“A bet is a bet, sweet cheeks,” Jude informs.
She shakes her head. “I can’t believe you.”
“Believe it. You bet, you lost, and now you owe.”
“Owe what?” Carly asks.
“Peaches,” Aiden says, shaking his head, giving her a ‘stay out of it’ look.
“Don’t play if you’re not prepared to pay,” Jude advises.
“You’re really gonna make me do this.”
“Not only am I going to make you do it, you’re gonna like it.” He wiggles his brows. “We both are.”
She slumps. “Fine. But I hate you more today than I hated you yesterday.”
“And probably not half as much as you’ll hate me tomorrow. Let’s go.” He downs the rest of his drink and winks at Aiden, who smirks.
“Wait. No. I don’t like this,” Carly says and gets in front of Jude.
“It’s fine, Car,” Ally says, straightening.
“What’s goin’ on here?” I mutter to Dirk.
“Not a clue, but it’s like a soap opera and I can’t tear my eyes away.” He sips his drink. “Make some popcorn, Aid.”
“This guy tricked me into making a sex bet and now I have to pay up. Because he’s a snake.”
“Tricked you? Is that word now a synonym for won? Poor victim,” Jude laughs at her, folding his arms across his chest.
Ally points her nose into the air as she grabs the doorknob.
“You’re not gonna make her have sex because she lost a bet,” Adele stares at Jude with disgust.
“Of course I am,” he rises. “A bet is a bet. Ask her if she’d have made me pay if I’d won.”
Ally glares at him. “Of course I would.”
“What did you bet?” Carly asks.
“If I won, he’d fuck off and leave me alone.”
Aiden scoffs.
“I’m ready,” Jude says and pulls the door open wide.
Ally leaves. Jude follows and shuts the door.
“What the fuck?” Adele gasps. “You guys, do something.
“She wants it,” Aiden says.
Carly glares at Aiden but says nothing.
“You know it, Curly Sue.”
Carly huffs. “What she wants and what’s right for her might not be the same thing. She’s trying to do what’s right for her by asking him to let her off the hook.”
“No, baby, she’s playin’ cat and mouse with a cat who will not play unless he knows he can’t lose. And she knows that. She wants him to catch her. She’s just makin’ the chase as interesting as possible.”
“Something about sticking two good-lookin’ people in the same apartment, huh?” Dirk muses.
I laugh.
Dirk adds, “I should open a side business. Roommate Match dot com. Big Brother style. Stick two people together, manufacture some conflict, and then start a betting pool and see how long before they have sex.”
29
Jada
I get a text alert at three o’clock in the morning. I hear another ding before I get a chance to look at my screen.
Austin: Are you sleeping?
Austin: Sorry if you are. If you read this tomorrow, hi.
Is he drunk?
Me: Is everything ok?
Austin: hi.
Austin: What are you wearing?
I blink in surprise. I sit up and turn the light on.
He has to be drunk.
Me: Would it be creepy if I said I was wearing one of your shirts?
Austin: That would be the popular opposite of creepy.
Austin: *polar.
Austin: Did I wake you up?
Me: I’m awake. Definitely awake now.
I first typed out Would it be creepy if I was sleeping in your bed and wearing your shirt? But I backspaced it out before sending, thinking – too much too soon.
Austin: That’s hot. Wearing my shirt. Didn’t know it’d be hot till I read about it in your story and it was even hotter when I saw it on you Friday.
He thought that was hot?
Me: I’m not actually wearing your shirt but now I know at least one thing you think is hot and I shall be tempted to wear your clothes every chance I get. Btw, you paid me too much on my pay.
Austin: You didn’t expense everything you were supposed to, so I took a guess. Don’t do that again.
Me: What are you talking about?
Damn. My fault that things are no longer sexy because I brought up that my pay was too much. I hadn’t even thought about it Friday, so caught up in the shock of what happened when I came back with the avocadoes and then thinking about Austin and his father being rushed to the hospital.
Austin: You took a cab to me and back with my lunch. That wasn’t on the expense report. You also had $46 in household supplies. I know you spent more than that. Don’t be a martyr.
Me: I told you the food was on me the first week.
Austin: Or I’ll spank you. Sexy martyrs get spankings.
Austin: I was not ok with that.
Austin: The food. Not ok with the food.
Austin: sexy spankings, btw.
Me: So you just guessed on what I spent? I didn’t spend that much. You overpaid me.
Austin: Well, next time be accurate. Accuracy on your expense reports are very important. I’m a numbers guy. I don’t like wrong numbers.