“You caught me,” I said. “I’ll light the candles before you arrive.”
“Smart. It will give us m
ore time. Bye, Brooke.”
“Bye, Austin.”
I slipped my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and headed home with a bounce in my step. A one-night stand didn’t often repeat. If we slept together again, we might have something real. Was I ready for that?
* * *
Back at the apartment, my mood soured as soon as I opened the door and walked inside. Jocelyn sat on the couch, her bare feet resting on the arm of my recliner.
“Hey,” she said, taking them down and standing up. “You’re home early.”
“Yeah, I need to get some homework done before tonight.”
“Oh? An extra work shift?”
“No,” I said simply, still upset with her.
“You want to hang out before I go to work?”
“I told you I need to do homework now.”
She frowned, her shoulders slumping.
“Okay. I understand.”
“Do you?” I asked, not ready for one of her self-pity parties. “If you applied yourself a little more, you might actually find life enjoyable.”
“You don’t know what it’s like to be me,” she snapped, defensively crossing her arms over her flat chest.
“No, and I’m glad I don’t.”
As I walked away, I instantly felt bad for saying the words, but she had to learn. My life, for whatever reason, was heading in a good direction. I didn’t want Jocelyn or anyone holding me down. Thoughts of Austin hit me as I entered my bedroom and shut the door.
I turned the lock then dumped my backpack on the floor. Besides, I told myself to alleviate my guilt, I did have homework to do if I was going to be up half the night with Austin. A smile slid on my face at the thought of his name as I sat down at my desk and opened the books I needed to study.
Human Anatomy 101. I giggled to myself. Everything reminded me of sex. After two years of working hard and not having a social life at all, it felt nice to relax and take a break with Austin.
I pushed all other thoughts aside and hit the books, studying hard for midterms which were quickly approaching. Every ten or fifteen minutes, I glanced over at the door to my bedroom, trying to hear if Jocelyn had left yet or not.
She eventually left about ten minutes before her shift started. I rushed through the apartment, cleaning up and striving to make it seem better than it was in reality. Most of the time, I spent in my bedroom, strategically placing candles.
One more night of fun then back to work.
FOURTEEN
Brooke
By the time he knocked on the front door, I had the candles going, smooth elevator jazz playing softly in the background and fresh linen on the bed.
Wearing only a see-through black nightie, I opened the door and smiled at him. He grinned and walked forward, putting his arm around me.
As we kissed, he kicked the door shut. He smelled of shampoo and soap, so squeaky clean. Had practice run late? I didn’t care as his tongue swirled against mine.
I pulled back and looked at him with a serious expression on my face.