Page 40 of Ice Ice Maybe
I pointed to my face and joked, “Eyes up here, lady!”
She laughed and closed the bathroom door behind herself.
I dropped the towel and reached for my boxer-briefs.
Suddenly, the bathroom door creaked back open.
“Wait—don’t change yet because—” Zena’s voice cut off with a yelp. “Sorry! So sorry!”
The bathroom door slammed shut again.
I froze, my bare backside on full display and my underwear dangling from my fingers.
“What just happened?” I called out, my face heating as I slid into a fresh pair of boxer-briefs.
“Nothing! I was going to get something out there and I changed my mind.” Zena replied. “And I didn’t see a thing.” Her laughter was drowned out by the shower water coming back to life.
“Right,” I mumbled to myself, sure I’d mooned her.
At that moment, I wrestled with conflicting emotions again. The “why” and “how” of this charade still didn’t sit right with me, leaving a knot of unease in my stomach. But despite my misgivings, I couldn’t deny the unexpected silver lining: spending time with Zena.
Still, as I got dressed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was woefully unprepared for this roommate situation. With the close-calls and mishaps already adding up faster than the check-out at Costco, how were we supposed to navigate the minefield of sleeping next to each other in close quarters? Something toldme that tonight was going to be a master class in self-control, one I was doubtful either of us would pass.
Chapter Eleven
Nolan
Zena and I were sitting comfortably at a private table with two Miller Lite beers at the Circa Casino Sportsbook, the largest sports betting experience in the world and a sports-lover’s dream. The energy was electric, with a thousand people spread across private boxes, booths, and leather recliners, all fixated on the plethora of screens surrounding us.
The place was a sensory overload, with the monitors covering every inch of the walls, showcasing every sport imaginable: rugby, soccer, auto racing, basketball, cricket, you name it. Our eyes were drawn to the massive central screen displaying the Sea Lions hockey game against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
The server approached with our food and placed it on the table. “Two mushroom swiss burgers with seasoned sweet potato fries. Enjoy.”
“Thank you,” I said, reaching for a fry. “We ordered the same thing again.”
Zena raised an eyebrow. “You’re obviously doing it on purpose, to get on my good side.”
“I’m already on your good side,” I said. “And don’t pin this one on me. I’m the one who introduced you to the culinary masterpiece that is the surf and turf burrito at Lucha Libre.And let’s not forget your copycat shrimp linguine order at Island Prime, since I had ordered that before you. Face it, you’re riding my taste bud coattails.”
Zena’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Coattails? Is that what we’re calling it now? Because from what I saw earlier in the room, there wasn’t anything that resembled coattails involved, Mr. Sexy Buns.”
I nearly choked on my beer. “Aha! I knew you peeked! And here I thought you had more class than to ogle a man in his natural state. Did you do it on purpose?”
“I wasn’t ogling, and of course it wasn’t on purpose,” Zena said with a laugh. “I wandered into a surprise presentation of the eighth wonder of the world. It was well-worth the price of admission.”
“Yeah?” I said. “Well, I’ve got your price of admission right here!” I reached over and snagged two sweet potato fries from her basket, popping them into my mouth with exaggerated satisfaction.
Zena gasped in mock outrage. “Fry thief!”
Our shared laughter was interrupted by a chorus of groans, curses, and boos from the nearby booths of Golden Knights fans.
“What did we miss?” Zena asked, both of us glancing up at the screen to see Mitch high-fiving his teammates.
“Looks like he scored again,” I said.
We clinked our beer bottles in celebration.
The TV camera panned to Zena’s parents in the first row, with a graphic identifying “Sea Lions Owner Everett Dalton II.” Next to them, we spotted the couple we’d given our tickets to, cheering ecstatically, then kissing.
