For a Friend

When Oliver's parents leave him stranded during his leave from military duty, Reina is more than happy to let her childhood best friend stay at her place instead. But living in a small studio apartment means sharing a bed, igniting a long-dormant desire that leads to a passionate night that could change both their friendship--and their lives--forever.

Excerpt:
“Thanks for letting me crash here, Reina. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. That’s what friends are for, right?” I hesitated a moment, then added: “As long as you remember that I only live in a studio, Oliver. That means we have to share the bed.”

His eyes widened and for a moment, I thought I saw a flash of panic in his eyes. Then he dropped his gaze, focusing instead on the large duffel that held his things. “Well, beggars can’t be choosers. Right?”

I hid my wince, but I couldn’t keep it completely out of my voice. “Yeah.”

“I didn’t mean it that way.” He raked a hand through his short, crewcut hair, letting out a heavy sigh. “It’s just… having my parents forget that I was coming home isn’t exactly how I imagined this trip would go.”

“I’m sorry.” Since his parents and mine were old friends, it meant that I’d seen the way they had changed over the years since he’d left home. And not for the better. It was almost as if they had been waiting for him, the last of their three sons, to leave. Had even celebrated their ‘freedom’ from being parents at last.

Which explained why they’d taken off for a last-minute trip to Canada on the very day that Oliver was coming home on leave from the army. I didn’t know if they had forgotten. I hoped that they hadn’t done it on purpose.

“I’m surprised your parents are okay with you living off-campus,” he said now. “Especially your dad.”

My dad was notoriously overprotective, chasing off all guys who came near me. Including one memorable occasion when he’d made one of my prospective dates pee his pants from fear. “I worked my job and saved up money to do it. They couldn’t really make an objection when I proved that I could pay for the apartment and keep up my grades at the same time.”

“When do you graduate?”

“This May.” I unlocked the door and hesitated for just a moment, trying to remember if I’d managed to hide everything that might be potentially embarrassing from view. Oliver had called from his parents’ house, after finding that not only had they left, but they’d changed the locks. “Here we are.”

He ducked in through the doorway and instantly made the already small space feel even tinier than before. “This is nice.”

“Flatterer. Bathroom is that way.” I showed him the pocket door that served as the only barrier. “And kitchen is over there.”

“I’m not much of a cook.”

“Neither am I. I mainly use the microwave to heat up leftover takeout.”

“That works for me.” He dropped his duffle beside the bed and sat on the edge. That, too, suddenly looked smaller than it used to. Granted, it was only a full-size bed, not even a queen. Not really made to take more than two people.

I bit my lip as I thought about lying there with Oliver.

He had not seemed to think it was a big deal, and it was also true that we’d often shared a bed when we were kids.

But I hadn’t been able to think about him as just a friend for years. I’d begun to feel some attraction to him when we were teenagers, and I’d half-expected it to diminish after all these years of separation.

It had not.