Page 31 of Accidental Roommates

“Yeah.”

“He’s all yours.”

I lift up just enough to shoot the guy. I miss and the guy shoots back.

“He saw me!” I whisper.

“Go!” Jace whispers back.

“Where?”

“Follow me.” He takes off, hunching down, trying to hide behind the fake greenery as we follow the trail. We round a corner and run into three guys. They all shoot at us so we shoot back. Vests are lighting up all over the place and I lose track of who’s shooting who, which is making me laugh so hard my aim is off. I don’t even know if I’m hitting anyone.

Jace grabs my hand and turns around, running the other way. He stops suddenly and pulls me into a corner of the trail.

“We were ambushed,” Jace says, breathing hard.

“Sorry. It’s my fault.”

“Why is it your fault? I was the one leading us.”

“Yeah, but I’m the one who took that shot when we were behind the rock and gave us away.”

“It wasn’t your fault. That guy probably saw us before you even took a shot at him. That was a great shot, by the way.” He smiles at me. “You’re an awesome partner.”

“Thanks.” I raise my gun as I survey the area, which I can’t really see because this corner we’re in is really dark. So dark that if I were on a date, it’d be a great kissing spot.

But I’m not on a date. I’m on a… I don’t really know what you’d call tonight. A night out with my new friend? New roommate?

“Kenzie,” I hear Jace say.

“Yeah?” I look over at him.

He leans down to me and I’m sure—positive—he’s going to kiss me. And wrong or not, I want him to do it. There’s seriously strong chemistry between us. I felt it when I met him, and I feel it now.

I close my eyes and wait for the kiss. I feel his breath over my lips.

“There’s a guy right behind you,” he whispers.

My eyes pop open. Jace is still in front me, his face next to mine, in the perfect kissing position, but he’s looking behind me, focused on whoever’s about to shoot at us.

“What should I do?” I whisper back.

“Stay still. If he sees us, I’ll shoot him.”

We silently wait. The guy slowly walks past us but doesn’t notice we’re there. I don’t think he even noticed the corner we’re in. Was he really a threat, or did Jace just pretend he was after deciding not to kiss me? Because I swear, he was moments away from kissing me. He even had that look, the one that says he’s going for it unless I tell him otherwise.

Or maybe I’m delusional and just thought he was going to kiss me because I wanted him to. Because I like him, and like how he makes me feel.

Just hours ago, I was a crying mess, and now I’m laughing and having a great time. And it’s all because of Jace.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jace

I said I’m not getting into another relationship anytime soon and I’m not. But this girl. Kenzie. Damn. Why’d she have to come along now? When I’m not ready for a girlfriend. Not ready for anything serious.

If I was ready, I’d date her in a heartbeat. She’s freaking awesome. She’s hot, funny, easy to talk to, and up for trying new things. Like laser tag. Nikki would’ve never done this. She wouldn’t even try it. She’d say it’s stupid and childish, and maybe it is, but sometimes you need something like this to get your mind off shit you don’t want to think about. Or to just kick back and have some fun.

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