Until Then (Cornerstone Book 2) (3 page)

The third roommate.

“You’re back!” Maggie exclaimed. “This is Emma, our other roommate.”

“Hi.” Michelle gave her the same weak smile she had given Maggie earlier. She was always so uncomfortable around other girls.

The girls rambled on about themselves while Michelle listened. Maggie was from the town of Hastings, an hour south of Cornerstone. She was there to study photography, which explained her fancy camera. Emma was from a town called Bucyrus in Ohio, and she had always dreamed of becoming a teacher, like Anne of Green Gables.

“Who?” Michelle asked.

“You’ve never read Anne of Green Gables?” Emma asked.

She shook her head. She had never heard of it.

Apparently, Emma and Maggie had both read and loved this series of books, and they went on and on about the movie adaptation, which was their absolute favorite.

Michelle had never been one to open up to complete strangers, especially girls, but she knew she would be living with these two for at least the next nine months, so she gave them the basics — from Chicago, only child, undeclared major.

They accepted her brief background then shared about their families, friends back home, and things they enjoyed.

This was not something Michelle knew how to do. She’d never really had girlfriends, and if this school had permitted it, she would have preferred to live in one of the dorms with the guys.

The guys.
She suddenly glanced over at the clock.
Simon.

Michelle moved to the shared closet and opened the doors to an abundance of colorful shirts, skirts, and dresses. Both of her roommates were so very girly, which was a foreign concept to her. They had filled the shelves with makeup, curling irons, and hair spray. Besides a little lip gloss, Michelle hadn’t worn a touch of makeup in her life, and her portion of the closet was drab and minimalistic in comparison to theirs. She had a handful of t-shirts, athletic pants and shorts, a few neutral-colored sweaters and skirts, and some blue jeans. Her clothing took up a small section, while theirs overflowed. It was overwhelming evidence that they came from very different worlds.

She grabbed some fresh clothing and her shower caddy and started in the direction of the communal bathroom at the end of the hall.

“What are you doing tonight?” Maggie asked before Michelle stepped out of the room.

“I thought I’d check out The Skillet.”

“Oh, that sounds fun.” Maggie’s response hung in the air as if awaiting an invitation.

Michelle sighed. “You guys should come along.”

Emma clapped her hands happily. “Our first night out together as roomies. I just know we’re gonna be the best of friends.”

“Girls night!” Maggie announced.

Michelle shook her head and walked to the bathroom. Her biggest concern leading up to college was not about who she might live with, but the fact that she had to go in the first place. She hadn’t really thought through how it would be to have roommates or what they might be like. She assumed they wouldn’t get along simply because she didn’t get along with other girls. She hadn’t entertained the idea that they might like her or that she might actually like them, too.

The Skillet was bursting with students snacking on greasy food and pop. Michelle scanned their faces for Simon and spotted him across the room.

He stood and waved to her. His table looked completely crowded with his roommates and several other guys.

Michelle took note of his jeans and green polo. Much better than the sweaty t-shirt and shorts at the gym, although he looked pretty good in those, too.

“I’ll be right back.” Michelle left Maggie and Emma in line for food.

“Hey!” Simon greeted her. “Good thing I brought friends.” He nodded toward the girls waiting in line.

“I’m gonna have to take a rain check,” she told him.

“Your friends can join us, too.” He looked across the room at them again.

“My roommates wanna have a girls night and … bond or whatever.” This was probably the first time in her life she had turned down a guy to hang out with girls instead.

“Oh, no problem,” Simon said. “I’ll catch up with you later then.”

“OK. See ya’.”

Michelle rejoined the girls in line.

“Who’s that guy you were talking to?” Emma asked, her eyes aimed in Simon’s direction.

“Simon Walker,” she replied. “I met him at the gym today.”

Maggie glanced across the room at the guys. “Did you wanna sit with him?”

Michelle shook her head. “No, that’s OK.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah … let’s bond.” Michelle almost laughed aloud at her uncharacteristic words.

Emma did her happy clapping again.
Cute as a button
.

The roommates sat for hours munching on cheese fries, chatting, and getting to know each other. Michelle found it to be a lot less painful than she thought it would be.

Maggie gushed about her love of photography. She asked if she could use the two of them as guinea pigs if she needed models for class assignments. Emma delightedly agreed. Michelle not so much.

Maggie also shared about her beloved church youth group, her best friends, Kay and Brooke, and her best guy friend, Ben. Her voice turned soft and sweet when she mentioned him, and Michelle had a feeling there was more to it than Maggie had revealed.

Emma was a PK — Pastor’s Kid. She had grown up in the church and seemed to be the most perfect example of a pastor’s child that Michelle could have imagined. She came from a big family with lots of siblings, several younger than her, which was one of the reasons she was so drawn to the idea of teaching elementary aged children.

Michelle was actually enjoying the girls’ stories.
So this is bonding.
She even found herself opening up more as time went on. She told them about her love of basketball, the guys back home, and her parents divorce, but she completely skipped over anything relating to her partying ways or what life was really like for her in Chicago.

At the two-hour mark, Maggie excused herself to go back to the room. She was expecting an important phone call that she did not want to miss.

Michelle noticed Emma’s gaze wander to the guys’ table again. They were still there, talking and laughing with some girls who had joined them.

“Emma?”

Emma turned her attention to Michelle. “What?”

“Do you wanna meet the guys? Is that why you keep looking over there?”

She blushed a little. “Your friend, Simon, is really cute.” She couldn’t contain her smile.

Michelle wouldn’t tell Emma, but she completely agreed. Simon was definitely good-looking.

They tossed their trash in the nearby can and moved in the direction of Simon’s table. Michelle was overcome with hesitation. Emma was adorable with a cheerfully sweet personality, and all it would take was an introduction for Simon to instantly fall for her.

“You go first, Michelle,” Emma spoke timidly, “since you already know him.”

Michelle could tell Emma was nervous and probably had no experience with guys whatsoever. She was the epitome of a good girl.

“He won’t bite,” Michelle told her.

Emma giggled. “I know that.”

Michelle strolled up to the table, and Simon’s face lit up when he saw her.

“Hey! You decided to join us after all.” He found a couple extra chairs from a nearby table and squeezed them in among the already overcrowded table.

“Who’s your friend?” he asked with a smile, his eyes locked with Emma’s.

“This is my roommate, Emma.” She could tell by the look on his face that he was already smitten.

He took his seat again and patted the open chair next to him. “You can sit by me, Emma.”

Emma happily sat down, her gaze holding his.

Michelle sighed, knowing she had lost him. She took the empty chair between Emma and Wes.

“Hello again,” Wes said. “How was the rest of your day?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Fine. How ‘bout you?”

“Very good. Did you girls get all settled in?”

“Yep. Home sweet home.” She faked cheerfulness.

Sean leaned forward and looked around Wes. “I hear you’re pretty good with a basketball.”

“Pretty good, huh?”
Oh, man, his eyes are so blue
.

“Well, Simon said you’re a pretty good shot.”

“Ha!” she exclaimed loudly. “Simon got his butt kicked. Did he tell you that?”

“
Ohhh
!” several of the guys exclaimed in unison.

“Hey!” Simon cried. “Nobody’s butt was kicked.”

Michelle shook her head. “I handed it to you on a platter, Walker.”

“Uh-uh! No!” He slapped the table with his palm.

She laughed aloud while the guys continued to tease him. This was more like it. Joking around with the guys. This was what she needed, and it really did feel more like home.

The group stayed until The Skillet closed, then wandered campus, chatting and goofing around. Michelle noticed the extra attention Simon paid to Emma. The two of them walked slightly ahead of the group, their arms brushing, deep in conversation. She tried not to let it bother her. They had all just met, and who knew what the semester held.

Sean suddenly caught up and fell into step with her. “So, I think you’re gonna have to show me these mad basketball skills of yours.”

“Oh, yeah?” she replied. “You sure you wanna risk it?”

He looked at her curiously.

“I mean, I’m fine kicking your butt, too, if that’s what you want.” She grinned.

“Oh no. That won’t be happening.” His bright blue eyes met hers.

“Name the day,” she declared.

“Tomorrow afternoon.”

“OK.” She nodded. “It’s your funeral.”

“You better give me your number so we can set a time for this funeral.” He bumped her arm with his elbow and smiled.

What a flirt.
She glanced over at him as they walked. He was taller than her, if only by a few inches. At five foot ten, it wasn’t uncommon for guys to be shorter than her, but she liked tall guys. Tall guys with brown hair. Sean’s hair was perfect, like waves of dark chocolate, just the right length to bury her fingers in. It looked so soft, and she fought the urge to reach over and touch it.

He looked over at her again. His eyes seemed to change color depending on the light, and they were so icy blue now that they gave her chills, but not because she was the slightest bit cold.

“I don’t have a pen, but if you walk me back to the dorm, I’ll get one.” She gave him a flirty grin.

If things didn’t work out with Simon, she could always use a backup.

When Michelle and Emma returned to the room near midnight, they found Maggie seated at her desk staring at the telephone. She quickly wiped tears from her cheeks.

Emma went straight across the room and wrapped her arms around Maggie’s shoulders. “Maggie, are you OK?”

“I’m fine,” Maggie replied. She reached for a tissue and blotted her eyes.

“Ben didn’t call, did he?” Emma asked.

Maggie teared up again. “I tried to call him, but his roommate said he was out.”

Michelle was uncomfortable around crying girls. She wasn’t one to get weepy, especially over boys.