“I—uh—forgot where they keep the backstock,” I answer.
“Backstock?”
“Do you ever buy two deodorants at once? Just to make sure you have one waiting in the wings?”
Her dark brows knit. “Uh… Yeah. I guess. If there’s a sale or something.”
“The owner I’m housesitting for is gone for a couple months, and they have a stock of things down the hall. I couldn’t remember where they said they were.” I hope my lie is convincing.
It must be because Larissa directs her attention from me back to her phone. “Oh, okay. Well, whatever gets us out the door because I don’t want to be late.”
I step back, doing a once-over in my mirror as I shove the deodorant into my purse. “Same. I think I’m done.”
When I turn to face her, she’s full of nothing but compliments. And as quickly as we appeared at Ty’s front door, we’re gone again. Leaving him alone and full of longing behind his bedroom door.
“Can we get a shot of the girls over here?” someone with a camera asks.
I smile and follow along as Larissa and our captain walk to the edge of a trail with the other Kings cheerleaders. Ty and the football players are busy answering a few press questions, trash bags dangling from their fists. Cheerleaders and players partnering together for special events—especially community-oriented ones—isn’t unheard of. It’s not considered fraternizing because it’s an organization-wide event. I’m just grateful that I have yet to spot anyone from trivia night besides Ramiel. As the quarterback, he’s in high demand, and most of his time has been spent giving statements to various media outlets. Even now, as both players and cheerleaders are being corralled into a clearing by some local news station, he’s off on his own, twenty questions deep in an interview.
Ty stands ten feet away, and as much as I want to gawk at the way his shirt clings to his biceps or how the gentle breeze ruffles his golden hair, I can’t. So I turn my head, diving into a conversation with the girls as Ty and I pretend that the other doesn’t exist. Every now and then, I swear his eyes stray our way. I can’t believe he’s so close. Every time I spot him, it’s like my brain is registering it all over again.
Ty is here. We made out against his door. And now we’re here acting like nothing happened.
A heat wriggles through me, settling in my cheeks. When I asked him about being roommates that make out sometimes, it was a rhetorical question. A joke at best. Movie night was supposed to be a one-off situation. He was never supposed to be my forbidden dateto the masquerade. Somehow, we keep finding ourselves in these predicaments. The idea of being roommates who kiss on occasion and move on and don’t let things get messy… It’s impossible. Still, a little voice slithers into my head, whispering,but what if it isn’t?I pop a hip and pose with the other girls, my outer appearance perfected for the camera but my brain a frenzy of circling thoughts.
After my second tryst with Ty today, I’m starting to wonder if we could come to some sort of agreement. I mean, we’re here right now. Working together. I let my eyes slip to where he stands across the trail, and my heart races when I find his already locked on me. He holds my gaze, and my pulse soars. We linger there for a second too long, and Larissa has to nudge me back to the present. Beveling along with the other girls, I plaster on my cheeriest smile. In my peripheral, Ty smirks and turns away.
Avery, you dumb little duck. No. Making out with your roommate and going about your life like nothing ever happened is impossible. You can’t even look at him without nearly collapsing.
As much as I want to believe that’s not true, I know it is. Because two times is already too much. It’s all I can think about. Me draped over Ty’s lap as the movie drones on in the background, his fingers gliding over my skin… My back pressed against his door, Ty’s warm breath filling my senses…
“Avery?” Larissa asks.
“Huh?” I turn to face her, and she’s already ten feet away.
“We’re going to clean up over here for the last twenty minutes. You joining?”
I hesitate, looking for my trash poker. “Yeah, I’ll catch up.”
Searching the campground, I finally spot it and my garbage bag on the picnic table beside where the players and the press are set up. One of our linemen backs up, unknowingly blocking my path. Ty steps around him, reaching for my stuff as my choreographer trots into view. For a moment the three of us freeze. Ty’s eyes flash from mine to Stacey’s then back to me. She reaches out, grabs my cleanup accessories, and hands them to me. Clearing his throat, Ty sits like that’s what he had meant to do all along.
“Avery, why don’t you come with me for the last few minutes?” Stacey turns, her blunt bob swinging around her chin.
“Oh, yeah! Of course,” I answer.
I don’t cast another glance over my shoulder because all I can think about is why she would need to talk to me specifically. A panic ricochets through me. There’s no way she knows about me and Ty, right? I’ve been so careless lately. I even took my teammate to his house today for goodness’ sake. Another thought storms through my head. What if there were pictures of trivia night? Or worse… of us dancing together at a public event?Avery, you might be one of the dumbest people I know.I’m in agony until we stop somewhere along the edge of the path, next to a flowering bush. It’s California sage, I believe.
“How are you, Avery?” she begins.
“Great. Excited to be here, thanks for asking.”
She smiles with her mouth, but nothing else about her face lifts. “I just want to check in with my girls every so often, especially after our last chat.”
An unsettling shiver rolls down my spine.
“Don’t look so worried!” She checks over her shoulder, lowering her voice. “Don’t forget, we’re more often than not on camera at these types of events. I just noticed you seem a little off today. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s peachy, Stacey.” I brush a stray hair from my eyes. “I might just be a little dehydrated or something.”
