Blue
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Yoga music is coming from Kendra’s room.
Anyone else would blast rock or heavy metal or even estrogen-soaked Adele.
But when Kendra gets mad, she cranks up some New Age shit and twists herself into a position that would leave me writhing in pain.
I’m standing in front of her door, trying to decide what to say to her.
I knock, loudly. The music volume goes up.
I open the door and walk in. Hell, Kendra didn’t even bother knocking earlier when she barged in on me and Keegan.
Kendra’s got her hands and feet flat on a flowery area rug. Her ass is up in the air, and my eyes automatically slide over it.
Yeah, I’m a douche.
Kendra glares up at me through her arms. “Stop looking at my ass, Blue. You gave that up, remember?”
I try to stifle my irritated sigh. I’m pissed at Kendra right now, but I’m still hoping to have a calm, reasonable conversation with her.
I want her to stop the bullshit game she’s been playing with Keegan ever since she moved in.
Keegan hasn’t said much to me about it. But you’d have to be blind and deaf not to notice how downright rude Kendra’s been to her all week.
And I’m pretty sure it’s because of me.
“Sorry to interrupt your downtown dog or whatever that is,” I say, gesturing at her inverted figure. I try to keep my tone light. “I need to talk to you.”
Kendra’s knees drop to the floor, and she sits up, rolling her eyes in disgust. “It’s downward dog, you idiot.”
She runs her fingers through her short, blond hair and gives me a cool stare.
“What the hell do you want?” she asks. “You better not be here to lecture me about cock blocking you and Lois Lane.”
It takes me a moment to get her sarcastic reference.
“So, I guess that makes me Superman?” I quip, hoping a little humor will sweeten her up.
As if.
“That damn dog woke up the whole house,” she says, coming to her feet and punching her phone to shut off the music. “Maybe next time, put him outside before you go at it with your latest conquest.”
I cock my head and give her my best not-buying-it side eye.
“Let’s not pretend this is about Max barking,” I scowl. “You knew Keegan was in there, didn’t you? You were trying to embarrass her. You’ve been a bitch to her all week.”
Kendra rolls her eyes again, then steps toward the room’s tiny closet.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Blue,” she drawls over her shoulder as she pulls off her T-shirt and tosses it into the hamper. “All I was trying to do was get some sleep.”
I scoff, noticing she doesn’t deny knowing Keegan spent the night in my room.
“Getting to see you slobbering all over Little Miss Perfect’s tits was just an added bonus for me,” she adds as she slides off her tight shorts.
When we first got together, Kendra didn’t strike me as the crazy jealous type. I thought our relationship was as casual for her as it was for me. But something about Keegan has really set her off.
Maybe she can tell my feelings for Keegan are different, even after only knowing her a short time.
But that’s still no excuse.
I’m so lost in my thoughts that it takes me a second to realize Kendra is now standing naked in front of me.
“Jesus, Kendra,” I protest, looking away. “I’m trying to talk to you.”
“So talk.” She puts her hands on her hips. “It’s not like you haven’t seen all this before.”
For fuck’s sake. She’s never going to let it go.
I met Kendra over a year ago while I was playing at this funky coffee shop in the basement of the student union.
It’s a place where angsty grad students like her hang out. I like to try out some of my more soulful material on them. I always throw in a couple of Bryson songs.
One evening, as I was about halfway through a set, this girl in a sun dress walked up and stood right in front of me with her arms folded, tapping her sandaled foot impatiently.
When I took a break, she came over to me and launched into a tirade about Bryson, skewering his music and his undeserved stature at the school.
I spent my entire break arguing with her, and we carried on the discussion whenever she showed up at one of my gigs.
I enjoyed debating Kendra. She’s smart and well-informed about music, even if she’s dead wrong about Bryson.
When she mentioned one day her apartment lease was up and she wanted to move, I told her we had a room that had just become available at the house.
It didn’t take too long after she moved in for us to start fucking. For me, that’s all it ever was.
When I realized she thought it was a lot more than that, I ended it. But I was pretty clumsy about it. I hurt her feelings.
I'm not proud of that.
Still, she ought to be able to handle it like a goddamn adult.
I shift my eyes back to Kendra, crossing my arms and rocking back on my heels, staring impassively at her body. I don’t say a word.
No way I’m going to let her win this.
After a few moments, she huffs and rolls her eyes, then yanks some clean clothes out of the battered dresser in the corner. “You better not be expecting an apology from me,” she spits as she slides on panties, then pulls on a shirt and shorts.
I still don’t say anything.
“You sure moved fast with this one, Blue,” Kendra continues, sneering. “She’s in the house one week, and you’re already fucking her. Even faster than you put the moves on me.”
“Pretty sure it was you who put the moves on me,” I snipe back at her, “but whatever.”
“Bullshit,” she snarls.
I clench my eyes shut for a second and take a breath. “I just came in here to ask you to stop all the drama with Keegan,” I say as calmly as I can. “You’re not fooling anybody. You—”
“Get the fuck out of here, Blue,” she cuts me off, pointing to the door. “Your sweet little freshman needs to learn to fight her own battles.”
“Kendra— “
“Out!” she shrieks as Max, attracted by the raised voices, runs into the room. “And keep that stupid dog quiet!”
The moment Max and I are clear, she slams the door so hard it shakes the house.
“Fucking hell,” I mumble, stomping toward my bedroom.
Keegan cracks her door open and looks askance at Kendra’s door before resting her gaze on me.
“Everything okay?” she asks.
I shrug. “She’s…crazy,” I mutter with a smirk, shaking my head.
Maybe it's not fair to say that. I could have treated Kendra better than I did.
Keegan opens her door a little wider and tilts her head as a shy smile lights up her beautiful face. Her eyes search mine.
I’m pretty sure she's sending me an invitation. And holy shit, do I want to pick up where we left off.
When Keegan kissed me, there’s no way I could stop myself from responding. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a woman as much as I want her.
But the truth is, she deserves better than me.
When I woke this morning and saw the look of pity on her face, I felt sick to my stomach.
If Keegan knew why I have nightmares—if she knew what I did—she'd want nothing to do with me.
So, as much as I'd like to take her up on the offer I think I'm seeing in her smile, I’m going to do the right thing for once. I'm going to stay away from her.
“Man,” I say, stretching elaborately and faking a yawn like I'm totally clueless. “I need a nap.”
I give her a wan grin and head into my bedroom. “See you later.”
Then I close the door.
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