3. Kirin #4
Leon didn’t know Kirin had been in a relationship before, because they hadn’t known one another then.
Before he moved to Kismet, his one and only relationship went up in flames around the same time everything in his personal life did.
The situation shouldn’t have surprised him, yet it did.
He’d given everything to his freshman girlfriend, including his heart and dreams. She knew him better than anyone back then, but moving offered him a fresh start.
It gave Kirin the chance to reinvent himself, and he decided he wouldn’t be that vulnerable again.
High school was easy enough, but the pool was shallow in such a small town.
When he got to college, he could admit he had gone a bit overboard.
Trying to keep himself from falling into anything serious during his freshman year meant going through girls faster than he went through socks, earning him a less than favorable nickname.
By his sophomore year, he’d set boundaries for himself, and he’d kept to them ever since, but nobody had made him curious like Rose Aldrich-St. James.
He kept telling himself to keep his distance, but his body was already invested.
He could feel the protective streak burning a path through his head, keeping pace with the lust. He’d have to keep that in check, especially since every tidbit made him more curious.
Now that they were partners, he could use the semester-long project to understand her.
“I’m sure you could do serious if you truly wanted to, but you’re on a celibacy kick and your sister would murder you for dating her sworn enemy.
” Leon, annoyingly, made a couple of good points, and it must have shown on his face because Leon laughed harder.
Kirin flipped him off. “However, if you were dating her, you wouldn’t be tempted to hook up with Maya or anyone else who asks.
Maybe Laurel would be nice and back off. ”
“Unless everyone else gets pissy,” Kirin countered, and Leon smirked.
A hand closed around his shoulder and squeezed. “Sounds like a good social experiment.”
When he met his friend’s eyes, the mischievous twinkle had him shoving Leon away. “Yeah, right.”
“Don’t think she’d say yes to a date with the great Father Callaghan?” Leon joked, dragging out his freshman nickname, and Kirin laughed. He shoved his friend again instead of answering as they entered the locker room for a shower.
Did he think Rose would say yes to a date with him?
There was an attraction. He’d seen it in the blush and the way she hesitated when he touched her.
But there was something else, something guarded.
He knew that from his own experience, but he wasn’t sure he should poke it after she growled in his face.
And yet.
He considered Leon’s assessment. Laurel would be furious if he dated Rose.
No doubt he’d get an earful about it. But she would probably be civil because dating wasn’t hooking up.
He couldn’t imagine pressing Rose against a wall at a party and giving everyone a show.
That would be for his eyes only. He didn’t even like people checking her out like they had in the hallway earlier.
Plus, dating was serious business, and his sister was a romantic at heart.
Romance books, most with cracked and breaking spines from wear and tear, lined her shelves.
And seeing the social dynamic shift toward Rose would be a great project.
One they could track thanks to social media and the nerdy polls they had on the college’s SnapSocial accounts.
If he could get Laurel behind them being together, it would make Rose’s life easier, and dating her wouldn’t be a hardship for him, especially if it meant making things look real.
Kirin stripped his clothes off and shoved them into his bag before making his way to the showers.
He’d already decided flirting was an acceptable compromise, and he would happily compromise on making out if it meant doing it with Rose.
Their biggest issue, aside from convincing her, was their lack of time.
The season’s start put him in a good position, but the women’s soccer schedule was absolute insanity.
By the time hers freed up, he would be in the thick of his, which wasn’t ideal timing.
He pumped a dollop of shampoo into his palm, rubbed his hands together, and scrubbed it into his hair while he thought. So, dating wasn’t an option; neither of them had the time. Plus, Rose would never go for it.
But fake dating. He rinsed his hair and slicked some conditioner through it before starting on his body. Fake dating was a thing, right? Didn’t Laurel swoon over some fake-dating scheme in a book a few years ago?
Good Lord, why did I retain that?
It was an option, though. They could swing attending a few parties together, make it look real for the social element.
It would keep interest at bay, limiting his temptations, and might satiate his obsession with her.
Touching her for the sake of the show would get her out of his system a lot faster than fantasizing and answering questions.
They could post on the SnapSocial pages to track the interest, and some lunch study sessions to get the written part of their project handled would also serve as another “date” option.
It was do-able. A solid strategy.
They both benefitted.
Kirin nodded, rinsing and then toweling himself dry. This could work. And he’d be able to put Rose in the homework section of his brain.
He could keep her at a distance. Now, he needed to convince his partner.