Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 79870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I glanced over at the others and noticed that Jason was watching us, which was amazing because he was deep into a kissing sesh with the girl he’d been talking to. He had his hand wound into her long hair while his tongue worked lazy circles against hers, but his eyes were fixed on Chelsea and me. Jesus Christ, couldn’t he just forget about my sex life? It was as if he had appointed himself my official matchmaker, and it was his sworn duty to make sure I got enough action.
I knew he meant well, and he worried that I was lonely, but the fact that I had shit to hide made his concern feel more like prying. Already I was dreading the third degree I knew was coming, because there was no way Jason would just let a thing like that pass without comment. He’d make a big joke out of it, rag me hard, demand details of a hookup that wasn’t actually happening. But I’d deal with that when the time came. Right now, this had nothing to do with Jason, so I looked away from him and continued bonding with my fellow outcast.
Without saying anything, I pulled out my phone and circled my arms around Chelsea so that the phone was in front of her face as she lay against my chest. Then I navigated to my photo album. I had to scroll through a number of photos of the mansion and the gym, my training partners, the girls including Chelsea. I’d chronicled every significant detail of camp so that I could blog about it like Jamie had encouraged me to do.
I flipped through those images without pausing until I found what I was looking for. The first image was a selfie I’d taken of Jamie and me at the airport in Vegas, getting ready to board our flight to his parents’ house. We were both smiling and happy, but just looking at the picture no one would have guessed we were anything more than best friends. I paused on it long enough for Chelsea to get a good look, then I moved along through several random shots of Jamie. I had captured him eating, working out, flushed and sweating just after a run, delightedly flipping me off, sexy and freshly washed in nothing but a towel, and working at his computer wearing his glasses.
And then I hit pay dirt: a photo I’d taken of him sleeping. He looked so damn young, his lashes dark against his smooth cheek. The sheet was pushed back until it barely hid the goods, showing off the mouthwatering ab muscles that had really begun to emerge.
There was no mistaking the sentiment behind the photo. It was a glimpse into the heart of my attraction for Jamie, and the memory of the feeling was so powerful that it made my heart skip a beat. Chelsea sensed it, too, because she cranked her head around and looked at me, searching my eyes. Then she smiled, letting me know that she understood. In that moment she and I were friends. We’d never spoken a word to each other, yet we’d probably communicated more in those few silent minutes than our housemates had during the entire week.
Exposing myself to help someone else’s feeling felt good, and I decided that no matter what happened, I was glad that I did it. She and I lay there on the sofa for a while, taking turns playing mind-numbing apps on my cell phone, content in the knowledge that we may have been outsiders, but we were outsiders together.
Eventually, she and I both got up and shuffled off to bed at the same time. Let the rest of them speculate if they wanted. I was beyond caring. Chelsea left early the next morning, but before she did, she found me and gave me a big hug.
That night, we were in the living room again. Same scenario as the night before, minus Chelsea. I watched the couples interacting and found myself wondering if they would keep in touch after camp, or if the entire thing was just a matter of convenience. I really wondered who the girls were, if they’d been hired, or if they were just fighter groupies, friends of Ray… I had no clue, and I wasn’t about to ask.
I was getting used to the sounds of the house, the laughter of the girls, the low murmur of the guys talking, the splashing when they decided to take it out to the pool. We’d settled into a routine, and I suspected I might miss it just a little bit when it was over.
Earlier in the evening, Jason had ribbed me about Chelsea just like I’d expected. “Dude, I saw you two getting cozy on the sofa, and then she took off this morning. What happened? She couldn’t handle that monster dick?”