Nova: Skip media or I’ll start without you.
Flirting with Clay by text is becoming one of my favorite things.
It’s even better when he’s in Denver and waiting to see him is a matter of hours, not days.
We can’t keep our hands off each other.
But because this is still new and his schedule is beyond demanding, it feels as if there’s still so much we haven’t done.
“UGHHHH!”
The shriek has my head snapping up from where I’m watching TV in the living room.
I’m off the couch the next second, padding down the hall and pushing wide the cracked door.
“Are you dead?”I ask as I scan my roommate’s prone figure.She’s sprawled like a ragdoll, her braids spilling across the duvet and her arms overhead.
“Emotionally,” Brooke pants.
Since rooming together for the past couple of months, we’ve gotten closer.We have our roomie routines, and I love our time together.
Now, Brooke tosses her phone on the bed.“I got this brand partnership and posted it.One of the girls from my sorority DMs me saying, ‘So cute, I wish my brother could get me these kinds of gigs.’”
Her eyes squeeze shut.
I fold my arms.“You know that’s bullshit.You deserve all your success.”
“Obviously.”She chews her lip.“But why do some girls have to tear others down?Like friends aren’t really friends and it’s just a label you slap on people in your social feed through college and at parties.”
From a woman who always seems confident, the admission surprises me.
I cross to her bed and perch on the corner.
“Brooke.You’re kind and funny and thoughtful and smart and the best friend a girl could ask for.I’m lucky to have you, and so’s your brother.”
One eye cracks open.“You mean it?”
I make a decision.
“Come on.Get dressed.We’re going out.”
“But aren’t you meeting Clay after the game?”She sighs, batting her lashes up at me.
“This is more important.”
Her expression brightens.“You want to hang out with me more than your baller boyfriend?”
“Yes, I do.”
I wrap my arms around her shoulders, and a second later, she hugs me back.“Thanks,” she murmurs into my shoulder.
I leave her in her walk-in closet with strict instructions not to come out until she’s wearing something wild and head to my own room to find something.
When I’m flipping through outfits, I hit Clay’s contact and cradle my phone against my shoulder.
“Couldn’t wait?”his low, rumbling voice answers.
“Change of plans tonight.Brooke needs a friend.”
