“Early morning.”
He drew me into his arms. “Do you want me to leave before Amy gets here?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I guess I’m kind of ready to tell her, but she might be a while if she decides to sleep in.” It was Saturday after all.
Jason nodded and drew me in for a kiss. “How about I go home and change, and I’ll be back here in time for a late breakfast. We’ll tell her then and go out for coffee and burritos. I know this place from when I used to live around here. You’ll love it.”
I smiled. “It’s a date then.”
He kissed me again. “Yes, it is.”
He got dressed, and I walked with him to the door. He kissed me again and took the stairs two at a time, bounding down to the street where a car was waiting for him.
I closed the door, feeling strangely light and happy. I knew things weren’t perfect yet. I wasn’t perfect yet, but whatever resistance was left to being with him, it felt good to know we were going to work through it together.
When I emerged from my room much later, Amy was in the kitchen. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing running shoes and workout gear.
“What happened to my roommate?” I exclaimed. Amy was averse to exercise.
She pointed to Colin, who was standing by the door with his arms folded in a defensive posture. He was also dressed in workout gear. “He made me,” she gasped before drinking more water. “And I’m never doing it again.”
“It was just a jog,” Colin said with a laugh.
“You need to be fit to lug all your camera equipment around,” I added, making for the coffeemaker then remembering I was having breakfast with Jason. I stopped, a small smile creeping onto my face.
“You see?” Colin gave Amy a triumphant smile. “Someone gets it.”
“I do lug all my camera equipment around,” Amy declared. “Therefore, I am fit.” She stretched and turned to me. “Did we miss anything at the club last night?”
I shrugged. “Not really. I didn’t stay much longer after you guys left.”
“You went to see your mystery beau,” she teased.
I swallowed my guilt. Now was the time to tell her who that mystery man was. Maybe if I told her now, she wouldn’t feel so blindsided by her brother and her roommate suddenly announcing that we were seeing each other and had been for quite a while.
“Actually, about that…” I started.
“It’s getting serious?” She smiled. “I knew it probably was. There’s just been something about you recently that screamed intense emotions, you know. I was going to ask you, but I didn’t want to pry, and I didn’t want it to seem like I couldn’t mind my business.”
I shook my head. “It is serious,” I said softly. “Now.”
“I’m just glad you’re seeing someone. You know I’ve been rooting for you to fall in love,” she said musingly. “I’m just glad you didn’t fall for Jason, because—well, you know, everybody does.”
I looked at Colin, and he smiled at me. I knew if he didn’t know, he probably suspected, but he’d been tightlipped about it. Bless the English.
“Are you going to let her tell us?” he said to Amy, his voice mild. He stretched. “I think I’m going to use your shower. I feel grimy with all this sweat.’
“It’s sexy,” Amy said, making goo-goo eyes at him. She remembered me and wrinkled her nose apologetically. “Okay
, Daphne, I have a confession, and I think I can tell you now that you’re seeing someone.” She swallowed. “When you had just moved in, I let it slip to Jason about your celibacy thing, and he said you wouldn’t be celibate around him.” She made a face, not noticing the sick look on mine. “I think he got a rude shock when you weren’t the least bit interested in him at all.”
The room was spinning.
My head was spinning.
“You challenged him to seduce me?” I barely choked out the words.
“No…no!” she exclaimed, noticing my devastated expression. “It wasn’t like that at all. I would never! It was just a comment I soon forgot about, but it doesn’t matter, right? It’s not like…”