The door slams open.
“I swear to all that is holy, if youeverask me to do that again… oh, hey Char.” RJ’s voice and sudden entrance into the room completely shifts the mood.
Her eyes flit quickly between the two of us, huddled next to each other, my body arched towards Jeremy in a seductive curve, his muscles straining as he grips the bed frame, our faces inches from each other.
“Thanks, Rach,” Jeremy says, stepping away from our cocoon and over to grab an armful of clothes from RJ. “I owe you one.”
RJ huffs, her eyes focused on her brother as he plops his stuff onto her desk and starts sorting through it.
“I don’t want to be a part of your hook up protocol, Jer,” she says, clearly upset. “Next time, you’re out on your ass. Do you know how awkward that was for me? First, to have to go ask Vanessa if I can have my brother’s clothes back, and second, to have to ask for itwhile her boyfriend is in the room.”
Jeremy smirks, and I frown a little.
Wait, what?
“I won’t ask again, sis. That was a one-time mistake.” He shrugs, then grabs his jeans and starts putting them on. “And honestly, it’s not my fault. She didn’t tell me she had a boyfriend until he barged into the room. Besides, nothing actually happened.”
RJ crosses her arms and glares at him. “Did you even ask?”
He stuffs his wallet and phone into his jeans and glances at me. “It seems pointless to ask a girl at a frat party if she’s singleaftershe makes out with you for 30 minutes.”
She waves her hand in the general direction of the hallway. “Well, it’s obviouslynotpointless, hence, Vanessa’s boyfriend.”
“Inappropriate use of the wordhence, Rach.”
She huffs. “No it’s not. And don’t change the subject. When we get lunch on Monday, wewillbe talking about this.”
But I don’t think he’s paying her any more attention because he’s looking back at me. I’ve barely moved since RJ walked in, but Jeremy’s eyes have me shifting slightly where I still stand next to my bed, watching this little sibling spat.
“So, Charlie, I have a question for you.” He pulls his shirt over his head, muscles flexing. “You want to be a nurse, right?” I nod. “If I need CPR, can I call you for help?”
I can’t help the laughter. It’s the most ridiculous pick up line ever, and way overused in the nursing community. But coming from him, it’s silly, not nauseating.
Well, at least not to me.
I glance over at RJ mid-laugh and catch her making gagging faces behind her brother. I guess she doesn’t feel the same.
“You know, if the RA catches you here after hours, you’ll get in trouble,” I say to Jeremy as he slips his feet into his shoes, “and not the type of trouble I can help with.”
Jeremy smirks. “Charlie, I think you can help me with any of the troubles I’m currently facing.”
I laugh again.
“Alright Jeremy, you’ve overstayed your welcome.” RJ grips Jeremy by the arm and starts dragging him towards the door.
“Fine, fine, I’ll take the hint,” he says.
“It’s not a hint if I’m telling you to get out of my room, you skanky toad.”
Jeremy laughs, then wraps his arm around his sister’s neck to pull her in for a hug. She melts into him, giving in to the tight embrace, and I feel my own heart squeeze slightly at the sibling affection.
For a brief moment, I let myself think about my sister and brother, and how much I wish the three of us had a relationship like Jeremy and RJ’s.
He glances over RJ’s head and winks at me, then motions to the door and mouths5 minutes. “Bye Charlie. Hope to see you again, really soon.”
And then he’s out the door. Does he want me to follow him? I mean, that’s the officialmeet me in a secondsymbol, right?
But before I can process anything that’s happened over the past 10 minutes, RJ is right in front of me, looking nervous but determined and oh-so-precious in her glasses and orange and green turtle pajamas.
