Chapter 6
6
Anais
Move in day came quickly, putting an end to my summer and kicking off my official life as an adult. I mean, I’m nineteen, so technically I became an adult last year. But stepping onto Rice University campus really makes it all seem official.
Uncle Nix and the guys heft box after box of my things up the three flights of stairs to my room, sweat dripping down their faces. It’s hot as hell today, and I keep waiting for Bishop to just rip off his shirt. The glimpse I got at Dagen’s pool party was hardly enough. He was in the water for only moments before he was out and slipping his t-shirt back into place.
That night, I Jill-ed off to thoughts of him in the water, no shirt and water rippling over his stomach and large arms. Uncle Nix is a big guy, but Bishop is big . His arms are thick and look as if they could squeeze the life out of a man. His legs are ridiculously delicious, and god do I love a man with thick quads.
He isn’t flabby by any means, but this man is more than just sculpted in the gym. The term teddy bear was coined for men like him. Large, sweet and caring, but you just know an animal hides underneath those layers.
“Fuck, Ana. Why’d you have to get a dorm on the third floor?” Uncle Nix asks after his third trip up.
“If I remember correctly, I told you that I could just get movers to help. But you wanted to check things out and make sure the guys knew to stay away from me. So you really have no one to blame but yourself,” I quip, opening another box to inspect its contents.
“She’s got you there, brotha. They have a Rice move-in crew, but you needed to growl at all the poor underclassmen as you pass each door.” Bishop grins a crooked smile and plops a bag that contains my pillows in it on the floor.
Vaughan and Hayes pull up the rear, walking in with the last of my boxes that I know hold my shoes and various knick knacks that I just couldn’t part with.
Hayes drops the heavy box to the ground with a thud. “I think that one holds a dead body ‘cause it’s heavy as fuck,” he complains.
“Well where else was I supposed to hide it? If Uncle Nix found out some guy flirted with me, he’d end up in jail for sure, and there goes his baseball career.” I joke and it makes the guys laugh and Nix growl.
“Someone flirted with you? Then he better hope he’s good and gone, or I’ll dig him back up just to choke that little fucker out.”
“Calm down. It was just a joke…I didn’t kill the guy. I just turned him down.” That little remark has Nix’s face turning red and steam billowing from his nostrils.
Bishop clamps a massive hand on his arm, prepared to hold him back, but a loud shriek breaks the scowl on his face.
“Oh…my…gaahhh! Did I just die and end up in hot guy heaven? Lord help me.” A girl who I assume is my roommate appears in the doorway and freezes, her mouth hanging open with traces of a smirk.
“Hi,” I call out from behind the guys and push my way past them. “I’m Anais. Are you Keyara? My roommate?”
Her mouth keeps catching flies and she nods her head. I can see her eyes are the size of boulders from behind her round glasses, and I’m pretty sure there’s drool falling from the corner of her mouth.
“Do they come with the room, or do we have to give them back at midnight?” she asks.
With a laugh, I explain. “This is my Uncle and his friends. They’re just helping me move in.”
Uncle Nix steps forward and holds out his hand. “Hey there. I’m Phoenix. These are my fr–”
A scream has us all shrouding our ears. “Holy fuck! You’re Phoenix West. I-I…I need to sit down,” she pants, out of breath.
I help her to the chair that sits at her desk and begin fanning her off. She twists her long braids around her hand and holds them up, using her other hand to wipe down her face.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Hell no. The best baseball player in the league is standing in my dorm room and you’re telling me he’s your uncle?” I nod my head and she continues to stare. “Please tell me the other ones aren’t related to you? I need to know which one I have a shot at.”
I think she thinks she’s whispering, but there was nothing hushed about her words.
“These are friends of my uncles. That’s Vaughan, he’s very married,” I tell her, pointing to him as he lifts his hand with a hello. “That’s his brother Hayes–”
“Wow! Two of you. Goddamn.”
“And this is Bishop. He’s actually the baseball coach here.”
“Hi Keyara. Nice to meet you.” Bishop holds out his large paw and she grips on to it with two hands.
“Did I mention I play baseball? Yup. Centerfield. Think I have a shot at making the team, coach ?”
We all laugh and Bishop answers with a smile, “Sorry young lady. We’re all set at centerfield. Check back next season.”
“Oh. I will.”
“What the hell is going on in here?” A man's voice calls out.
We whip our heads around to see a man with glasses similar to Keyara’s standing with a bag from the bookstore in his hands .
“Jesus Christ, you’re Phoenix West,” he says, sounding very much like who I assume is her dad.
A petite woman steps up behind him and freezes for a moment. Then she takes a step back, gazes at the board hanging on the wall just outside our door, and steps back in. Her eyes wander the room, studying the face of each guy standing around her daughter.
“If I wasn’t so dead ass tired, I’d be asking a lot of questions. But we just drove four and half hours from Frisco and I just want to sit down and then find the nearest restaurant with the biggest margarita so I can drink myself into tomorrow when I have to leave my baby.” I snort out a laugh and quickly slap my hand over my mouth when Uncle Nix pokes me in the back. “Hello. I’m Shelleen, and this rude gentleman is my husband, Cameron. We’re Keyara’s parents.”
“Hello ma’am. I’m Phoenix. This is my niece Anais. We were just helping her move in.” Uncle Nix juts his hand out towards Shelleen and she takes hold of it.
“Lord, you have big strong hands,” she mutters. “And please call me Shelleen. I know ma’am is the thing here in the South, but it makes me feel so old.”
Uncle Nix smiles then introduces the rest of the guys. When he gets to Bishop, Keyara’s dad perks up once again.
“Damn. Phoenix West and Bishop Michaels in one room. Kirby is going to lose his shit when he finds out he passed up a chance to meet y’all.”
“Cameron,” Shelleen chides.
“Sorry. Kirby is our son and he was griping about sitting in the truck with all of Keyara’s belongings, so he stayed behind. He’s gonna kick himself now. We watched you two at LSU. Kirb couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve, and he used to talk about wanting to be a great catcher like Bishop Michaels.” Cameron shakes his head in disbelief and I let my eyes wander up and down the large body of Bishop.
A sheen of sweat covers his enormous arms and I inhale the scent of his sweat. It’s mixed with his body wash and he smells of musk and spice. My body tingles thinking about smelling him fresh from a shower, his chest bare with the short hairs covered in droplets of water, and a towel draped over his hips.
I squeeze my thighs together and can only cross my arms over my chest to stop my hardened nipples from showing themselves to the world. Or at least all the people that are gathered in this small room.
“Okay. It’s getting a little crowded. How about we leave y’all to settle in. Give you some time alone,” I tell Keyara and try to shove the guys out.
But, like perfect comedic timing, three more people show up at our door.
“Dayum. Ana’s already got a party going day one in the dorms.” I smack my head knowing that, though I can’t see her, that is definitely the voice of my future aunt, Vivian.
“Babe. No.” Nix shakes his head and side shuffles his way to the door. “This is Ana’s roommate's parents.”
“Oh. Oops. Sorry. I was just kidding. Hi roommate’s parents. I’m Vivian. This guy's fiancée,” she says, slapping Nix in the chest.
She pulls her hand away and her face pinches together when she feels his shirt soaked in sweat.
“We were just leaving to give them some time to unpack,” I try to explain.
“Well we stopped by to see if you five were ready to get some dinner. Luca said he was going to get us a table at Ranchero’s.” Camille smiles from where she stands and I see how it makes Vaughan light up.
“Yes, please. I’m starved,” Vaughan replies.
“Bro. You’re always hungry. I don’t know where it goes because at the rate you eat, you should be the size of a house.”
“I’m eating for three, Bishop. Geez. Rude.”
“Three?” I ask, looking at Cami. “Are you having triplets?”
She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “No. I am not having triplets. Just one little McCallan. Vaughan says he’s eating for me and the baby and himself. Sympathy cravings, is what he calls it.”
“Excuse my friends. They lost their manners many years ago and I’m afraid the search was called off. I’m CeCe and we would love to invite you three to dinner if you’re interested in joining us. No pressure.”
CeCe takes advantage of her growing belly and pushes her way into the room and all the men take a few steps back.
“Oh, we couldn’t impose. It seems like there’s already a large party,” Shelleen waves us off.
“Not an imposition at all. My husband is just finishing up at work, and he has their daughter with them,” she points her finger between Cami and Vaughan, which means Dagen is waiting in the wings. “And we have one more friend who will be meeting us, so three more isn’t a big deal. But again, no pressure. Only if you want to.”
Shelleen looks at her husband who shrugs in response.
“Does the place you’re going to serve margaritas?” she asks.
“Only the best,” CeCe replies with a smile.
“Well, twist my arm. I guess we’re in.”
“Great. We’re going to take these stinky men to clean up at Bishop’s house and then we’ll head over to the restaurant. Would you like us to give you directions, or we can come back this way and you can follow us?” Viv rattles off at rapid speed.
“How about you just tell us where and when and we’ll see you there.” Cameron pulls out his phone and types in the address of the restaurant and we start exiting.
“I guess we’ll talk at dinner,” I tell Keyara.
She nods and says, “Hopefully.”
We all smile and say our goodbyes and shuffle out the door.
“Thank you for a wonderful night. We really enjoyed ourselves.” Keyara’s mom stumbles a little as we exit the restaurant. “Oops,” she giggles when she catches herself.
After the men freshened up at Bishop’s, we all met here at the restaurant where Luca and Dagen were waiting. CeCe had phoned Luca to inform him of our three added guests and when we arrived, the back room had been reserved for us.
I sat in between Keyara and Dagen which meant all of our talk was kept PG for young ears. But now that dinner is done and Uncle Nix and Viv are dropping Keyara and I off at the dorms, we’ll have plenty of time to talk and get to know one another.
“We’ll see you in the morning, sweetheart.” Keyara’s dad leans in and kisses her cheek. “Thank you for taking her back. This one needs to sleep off what is likely to be a hammering hangover. Yay for me and the long drive back.”
We laugh and say our goodbyes, then pile into Uncle Nix’s truck, and he and Viv have us laughing all the way back to our dorm.
“I’ll call you tomorrow. Thanks, Uncle Nix.” I lean between the seats and kiss his cheek. “You get some sleep Aunt Viv,” I tell her and kiss her cheek, too.
A small gasp sounds in the cabin of the truck followed by a shaky voice. “She called me Aunt Viv.”
Tears fill her big green eyes and a smile eats up her small face.
“Great. Now I’m going to have a drunk and crying Vivian all the way home. Will you go? I’ll call you tomorrow about the game.” Nix wraps his arm around Viv when she leans into him.
“Sure thing. Love you both,” I call out as I hop out of the back seat.
“Oh my gah. First she calls me Aunt Viv and now I get an I love you? Niiiixx,” Vivian cries harder.
“I know, Peaches. It’s a wonderful day.”
I wiggle my fingers at them and laugh as I skip over to where Keyara waits for me.
“ Finally ,” she says when I step up next to her. “I thought we’d never have time alone. ”
I slip my hand through the crook of her elbow as we walk into our building. “I know. It’s like they knew we were dying to gossip and purposely ate and drank slower.”
Now that move-in day is pretty much over, the elevator is free of people hauling boxes, so we take advantage of it and ride to our third floor.
“Okay, first. Your uncle is as fine as he is talented. Sorry, but it has to be said.” The elevator stops and we step out onto our floor. “Vivian is so damn cute. They are adorable together.”
I swipe my keycard over the scanner and our door unlocks. I let Keyara walk in ahead of me and the heavy door closes with a thunk. I promptly engage the deadbolt and walk past our shared bathroom that is split between the two rooms in our suite. We have yet to meet our other suitemates, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.
“She is hilarious. Viv definitely keeps my uncle on his toes.”
I kick off my sandals and fall back onto the bed that is only half made.
“I need to know more about that delicious man, Bishop. Dear Lord, that man is juicy.” I bite my lip and close my eyes, playing back every image I have memorized of him like a movie reel. “Uh oh.”
“What?” I ask, popping up on my elbows.
“You have a thing for him, don’t you?” I smile and flop back down. “Is there something going on between you two? Isn’t he your uncle’s best friend?”
“Yes, he’s my uncle's best friend,” I explain. “And no, there is nothing going on between us…yet.”
“What? Spill. Tea now, sleep later,” she insists.
I sigh and give her the rundown of my feelings for Bishop and how they are not reciprocated.
“But all I need is for him to just look at me once, just once , like I’m not a kid and I know things will be different. I can feel it, Keyara. Bishop and I are meant to be. We’re fated.” I finish telling her everything and look over to see her watching me with a doubting eye. “What?”
Her shoulders raise with a deep breath and she says, “Look. I don’t know you all that well but I can already tell you’re my new bestie.” She smiles and it makes me do the same. “And as your new bestie, I’m required to give you my full, unfiltered honest opinion. It’s a law. With that said, I think you’re asking for trouble, girl.”
I push myself to sit up tall and cross my legs underneath me. “Trouble? Why would you say that?”
“Let’s run down the very obvious reasons, because apparently it needs to be pointed out with big flashing lights. One, he’s your uncle's best friend. That is at the very top of the bad idea list. Two, he’s like ten years older than you.”
“Twelve,” I correct.
She arches a brow and purses her lips. “Exactly. Too old for you. And third, he’s faculty at the school we attend. I’m pretty sure there’s a rule about teacher-student relationships.”
“Okay. So now it’s time for my rebuttal. One,” I tell her, holding up a finger. “My uncle loves me like I’m his kid. He’ll get over whatever hurt feelings he may have. I mean, he trusts Bishop like a brother and says he’s one of the best guys he knows. What better person to trust your beloved and favorite niece to?”
Keyara gathers up her long braids and begins twisting them into a giant bun on top of her head.
“Two, age is so irrelevant. The world has changed and people are much more accepting of May-December romances. Practically every romance movie and book has the age gap theme running heavy through it. No one pays any mind to that.”
“We’ll see about that,” she mutters and I wave her off.
“And three, Bishop is not my teacher. He is employed by the university, yes, but he’s in the athletic department. I do not receive a grade from him, and I am not a part of the baseball program. Therefore, no one can assume I am receiving special treatment.”
Keyara wraps a scrunchie around her big bun and drops her hands into her lap. “I’m guessing there will be no talking you out of your delu-lu, so as your best friend I have no other choice but to support and protect you…it’s a law. ”
I laugh and repeat, “It’s totally a law.”
We spend the rest of the night, and into the early hours of the morning, talking and laughing and living up to those new best friend titles.