Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 87856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Relationships: 0 for 1 (four, if you count high school boyfriends).
The sound of the door breaks my concentration.
Jade steps inside with a yawn. She hangs her coat on the hook by the door and places her purse over it.
"You're up?" She eyes my spot on the couch curiously.
"Can't sleep," I say.
"You had sex."
How the hell can she tell that?
"You did! Details."
"Why are you so interested in sex?" I ask.
"It's all biology, baby. I thought you'd understand."
If she's referring to me as a fellow scientist, well, that's a first. People in the so-called hard sciences usually dismiss the so-called soft sciences. "We had a nice time."
"And…"
"What else is there to say?"
"Who? When? Where? How? Why?"
"A guy I met recently. An hour or two ago. Here. I texted him. And… do I really need to explain why?"
"What guy?"
"A friend of a friend." That's true enough.
"So, it was a booty call?"
"Basically."
"Strictly sexual. That is how I like it. But you… I don't know."
I raise a brow.
"You're a nice girl."
"No one has ever called me nice."
She laughs. "You can hide behind the combat boots if you want, but we both know the truth, you're a good girl deep down."
"I am?"
"When's the last time you went to a party?"
"I don't like parties."
"Or drank until you threw up?" she asks.
"How is this the definition of bad girl?"
"You're the future shrink," she says.
Not exactly, but, hey, she's trying. "And you're the bad girl?"
"You said it."
I can't help but laugh. Jade is ridiculous. And she's proud to be that way.
"This is a step in the right direction," she says. "If you want the label."
"What else do I need?"
"A lingerie collection bigger than your book collection."
"How is that even possible?"
"Exactly."
Damn, that's a good trick.
"A taste for something weird. It's fine if you're vanilla. But vanilla is vanilla."
"I appreciate the support," I say.
"Is this the first guy you've brought home?"
"I had a boyfriend last year."
"Here."
"I guess."
She nods. "You have seemed… different the last few weeks."
"Different?"
"When we walked to class together, you were checking out every hot guy."
Was I?
"Usually, you're in your head. You barely notice guys. I thought maybe you liked women, but you don't notice them either."
Honestly, I'm floored Jade pays this much attention to me. We're not the type of roomies who sit and talk about boys over ice cream. We occasionally eat together or walk to campus together, but that's the extent of our interactions.
We both enjoy our apartment as a quiet place to host a guest or two, max. And for all her interest in sex, she rarely invites anyone to spend the night.
"Yeah, you just seem… horny, I guess," she says.
"I was focused on finals."
She nods, accepting my answer, but not completely buying it. "Was it good?"
"It was." I didn't know sex could be that good.
"But…"
"But?" I ask.
"You don't look happy about this turn of events."
"He asked if I wanted to see him again."
She stares blankly.
I stare back.
"He was fantastic?"
"Yes."
"And you enjoyed his personality well enough?"
"He's sweet, yeah."
"So where's the problem?" When I don't respond, she moves forward with her assessment. "Oh, I get it. The good-girl thing. After casual sex, you can't face him again. You're embarrassed by your lust."
"I am not embarrassed by my lust."
"By the whole one-night thing. I get it. I had to get over it too."
Really? Jade was once embarrassed by her sexual appetites? That's hard to believe. "It's not that."
"Uh-huh."
"I'm not looking for a boyfriend."
"It doesn't sound like he's looking for a girlfriend."
"What if he is?"
"Did you tell him you want to keep it casual?"
"Yes."
"Then you've done your part."
Maybe.
"You don't have to admit it, but we both know you're horny now. And you love a regular thing."
"I do not."
"You eat the same breakfast every day."
"Lots of people do that."
"And swim laps after class, every day."
When did she notice that?
"If you really do have more energy now that you're past finals, this is the best way for you to do it."
"Maybe."
"Oh, I can use it for my project on human sexuality! We need to find a subject and run an experiment. The professor suggested a self-experiment. But this is better."
"No."
"Okay, fine, but you might as well make it an experiment."
"It was."
"Officially?" she asks.
"Unofficially."
"So make it official."
"I was considering that."
"Great minds."
Jade and I thinking alike? That's scary.
"Really, Imogen. You have time. You have needs to fill. Why not a hookup experiment? That way, it's a success, no matter the outcome."
From a scientific standpoint, sure, but she's not the one risking her heart.
Chapter Five
PATRICK
I wake sore, satisfied, and wanting all at once.
There's a new entry of my favorite online journal.
Hearts and Thorns
The sharp-tongued, witty, vulnerable woman who offers me her heart and soul. She offers it to anyone who stumbles on her site, but when I read her words, they exist for me and me alone.
It's a little odd, following a stranger, but we all do it. We listen to podcasts or buy celebrity gossip magazines or follow influencers on social media.