
“Gotta go. Make sure you go for seconds.”
“Sure thing.”
I can’t tell Katrina that getting more entangled with the boys could be dangerous. They could be a trap for my heart. If I weren’t so broke, I’d find my own place as soon as possible. But the prospect of not paying rent for the next three months is too good to pass up. I need to save for a deposit.
I stare at the open space before me, hands on my hips. “What should I do now?”
The corner with all my stuff piled up catches my attention first. It’s an eyesore in this beautiful space. But I can’t do anything, because I’ll have to move everything to Mrs. Carpenter’s apartment. I turn my attention to the kitchen. Maybe I can cook dinner as a thank you. Everyone loves a home-cooked meal, right?
I open the fridge to do a more thorough inspection. The ratio of meat to vegetables indicates that no one here is a vegetarian. Plus, there aren’t any vegan substitutes for anything either. I could cook my famous lasagna. I see there’s enough cheese and ham, plus the milk jug is full. All I need is tomato sauce and pasta.
I check all the cabinets, but don’t see any jars with tomato sauce; there are only whole tomatoes in a can. They’re from Italy. Making sauce with those will probably taste better. I also don’t see lasagna noodles. I can make them from scratch. I have plenty of time.
Soon, I get in the zone, working like a determined bee. Cooking always makes me hyper-focused, and during the first hour of prep time, I don’t think about my problems. But once I finish part one of the process and take a step back, I see the chaos I left behind. The kitchen is a disaster. I have to clean up before I continue.
I fill one of the sinks with water and soap, and I’m about to start when my phone vibrates on the counter. It’s a text from Jake checking on me. I smile, but in my hurry to text him back, I grab the phone with my soapy hand and watch in disbelief as it slips through my fingers and dives into the sink filled with water.
“No!!!!”
I fish the phone out as fast as I can. My heart is stuck in my throat as I pat it dry with a towel and press the home button to unlock the screen. It works, but only for a second before the screen goes black.
“Don’t die on me, phone.”
Panicking, I grab the rice I spotted earlier. Maybe I can resuscitate my phone if I stick it in a bag filled with rice and let the grain soak up the moisture from the device. It will be a while until I can try turning on the phone again, which means I can’t reply to Jake’s message. What if he takes my radio silence as a sign I raided their apartment and took off?
Son of a bitch. Why does shit like this keep happening to me?