Out of the Shallows
Page 16
I nodded but didn’t say anything. The truth was Claudia was taking my advice and trying to wean herself off Beck in the hopes of getting over him.
“You and Jake seem good?” Beck looked down at me, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans, the fabric of his T-shirt flapping in the wind. He wore a long-sleeved thermal under it, but still…
“Aren’t you freezing?”
“It wasn’t this cold yesterday.” He shrugged. “I’ve stopped guessing how to dress for the weather here.”
“True.” It was a perpetual guessing game. One second it was chilly but the sun was out; the next second brought torrential rain and winds.
“So you and Jake?”
I so did not want to discuss my relationship with Jake’s best friend. “We’re good.”
He nudged me. “You’re not going to break his heart, are you?” His voice was teasing but I knew better.
“Are you going to break Claudia’s?”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Fair enough.”
“Hey, here’s a question that won’t get either of us punched: do you know how Melissa is doing these days?”
Beck raised an eyebrow. “Melissa?”
“Melissa. You know, dark hair, legs forever, one hundred percent drop-dead gorgeous and one hundred percent nicer than me.”
He grinned. “She may be nicer, but she is way less fun.”
I smirked at him. “As much as I enjoy getting my ego stroked, I’m serious. Do you know if she’s doing okay?”
“Melissa’s a nice girl but we’re not close. We never were. She’s one of the few people who doesn’t understand that underneath this roguish charm is a heart of 80 percent gold.”
“Come on, don’t undervalue yourself. It’s at least 82 percent.”
Laughing, Beck wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. “This is why I was rooting for you.”
“Well, I appreciate that.” I hugged him back but frowned up into his gorgeous face. “So you really wouldn’t know if she’s okay?”
Beck pulled out his phone, fingers flying over the keys. “I texted Maggie. She should know. They’re friends.”
“Maggie, my roommate Maggie?”
Catching my hesitant tone, Beck gave a reassuring smile. “I wouldn’t go there. I do have some control over who I sleep with.”
“That’s good to know, I guess,” I said, sounding a little doubtful. The last thing I wanted was Claudia returning to the apartment one night to find Beck stumbling out of Maggie’s room. I think that might just be the straw that would break the camel’s back. About to stick my nose in and ruin our pleasant camaraderie, Beck’s next question halted me.
“So, why do you want to know if Melissa is okay?”
I shrugged, feeling that familiar gnawing guilt. “I’d think that was obvious.”
As we climbed the steps to the student union, Beck fell silent. Once inside, he turned to me, a small smile playing on his lips. “Jake is right. You and Claudia are not like other women.”
I arched an eyebrow. “I’m taking that as a compliment since I happen to know for a fact that Claudia and I are freaking awesome.”
Something sad flashed in Beck’s eyes as he smirked back at me. “I’m not to going to argue with that.”
I wish I had a magic potion to shove down his throat and make him see that whatever was stopping him from taking a chance on Claudia didn’t compare to how bad the regret would be later. I sighed inwardly and followed his tall body upstairs to the Library Bar.
I almost slammed into him when he drew to an abrupt halt just inside the doorway. I peered around him. “What’s up?” I followed his confused gaze across the room.
Claudia was cozied up in a booth with Lowe. Her laptop was open in front of her but they were sitting turned into one another, laughing about something.
The muscle under my hand tensed and I glanced down to see Beck’s fists tightening.
“They’re just friends,” I assured him.
Sure, the way they were sitting suggested otherwise but I had assurances not only from Lowe that he wouldn’t go there, but from Claudia also. Only yesterday she told me how much fun it was to hang out with a guy and not have to worry about any sexual tension.
The chemistry wasn’t there for them, which was a little disappointing, but the whole point was for Claud to have someone who would distract her from Beck, and Lowe was doing the job.
“I didn’t say a word.” Beck glowered down at me.
And just like that, I had Broody Hero of the Year on my hands. “You need to work on your poker face. It sucks.” I strode away before he could reply.
“Hey there, hot stuff,” I said as I slid into the booth.
Lowe grinned. “Hey, yourself.”
“Oh, as pretty as you are, babe, I was talking to Claudia.”
Claudia smiled and opened her mouth to reply only to freeze at the sight of Beck with me. “Oh. Hey.”
He nodded as he slid in beside me.
“Hey, man,” Lowe said, something akin to excitement in his eyes. “Guess what Claud’s doing for us?”
“I have no idea,” he replied in a tone that suggested he couldn’t give a shit.
I kicked him in the shin, eliciting a grunt.
Claudia narrowed her eyes. “Who spit in your bean curd?”
“What the hell does that even mean?”
I tried not to smile, deliberately avoiding Lowe’s eyes because I knew he’d make me laugh.
“It means,” Claudia gave a long-suffering sigh, “what’s your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem. I just sat down.” Beck pulled his buzzing phone from his pocket, glaring at Claudia. He looked at the screen. “According to Maggie, Melissa is doing okay. She’s even got a date this weekend.”
A little weight lifted off my shoulders. “That’s good to hear.”
Claudia caught my eye. “Feel better?”
“Much,” I admitted. “You know I hate guilt.”
Relaxing, I had a drink with my friends, listening to Beck and Claudia snipe at each other. They were on the cusp of giving me back the tension I’d just gotten rid of, so I decided it was time to leave.
“I need to go too.” Lowe slid out of the booth at my announcement. “I have stuff to do. Claudia, if you and Beck can stop griping for five seconds, why don’t you show him the plans for this summer?”
“You and Jake seem good?” Beck looked down at me, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans, the fabric of his T-shirt flapping in the wind. He wore a long-sleeved thermal under it, but still…
“Aren’t you freezing?”
“It wasn’t this cold yesterday.” He shrugged. “I’ve stopped guessing how to dress for the weather here.”
“True.” It was a perpetual guessing game. One second it was chilly but the sun was out; the next second brought torrential rain and winds.
“So you and Jake?”
I so did not want to discuss my relationship with Jake’s best friend. “We’re good.”
He nudged me. “You’re not going to break his heart, are you?” His voice was teasing but I knew better.
“Are you going to break Claudia’s?”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Fair enough.”
“Hey, here’s a question that won’t get either of us punched: do you know how Melissa is doing these days?”
Beck raised an eyebrow. “Melissa?”
“Melissa. You know, dark hair, legs forever, one hundred percent drop-dead gorgeous and one hundred percent nicer than me.”
He grinned. “She may be nicer, but she is way less fun.”
I smirked at him. “As much as I enjoy getting my ego stroked, I’m serious. Do you know if she’s doing okay?”
“Melissa’s a nice girl but we’re not close. We never were. She’s one of the few people who doesn’t understand that underneath this roguish charm is a heart of 80 percent gold.”
“Come on, don’t undervalue yourself. It’s at least 82 percent.”
Laughing, Beck wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. “This is why I was rooting for you.”
“Well, I appreciate that.” I hugged him back but frowned up into his gorgeous face. “So you really wouldn’t know if she’s okay?”
Beck pulled out his phone, fingers flying over the keys. “I texted Maggie. She should know. They’re friends.”
“Maggie, my roommate Maggie?”
Catching my hesitant tone, Beck gave a reassuring smile. “I wouldn’t go there. I do have some control over who I sleep with.”
“That’s good to know, I guess,” I said, sounding a little doubtful. The last thing I wanted was Claudia returning to the apartment one night to find Beck stumbling out of Maggie’s room. I think that might just be the straw that would break the camel’s back. About to stick my nose in and ruin our pleasant camaraderie, Beck’s next question halted me.
“So, why do you want to know if Melissa is okay?”
I shrugged, feeling that familiar gnawing guilt. “I’d think that was obvious.”
As we climbed the steps to the student union, Beck fell silent. Once inside, he turned to me, a small smile playing on his lips. “Jake is right. You and Claudia are not like other women.”
I arched an eyebrow. “I’m taking that as a compliment since I happen to know for a fact that Claudia and I are freaking awesome.”
Something sad flashed in Beck’s eyes as he smirked back at me. “I’m not to going to argue with that.”
I wish I had a magic potion to shove down his throat and make him see that whatever was stopping him from taking a chance on Claudia didn’t compare to how bad the regret would be later. I sighed inwardly and followed his tall body upstairs to the Library Bar.
I almost slammed into him when he drew to an abrupt halt just inside the doorway. I peered around him. “What’s up?” I followed his confused gaze across the room.
Claudia was cozied up in a booth with Lowe. Her laptop was open in front of her but they were sitting turned into one another, laughing about something.
The muscle under my hand tensed and I glanced down to see Beck’s fists tightening.
“They’re just friends,” I assured him.
Sure, the way they were sitting suggested otherwise but I had assurances not only from Lowe that he wouldn’t go there, but from Claudia also. Only yesterday she told me how much fun it was to hang out with a guy and not have to worry about any sexual tension.
The chemistry wasn’t there for them, which was a little disappointing, but the whole point was for Claud to have someone who would distract her from Beck, and Lowe was doing the job.
“I didn’t say a word.” Beck glowered down at me.
And just like that, I had Broody Hero of the Year on my hands. “You need to work on your poker face. It sucks.” I strode away before he could reply.
“Hey there, hot stuff,” I said as I slid into the booth.
Lowe grinned. “Hey, yourself.”
“Oh, as pretty as you are, babe, I was talking to Claudia.”
Claudia smiled and opened her mouth to reply only to freeze at the sight of Beck with me. “Oh. Hey.”
He nodded as he slid in beside me.
“Hey, man,” Lowe said, something akin to excitement in his eyes. “Guess what Claud’s doing for us?”
“I have no idea,” he replied in a tone that suggested he couldn’t give a shit.
I kicked him in the shin, eliciting a grunt.
Claudia narrowed her eyes. “Who spit in your bean curd?”
“What the hell does that even mean?”
I tried not to smile, deliberately avoiding Lowe’s eyes because I knew he’d make me laugh.
“It means,” Claudia gave a long-suffering sigh, “what’s your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem. I just sat down.” Beck pulled his buzzing phone from his pocket, glaring at Claudia. He looked at the screen. “According to Maggie, Melissa is doing okay. She’s even got a date this weekend.”
A little weight lifted off my shoulders. “That’s good to hear.”
Claudia caught my eye. “Feel better?”
“Much,” I admitted. “You know I hate guilt.”
Relaxing, I had a drink with my friends, listening to Beck and Claudia snipe at each other. They were on the cusp of giving me back the tension I’d just gotten rid of, so I decided it was time to leave.
“I need to go too.” Lowe slid out of the booth at my announcement. “I have stuff to do. Claudia, if you and Beck can stop griping for five seconds, why don’t you show him the plans for this summer?”
