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When she speaks, her voice is as dry as a desert breeze. “Shirtless?”
“Let me help you.”
“Who were you doing?” she asks, derision in her tone. “The bubbly bitch upstairs with a voice like a dolphin?”
“Oh my God,” Regina says, peering through the doorway. She hops from foot to foot as she hands me my shirt. “This isdisgusting.”
Mia crosses her arms over her chest. “So predictable, Callahan.”
Was that a flicker of hurt in her expression? I’m probably imagining it. I pull my shirt on and wade through the chilly water. I nearly trip over something but manage to steady myself on the bed frame. A big water droplet hits me in the face. “Let me help you get this stuff out of here.”
“Thank God this didn’t happen on my floor,” Regina says.
“Oh, sure, good for fucking you,” Mia snaps.
Regina blinks, but before she can come up with a retort, I say, “Regina, call the housing office and tell them they need to send someone to shut off the water to the building.”
“But—”
I squeeze her arm. “It’ll be a big help.”
She flutters her eyelashes at me. “My phone’s upstairs.”
I give her my best smile, the one that makes old women giggle and girls my age want to take me to bed. “Please?”
She leans in and kisses me, her hand cupping my jaw. She even nips my lip, the action full of possessiveness. “Only for you, Sebastian.”
Before she leaves, she adds, glancing at Mia, “You’resosweet to help this poor girl. Don’t be too long.”
I’ve seen how Mia looks when she’s contemplating murder, and I would say her current expression definitely qualifies. She practically bares her teeth as Regina flounces off. The moment we’re alone, however, she bites her thumbnail, worry breaking through her mask.
“Fuck,” she says, her voice cracking. “What am I going to do?”
I take in the wet mess of clothes and shoes and other belongings. A beautiful black jacket lined with silk, one I pulled off slowly not too long ago, is no doubt damaged beyond repair. “Like I said, let’s get this stuff out of here. I’ll grab my gear bag, it’s big enough for at least some of the clothes.”
“I’m not putting my clothes in your disgusting gym bag.”
“No offense, but they’re already disgusting.” I pick up a lacy bra, letting it dangle from my fingertip. She gives me a stony glare. “Come on, once this is all out of here, we can figure something out.”
“I have my car,” she says. “I’ll put it in there.”
“Let’s grab the bag anyway.” I start down the hallway without glancing back. She might not want anything to do with me right now, but she’s smart. She’ll take the help I’m offering. “I’m sure they’ll have somewhere else for you to stay.”
She snorts, but follows along. “Maybe. A lot of the dorms are being renovated this summer. Guess they should have added this one to the list.”
“What about your laptop?”
She peers into her bag. “That was in its case, so it’s fine. And my phone seems okay.” She inputs the passcode, frowning at the screen.
“That’s good.”
Her laugh sounds reedy. “Thank God. I don’t have the money to replace either of them right now.”
I unlock my car and root around in the trunk for my bag. It’s filled with the bats I’ve been using, my glove, and a couple other pieces of gear, but I just dump it all out. “I’m sorry about the clothes and textbooks.”
She’s biting her thumb again. “Thanks.”
It takes a couple trips, but we get all her stuff from the flooded room to the backseat of her car. Some clothes just need to be washed, but she throws out the jacket, plus that pair of suede thigh-high boots I know she adores. The water ruined some of the textbooks beyond repair, which must hurt. The books I need for my history major make a big dent too. I know better than to offer to replace them, though. She’d just chew me out, and now that I’m with her again—however brief—I don’t want to waste it.
