Page 43 of Dear Roomie
“Good.” Discomfort slithers down my spine as he places a gentle kiss on my forehead. “I love you, Ophie.”
“I love you too,” I respond instinctively.
“Go shower,” he tells me, “I’ll join you in a bit.”
He doesn’t need to tell me twice. On autopilot, I flee to the safety of the bathroom, strip out of my dress, turn on the shower, and step under the freezing spray. Only then do I let the tears fall.
Chapter 17
Morgan
Hot sand surrounds me with each sinking step I take, creating uncomfortable friction between the cheap rubber flip-flops and the soles of my feet. I didn’t even own flip-flops until Nathan forced me to buy a pair yesterday.
“I don’t know why I agreed to come with you guys.” This so-called Frat Beach is living up to its name in all the worst ways. The sea of red and black collegiate wear is peppered with random bursts of color from the more festive among the crowd. They neglected to mention that this doubles as a Halloween party.
“You came because you love us,” Nathan slurs as he throws an arm around my shoulder.
“No, he came because he owes us,” Gage corrects.
“Howdo I owe you?”
“You never come out to Cutter’s anymore. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were avoiding us.” He isn’t wrong about me not going out. I don’t have much free time, and I would rather spend the time I have eating pizza and watching “nerd shows” with James. Not that I would tell them that.
“He’s just avoiding you, Gage.” Karis reaches up to tap her middle finger on his chest with a coy smile. “We see Morgan all the time.”
“She’s right,” Nathan adds. “We study together almost every day and try to fit some gym time in at Ramsey a few nights a week. You’re the odd one out, man.”
“We could all get gym time if he would stop dragging his feet and join us at Double Teep.”
“I’m seriously considering it for next semester,” I tell him, but Gage only grumbles; he’s heard it all before. “You can always get a day pass to join us at Ramsey.”
“And spend time surrounded by undergrads? No, thank you.”
“Oh, that’s rich coming from you,” Karis mocks. “Why the fuck are you here, then?” She gestures out to the writhing mass of drunk students that surround us. “This is the definition of surrounded by undergrads.”
“Sure, but someone has to keep your crazy ass company when Nathan ditches us for the redhead and Morgan starts making goo-goo eyes at the roommate from hell.”
“Her name is Chelsea,” Nathan starts to protest at the same time I argue, “I don’t make goo-goo eyes.”
From Gage’s smirk, I’m pretty sure we just proved his point.
“So you’re telling me that if you saw them right now, you wouldn’t run off to join them?” He pauses and folds his arms across his chest, doubt written on his face. We both deny his claim, which only causes him to raise a skeptical eyebrow. “Prove it, then,” he says, turning us both toward a familiar trio.
I notice Chelsea first; her fiery hair whips wildly in the wind, standing out like a beacon against the blue horizon. She dances freely, with Evelyn by her side. The two of them are dressed in the beachwear approximation of Disney princesses—Chelsea as Ariel and Evelyn as Belle. It takes a second pass to find James in the crowd. She’s withdrawn from the group, staring out over the horizon with her arms wrapped around her waist. Her shoulders curl around her in a protective shell, making her seem meek, but the stark white dress she’s wearing doesn’t allow her to hide.
Alarm bells ring through my head. James is a lot of things, but meek isn’t one of them.
Without any thought of Gage’s teasing, I start to make my way toward her, needing to make sure she’s okay.
“Unbelievable,” Gage scoffs, and I freeze mid-step. Nathan keeps walking toward the girls, blindly throwing a middle finger up at him over his shoulder as he goes.
“Come on, old man. Let the kids have fun with their women. I’ll buy you a drink, and we can meet up with them later.” Karis grabs Gage’s elbow and leads him toward the nearest bar. He says something in return, but I can’t hear it over the crowd. She continues to poke at him as they walk away, and even without hearing, I can tell they fall into their normal playful bickering.
The pair disappear into the crowd, and my gaze falls back on James and her friends. Nathan’s got Chelsea wrapped up in his arms while they dance carefree near the shore, and Evelyn dances alongside them. James drifts off to their side, removed enough from them to seem disconnected but not far enough away to be her own entity. She’s a melancholy moon, orbiting their bubble of happiness.
This time, my journey to join them is uninterrupted. Nathan gives me a small nod in acknowledgment but doesn’t move away from Chelsea. I’m not sure what to do next. Do I approach James and ask her to tell me what’s wrong? Do I ask her to dance? Hesitation holds me hostage, and I get caught in an orbitthat mirrors James’s. I try to catch her eyes, but she refuses to look up and meet mine.
The soft touch of a hand on my bicep pulls my attention back to the group. Evelyn is looking up at me, hope shining through in her honied-brown eyes.
