The sound of a cabinet opening and closing in the kitchen makes me freeze, however. Ivy is here. She’s awake, and she’s here. And I’m fucked.
Maybe not. Maybe I can get out of this…somehow.
I cringe as I make my way very stealthily down the hallway. If she catches me sneaking out of her roommate’s room, I’ll never hear the end of it.
Ivy isn’t the type to let crap go either. She’d try to play matchmaker, and honestly, as good as that sounds—because I’m dying to get to know the girl I slept with last night—I don’t know if Sarah would be into it. I have no idea where she even stands concerning relationships. She could be one of those girls who aren’t interested in them until after they have their degree in their hands.
It doesn’t matter. Not in this moment because I have to get out of here without Ivy catching me.
When I get to the living room, I peek my head around the corner and into the kitchen. Ivy has her back turned toward me, hands in soapy water, her red hair up in a bun, and her pajamas all wrinkled. No doubt, she spent the night with Dustin last night and made her way back over when Dustin hit the gym.
I keep my eyes on her, making sure she is completely focused on the dishes before I silently make my way to the door. My heart pounds in my chest, and when my fingers curl around the knob, I open it quickly and step out into the building’s hallway. When I shut the door, I grimace because it makes a clicking sound.
Grinding my jaw, knowing there’s no way she didn’t hear the door shut, I move as fast as I can through the hall, down the stairs, and out to my car. Once I get inside my car, I breathe a sigh of relief. She’ll know that someone was sleeping with her roommate, but she won’t know who. Hell, her roommate probably won’t even remember who, and I admit, that thought stings a little.
I stare at the building for a few more moments. She lives with Ivy. I’ll see her again, and then I’ll introduce myself to her properly and ask her out on a date to get to know each otherbetter. Even if she doesn’t remember me, there’s a chance she might say yes. God, I hope so because I can’t imagine not being part of her life now that I’m a blip in it. She’s far too beautiful to pass up, to let go and pretend that nothing happened between us.
Vowing that this is the plan, I start my car and head out of the parking lot, straight for the gym on the other side of campus. Since it’s a Saturday, and morning at that, the roads are pretty clear, and I get there quicker than usual.
Parking the car, I grab my gym bag from the back seat, head inside, and go straight to the locker room, not giving an ounce of care that I’m shirtless. It’s a gym. People are shirtless all the time.
Once I’m done changing into shorts and a cutoff shirt, I store my stuff in a locker and nearly jog my way out. I spot Dustin right away on the treadmill, so I head to him. As soon as he sees me, however, he lifts his hand and gives me a middle finger.
I chuckle under my breath, hop on the one beside him, and start the machine. The belt moves right away to the speed I set it, and we jog in silence for a few moments before Dustin breaks it.
“Are you not going to tell me what held you up?”
“Jealous that I didn’t give you a kiss goodbye last night?” I send a kiss in his direction.
Dustin scoffs. “I got plenty of kisses last night, and I thank God, in this moment, that none of them were from you.”
I peek at him before looking forward again. “So you got laid?”
He reaches over and playfully shoves my shoulder. “Of course I did. But you’re still not answering my question, and I’m beginning to think that you’re not going to give me the details. What held you up?”
What the hell do I say? That I slept with his girlfriend’s roommate?
At that moment, I nearly jump out of my skin as someone slaps my butt, and hard. A familiar voice booms, “What the hell happened to you last night? One minute, we’re doing shots, and the next, you were gone,” Jacob says.
“Good morning to you too, asshat,” I grumble under my breath, rubbing my backside.
Jacob walks around the front of my treadmill and rests his forearms on the dash. His brown brow lifts, and the weight of both of his and Dustin’s stares has me cracking under pressure.
Jacob is built more like me than he is like Dustin in the body department, but he has a head of blond messy hair that most women find attractive…well, according to him. According to him, it’s the reason he gets laid so much.
Both Dustin and I met Jacob at the gym. One minute, Dustin and I were waiting for our turn on the bench press, and the next, we were talking and getting along with the guy holding us up: Jacob. The rest is history.
Dustin and I aren’t as close to Jacob as we are to each other, but he’s managed to become a big part of our life anyway.
“I left the party,” is all I give them.
“Why?” Jacob asks.
“Did someone piss you off?” Dustin chimes in.
I shake my head, although it’s happened before. I don’t stick around when someone is bothering me, and a portion of the party tends to follow me anyway. “No, nothing like that.”
“Then what?” Jacob presses. “I thought we were having a good time, and then-” Something clicks in his head and his eyes widen. “You left with a girl, didn’t you.”
