Out of My Element (8 page)

“Wait, what?” She pulled her feet
away and sat up.

“I have a second room that is
empty. It’s yours if you want it.” I smiled. This was a great idea. I loved
having her here.

“Nick, I can’t move in here. I’ve
already worn out my welcome.”

“Why would you say that?”

“When was the last time you had a
date?” Chelsea cocked her head to the side.

“Have you forgotten? I don’t date.”
Where was she going with this?

“Okay, when was your last booty
call?”

My mouth dropped open. I knew
exactly when that was. It was the night Chelsea had needed me, and I wasn’t
there. “What are you getting at, Chelsea?”

“I’m cramping your style, Nick.
Aren’t you ready to get back to your normal life?” I thought about it for a
minute. To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about another woman in the past
week. I didn’t miss anything.

“Chelsea, I like having you here.
You aren’t cramping my style at all. Please just think about it, okay? The room
is yours if you want it, and I would love to have you as a roommate.”

“If you’re serious, I would love to
be your roommate. Thank you, Nick; I don’t know what I would do without you.”
She leaned forward and threw her arms around me, knocking me back in the
process.

I hugged her back, laughing. “I
told you I’d do anything for you, Chelsea girl. My casa is yo casa.”

“I think it is actually, ‘Mi casa
es su casa,’ Nick.” She giggled.

“Whatever, I’m just glad you’re
staying.” I grinned. I reached down and put her feet back in my lap and started
to rub them again.

About three quarters of the way
through the movie, Chelsea had fallen asleep. Her breathing was soft and
rhythmic, and she looked so peaceful. I moved her feet off of me so I could
take our dishes to the kitchen. When I came back, she had curled up on her side
in a little ball, and I could feel my heart flutter when I looked at her. What
the hell was happening to me? I was becoming such a pansy.

Before I could stop myself, I
leaned down and brushed my lips across hers. I pulled back, thankful that she
didn’t even stir. How would I explain that to her, when I wasn’t even sure why
I did it in the first place?

***

The next week flew by in the blink
of an eye. We moved Chelsea in over the weekend and put her extra furniture and
things in storage until she decided to get her own place. I was secretly hoping
that she wouldn’t find a place though; I really did like having her here.

That was a bit unnerving for me. I
wasn’t used to being so involved with a woman, especially when sex wasn’t even
involved.

“Bye, Nick!” Chelsea hollered from
the kitchen.

“Bye, Chelsea girl!” I heard the
front door close. I finished drying my hair with my towel, wrapped it around my
waist, and stepped out of the steam filled bathroom to get ready for work. We
ran eight miles this morning, and I had never felt better. Not only was I in
better shape than I’d been in since college, but I was having a good time, too.

I could still smell the soft fruity
scent of Chelsea’s lotion as I stepped into the kitchen. Glancing around, I
could see the touches of femininity that were scattered around the apartment.
While that should have sent up red flags, it didn’t. I grabbed a cup of coffee
and smiled when I saw the chocolate chip muffin sitting next to the coffee
maker with a note taped to it:

Have
a great day!  <3 Chelsea

She was so good to me! I picked up
my things and headed out for work with an extra bounce in my step. Life was
good.

Chelsea

I walked across the grassy field
toward the bleachers. The game was under way, and I could see Nick running
around with focus and passion. He was really something to watch. His love of
the game showed through every movement, no matter how small.

I could feel the chill of the cold
metal seat radiate straight through my thin leggings. October had brought much
cooler weather. Nick said they only had a couple more outdoor games before
starting the indoor league. I wrapped my jacket tighter around myself as I
watched the game.

I stood at the bottom of the
bleachers at the end of the game, and smiled when I locked eyes with Nick. We
moved toward each other, and I giggled as he wrapped his arms around me in a
huge hug. He pulled his face back to look at me without separating our bodies.
I could feel his hard chest against mine, and hoped he couldn’t feel my nipples
harden. Why was I having this type of reaction toward him? He was just a
friend, right?

“I didn’t know you were coming!” He
grinned and my stomach dropped.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mention it this
morning. I had to get to work earlier so I could leave early this afternoon,” I
explained as Adam walked up behind Nick.

“Hi Chelsea.” Nick tensed at the
sound of Adam’s voice. “Thanks for keeping my date company, Nick.” Adam smacked
Nick on the back.

“Your date?” Nick looked at me with
raised eyebrows. Shit. I could swear he looked hurt for a moment.

“Um, Adam asked me to go to dinner
with him tonight.” My stomach was in knots as I watched Nick turn from my happy
friend to completely shut down. He was obviously upset, but I didn’t know why.
He had made no indication that he wanted anything more than a friendship, and I
had told him that Adam asked me out. What was the problem?

“Well, have a good time. I’ll see
you later at home.” Nick turned and stalked off toward the locker room.

“At home?” Adam questioned.

I watched as Nick threw the door
open, slamming it against the wall, as he walked through it.

“Um, Nick and I live together,” I
explained.

“Really?” He laughed as he watched
after Nick. “Give me about fifteen minutes and I’ll be ready.” He squeezed my
hand and ran off the same way that Nick had just disappeared.

I sat down on a bench outside of
the building and waited. I felt conflicted. I really wanted to go out with
Adam, but not at the expense of my friendship with Nick. I stood up the moment
I saw him walk out the door.

“Nick?” His phone rang before I
could say anything else, and he held his hand up to stop me from coming any
closer.

“Hey Tom. You guys want to meet me
at the club?” He spoke into the phone, “No, I’m tired of being tied down at
home; I need to get out. I’m as bored as a blind man with no arms at a porn
festival.” He stared at me as he spoke, and I felt like he had punched me in
the stomach. I never asked him to stay in with me all the time. If he had a
problem with it, he surely never indicated it. I thought he enjoyed my company,
but I guess I was reading more into it. Whatever.

The second he hung up the phone,
the door swung open again, and Adam was walking toward me, smiling. I glanced
back at Nick, but what I saw in his eyes was disgust, and in a matter of
seconds, all of the walls I allowed him to tear down were erected again.
Without another word, Nick turned and walked away.

“Are you ready Chelsea?” Adam
touched my arm softly.

I shook my head, trying to clear
it. “Yes, let’s go.” I smiled up at him. He looked at me with such gentleness;
it made me want to cry. The issues I had with Nick weren’t Adam’s fault. He
deserved my full attention tonight, and that is exactly what I was going to do.

“So, I noticed some tension between
you and Nick. Are you sure there isn’t anything going on there?” Adam opened my
door for me. I waited until he got in the driver’s seat before answering him.

“No, there is definitely nothing
going on between Nick and me.” Why did that statement make me feel like I’d
been punched in the gut?

Adam grabbed my hand and squeezed
it. “I’m glad. Ready for a good time?” His smile was huge, and I did my best to
put Nick out of my mind. Tonight was about Adam and me.

***

I lay on the couch, glancing at the
clock again, like I’d done about every fifteen minutes for the last two hours.
It was almost one in the morning, and Nick wasn’t home yet.

My date with Adam had been … nice.
He took me to a cute little restaurant and was attentive and sweet. He was good
company and wasn’t overly aggressive with his affection. Our conversation was
easy and constant. I truly enjoyed my time with him, but I couldn’t get Nick’s
face out of my mind, and when Adam had kissed me goodnight, I couldn’t help but
wish it was Nick. The idea of kissing Nick had thrown me off. I thought I was
past that.
I needed to talk to him. I needed
to know why he was so upset with me going out with Adam, but most of all, I
needed to know if I was the only one who was feeling more than friendship.

I heard the keys jingle in the
door. I sat up so quickly that my head was spinning slightly.  I wanted to get
Nick’s attention when he came in, before he headed to bed. The door swung open,
and he stumbled through with a pair of arms and legs wrapped around him. He
managed to get the door closed before he pushed his blonde guest up against the
wall, kissing down her neck as she moaned and giggled. I was frozen in my spot,
unable to turn or even move away.

“Who is she?” Nick’s head snapped
up, locking eyes with me as his flavor of the week glared at me.

“No one. She just my roommate.” He
took her hand and walked her down the hallway to his bedroom, keeping eye
contact with me until he was at his door. I swallowed the sob that threatened
to escape. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, and I’d be dammed if I
would allow him to see how much his words had hurt me. I stood up and walked
around the couch, glancing back in time to see Nick’s door close. I practically
ran to my room and shut the door, allowing myself to slide down until I was
seated on the floor, where I wrapped my arms around my knees and finally let
the tears consume me.

I’m not sure how long I sat there
crying, but when I heard the doors opening and closing, and the raised voices,
I scurried to my bed. I may have wanted to talk to Nick before, but I didn’t
anymore. I had my answer now. It was obvious that my feelings had become more,
or this wouldn’t have hurt so much. Even worse, his actions and words left no
doubt to how he felt about me. He had said I was no one but his roommate, and
now I knew. I knew where I stood—and it hurt like hell.

I pulled the covers up to my neck
and closed my eyes tightly so the tears wouldn’t start again. I felt raw and the
covers felt almost rough on my exposed skin. I was as sensitive on the outside
as I was on the inside. The soft knock on the door made me catch my breath.
When I didn’t answer, he opened the door.

“Chelsea?” His soft voice was
enough to start the tears again. I concentrated on staying completely still,
hoping he would just go away. “Chelsea, are you awake?”

I didn’t move or make a sound. I
was too emotionally charged to talk to him right now. I could hear him
breathing, and I was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to leave—but he
did. I heard him sigh, and seconds later the door closed.

I pushed my face into my pillow and
cried. How was it possible for your heart to break before you even really gave
it away?

Nick

I couldn’t do it. Damn it, I tried.

I met Trevor and Tom at the club
and did my best to get the vision of Chelsea and Adam out of my head. I slammed
some beers and found the first blonde I saw and invited her home.

I don’t know what I expected when I
came through the door. I had done this same thing more times than I could
count, but this time was different. I was doing it out of self-preservation. I
figured I would screw Chelsea out of my head by being with this girl, but I
didn’t expect to see her sitting on the couch when I got home, looking so
shocked and hurt. She had hurt me by going out with Adam, so I did the only
thing I knew how to do—I hurt her more.

I wasn’t used to caring so much.
After about ten minutes in my room with the blonde, I realized it wasn’t going
to happen. I didn’t want her—I wanted that beautiful redhead down the hall, and
I was pretty sure I completely fucked that up. I sent my “sure thing” home, and
boy was she pissed!

I could hear Chelsea crying through
her door, and it just about killed me. I just wanted to gather her up in my
arms and tell her I was so sorry, but she wouldn’t answer me when I went to her
room. I couldn’t blame her. She obviously wanted me to leave her alone. I stood
outside of her door, listening to her cry, until I was sure she had fallen
asleep. It was only then that I finally went back to my own room.

***

I woke up with the worst headache
of my life, and I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with drinking. I jumped
in the shower, hoping to be able to catch Chelsea before she left for work.

Within fifteen minutes, I was
dressed and ready for work. I headed out to the kitchen to start the coffee,
and realized that she had been there and gone. “Son of a bitch!” I pounded my
hand against the counter, flexing it as it throbbed. 

I grabbed my phone and dialed
Trevor. I needed some advice.

“Good morning, Nick.” He was his
normal happy self. He and Tom were just sickening with their happy,
in-love-all-the-time attitudes. I wasn’t jealous … no, not one bit.

“Are you at work yet?” I quickly
asked.

“Oh, good morning to you too,
Trevor,” he scoffed. My manners were seriously nonexistent at the moment.

“Shit, Trevor, please. I’m fucking
losing it, man,” I groaned. “Have you seen Chelsea this morning?”

“Yeah, she was here when Ava and I
came in.” So, she must have left pretty damn early.

“Did she say anything about last
night?”

“Nope. Nothing other than answering
Ava’s question about her date with Adam.”

“What did she say about it?” My
heart started beating rapidly at the thought of her with him.