[You don't have to listen to this.]
A second later, she sits up at what I'm assuming is a vibration in her pocket because I don't hear a sound alert. She pulls out her phone and reads the message, glancing at me before typing her response. There's a new discussion happening around us. One I'm not even remotely paying attention to as I wait for Julia's response.
[I don't remember giving you my number.]
[Ava gave it to me. Thought I should have it. You know, for emergency purposes.]
[Right. And what's the emergency here?]
[I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you're surrounded by hungry wolves.]
And, God, you look delicious.
[I've dealt with worse. Trust me. And this conversation is an improvement to what's going on inside.]
[Drama?]
[Like you wouldn't believe. The girl with the short black hair? Three people are trying to find a way into the bathroom because she's in there crying hysterically.]
[What happened?]
[I guess the guy she was dating just broke up with her via text.]
[So wait. You're telling me there's a cute girl in the bathroom, all by herself, upset, and possibly wanting a revenge fuck?]
My lips turn up as I meet her glare from where she sits. Unrelated laughter from the guys breaks up the lull.
[You're a class act, Giles.]
[What, are you saying you don't know the benefits of angry sex?]
[Can't say I do.]
[That surprises me, seeing as how you're angry all the time. I would think any sex you have is angry.]
Again, she looks up to narrow her eyes at me in silent warning, though there's the smallest hint of a smile in them that encourages me.
[Well, let me enlighten you, little leopard. Angry sex is intense fucking. Letting out your frustration into another person. Showing them how mad you are by pounding into them until you both feel good again.]
I'm not sure if I'm imagining it, but I think she's shifting in her seat.
[Little leopard? Is that code for something?]
[Do you want it to be?]
She ignores my question and responds with her own.
[But if it's angry sex, shouldn't both people be angry at each other?]
[Yeah, I guess you're right. It wouldn't be an angry fuck for me because I'm not mad. If I were mad, I'd make it so you would be sore for days.]
[Watch your pronouns, mister.]
[Huh?]
[You said 'you' instead of 'she.']
[Oh. I did?]
She takes her phone and pointedly presses the power button until the glow of the screen disappears. Then she gives me a sarcastic grin that tells me the conversation is over. But, see, I don't think it is.
We rejoin the group's discussion. As soon as he gains Julia's attention again, Luke delivers the same lame line I've heard him use multiple times before. The one where he jokes about being sort of a big deal, before revealing he's the mascot for the Padres. Julia demands to see pictures and so Luke pulls some up on his phone. She laughs at the sight.
The Padres mascot is a big, cartoonish looking friar. Fat and balding, wearing a monk's gown with the team logo embroidered on its chest. It's not what you'd expect a guy like Luke to agree to wear, which I suppose adds to the entertainment value he's going for. Luke knows as well as I do that getting a girl to laugh is one of the sure ways into her pants. Not missing a beat, he tells Julia she should come to a baseball game sometime to see him in action. She brushes off his comments without even bothering to respond.
The guys pretend they aren't all angling to get closer to her, or that their jokes aren't tailored to make her laugh harder. I don't like it. Sure, these are my friends, but that only means I know exactly what's going on in their sick heads.
I can plainly see that Brian and Luke are holding out hope to be the one to get lucky with Julia. The thought of either of them looking at her as a prospect is enough to set my teeth on edge. I'm not sure why. I haven't made a real effort to hook up with her, I guess in a way I've just been enjoying her in other ways. I've been getting too comfortable with her being around all the time. Still, that doesn't mean I'm going to let a single one of these guys lay a finger on her tonight. Or any night.
I ask Damien to take over the grill, since I'm already too distracted, and pull off my t-shirt, which reeks of smoke. I grab another beer, unable to keep from checking to make sure Luke's hand doesn't wander from his lap to Julia's.
A quick sweep of the deck shows me a seating area, just a little farther back. I head in that direction, purposefully away from the others. Luckily, my move goes unnoticed because right then the rest of the girls come out of the house in their swimsuits, flaunting their bare stomachs, smooth legs, and bikinis that barely cover their asses.
Julia's still sitting beside Luke, with Brian already headed into the pool with the other guys. We lock eyes and I hook a finger at her, expecting her to roll those brown eyes and ignore my signal to come toward me. But Julia never does what I expect her to do. She gets up and heads my way.
"What are you drinking?" I ask, nodding to the cup she's been holding. I've yet to see her take a sip since coming out on the deck.
"Ava made me have this coconut rum thing. I'm not even finished with it and my head is fuzzy. I'm done after this."
"Good." I don't want her inhibitions lowered too far around these guys. Then again, I know her enough to know she wouldn't like me telling her what to do in the slightest. "Ava's drink will knock a grown man on his ass."
Julia nudges me aside so she can sit next to me. Her arm brushes the side of my torso. "I'm watching you," she says, staring straight ahead.
"Watching me?"
"Don't think I forgot it's your move. Don't think I'm buying this weeklong hiatus. You're planning something, and I'm not falling for it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I lie. "I'm done with the pranks."
"Sure you are. And another thing. Why'd you take off your shirt just to call me over here? I bet you think you're so irresistible."
I'm facing straight, eyes on the pool scene before us, but in my peripheral, she's watching me so closely she might be able to see the smile threatening to curve my lips. When I turn my face, I find hers distractingly close.
"Am I?" I ask.
She snorts, the genuine sound evidence I caught her off guard. "Not to me, you're not. Consider me immune."
I watch her for a few seconds and she stares right back at me, despite how close our faces are. Dauntless. I already have the shape of her lips memorized. It's not something I ever decided to do, it just happened in all the time I've been stealing glances at them, day by day. The space we put between us has grown shorter and shorter in the time we've been roommates.