Lucky Number Four (17 page)

“Time to rise and shine, sweet Dora.” Jeff’s
cheerful voice makes my ears hurt. No more drinking for me—nope,
never ever. I force one eye open and see his grinning face. He’s
holding a steaming cup of sweet-smelling coffee.

“What time is it?” I croak. Damn, I sound
like a frog.

“Time to get up and run. Nothing like a good
run to get rid of the wine toxins. So get your butt up and get
changed. Time is awastin’.”

I feel a slap on my behind and I turn over
quickly. He’s gone, but the coffee is still there on the night
stand. He’s right. A run would do me good, and I don’t have work
for the next few days, since I took them off to study, so it would
be a good time to start again.

An hour later, I’m dressed, stretched, and
ready to go. I walk out into the living room and find not one or
two, but all four warm bodies stretching. And you guessed it,
dressed to exercise.

Please, if you can hear me, God, don’t let
them—I mean, Colin—come with me.

As if they sense me standing behind them,
they all turn at once. How can my eyes stand looking at so much
male perfection in one room?

“Hey, guys. Are you ready, Jeff?”

“Um, we’re going to have some company. The
guys want to tag along,” he says, looking apologetic, as if he can
sense my dismay.

“Well, I hope you can all keep up,” I say,
trying to act happy about the news.

I run for the front door, not waiting for a
response. The elevator is standing open, and I dash forward and hit
the button and gleefully watch as the doors shut before they can
reach it.

“Morning, Dora. Nice day out for a jog.”
Brad’s boyish grin is infectious.

“Yep, sure is. See you later.” I move
quickly, pushing open the doors, and dive into the bright sunshine.
It’s chilly but bearable, and I take off running for the nearby
park, pacing myself, thankful I’m so far ahead of them.

The park is full of activity. During fall and
winter, a sunny day is precious, so everyone takes advantage of it.
Moms pushing strollers, dog walkers, bench sitters, and other
runners fill my sight. It energizes me to push forward, upping my
speed. I hear speedy footsteps behind me, and I notice the most
females watching me.

I know it’s not me, so it’s got to be the
fabulous four hotties on my heels. I feel sudden disgust for my
female sisters. These men are just flesh and bones—okay, so
fever-inspired hotness—but still, only guys with penises.

There I go with that word again. I’m going
crazy. I’ve never been sex-crazed, but all of a sudden I’m thinking
about penises. I need to find a nice guy and have nice sex. A guy
my mom will approve of.

Quit it, Dora, just run
.

Sex is overrated, even if it’s with a hottie.
Of course, I don’t know for sure, but one of my mom’s favorite
sayings is: “It’s all fluff with no substance.” That’s what Colin
is. He has to be. I can’t waste time pining after a dream.

Without any other thought, I pick up my
speed, running so that the people I pass are just blurs.

I see a fountain up ahead. The water has been
drained in preparation for the winter weather that will soon pounce
on us. I make my way around it and travel back, following my steps
back home. My breathing is steady. It amazes me that I’m still in
such good shape after a few months of inactivity. The boys are just
ahead, not wheezing or trying to catch their breath, as I’d evilly
hoped. They’re jogging as if they could go all day.

They smile at me and make a U-turn, ending up
behind me again. I realize I’m giving them a view of my rear end. I
haven’t looked at it in forever. I hope it hasn’t sagged since that
time so long ago. Maybe I should get behind them. No, I’m not going
to drool over perfection. Let them look. I don’t care if it’s as
wide as a bus. At least I have one, not like those skinny anorexics
they hang out with.

All I wanted was a nice jog in the park with
Jeff. Is that too much to ask for? Yes, I guess it is. I bet
everyone is wondering why four tall, amazingly attractive guys are
following a short-legged, average-looking girl with fiery red
curls. I don’t blame them. I would be wondering the same thing.

I reach the building and quickly enter,
waving at Brad. Thankfully, the elevator is open and I run in and
press the button, giggling as I see the four fighting to get
through the front door all at once.

Bath or shower? Such a dilemma, but I guess a
shower will have to do because once I get into a bath, I won’t want
to leave. I spy Jeff’s toiletry bag sitting on the counter and grab
his shampoo. It’s my fave, but it’s not in the budget. Letting me
have some is the least he can do since he sided with the others
this morning.

“It’s about time. I was going to call the
Coast Guard to come and rescue you.” Jeff is lying on my bed still
wearing his sweaty exercise clothes when I exit the bathroom.

“Don’t speak to me, you traitor,” I hiss. I
throw my dirty clothes at him and enter my closet wearing only a
towel.

“Hey, I like your roommates. What’s wrong
with that?” he says, twirling my sports bra on his finger.

“Yeah, all you men stick together. I wanted
just us to go for a run. You’re here to study, and so far, we
haven’t.”

“That’s not my fault. You’re the one who
flaked out last night and couldn’t get up this morning. I’m going
to jump in the shower and maybe you’ll be in a better mood when I
get out.”

I hear the bathroom door close as I throw on
my clothes. Why am I so mad? Julie would say it’s either that time
of the month, which it’s not, or it’s sex
deprivation/frustration.

Okay, so it’s been six months, and I think I
mentioned it wasn’t that great anyway. But it must be good
sometimes, if you have the right person. Maybe it’s that mysterious
climax that makes all the difference. As if I know how that
feels.

God, I’m still a climax virgin. No, really …
I’ve read about how awesome it feels, so I know I’ve never come
close. Maybe I’m impotent. I know that describes men who can’t get
it up, but surely there’s a similar female condition too. Maybe I
need to go to that adult store a few blocks from the coffee shop
and get one of those dildo thingies.

What am I thinking? Like I could walk into a
sex shop. Knowing my luck, I’d know half the customers. Awkward
much?

“Ready, Red?” Jeff’s voice interrupts my
X-rated thoughts. Okay, so not X-rated, but definitely not PG.

Jeff and I stop by the takeout restaurant
across the street from our building and load up on Chinese food.
I’m really sure if it’s considered brain food, but it’s so good.
Brad is absent from his post when we re-enter the apartments, and
we ride the empty elevator in silence, except for my stomach making
loud noises at the yummy smell coming from our white plastic bags.
Jeff stops at the front door, but I keep walking, not wanting to
see the roommates right now. I open my door and Jeff jogs over and
follows me in, shutting the door behind him.

Moving quickly to the coffee table in my
sitting room, I start pulling out the little white containers.
Luckily, I have plates and silverware in an armoire, so we don’t
have to leave the room for anything. I also have a medium-size
fridge, so I grab a couple drinks—no, not alcohol. Remember, I’ve
sworn off that evil stuff. There is no talking as we polish off all
the food. Now pleasantly stuffed, we crack open our books and start
studying.

“Sorry,” I say later when a loud yawn escapes
me.

“I guess it’s time to call it a night,” he
says. “I’m so glad we have a few days off from work so we can sleep
in. Oh, how I miss sleeping in. Then we can run, and then off to
school again. Do you ever think we’ll have normal lives? You know,
where we only work a sixty-hour week instead of the hundred we’re
doing now?”