Chasing Destiny Read online

  I opened the door and stopped.

  “You look like shit,” Ryder said, perched on the side of my bed.

  “Thanks.”

  “One day you’ll need a liver transplant and wish you hadn’t partied so much.”

  I laughed as I walked over to the bed and wadded up my comforter. “Didn’t you spend a lot of time in juvie when we were younger, and didn’t I just get shit-faced with you last weekend? Your girlfriend had to come get you.”

  “Yeah, but as you can see, I didn’t get shit-faced last night. And the juvie thing happened when I was like sixteen. It’s called growing up.” He picked up a box and scrunched his nose. “What the fuck is in here?”

  “My dirty clothes,” I replied, my voice even.

  He dropped it. “Next time warn a person.”

  “Let’s just get this mattress out to the truck,” I said, picking up one end.

  “Fine by me. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I get to go back home to Megan.”

  We picked it up and carried it to my truck, then went back for the box spring. “Anymore furniture?” he asked as we tossed the box spring on top of the mattress. “We can fit it in the back of my truck.”

  “No. Just boxes, so it should all fit in mine. The apartment I’m moving to is already furnished.”

  We loaded the rest of my boxes and clothes into the back seat of my truck, then took off toward my new place.

  “So, have you set a date?” I asked.

  “No. It’ll be a while,” Ryder answered while texting on his phone.

  “Is that Megan? Tell her she can come over and help me christen my new place if she wants.”

  He scowled at me. “I will beat your ass.”

  I laughed and turned up the rock music coming from the speakers even though my head was still pounding. I loved messing with Ryder about Megan. She had always been the good girl from what I could tell, and…well, Ryder used to get in trouble a lot. They were complete opposites and a nauseating couple.

  I backed the truck into a parking spot close to the apartment and got out. “I’m just going to go unlock the door. I’m not sure whether Kristin’s here or not.”

  “Okay, I’ll get started un-strapping the mattress.”

  I climbed the steps and unlocked the door, swinging it open. Kristin was sitting at the small dining table, eating cereal with her dark brown hair piled up on top of her head. She looked adorable.

  “Hey,” I greeted.

  She swallowed. “Hi,” she said, glancing at the clock on the microwave. “I really wasn’t expecting you this early.”

  I already knew the answer, but I asked anyway. “And why is that?”

  “Because it’s Saturday. I figured you’d be hungover.”

  “I am,” I said. “Do you have any painkillers?”

  “I do,” she replied, then went to the kitchen and opened a cabinet. “Is it just your head?”

  “Yeah. Surprisingly, I’m fine otherwise.”

  She rifled around for a few more seconds, then slammed the cabinet. “Here.”

  I walked up to her and took the bottle out of her hands. “You are a lifesaver, flower girl.”

  “Now that we are roommates, you need to stop calling me that, Janson,” she said, a smirk forming on her lips. “I can easily smother you in your sleep.”

  “Please do,” Ryder interjected as he strolled into the apartment. “The world would be a lot better place.”

  “Shut up, juvie,” I replied as Ryder scowled.

  Kristin shook her head and laughed. “Do y’all need any help?” she asked as I filled a glass with water and downed the pills.

  “We’ve got it.” I looked back to Ryder, who was smiling as he watched Kristin and I. “You ready?”

  “Yep,” he answered, still smiling. What the hell is he smiling about?

  We jogged down the stairs and both went to opposite sides of the truck. “I think you’ve met your match.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I questioned as I grabbed the box spring.

  “I don’t think she’ll put up with your shit. You need someone like that.”

  I let my gaze settle on him. “We’re just friends. I’ll admit she’s hot, but I’m never going down that road again.”

  “We’ll see,” he said, lifting his side. I rolled my eyes and began walking, holding up the box spring.

  Once we got it up the stairs and into my new room, we went back and retrieved the mattress, rails, and boxes. “I’ll get my clothes later,” I said. “Thanks for helping, man.”

  “Anytime.”

  “You hungry? I’m starving.”

  “I could eat. I’ll call Megan and see if she wants to meet us somewhere.”

  Nodding, I went down the hall toward Kristin’s room. I knocked on the door before pushing it open. “You wanna come eat?”

  “I just had cereal,” she replied, looking up from her laptop.

  “That’s like a snack. Come on, get dressed. Or don’t,” I said, looking at her exposed long legs. “I like the short shorts.”

  She glared at me, but cracked a smile. “Give me a minute.”

  I winked and closed the door. I really liked Kristin. When I’d first met her, she was reserved and hardly spoke to me, but it turned out she was in a depressing relationship and her true personality was being smothered. She was actually funny, smart, and beautiful. Even the potent smell of all her flowers was growing on me. If I were in the mood to settle down, I’d pick someone like her, but I wasn’t.

  “She’s coming,” I told Ryder, who had flopped down on the couch. “Make yourself comfortable.”

  “I did, thanks.”

  ***

  The four of us sat down at a table in IHOP thirty minutes later and my stomach growled. Breakfast food was my favorite. “We’ll actually need another chair,” I told the host as I glanced up from my phone.

  “Okay.”

  “Who else is coming?”

  “Hayes,” I replied. “Mackenzie took Harley to meet up with her brother.”

  “I remember Hayes. When I would come to visit, we would team up and kick everyone’s ass at football.”

  “Well, he’s married with a kid now,” I sighed. “I feel sorry for him.”

  “He’s a dad?” Ryder questioned. Ryder had moved to Norman about six months ago and although we hung out some, we had never been the type to sit around and gossip.

  “Yeah. I’d fill you in, but it’s a long story and I doubt you care that much.”

  Megan and Kristin both laughed as they looked over the menu. I tossed mine to the side, already knowing what I wanted, and began drumming my fingers on the table.

  “Why don’t you still play the drums?” Ryder asked.

  I shrugged. “I still do when I go home, but they take up too much space for a small apartment.”

  “You play the drums?” Kristin asked.

  “He can sing, too,” Ryder added. “Don’t let him hide it.”

  I could also play the guitar pretty well, but the waitress arrived, saving me from talking about my musical talents. It wasn’t anything I wanted to pursue in my life, just a hobby I enjoyed by myself.

  After we ordered, Kristin and Megan began talking about school starting up and Hayes showed up. “Hey,” he greeted. “Did you already order?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Damn it,” Hayes said. “Your food will come out before mine and I’ll have to watch you eat while I starve.”

  “I doubt you’ll starve.”

  “Mac left early this morning, I’ve only had a pop tart.” He glanced over at Ryder. “It’s been a long time. How are you, man?”

  “I’m good. Heard you’re married.”

  “Yeah. It’s been great.” Hayes’ face lit up and even though I wanted to gag a little, I was happy for him. I wasn’t opposed to relationships; I was just opposed to me being in one. I’d had my heart stomped on before and I wasn’t going to let it happen again.

  “That’s gr
eat. Megan and I still need to set a date.”

  Megan leaned over Ryder to speak to Hayes and myself. “I’m working on it. He says he’d like to get on a plane to Vegas tonight.”

  Hayes laughed. “We got married at the courthouse. My dad married us.”

  “Lucky,” Ryder muttered.

  “What was that?” I asked, knowing he didn’t want Megan to know.

  “Nothing,” he replied, scowling, as Megan said, “Lucky. He said lucky.”

  “I still promised her a big wedding. I’m not off the hook yet,” Hayes added.

  I glanced over at Kristin, who was enjoying the conversation—Megan’s raised voice and Ryder’s obvious frustration he would never admit to.

  The rest of the meal was spent talking about old times and how everyone was dreading the new semester, but all I could think about was getting back to the apartment to take a nap. My head still hurt and the yelling kids sitting beside us were making it worse.

  “I appreciate your help today,” I told Ryder. “I’ve got your meal.”

  “Yeah, you do. I woke my ass up early on a Saturday morning.”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “He wakes up early every day. Don’t let him fool you.”

  “Shhh, babe. I really wanted him to feel bad.”

  I laughed. “Not going to happen. I don’t feel bad for anyone who agrees to help someone move.”

  Kristin let out a huge yawn and stretched her arms over her head. “Hey, you ready?” I asked.

  “Whenever you are.”

  “Let me go pay.” I snatched her ticket and Ryder’s, then decided to be nice and grabbed Hayes and Megan’s too. They all looked at me like I had grown an extra limb and I rolled my eyes. “I can be nice.”

  Before they had a chance to reply, I left and walked toward the register located up front. I didn’t feel like waiting on the waitress to come back to the table.

  After stuffing my card back in my wallet, I turned to see Kristin standing beside me and everyone else waiting by the door. “I really do appreciate your help, Ryder.”

  “It was no problem. It wasn’t like you had all that much.”

  I nodded. “True.”

  Kristin waved goodbye to everyone and I nodded at Hayes as he walked to his Jeep. “I’m so tired,” Kristin remarked, stifling another yawn.

  “Me, too,” I said, placing my arm around her shoulder. “Did you have fun last night at the party?”

  She groaned. “I drank way too much and went to a ‘haunted house’ with Holly and some guys,” Kristin said, making air quotes.

  “Was it not haunted?”

  She laughed, sounding a little sardonic. “I don’t know. Maybe. But someone was living in it. The worst part was Holly puking her guts out on the sidewalk. Kinda ruined the night.”

  “Oh, man.”

  We both climbed inside the truck and I cranked the engine. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait until we crawl in bed for a nap.” I swung my gaze toward her to check her reaction.

  Eyebrows raised, her mouth parted slightly. “What?” she asked, laughing.

  “I can’t wait to crawl in bed with you and nap…while we snuggle.”

  “Are you serious right now? I am never crawling in bed with you. Your bed has had way too many naked girls on it.”

  “Okay,” I said, “we’ll just nap on your bed.”

  “Um,” she said, but didn’t object.

  Yep, it was going to be nice having a female roommate.

  Chapter Three

  Kristin

  What the hell is that knocking noise? I lifted my head from my pillow to look at my alarm clock. It was just after two in the morning. Then I heard the moan and knew exactly what the noise was. I had been living with Carson for two weeks and this was becoming my new normal.

  I should’ve expected this, but I had a horrible migraine and decided to stay in and sleep instead of going to the party. I was guessing the party had been…fun for Carson—the girl sounded fun at least. The sad part was I knew I’d hear some shouting followed by the front door slamming in about five minutes. Same routine, different girl. I almost—almost—felt sorry for them. But what did they think was going to happen?

  Not my problem.

  My head started to throb a little and my throat felt dry. I flung the covers off and figured I'd get some Gatorade from the fridge since I was already awake.

  I had just opened the fridge and grabbed the bottle when I heard, “What!” shouted from Carson’s room.

  Laughing to myself, I poured the drink and listened. “You’re an asshole!” I imagined Carson lying in bed, shrugging. That was his typical attitude about most things in life.

  One minute later, his door opened with a bang as it hit the wall and stomping quickly followed. The girl’s red hair was disheveled along with her clothes, but the best part was the anger radiating from her face, veins bulging. She stopped suddenly when she saw me standing at the kitchen counter. “Who the hell are you?”

  “Kristin,” I replied. I knew she wasn’t asking my name, but my head was hurting and I didn’t feel like being nice. Plus, I kinda wanted to see if she would get mad enough to burst the vein popping from her forehead.

  “Are you his girlfriend?” she asked.

  “She is,” Carson replied as he walked down the hallway toward the living room. “She’s totally cool with us having sex in the room next to her.”

  “What?” she asked, spinning around to stare at him. “You’re a bigger asshole than I thought!”

  “And you’re stupider than I thought.” He pointed to the door. “There’s the exit.”

  “You really date this jerk?” the girl asked, turning to look at me again. Why she didn’t just leave was beyond me.

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “I can’t…I can’t…” I let out a fake sob and lowered my head, trying to think of something to say and not laugh.

  “Get the hell out!” Carson shouted, causing me to snap my head up. He walked toward the girl and then gently placed his arm on her back. Yanking open the door, he made sure she walked out. “And don’t come back,” he grumbled as he slammed the door.

  “Why the hell did you say we were together?” I asked before gulping down the Gatorade.

  “I thought that would make her leave quicker, but then she kept asking questions.” He sighed. “And you couldn’t even come up with a reason why you’d let me sleep with someone else.”

  “Well, you do know that would be bizarre, right? Not a lot of reasons out there.”

  “You could have told her you have herpes or something.” He grinned, then walked over to the fridge. “How’s your head?”

  “It would be better if I were still asleep.” I turned around and leaned back against the counter.

  “Why are you awake?” he asked as he took a swig out of the orange juice bottle. Note to self: don’t drink any orange juice in the morning—or ever.

  “Because of your loud ass,” I replied.

  “Oh,” he said, his lips twitching upward. “Sorry about that.”

  I pushed myself off the counter. “I’m going back to bed.”

  “Want someone to snuggle with?”

  “Gross. You haven’t showered!” I shook my head and walked back to my room. If I didn’t love him so much, I’d strangle him sometimes. I crawled in bed, and a few minutes later, I heard the shower turn on in Carson’s bathroom. At least he was going to wash her off before going to sleep.

  Fifteen minutes later, the bed dipped and I was pulled against a warm body, which had become our normal more often than not. Damn, I wish he weren’t so comfortable.

  ***

  The next morning, I crawled out from under Carson’s warm body and made my way to the shower. My head still felt hollow from the migraine the night before, but I felt better. Once the water was warm, I climbed inside and let it cascade over my body.

  My mind began to think of all the things I needed to tick off my list since it was Saturday and I’d actually have some free ti
me. My car needed an oil change, I needed to stop by the library and check out a book for a paper I was writing, I needed…my thoughts drifted as the shower curtain moved from the other side, and I heard, “Hey!”

  “Carson Janson! What the hell?” I grabbed the curtain and forced it back toward the wall, covering my body while keeping my face visible.

  “What? I needed to talk to you, Kristin Wright.” He shrugged, but he had the biggest grin on his face.

  “I’m naked! I’m showering! I’m busy, you asshole!”

  He shrugged. “Nothing I haven’t seen before,” he said as his eyes traveled down my curtain-covered body. I was pretty sure he could still make out my outline though, given the fact he was biting his lip and adjusted the way he was standing. “Anyway, I was wondering if you’d seen my lucky shirt?”

  “Your lucky shirt?” I asked as I closed the curtain completely. He was lucky I wasn't wrapping my hands around his neck and placing him under the spray of water until he drowned. Okay, maybe that would be a little harsh and I was naked, but seriously, the audacity of this man. “I don’t know which one is your lucky shirt.”

  “The gray one that says Sooners on the front. Big hole in the armpit.”

  “Nope,” I said, grabbing the shampoo bottle. “I still have no clue.” Had he really come in here to ask me that? Yes, he had. This was Carson, after all.

  “Great. Just fuckin’ great,” he muttered before I heard the door close.

  I cleared my head and continued with my shower. Once the water turned cold, I stepped out and dried myself off. I slipped on some clean clothes—jeans with a few holes and a Kenny Chesney t-shirt—put on some mascara, then went back into my bedroom, leaving my hair to air dry.

  I wasn’t sure why, because I didn’t really care, but I yelled out, “Did you find it?”

  “Yeah,” Carson mumbled back.

  “Why do you need that shirt so badly?” I asked as I gathered up my money and shoved it in my purse.

  “Hayes and I are playing a game of basketball against Ryder and Mark.” I glanced up to see Carson leaning against my doorframe and my mouth went dry. Oh…holy shit. He looked good—no, he looked sexy. His brown hair was a mess, like usual, his scruff had somehow gotten sexier in the last twenty minutes, and his “lucky” shirt was hugging his muscles in a way that put them on full display and accentuated his beautiful sleeve. His tattooed legs were peeking out of a pair of athletic shorts hanging low on his hips.