Chapter 17:

Chelsea

"Everything ok, honey? We were worried about you." My mom gave me a concerned look as I sat back at the table. Jake's face was flushed, and he smirked at me briefly before turning back to his dinner place.

"Oh, yeah, sorry mom. My roommate called my cell - guy trouble or something."

My parents smiled at me and then each other.

"Well it's so nice to know you're the responsible one making the good choices that your friends can rely on, honey,” my dad said, smiling at me.

I quickly turned to my plate, shoveling salad into my mouth to try and hide the cat-with-the-canary look on my face.

Right, making good choices; like, letting my older, married neighbor fuck me unprotected and come inside of me what, four times now?

Dinner passed in a sort of hazy glow, and as we all ate, I managed to sneak a few more looks and even a couple of hand squeezes under the table with Mr. Harding.

We were hugging our goodbyes outside the restaurant later in the freezing cold Boston winter, when Jake leaned into me and growled into my ear. “I have to see you again. I'm staying at the Marriott; my number is in your coat pocket."

I felt a shiver from more than just the cold run up my spine as I felt his arms squeeze me tight before letting go.

"So great to see you Chelsea, and glad to hear schools going so well!" He said it loudly as he pulled quickly away from me and smiled at my parents.

"Guess I'll see you again around spring break then!" He shook my dad's hand and kissed my mom on the cheek before they turned to say goodbye to me for the night.

"Call me, tonight" he mouthed over their shoulders at me, before he turned and stepped into the waiting cab.

And right then, I knew that for the first time since becoming my roommate, Lucy was going to have the dorm room to herself for the night.