Page 7 of Unfix Me

I was overthinking it. I didn’t even need to do that right now, but I dreaded when it happened. Some of us were all about holding our shit until we got home to do it in peace. That was now nonexistent and I hadn’t appreciated the luxury enough when I had it.

A shower, though, was on my to-do list before my first class. After West and Brooks left yesterday, I couldn’t bring myself to do anything worthwhile. I went to bed at nine like a boomer and, honestly, it was really nice.

Grabbing my toiletry bag and a towel, I left the room. The bathroom was across from my door, which was nice. There was one in each hallway, so at least I didn’t have to deal with everybody on the entire floor. Maybe I could learn when most people used it so that I could avoid them.

Before I went inside, I took a deep breath.

Avoid temptation. Keep your mind pure.

It was a mantra I’d learned when I was thirteen and it always worked. In high school, any time I looked at someone for too long, I repeated it in my head. If a guy’s eyes drew my attention or I found myself watching his muscles flex, I did it again. They told us it might take effort forever, but if we stuck with it, we’d be happier. Better.Fixed.

And I was. Things were so much better than they used to be. My parents were happy and I was too.

With another breath, I opened the door to the bathroom. It was muggy in here and there was steam rising from one of the shower stalls. I headed toward one on the opposite side of the room. As I passed by the occupied stall, I inhaled a scent that reminded me of juniper, but a little headier. I swallowed and picked up the pace.

When I reached the last stall, I hung up my towel on the hook. I stepped inside and stripped out of my clothes before I turned on the water. It was cold at first, making me yelp.

“Next time, heat it up before you get in,” the man in the shower called.

“Noted.”

He chuckled but didn’t say anything else. I rushed through washing my hair. Since I’d agonized over this for so long, I didn’t have much time before my first class.

Was I excited? No, not really.

School was fine and all. I never had problems staying on top of my studies or getting good grades. It was the general lack of interest in any of these fields that made it hard for me to care now that I was here. I worried that I’d find myself regretting my decision to come here.

It was still early. There was no reason to start thinking in worst-case scenarios already.

After turning off the water, I brushed my fingers through my hair. I brought them in front of my face and saw that they were shaking. For a moment, I braced my hands against the wall and took a few deep breaths. My head hurt, but I couldn’t take the time to deal with it right now.

Reaching through the curtain, I grabbed my towel and quickly dried myself before I wrapped it around my waist. When I stepped out of the stall, the other shower shut off. Something in my stomach twisted as I hurried to toss everything back into my bag. I slipped on my sandals and made a beeline for the door.

The man appeared in front of me and I skidded to a halt. He put his hands out automatically, his fingers wrapping around my biceps. His eyes were wide, but there was a slow smile spreading across his face.

“I’m going to start calling you turbo.”

It was difficult to process everything. I knew it was Kai standing in front of me, with his hands on me. I was also very aware that he was in only a towel. It was absurdly low on his hips and looked like it could come untucked at any moment. I kept my eyes focused on his face. From the glint in his eyes, I knew he could see how hard I was blushing right now. It was pathetic.

“Sorry,” I rushed out. “I’ll watch where I’m going.”

“Yeah, I don’t think my dick could handle another beating.”

His dick was going to get thrown up on. He dropped one of his hands but kept the other on my arm.

“You okay, Sen?”

I swallowed hard and nodded. “Just need to get ready for class.”

I jerked my arm away from him and brushed past, careful not to touch him again.

“Hey, I was just fucking with you,” he called after me.

I nearly ran into another guy when I burst out of the bathroom. With a muttered apology, I escaped into my room and closed the door behind me. Leaning against it, I drew in slow breaths, counting to five on each inhale and exhale.

There wasn’t any particular reason Kai should get under my skin, but he had since our first encounter. According to West, he was a really good person. One of the best he knew, in fact. I had a feeling West thought good things about most of the people in his life. He was positive in an unnatural way, but I liked being around that energy. It was good for me.

I could be friends with him without interacting with Kai. Something about him was off, like he had dark secrets or something. That had to be it. Whatever West said about him, I was certain it was all fake. Nobody who looked like that, with his dark hair and unnerving green eyes, was up to anything good.

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