Page 44 of Accidental Roommates

“That’s fine. I still want to go. And who knows? Maybe I’ll end up getting a date for tonight.”

“I thought you and I were—“ I stop myself, realizing I shouldn’t assume she wants to spend her Saturday night with me. We agreed to spend the day together. If she wants to go out with some guy tonight, that’s up to her, although the thought of that causes my chest to tighten.

“You thought you and I were what?” she asks.

“Nothing.” I shake my head. “I was just wondering if you’re ready for that. Going on a date so soon after breaking up with your ex.”

“I’m not saying that’s what I’ll do, but if I meet someone I like, then maybe. You should do the same, unless you’re not ready.”

“Guess we’ll find out.” I check the time on my phone. “We should probably leave in a half hour. If you’re done in the bathroom, I’ll take a quick shower.”

“It’s all yours.” She turns and walks to her room, closing the door behind her.

I get in the shower, trying not to think about how great Kenzie looked in that t-shirt. Just a simple oversized t-shirt, but it looked so damn sexy on her. And now she’s in her room, putting on a bikini. I quickly wipe that image from my head and finish my shower. I’ve gotta stop thinking of her that way.

We arrive at the pool just after ten. Before we left, I texted Troy and Jay to let them know I’d decided to show up and that I was bringing Kenzie. She looks really hot, wearing cutoff denim shorts and a tiny white t-shirt. I keep finding myself staring at her, then catch myself and look away.

We pay at the counter, then go through the turnstile and out to the pool.

“Jace!” Brent yells. “Over here!”

Brent’s standing by a long row of lounge chairs with Jay and some of the other guys on the team.

“You can tell they play basketball,” Kenzie jokes. “They’re the tallest guys here.” She glances around, her eyes stopping on a guy as he takes off his shirt. His abs are decent but not as good as mine. And he looks like an ass, an arrogant smirk on his face as two girls go up to him.

“C’mon,” I say, getting Kenzie’s attention. “I’ll introduce you to my friends.”

We walk over there and Jay goes up to Kenzie. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Kenzie, that’s Jay,” I tell her. “And that’s Brent,” I say, glancing at him.

“Hi!” She smiles at them.

“Ready to move out yet?” Jay asks.

She laughs. “No. So far, he’s a good roommate.”

“Give it time,” Brent says. “Just wait until he starts cooking all that health food shit. Stinks up the whole house.”

“That happened one time,” I explain. “And it was because I cooked fresh broccoli instead of the frozen microwaved stuff.”

“His place stunk for days.” Brent’s eyes move up and down Kenzie and he motions to the loungers behind him. “You can put your stuff over there. We’re going for a swim if you want to join us.”

He doesn’t care about swimming. He’s just trying to get her to strip down to her bikini so he can see her body. Even with her clothes on, you can see she has a great body.

I’m looking at her again. At her shapely curves. Those long legs. Dammit, I need to stop.

“I think I’ll wait to swim,” Kenzie says. “It’s not warm enough yet.”

“That’s Dave and Lance,” I say to Kenzie as they walk over to us. They both have girlfriends, but they still check Kenzie out.

Dave comes up to me. “Sorry about what happened. How are you doing?”

I shrug. “It’s over. Time to move on.”

Dave nods. A few months ago, he was cheated on by a girl he’d dated for over a year so he knows my don’t-give-a-shit attitude is all for show. But actually, I’m feeling pretty good today. I think all those pep talks I keep giving Kenzie are starting to make me feel better about my own situation.

“Haven’t seen her yet,” Lance says, referring to Nikki. “But I’m guessing she’ll show up.”

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