Campus Player
“Oh?” He raises a brow as he teases, “are we going somewhere?”
“Yup.” I give him my best leer. “To my room so I can have my wicked way with you.”
It only takes a few steps to get him exactly where I want him. As we reach the threshold of the space, the handle of Sydney’s door jangles, breaking the silence of the apartment.
My eyes widen as I realize that we’re not as alone as I’d assumed. I quickly shove Rowan into my bedroom and slam the door shut. My heart races as a groggy looking Sydney steps into the darkened hallway and blinks at me. She has the look of an animal on the verge of waking from a long hibernation.
“Hey.” She drags a hand through her disheveled blond hair. “What time is it?”
“Ummm,” I glance at my phone, “about eight.”
“Really?” She rubs her eyes. “I was studying, and then decided to take a short nap. That was two hours ago. Guess I was more tired than I realized.”
“Oh. Sorry about waking you. I figured you weren’t home.”
She shrugs before stifling a yawn. “It’s fine. I have a paper to finish up. It’s probably good that it happened.” She gives me a slight smile before shifting her weight and glancing around the apartment with curiosity. “Is someone else here? I could have sworn I heard voices.”
“Ummm...nope!” Well, hell. I really hate lying. Although that doesn’t stop me from sliding my cell from my jeans’ back pocket and waving it around like evidence. “I was talking on the phone.”
“Huh.” Her brows draw together in confusion. “That’s so weird. I thought I heard a male voice.”
“It was my father.” There’s a pause as my mind whirls, and I add with a bit of a nervous chuckle, “You know how loud he is. Must be all that shouting from the sidelines.”
“Yeah,” she shrugs, “I guess.”
The air gets clogged in my throat. I can’t tell if she’s buying my story or not. It would probably be for the best if I change the subject rather than dig my hole any deeper. “I figured you would be with Ethan.”
Her lips sink into a frown. “We’re on another break.”
“Oh.” I’ve lost count of how many breaks they’ve taken in the four-plus months they’ve been together, but it’s a lot. Too many.
She rolls her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the door frame. “Yeah, I know. Something has to change. I can’t keep doing this anymore.”
I hate to say it, but I’ve heard this song and dance from Sydney before. Inevitably, she’ll get back together with Ethan, and the ugly cycle will begin all over again. She never does anything to break the pattern.
When I remain silent, she straightens and switches gears. “I’m starving. I slept right through dinner. Did you eat already?”
“Not yet.” I point to the kitchen and improvise. “I was about to make a PB&J.”
She scrunches her nose. “What are you? Like five? Let’s go out and grab something.”
“Oh.” Ignoring the jab at my favorite sandwich, I glance at my closed bedroom door. There’s no way I can tell Sydney that Rowan is standing on the other side. I mean, I could...but I’m not ready to do that yet. “Um—”
“Please!” She steeples her hands in front of her. “I need you to talk me out of this relationship!”
That’s not possible.
“Please, please, please! I need your wisdom now more than ever.”
My shoulders collapse. “Fine.” Sydney has always been there when I’ve needed her. How can I not do the same?
A big smile lights up her face. “Yay! I miss spending time with you. It feels like you’ve been so busy this past week, and I don’t even know what you’ve been up to.”
Remorse pricks at my conscience. I’ve been spending all my free time sneaking around with Rowan. Honestly, I didn’t think Sydney would notice my absence.
“Let me change, and we can go.”
Before I can respond, she swings away, closing the bedroom door behind her.
There’s a beat of silence before mine is cracked open, and Rowan peers out. “Is the coast clear?”
“Yeah.” Disappointment floods through me. I was really looking forward to spending a little one-on-one time with him.
As if reading my thoughts, his lips twitch. “Guess we’ll have to take a raincheck.”
“It looks that way,” I say with a pout. I’m going to self-combust if I don’t get laid soon.
He points to the wadded-up shirt on the living room floor. “I’m gonna need that before I take off.”
“I like you better without it on,” I tell him.
“You mean like this?” With a grin, he flexes his biceps, and I go a little weak in the knees. I could stare at him for hours. Unfortunately, now’s not the time to get caught up in his body. I scramble to grab the shirt from the floor and toss it to him. He tugs it over his head and covers his chest. Then he smacks a kiss against my lips. “Call me later?”