Read Online The Opposite of Nothing by Shari Slade - Free Book Online Page B

anyway. She kicked a can abandoned on the roadside. The tinny scrape of metal on pavement echoed in the stillness. “What about one of the frats? They have cheap summer rent.”
    “You have serious faith in me if you think I can carry the credits I need living in the land of beer bongs and keg stands. Everyone chill is heading to Europe or the Shore. Maybe I can borrow a tent and occupy the quad.”
    “Campus security would probably give you a hard time.”
    He grabbed her arm, pulling them to a halt. “Hey, what about us?”
    Her heart stopped. No, it crawled up into her throat and attempted escape. Us? She’d hoped. Jessa had said. But she hadn’t thought it would happen like this. So easily. Words. Now was the time for words. “Uh?” It was all she could force out.
    “We get along pretty great, when we aren’t arguing about dumb shit. You’ve got a quiet apartment. And an unoccupied futon. Aw, fuck. Never mind.”
    He wasn’t interested in her, he was interested in her apartment. Shame heated her face. “You want to move in with me?”
    “I’ll be a perfect gentleman. You won’t even know I’m there.”
    What fun would that be? Also, impossible. “My apartment is the size of a shoe box.”
    He raked his fingers through his hair and huffed. “Like I said, never mind. It’s too much to ask. I’ll figure something out.”
    But he wouldn’t. Not this late in the semester. His time was up, and she had the power to help him. She swallowed the last bitter drops of shame and disappointment.
    “No. I meant we’ll be on top of each other. Not, on top on top. Just, I wouldn’t be able to miss you. I’m shutting up now. Of course you can stay with me.”
    “You sure?” He tugged at the sleeve of her cardigan. The slight contact sent a shiver up the length of her arm. She nodded, afraid to say anything else.
    His face broke into a dimple-busting smile, and he scooped her up into a bear hug. Her toes barely scraped the ground. “Great. After finals I’ll haul my shit over.”
    Her whole universe shrank down into the space created by the circle of his arms. This. This was what she wanted. The squeeze of his arms. The warmth of his chest pressed against hers. The two of them, occupying the same physical space. And so much more. “Maybe you should move in sooner. Instead of going hungry in the dorms. You can use my kitchen.”
    He set her down and cocked an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth quirked as he tried to stifle a laugh. “Got any rainbow loops?”
    “Stale Oreos.” She wasn’t going to lie about her homemaking skills. She couldn’t hide that if he was moving in right away. Shit, she wasn’t going to be able to hide anything. Her stomach churned.
    “Close enough.”
    Was it really? She’d find out one way or another.
    * * *
    T ayber fumbled his keys in a rush. He felt lightheaded, like he’d pounded a six pack instead of walked a few blocks. He tripped over a useless lacrosse stick and kicked it across the room. Too much junk. Shit he didn’t even need. He was going to have to pare down to the essentials. Everything that couldn’t fit in Callie’s apartment, or his trunk, needed to go.
    He opened an email from someone he didn’t know, certain it was probably spam. It was worse than spam. Aaron. Stupid public directory.
    I want to make things right. Give me a chance. I’ll stop by your dorm... Blah, blah, blah. He deleted the email without finishing it and noticed Sasha online.
    Tay: My brother found my email address
    Sasha: What did he say?
    Tay: Doesn’t matter. I deleted it.
    Sasha: Really? You aren’t even curious?
    Tay: He wants to apologize.
    Sasha: For what?
    Tay: For being a selfish dick.
    Sasha: ?
    Tay: We’d been talking about leaving forever, but the same way we talked about playing pro ball or winning the lottery. It wasn’t real. Not for me. One day he had a bag full of clothes and a girlfriend with a car running in the parking lot. He promised he’d be back for me as soon