Out of My Element (7 page)

I could smell something cooking,
and judging by the racket coming from the kitchen, I had to assume it was Nick
taking on the task.

I dragged myself out of bed, making
a pit stop in the bathroom, before I headed for the kitchen. I had to literally
bite my lip to keep from laughing when I rounded the corner. Nick was working
tediously over an electric griddle, making what I imagined was supposed to be
grilled cheese sandwiches.

“Need some help?” 

“What? Ow, shit!” He winced when
hot cheese dribbled onto his hand.

I pulled a paper towel off and put
a piece of ice in it. “Here, go sit down and nurse your wounds.” I picked up
the spatula and shooed him.

“I can cook you know,” Nick pouted
as he sat down on the bar stool.

“I don’t doubt that, Nick. I’m sure
your skills in the kitchen are phenomenal,” I teased.

“There’s that sarcasm again,” he
mumbled.

“What?” 

“Nothing, just hurry with those
sandwiches, I’m hungrier than an infant at a topless bar,” he whined.

“I need to find out when I can get
back into my apartment.” I sat down with our sandwiches.

“I called while you were asleep,”
Nick spoke around a bite of cheese. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“You did?” It surprised me how he
seemed to be the one stable thing in my life right now. He had the uncanny
ability of making me feel better when I was sad or angry.

“I did; don’t sound so surprised.
Hey, if you want to sit a bit closer, I bet some of my awesomeness just might
rub off on you.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.

“Ha!  I’m afraid if I sit too
close, something else might rub off on me. You forget that I saw your late
night caller.” I pretended to shudder.

“Funny. Anyway, the inspector
wasn’t done, and they said it could be five days to a week before you could get
in for your belongings.”

“Damn. I guess I need to go
shopping. I don’t have anything but the clothes on my back.”

“Technically that isn’t true;
you’re still wearing
my
boxers.” He motioned toward my lower half.  “I
washed your clothes, and they’re in my bedroom. I’ll clean up if you want to go
change.”

“Thanks, Nick, I really appreciate
you letting me come here.” I walked back into his bedroom and changed, thinking
about how wonderful it was of him to wash my clothes for me. If I had to wear
them for one more day, I would have seriously started to gross myself out.

Fortunately, I had my makeup in my
purse, so I wouldn’t need to purchase any of that, but I would need some
clothes. In addition to some jeans and a running outfit, I would need a couple
outfits for work. I guess it had been a while since I’d bought myself new
clothes, so now was as good a time as any.

I searched on my phone for the
number to some of the local hotels. I figured I would work my way down the
line, and hope that one of them had a room for the week.

“
Hello, it’s a great day at the
Courtyard, how can I help you?
” Wow, someone was cheery.

“Hello, I wanted to check on your
room availability for a week, beginning today.” I held my breath.

“
I’m sorry, but we are
completely booked up for the next five days. I could get you a room for Sunday
night, would that work?”
 

“No, thank you; I really needed the
whole week.” I hung up and dialed the next hotel, but soon found that I was
striking out all over the place. Everyone was booked through Sunday. I had one
more to try, and then I would have to start to venture out of the city, and
farther from my work and apartment.

“
Holiday Inn Express, how may I
help you?”

“Hi, do you have any rooms
available for the next week, beginning today?” Before I could hear her answer,
my phone was snatched out of my hand.

“What the ….” Turning around, I saw
Nick end the call and toss my phone onto his bed.

“Why are you trying to find a hotel
room? Do you not want to stay here?” Nick’s eyebrows were drawn together in a
frown that created little lines in his forehead.

“Nick, I don’t want to put you out;
besides, you said you didn’t have another bed,” I reminded him.

“I don’t want you to go to a hotel,
Chelsea. Please stay here. You can have my bed, and I will take the couch.
Please, I insist,” he pleaded.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Stay as long as you need.”
His smile was so genuine that I couldn’t help but agree.

“Okay, but
I
will sleep on
the couch,” I insisted.

“Well, we could always share the
bed.” That genuine smile turned into a devious grin.

I laughed, “No, me on the couch,
and you in your bed.”

“Okay, Chelsea, but you’re staying
until it is safe for you to go back to your own apartment.” He tucked my
wayward curls behind my ear, and I shivered from the light touch.

“I still have the magic touch, I
see,” he remarked.

“It might be time for you to check
your ego, Nick, because you’re really not that special,” I replied as I tried
to move past him.

“Whoa, careful not to trip over my
amazingness; it’s everywhere.” He grabbed my arm, as if he was helping me avoid
something.

“You’re too much!” I giggled. “I’ll
be back. I’m going to do some shopping.”

“Wait; let me give you a key in
case I go somewhere.”

“Thanks, Nick, for everything.”

***

I called Ava as I was heading out
the door. I knew she and Trevor had been worried, so I wanted to let her know I
was fine. She decided that we were due for a much-needed drink with just the
girls, and promised to meet up with me after she was done with work.

I put the bags from my shopping
excursion in the trunk and headed into the sports bar to meet up with the
girls. The bar was bright with TVs covering almost every surface. The upbeat
music that was pumping through the speakers rumbled through the wooden floor.

With just a brief glance around, I
spotted Ava and Talia in a booth across from the bar. I greeted them as I slid
in, and Ava jumped all over me for not calling her and Trevor last night
instead of going to the shelter.

“By the time I left Nick’s, it was
so late. I just wanted to get a couple hours of sleep,” I explained, as she
continued to frown at me.

“Wait, hold up. Why did you leave
Nick’s? He didn’t let you stay?” Talia asked, obviously confused.

“Nick had a bimbo there.” Ava
rolled her eyes as she explained.

“Bullshit! While you were there?”
Talia exclaimed.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I
never made it into his apartment. I showed up just in time to see his, uh,
guest throw herself and her fake tits into his arms.”

“I don’t get it. I thought he
wasn’t seeing anyone but you,” Talia stated more to herself than me.

“Nick and I aren’t seeing each
other, Talia; we are just friends;” I clarified.

“Yeah, okay.” She smiled at Ava.
Before I could question her, the waiter brought our drinks and appetizers. We
ate, drank and laughed. Being with these two women was just what I needed
today.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I
read the incoming text from Adam and passed it across the table to Ava and
Talia.

“Who’s Adam?” Ava asked.

“A guy on Nick’s soccer team. I met
him when I went to the last game.”

“Are you going to go out with him?”
Talia raised her eyebrows at me.

“I think I might.” I shrugged.

“Do you think Nick will mind?” Ava
asked.

“Seriously girls, Nick and I are
just friends.”

“I don’t buy it.” Talia shook her
head.

“Well, I don’t know what else to
tell you. It’s true. Seriously, have you ever seen the girls Nick goes after? I
am about as far from that as you can get.” They both laughed and nodded in
agreement.

Nick

“Hey.” Chelsea walked in, bogged
with several bags. She tried to blow the hair out of her face, finally giving
up and just dropping the bags.

“Damn girl! Did you leave anything
at the store?” I joked.

“I’ll have you know that I only
bought the necessities.” She stuck out her tongue at me. “Where can I hang
these?”

“You can put them in the left side
of the closet if you want.”

“Thanks.” She grinned as she
sauntered back to the bedroom.

“Are you hungry? I’m making
spaghetti.” I pointed to the pan on the stove.

“Yum! Sounds good.” She sat down on
the bar stool, slipping her shoes off and putting her feet up on the stool next
to her. I couldn’t help but notice how attractive her feet were, not to mention
the incredible legs that they were attached to.

“I met up with Talia and Ava. We
had a couple of drinks.” That would explain the red blush on her cheeks and the
smile that had covered her pretty face ever since she waltzed through the door.

“There’s trouble.” I chuckled.
“How’s the dynamic duo?”

“A riot, as usual. Talia and Tom
are finally moving in together, not that they didn’t basically live together
anyway, but they are giving up her apartment.”

“That doesn’t surprise me one bit.”
I knew this was coming, but I wasn’t sure if they would get engaged beforehand
or not. There was no doubt in my mind that they would get married. They had a
connection that could rival Trevor and Ava’s.

“Hey, speaking of friends, Adam
asked me out.” I froze momentarily, and was thankful that my back was to her. I
picked up the spoon and began stirring the sauce.

“Really?” I did my best to control
my voice. “Good for you. You guys will be great together.” I turned around and
looked at her, doing my best to smile, although I’m pretty sure I looked like a
toddler trying to take a secret shit. It’s amazing how jealous I was getting
when Chelsea wasn’t even my girlfriend.

“Oh, okay, thanks.” She smiled back
at me before hopping off the stool and walking over to the couch. I dished our
plates up with spaghetti and sauce as I watched her tap out a text message. I
assumed it was to Adam, and I kicked myself for not stopping her. Adam is an
asshole to women. I don’t want him to hurt her.

Dinner was a bit awkward and quiet,
and I know it was because of my shitty attitude. Chelsea offered to clean up
since I cooked, so I took my laundry to my room to fold and hang up.

Opening the closet, my heart sped
up when I saw her extremely feminine clothing hanging next to mine. It should
scare me to have a woman’s things taking over my apartment, but it didn’t.
Plus, this wasn’t just any woman; this was
my
Chelsea. She was my
friend, and I genuinely cared for her.

I let one of her new dresses slip
through my fingers. It was so soft, and I could picture how it would hug
Chelsea’s body.

“Did I take up too much space?”

I spun around quickly. “Uh, no. I
was just making sure I didn’t crowd your clothes. I don’t want to wrinkle
them.”

“Nick?” Chelsea closed the distance
between us, and wrapped her arms around my waist. God, she smelled like heaven.

I pulled her into me and rested my
chin on her head. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to say thank
you.”

“For what?” I pulled back so I
could look at her.

“For letting me stay here.” She
smiled. “For being such a good friend.”

“You’re welcome, Chelsea. I’m glad
you decided to stay.” I kissed her on the head before I let her go and stepped
back. “Are we running tomorrow?” I needed to change the subject before I made a
fool of myself.

“Definitely.” She grinned. “Want to
watch a movie?”

“I’ll make popcorn; you choose a
movie.”

I watched her from the kitchen. I
was surprised at how easy it was to have her here. I always thought it would be
a hardship to have a woman stay with me. That was why I never let any of the
women I slept with stay the night. I didn’t want to give them any hope that
they would be more to me than a good time. Chelsea was different. I genuinely
liked having her here. Seeing her asleep in my bed earlier today did strange
things to my stomach. Her beautiful red hair sprawled around my pillow. Her
pale skin, long eyelashes and pink lips slightly parted—she really was
beautiful.

“Ready?” 

I grabbed the bowl of popcorn and
headed to the couch. “What are we watching, Chelsea girl?” 

“
How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days
.”
She grinned.

“Ah, vagina-vision. You’re lucky I
like you. I don’t watch chick-flicks for just anyone.” I winked and laughed at
her goofy smile as she curled her feet under her, and leaned against me.
I
could really get used to this.

***

Every day this past week, my day
started with an amazing run. Chelsea was pushing me hard, but I always felt
incredible after. I wasn’t about to let her know, but I had noticed a
difference with my stamina on the soccer field. Not only was I improving my
game, but I also got to spend time with Chelsea, doing something she loved.

We settled into a comfortable
routine together. Our evenings were spent making dinner, watching TV, laughing
and talking. Tonight had been no different. After cleaning up after a delicious
stir-fry dinner, we settled on the couch with a couple of beers and a movie.
Chelsea had her feet resting on my lap as I rubbed them.
Holy shit!  How had
she gotten me to rub her damn feet without even realizing it?

“Nick, I talked to the company that
owns my apartment complex today.”

“What did they say?” I continued to
rub her feet. What the hell; she liked it.

“Um, I’m going to need to look for
a new apartment. It looks like they are going to have to renovate the entire
complex.”

“Can you get your things yet?” I
asked.

“Yes. It needs to be cleared out by
Sunday.”

“Okay, I’ll get Trevor and Tom
together Saturday, and we can move you in here.”
Wow, where did that come
from?