“I. Can’t. Believe. You. Beat. Me,” Seth complained between breaths.
“Well. I. Did,” I replied breathlessly, hating the way the stitch in my side had my eyes watering.
My phone vibrated against my boob, and I dug into my bra and pulled it out. Seeing Vickie’s name flash on the screen, I ignored her call and stumbled to my feet. Just seeing her name was a reality check I wasn’t ready for, it was the last thing I wanted to be reminded of.
“I have to go,” I said reluctantly. “This was…fun.”
“Fun? Same time tomorrow?”
“Sounds good. And about my prize.” Seth groaned. “I’ve got some stuff on tonight, but how about tomorrow?”
“Give me your phone,” Seth said, sticking out his hand waiting for me to hand it over. Nervously, I dropped it into his outstretched palm and watched as he pressed a bunch of buttons before handing it back. “Now you have my number. See you tomorrow morning, Claire.” He smirked before turning and jogging back down the beach leaving me standing there watching him go.
Watching the sun sparkle off the water, a seagull squawked as the early morning breeze kicked making me shiver. Wrapping my arms around me, I took one last look at the guy who made my blood run hot and checked my phone. Turns out I had a new contact in there – Sexy Surfer Boy. And I couldn’t wait to see him tomorrow. But for now, I had to go home and ice everything otherwise I wouldn’t be moving at all.
I made it home and dragged myself up the stairs. It was incredible how quickly your muscles seized after you’d tortured them.
“What’d you do to yourself, Claire Bear?” Warner asked as I flopped into the lounge with a huge, dramatic sigh.
“Dune running,” I told him with a groan.
“Ew! Why? You know that shit’s hard.”
Warner was one of the four guys I lived with. Being three years younger than Isaac, when I’d decided to leave the farm in the middle of bumfuck nowhere and head for the city, the only way we could convince our parents to go along with my plan was if I moved in with Isaac. Thankfully, he’d agreed and let me move in, not before laying down some very strict ground rules. Rules like what happens in Sydney, stays in Sydney. Not that I could blame him. I could just picture Mum having kittens if she found out how many ‘friends’, he bought home for sleepovers.
But moving in with Isaac meant moving in with his other roommates too. They were cool most of the time, but going from having one overprotective big brother to four overnight took some getting used to. There was Jason, a mechanic who seemed to be permanently covered in a layer of grease but was a real marshmallow at heart. Alfred, who was definitely not Batman’s butler and was the messiest of us all, but he was a tech wiz so as long as he fixed any of our problems and kept the Wi-Fi running, he was the favourite. Then there was Warner. Warner would’ve been hot if he wasn’t in such a tight bromance with my brother. Both were lifeguards, and for people who spent their working hours saving people’s lives, they were incredibly reckless with their own. Warner was the one who encouraged and dared Isaac to do stupid shit like last weekend’s sky diving adventure.
“Oh wait, let me guess…there was this guy,” Warner teased, and I grabbed a cushion and covered my face. The last thing I needed to do was confirm his suspicions.
I’d been living here almost six months now, and the only one time I’d ever mentioned a guy or a date, the four of them had turned into the damn Avengers. There was no way they were letting a guy get close enough to date me let alone to climb in my bed. Bullshit double standards but it wasn’t a fight I was going to win, so I’d let it slide. Besides, until someone came along who was worth the argument, I’d save my breath.
“I’m going for a shower.” I avoided rolling off the lounge.
“Hey, Claire?”
“What?”
“Shouldn’t you be racing around like someone set your arse on fire to get to work? You said that bitch wasn’t exactly understanding if you were late.”
“Yeah, well that bitch fired me yesterday so she can eat a bag of dicks.”
“Oh, shit, Claire. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Warner looked like I’d kicked his puppy. We might not have known each other long, but when I’d moved in, he’d actually given up his bedroom for me and moved to the other end of the house turning the family room into a bedroom. He didn’t have to, and I never would’ve asked, but he did it without a fuss and wouldn’t even listen if I tried to say thanks.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Shit happens. Not much I can do about it really.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked warily, setting his cereal bowl down on the coffee table.
“Honestly? Not a fucking clue.”
“You’ll find something.”
“You sound really sure of that,” I told him, wishing I had his confidence.
“I am. But, Claire?”
“Yeah?”
