Page 24 of Dear Roomie (Classic City Romance #1)

Morgan

H ot 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.

“How do 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 orbit that 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.

“Hey, Morgan. I’m really glad you’re here.” She bites on her lower lip and glances down at the ground to hide her blush, but she doesn’t let go of my arm.

“Oh…I…hi.” My hand makes a pass through my hair as I stumble over my words. “It’s good to be here. It’s been fun.”

“That’s good. Fun is good. I’m also having fun…

” She lets out a nervous chuckle and looks up at me from under her eyelashes.

“I-I was wondering if you would maybe like to dance with me,” she asks, the words coming out in one long nervous stream.

Her hand trails along my arm, and the sharp edges of her nails dig into my skin, causing it to crawl with goose bumps.

I have to fight the impulse to jerk my arm out of her grasp.

This is flirting, right? How do I deal with flirting?

“I…uh…sure,” I agree, and the look of pure joy that overtakes her face is like a punch to the gut. Everything about this feels wrong, but I don’t know why. Putting my reservations behind me, I let her lead me out toward our friends and dance.

She moves with that same fluid grace that she displayed the first time I saw her at Cutter’s.

It’s a stark contrast to the normal timidness I expect from her.

She seems like a whole new person when she dances, and I’ve got to admit that confidence looks good on her.

My own movements are stiff and clumsy in comparison.

I try my best to keep up, but it’s clear I’m way out of my element here.

She doesn’t seem put off by my lack of skill, though.

She is all smiles as she guides me through it.

Racking my brain, I try to remember anything I could use to start a conversation, but nothing comes.

I know we’ve talked before, but my brain is short-circuiting.

Between James’s behavior, Evelyn’s advances, and trying not to make a fool of myself by tripping over my feet, there isn’t any room left for me to remember how to make small talk.

Thankfully, she doesn’t let me flounder for too long.

“I’ve noticed you haven’t been coming out with Nathan much lately.”

It really isn’t much to go on, but I’ll take what she gives me.

“It’s hard to find time to go bar hopping with my classes. Plus, that’s not really my scene.”

“That’s a shame. I’ve missed having you around.

” She wraps both her hands around my neck and pulls her body flush against mine.

My hand grabs her waist on instinct, and she beams up at me.

“Maybe we could find something to do together that’s more your scene, then.

” She all but whispers the words in my ear as she grinds against me.

Did she just ask me out?

I stumble over her feet, and she pulls back, ungluing herself from me. It gives me a second to think over her offer. She’s cute, and she’s a nice girl, but there’s something missing.

She isn’t James.

I don’t know where the thought comes from, but it sinks its barbed claws into me and refuses to let go.

The sharp realization makes everything crystal clear, and disgust coils deep in my gut, not at her but at myself.

I wrench myself away from her hold. Indulging her attention feels like the coward’s way out, like I’m stringing her along.

It’s not like James will ever be mine, but it’s unfair to Evelyn to entertain the idea of dating while I’m pining after someone else.

“I don’t know if that’s a great idea,” I tell her, then grimace at the look of disappointment that flashes across her face.

Her focus shifts to something over my shoulder.

I turn to follow her gaze and find my roommate watching us with cutting focus.

The remnants of melancholy still seem to hover around her, but she’s standing taller, more sure of herself, more like the James I know.

If looks could kill, my she-devil would have murdered us where we stand.

Evelyn looks between us both for several seconds before she comes to the same realization I had just a moment before .

“Oh, I see,” she says, stepping back to make the space between us even larger.

“Evelyn, I’m sorry. It’s not—”

“No, it’s fine. I totally get it,” she interrupts.

“There is nothing to get. She’s with Tanner, and—”

Evelyn lets out a bitter laugh. “She deserves better than Tanner. Did you know he stood her up today?”

“He did what?” My tone is sharper than intended, but I can’t contain the spark of rage that her words ignite. That explains why James currently looks like a hollow version of herself.

“He was supposed to meet us at the hotel hours ago but hasn’t shown.

” Her face scrunches up for a second, as if just thinking about the man puts a bad taste in her mouth.

She shakes it off and gives me a nudge in James’s direction.

I start to reply, but she cuts me off with a shake of her head. “Go talk to her.”