Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
With a lopsided grin, I say, “Good morning, Janie.”
Her eyes widen more. “Where are your teeth?”
I look in the mirror, my front teeth gone. I reach into my cup, getting my dentures. I pop them in and then grin at her. “Better?”
A giggle bubbles out of her, but she swallows it down quickly. “I need a cup of coffee.” She rubs her face. “I was hoping it was a dream last night, but I see it wasn’t. How long are you going to be? I have a meeting this morning.”
“Aw, you dreamed about me?”
Her face says no, but the flush on her cheeks says yes. My grin grows as she says, too quickly in my opinion, “Absolutely not.” She meets my gaze. “Are you done?”
“What’s your meeting about?”
Austen’s eyes darken to a caramel color. “I need to pee and shower. Hurry up. Please.”
I shrug, putting my toothbrush back in its holder. “Fine. Since you said please. I did leave you some hot water, roomie.”
I’m out the door before she finally hollers, “You’re not my roomie!”
I just laugh as the door shuts. With a grin on my lips, I get ready for the day. I have a meeting with the coaches and then practice before I work out with the trainer and then Posey. I know Elli wants to see me today too, so it’s gonna be a full day, and Austen needs to be the last thing on my mind. To reinforce that, I ignore the sounds of her getting ready in the bathroom. Also ignoring the fact that she’s more than likely naked in there. I’d have to actually leave to ignore that, though.
Sigh.
After getting dressed in some athletic shorts and a tee, I throw on an old Assassins cap and head out into the living area. I’m making coffee when she comes out in a plain dark business suit. Her hair is in intricate braids that wrap around her head into a bun in the back. She wears bright-green glasses that bring out the gold flecks in her eyes. On her feet, though, are high-top green Nikes. “Very confusing shoe choice,” I mention under my breath, but she hears me.
Her brows perk before coming together. “What?”
“Your shoes. Not what I’d choose for that outfit.”
She gives me a deadpan expression. “Oh, let me go change, then.”
When she doesn’t move, I grin. “Just saying.”
“Don’t know why. It’s none of your concern.”
“As your roomie—”
She grumbles as she pours a cup of coffee.
“—I’m just looking out for you.”
“I don’t need you to. You know good and well I can take care of myself. Thank you very much.”
That she can. “Oh, you are very welcome. But the Assassins women all wear very high heels.”
She meets my gaze. “I’m not an Assassins woman. I am a Bears woman, and we like comfort and not torture when it comes to our shoes.”
Interesting. “Usually, all the women associated with the Assassins match the personality of our leaders.”
“That, again, is very offensive. You must think highly of yourself to just spurt out all these endless, insulting, and highly incorrect opinions.”
She takes a long sip of her coffee, and I hold her gaze. “Why aren’t you on the internet at all?”
“Because I’m a private person.”
“Do you have family?”
“No, I was born from the soil of the earth,” she says dryly. “My mom is a wee fairy, and Dad’s a dung bug.”
I snort. “I’m just asking—since you’re living in player housing and you’re not a player.”
“This is true,” she says, moving to the cabinet to get an insulated cup. I wait for her to add to her comment, but she doesn’t. She fixes her to-go coffee and then heads to her room with not even a look back at me. Of course, I watch her go, her skirt tight over that round bottom. When she comes out, she has on a backpack and a sling purse over her front. She tucks her phone into her purse, and I try to hide that I’m watching her.
I watch her feel around to make sure she has everything, and then she looks over at me, our eyes meeting. “I ordered your replacement Xbox last night. It’ll be ready for pickup around two. I’ll grab it on my way home.”
“Oh, nice. Thanks.”
“Again, I apologize about last night,” she says, and I shrug.
“I happened to find it entertaining.”
She only nods. “Okay. So, are you going to talk to Elli and Shelli about the living situation, or should I?”
“I’m good with our living situation.”
Austen’s eyes narrow. “Okay, but they are both under the impression that we’re staying here alone, not with each other.”
“I don’t want to rock the boat. So if you want to say something, go ahead, but I’m not moving out.”
She presses her lips together. “I guess I’ll look for a place, then.”
“Do you not like me, roomie?”