Chapter 1 The Move in!
“Alright, welcome to the kingdom, Ali.” Brian said as he pushed open the door to the dorm suite. My suitcase was just there, trolling behind him. You can crash here while I'm off with the league this year.
I immediately stepped inside to look around. The common area was surprisingly spacious and modern. You could see leather couches and a decent kitchenette with two bedrooms branching off. Finally, after months of chaos, this felt like the first real breath of relief I had taken in a while.
“Wow, this is awesome,” I said, trying to sound lighter than I felt. “Finally, I can't believe this... No rules, no parents…, and definitely the best of all…, no you.” Brian immediately laughed.
“You're welcome to my housewarming party tonight, but bring something,” I said, managing a small smile.
“Whoa, not so fast, Ali. You're not staying here alone,” he said, dropping my bag instantly. “I got you a roommate, and he's gonna keep an eye on you.”
“ What? A roommate?... He?” My stomach suddenly tightened.
“Brian, I'm an adult. I don't need a babysitter.”
“ Nah…, you're still a big baby and you know it. You need someone to brush you up with things, get you comfy around here, and keep an eye on you for me.”
I suddenly sighed. I then sighed.
“Okay, fine. Who is it?” Before Brian could answer, the bedroom door suddenly swung open. Kai Rivera walked out wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped low around his hips, his thick abs, and sharp V-line, and intricate tattoos were glistening with water still. He looked so hung, powerful, devastatingly dangerous. My mouth immediately went dry as my eyes traced every line I had secretly written about for years.
“Hey, Roomie!,” Kai said with a low voice, while amused. “It's been a while. You've definitely grown up.”
You've got to be kidding me. I was living with Kai Rivera, the boy who had lived in my head and my journal for years, the star athlete who had been quietly through my parents' ugly divorce, the one I fantasized about in my darkest, most explicit ways, and now he's my roommate?
“Allie…Hey…My eyes are up here, " Kai teased, waving a hand. As Brian caught note of this, he groaned inwardly.
“Yo! Alice, quit drooling, that's disgusting.”
“ I wasn't,” my cheeks burned. “Okay, I wouldn't call that drooling, I was zoning out.”
“ Hmmmm, and dude, you gotta start wearing a shirt and actual pants. You can't go full commando in front of my little sister,” Brian said.
“Yeah, sorry, sorry, just got out of the shower, " Kai replied, not sounding sorry at all. Brian then clapped him on his shoulder.
“You're on watch duty now, you know. You gotta keep the horny jocks away from her. And remember the most important part, bro code. We don't mess with each other's sisters. Got that?”
“Hey? Brian, I'm right here,” I protested, waving my hands since clearly they weren't noticing my presence.
Kai's stormy gray eyes met mine for a bit.
“Roger that, bro.”
They did the nonsense handshake, and Brian grabbed his gear.
“Catch you after practice, mate. Text me if you need anything, Allie.” He pulled me into a quick hug and left. The door suddenly clicked shut behind him.
Suddenly, the suite felt smaller. Kyle leaned against the wall, with his arms crossed. He was still in that damn towel.
“So, roommates are we? This should be interesting.”
“ Yeah, I muttered,” trying not to stare. “I can't believe this is happening.”
“Me neither, " he said, running a hand through his wet hair. “We're gonna need, look, we're gonna need to have some ground rules. But first, get comfy. Take your stuff into your room. Welcome home, Allison.”
Though I was wondering about the ground rules he was talking about, I just nodded while my heart was still racing as I dragged my suitcase away. How was I supposed to survive this? I contemplated. The boy I had written thousands of secret, filthy fantasies about was now sleeping just one wall away. At night, the dorm was quiet. Brian was already gone for his away game, and the weight of everything. Dad's death, Mom's instability, and the sudden new life pressed down on me suddenly. Moving in with my brother and his best friend. Moving into a new school. I sat on my bed in an oversized t-shirt. My journal was open in my lap, and I was pouring out my heart onto the pages like always.
Kai looked at me today like he actually saw me. Not just Bryson's little sister. The way his body moved in that towel. Oh God, the things I want him to do to me. Pin me against the wall, take my virginity, make me moan his name until I forget about everything else. He's the only one who's ever brought me peace in this storm.
The door went open. I slammed the journal shut immediately, but Kai was already crossing into the room with a playful smirk on his face.
“Can't sleep, storm?” He asked, reaching down and snatching the journal from my hands before I could stop him.
“Kai, give it back!” I said, lunging towards him, but he dodged my grab easily, and then flipped it open.
“What's little Alice hiding in here? Let's see.” He started reading aloud at first, while teasing.
“The way his tattoos move while he breathes make me want to trace them with my tongue…” His voice slowed. He turned another page, then another. His expression shifted completely. I watched in frozen horror as his eyes scanned the raw, explicit fantasies. Because I could not stop him. I had no choice. I just stood there, blank, as he also stood, gazing at the journal in complete shock. It was within what I had written about him. Clinging me on the couch, in the shower, bending me over while whispering that I was his. The deeper confessions slipped between them. Thinking of him brought me physicalization. How he made the chaos feel bearable. How I wanted him for years. Kai abruptly stopped reading. The room went into a dead silence. He stood there with the journal open in his hands, staring at the pages like they had rewritten his entire world. Like he did not know what to do. And actually, honestly, I did not know what to do either.
What is going to happen now?
I feel like the whole ground should just open and swallow me in it. Is there any coming back from this?
