“Hey,” she said, dropping down in the seat next to me.
“Hey,” I said back, trying not to sound annoyed.
“Do you and I have a problem?” she asked.
“Are you always so blunt?”
“Yeah, I find it saves time.”
That actually got a smile out of me. “No, we don’t have a problem.” So, that might have been a half-truth, but I was trying to make my life easier, not harder.
“So, what was your problem at dinner last night?”
“I didn’t have a problem,” I lied.
“Yeah, sure you didn’t,” she said sarcastically. “You didn’t even notice the hot blonde at the next table trying like hell to get your attention.”
“Just had some things on my mind. No big deal.”
“Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll figure it out eventually,” she said, with a smirk.
“You know you can be very irritating?”
“I know,” she said. “But either you love me or hate me. Which side are you on?”
“I haven’t decided, yet,” I said, truthfully.
That just made her laugh.
The professor came into the room and spent a few minutes telling us about what to expect for the class. I didn’t pay much attention, until she said we’d have to find a partner for the whole semester. Before I could even think about it too much, Karma was talking to me.
“Looks like you and I are going to be partners,” she said.
“Huh? What? No.”
“Um, yes,” she said stubbornly. “Would you rather have that ditzy blonde over there?”
I looked to where she was pointing and shuddered. She looked like the clingy type. At least with Karma, I knew what I was getting.
“If we do this, don’t expect me to do all the work,” I told her.
She laughed then proceeded to start speaking to me in fluent Spanish. I had to admit that I was impressed.
“Where did you learn that?” I asked.
“I’ve been taking Spanish since seventh grade and have friends back home that are Mexican. Truthfully, most of what I know I learned from them.”
“Okay, I’ll let you be my partner,” I told her, and she just rolled her eyes at me.
I could do this. Karma was just another girl. We had a few classes together. She was in our circle of friends. Now all I had to do was pretend I never had her hot body pressed up against mine. Fuck, I was so screwed.
Chapter 4
Karma
I was still laughing about getting Bodie to be my partner, when I walked into my dorm room hours later.
“What’s so funny?” Kayleigh asked.
“Bodie and I have to be partners in Spanish for the whole semester,” I told her.
She looked confused. “I don’t see why that’s funny.”
“I think he’s trying to avoid me, but I won’t let him.”
“Um … okay,” she said, but I could see she still didn’t get it.
“You know me and my strange sense of humor,” I told her.
Kayleigh just nodded. The truth was, I liked Bodie as a person and since Kayleigh and Major looked to be a forever item, I thought it was time we got to know each other better … with clothes on. I was doing my best to forget that night, but it was proving more difficult than I thought it was going to be. At random times, I found myself thinking about what his head looked like between my legs and the feel of his sweaty body when he collapsed on me.
Later at practice I’d messed up on my third dive in a row.
“Karma,” Coach Everett yelled. “Get your head in the game. We have a competition in less than two weeks.”
“Someone is bitchy,” Gabbi whispered to me, when I got out of the pool.
“You mean Coach Everett?” I asked. She nodded. “No, she was right. I’m not doing my best today.”
“I thought your last dive was great,” she told me.
“I over rotated so I didn’t land right. I need to do better if we’re going to beat Greenfield College. I hear they have a really good team this year.”
“What are you doing after practice?” Gabbi asked me.
“Probably just hanging out. Why?”
“I found this great coffee shop a few blocks off campus and I wondered if you wanted to grab a coffee later?”
“Sure. Any hot guys work there?”
“I’ve only been there once and it was a girl at the counter, but here’s hoping,” she said, with a grin and her fingers crossed. “Tell Kayleigh she’s welcome to join us.”
“Sure thing.”
When practice was over, I mentioned coffee to Kayleigh. I was shocked when she agreed.
“No plans with Major tonight?” I asked.
“We’re not together all the time,” she said. “And besides, I need to make more friends remember.”
I smiled at her. “Yeah, I remember.”
We met Gabbi in the dorm lobby at 6:30. We decided to take my car to the coffee shop since we’d all just worked our butts off at practice.
“It smells heavenly,” I said, when we walked in. “Dibs on any hot baristas.”
Kayleigh just shook her head and Gabbi looked like she didn’t know what to say.
“She’s serious,” Kayleigh told her. “Karma is the female version of a player. She loves a whole lotta man flesh.”
Gabbi burst out laughing. “You two are great. I wish I had a close friend here.”
“We were super lucky to get to come here together,” I said, meaning every word.
I stepped up to the counter and looked into a pair of deep brown eyes.
“What can I get for you?” he asked, with a really nice smile.
I was about to open my mouth when Kayleigh interrupted me. “He means coffee Karma. Save the R-rated stuff for later.”
“Party pooper,” I said, with a pout.
“Yeah, I know,” she said, smiling.
I was a good girl and ordered a sandwich and caramel latte, but I’d definitely be flirting with the gorgeous man in front of me later.
After all three of us ordered, we found a table in the back. It turned out that Gabbi was a lot of fun. Kayleigh was happy to find out that they had a class together and I was happy she was making new friends.
By the end of the evening, I had a date with the hot barista and the three of us decided to make this a weekly thing.
“So, when is your date with Hot Barista Guy?” Kayleigh asked, when we got home.
“He has Thursday night off, so he’s going to take me to dinner.”
“Just be careful okay?” she said.
“Always,” I told her. “But until then I think it’s time to get out my toy box.”
“Karma, we’ve had this discussion. I do not need to know when you’re going to do that.”
“I know, but it’s so much fun watching your face. You’d think with all the sex you and Major are having you’d lighten up a little.”
“I’m working on it.”
“I know you are my cute and crazy girl.”
“You’re so strange,” she said, with a smile.
“But you love me anyway.”
“You know I do. Do you need in the bathroom? I’m thinking a hot bubble bath sounds awesome right now,” Kayleigh said.