Before Ryan Was Mine (The Remembrance Trilogy - Prequel) by Kahlen Aymes Read Free Book Online Page B

water.
    Her response came in as I climbed under the hot spray. It was too hot and burned my chest. I jumped back, cussing at myself, and fumbled with the faucet. I leaned out to look at Julia’s text, without picking up the phone.
    Oh, okay. Well, have fun. I’ll just talk to you tomorrow.
    I grimaced at the trite response. At least it seemed trite. Maybe she didn’t even mean it that way, and maybe it was all in my head. I got back in the shower, arguing with myself. We’d met less than two months ago, but since last month when she stayed the weekend, it had become a habit to see each other, or at least talk, every day. We’d fallen into being friends after an uncomfortable few weeks where my dick rebelled against my brain. Who was I kidding? It still rebelled just about every time I saw her, but I liked being around her, despite the constant fight with my libido. She was funny, and smart, and it was easy being with her. I could be myself.
    We weren’t dating, so what the fuck was my problem? I wasn’t even sure I wanted to date Julia because it might damage the amazing friendship we shared. Yet, it felt strangely uncomfortable telling her I couldn’t see her because I would be out with someone else. It was stupid! If I’d gotten that text from Aaron, Nate, or even any other woman I knew, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. I would have taken it at face value, end of story.
    I was overthinking. Way overthinking. Sexually, I wanted her, so that had to be the reason for my confusion. Did I want more than friendship? Was I afraid to hurt her feelings? Whatever the hell it was, I had to figure it out and fast. We were friends, and that was that. She wasn’t giving me anything specific that hinted she wanted anything beyond what it was, so why was I analyzing the shit out of it? I rinsed the shampoo from my hair and turned off the water. Dripping wet, I grabbed my phone and typed out a quick response.
    Okay, I’ll call you when I get up.
    *****
    So, all day Saturday, I could have studied but I wasn’t motivated beyond a couple hours with the books. Thanksgiving break was coming up, and classes the coming week would be weak, at best. Stanford would only be in session on Monday and Tuesday, so the week would be short. I went for a run in the cold, late fall air and puttered around the apartment watching sports and doing laundry for the rest of the day.
    I didn’t hear from Julia at all, and though I didn’t really expect to, I was still thinking about her. She had a paper due in her business writing class, and she’d no doubt be working on it. I was dying to ask how her night went, but I didn’t really want to talk about the party I was obligated to go later that night. Maybe the lack of communication was best, even if it didn’t sit well. I just wanted this night to be done and over with. Tomorrow, Julia wouldn’t ask me about it, and we’d hang out as we planned. It probably bothered me more than it did her. I shook my head, wishing my thoughts would stop.
    Aaron was screwing off the entire day with some of his fraternity brothers; which made it easy for me to stay in the apartment to study. The math assignment I was working on blurred, as my thoughts wandered again. The ringing of my phone startled me out of it, and I quickly reached for it. I knew it would be my mother because she called every Saturday around the same time.
    “Hey, Mom,” I answered.
    “How’s my baby?”
    “Mom, please.” I rolled my eyes, got up, and walked into the kitchen. It was small and littered with remnants of my late night pizza delivery. Beer bottles were scattered around the counter and on the coffee table in the living room. The pizza had been terrible, but it was the only pizza place that delivered late at night. Julia referred to it as The Cardboard Palace. “Are you ever going to stop calling me your baby?”
    “You’ll always be my baby. Is Aaron home?”
    I shook my head out of habit, even though she