Dire(76)

“Uh, this isn’t about being judged.” Why was I even arguing with this weirdo?

“If you change your mind, the offer’s still open.”

“No.” If I hadn’t been exhausted and humiliated, I probably would have done more. It wasn’t until I was curled up inside my sleeping bag that I started to beat myself up about how I wished I was the kind of girl who would have slapped him. I just wasn’t, at least not when I was sleeping in some crappy apartment in a city I’d never been to before. The trip was definitely epic—epically awful.

I remained staring at the wall until I heard Shaun’s door close.

“Want me to hurt him for you?”

“What?” I whirled around quickly, but since I was in the sleeping bag that meant I ended up half on the floor. I say half, because a guy gently helped me back onto the couch.

“Who are you?” The room was dark enough that I couldn’t really see his face. Could things get any worse? First the most attractive guy I’d ever seen rejected me, then a weirdo groped me, and now this?

“I’m Duncan. I live here. I’m guessing you’re here with the girl who’s in Chad’s room?”

“Uh, yeah.” All right, hopefully this roommate wasn’t as pervy. Shaun had called him weird, but I no longer trusted his judgment.

“You didn’t answer my question.” He just stood there. I tried to get a better look at him, but in the nearly absent light I couldn’t make out all of his features.

“What question?”

“Want me to kill him?”

The question had to be a joke, but he said it completely serious. He’d stepped closer to the window so I got a quick look at his face. He wasn’t bad looking—he had nothing on the Blond though. Not that his attractiveness mattered. “I think he can live to see another day, but if he goes near me again I might change my mind.”

“Ok, suit yourself.” Duncan turned and walked away. I heard a door open and close, and repositioned myself in an attempt to actually get some sleep.

To keep my mind off the horrible night, I started going through the list of work I’d have to do when I got back to campus. Somehow my tedious assignments were relaxing to contemplate. Despite the craziness of the night, I eventually fell asleep.

The next time I woke up, no one was copping a feel, but Shaun was sitting in a chair staring at me, and he was only wearing a pair of briefs.

I groaned. “What part of stay away from me don’t you understand?” I pulled the sleeping bag tighter around me.

“I’m just sitting in my living room.”

“Staring at me.”

“It’s not like I’m jacking off in front of you.” There was something in the way he said it that made me think he’d done that in his room not too long before. So much for the polite gentleman. Between the near nudie pictures, the groping, and now the jerking off comment, I was pretty sure his entire personality the day before had been an act.

“Lovely image.” I unzipped my sleeping bag.

He smiled. “Yeah? You like it?”

“Oh my god. No. I was being sarcastic.” I picked up my duffel “Now if you’ll excuse me I’m taking a shower.” The thought of using a shower in that apartment scared me, but I desperately needed to wash away the remnants of the horrible night. I hoped there was a good lock on the bathroom door.

“Want some company?” He called after me.

I spun around. “Are you serious?”

He smiled sheepishly. “You can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“Yes, I can.” I headed toward the bathroom. I needed to get changed and out of that apartment as soon as possible. I had a feeling that Reyna wasn’t getting up for a while, but that didn’t mean I had to wait around.

“Man, you like this hard to get stuff.”

“It’s not playing hard to get, it’s telling you to get lost.” I didn’t bother turning around. I didn’t want to encourage him at all.

Thankfully the lock was a strong one, and the water was hot. I gave myself a few minutes to enjoy the spray before drying off and getting dressed. I brushed out my wet hair and tied it back into a low pony tail. That would have to do.

I braced myself for facing Shaun again when I opened the door to the bathroom, but he was nowhere to be seen. I let out a sigh of relief. I grabbed my purse and camera and stowed the rest of my stuff behind a chair. I glanced at the microwave clock in the kitchen on my way out. Eight thirty. Hopefully I’d find something to do that early on a Saturday morning.

I had no real idea of where I was going, but I assumed my best bet was the streetcar the guys had pointed out the night before. If I got on heading downtown, at least I could explore the city and get something out of the trip.