Strangers in the Storm ✔

Chapter 7: Understanding Men

ROXANNE

Roxanne could barely handle the scrutiny of her two best friends as they stared at her, as if assessing a lab rat, and shook their heads in dissatisfaction, each for different reasons. Brenda sat cross-legged on the floor while Addy rocked in the office chair in front of her table.

Brenda flung her blonde locks over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes, "I absolutely cannot believe you stayed for breakfast."

Roxanne inhaled sharply and pulled herself further on the bed, "Not everyone has the ancient knowledge in slut."

"Mean." Brenda murmured.

The dorm room they were in was plain and sort of soulless, nothing but a wooden bed, table and closet, with only a regular black rug covering the floor. Roxanne always wondered why Addy hadn't bothered to decorate. Her favourite thing to do when coming to a new space was adding colour and detail.

"She's right, though. Not everyone knows the rules." Addison turned away from staring at Roxanne and typed away on her computer.

As always, her dark, shoulder-length hair was in a tight ponytail on the top of her head, her eyelids jumped left and right as they tracked the text on the screen and a beam of anxious sweat formed on her forehead.

Addison was in a perpetual state of hurry, ever since high school. She was also incredibly good at multitasking, or so she claimed, and she did not mind people lounging in her dorm room while she wrote her essays.

"You shouldn't have slept with him." Addy murmured. "Bad idea."

Brenda rolled her eyes, "Write your essays, nerd."

"Oh, wow, nerd? So original." Addy's expression remained deadpan.

Brenda ignored her, "You should have absolutely slept with him. God knows you needed it after Mike."

Roxanne's glance fell on the lonesome phone screen. A part of her expected Mike's instant reply. She thought he regretted their breakup and called last night to tell her that. The more likely explanation for the wayward phone call was Mike getting drunk and just calling for drunkenness's sake.

Roxanne sighed, "It was good, though."

"Good?" Brenda raised her eyebrow. "Or better?"

"Better." Roxanne let out a chuckle.

She would have been much more eager to share everything that's happened if she hadn't ruined it all by overstaying her welcome.

"Well, that's good, then." Brenda said. "You had fun, that's what matters."

Roxanne looked at her, "He kicked me out of his apartment."

Brenda laughed, "What the hell did you expect? It was a one night stand! Men don't like it when you read into stuff."

"You would know." Addy still typed, her fingers gliding over the keyboard. "You've tried them all."

"And you've tried none." Brenda sneered. "Seriously, though, you shouldn't feel bad. It's not like you're going to see him ever again."

Roxanne's eyes widened on their own and she realised, like a stupid school girl, that she had in fact hoped she would see him again.

"What makes you say that?" She whispered.

"The fact he kicked you out of his apartment?" Brenda offered. "Plus, we're talking about Damien Douglas."

"So?" Roxanne murmured.

Brenda raised her eyebrow, "He's an eternal bachelor."

"He's twenty nine." Roxanne said. "That's hardly eternity."