Girl Love Happens Boxed Set: Books 0-2

by T. B. Markinson

  “And you want to use a stationary bike?” I waved to the three empty stationary bikes next to me. Wasn’t there some type of gym etiquette? Like not going into the bathroom stall next to the occupied one if there were more options?

  “All the cool machines are taken.” She hopped onto the bike next to me. “Race you.”

  Despite myself, I chuckled. “How was your summer?”

  “Not as interesting as yours.”

  Unable to mask the panic in my voice, I asked, “Why do you say that?”

  “From all the great sex you had.” Once again, she ogled me, releasing the handlebars so she could lean back to check out my ass.

  “Gawd, are you ever subtle?” I rolled my eyes.

  “Why?” She hitched a shoulder.

  “Not everyone likes being ogled like a piece of meat.”

  April stilled the pedals. “Speaking of, check out two o’clock.”

  “What?” I asked as I stopped pedaling.

  “Two o’clock.” She jerked her chin to our right. “Do you think she needs a spotter?”

  I followed April’s eyes to a perky brunette doing bicep curls in front of the mirrored wall. “I don’t think anyone with five-pound weights needs a spotter.”

  April slipped off the bike seat. “You can never be too careful. Gyms are dangerous places. This may be my favorite class this semester.”

  Before I could reply, “Don’t be a fool,” April made a beeline to the girl.

  I started pedaling again, unable to resist watching April’s project, shocked when I saw the girl hand a weight to April and then proceed to stand behind her to help April with her form. Both of them smiled in the way that suggested they thought the other sexy as hell.

  “Who would have thought it?” I muttered under my breath.

  “What?”

  I whipped my head around. “Cuddy!”

  He smiled. “In the flesh.” Cuddy hoisted his arm. “And no cast.”

  I tried stepping off the bike, completely forgetting my feet were strapped in until it was too late. “Uh-oh.” The bike wobbled and started to topple in Cuddy’s direction.

  He put his arms out but seemed to think better of it and scrambled out of the way, right when the bike hit the gym floor with me still attached.

  “Tegan, you okay?” Cuddy tried to lift me but failed. “I’m sorry. My arm doesn’t have much muscle. That’s why I’m in this class. My physical therapist convinced my grandfather it would be good for me.”

  I doubted his scrawny frame, injury free, could lift me and the bike off the slate-gray floor.

  “Watch out.” A black man shoved Cuddy to the side, and he jerked the front of the bike up.

  “You okay?” asked someone behind me.

  “Erik?” Now upright again, I glanced over my shoulder.

  “How do you get yourself into these situations?” he asked, grinning.

  “It’s a special talent of mine.”

  April and the girl giggled behind their hands.

  “You okay, Dr. Feelgood?” the other dude, who looked like a football player, asked.

  Cuddy waved a bashful hand. “Not a scratch on me, this time. Last time, she broke my arm.”

  Why did everyone call Cuddy Dr. Feelgood?

  “You broke his arm?” Erik asked, floored.

  “He ran me over with his bike,” I said in defense.

  Erik, missing the point that Cuddy ran into me, shook his head. “You should have a warning label.”

  I instigated a handshake with the guy I didn’t know. “I’m Tegan.”

  “Vic,” the man said in the deepest voice.

  “Take it easy, Romeo. She’s taken.”

  Vic put his hands up to Erik. “Sorry, man. Didn’t know she was your girl. Tegan.” He dipped his head and then took his leave after Erik clapped a hand on his back.

  Cuddy gave me a worried look, making me laugh. “Don’t worry. He knows about Gem,” I told him.

  Much relieved, Cuddy put his hand out to Erik. “Cuddy.”

  Erik shook it hard. “Erik. Did Tegan really break your arm?”

  Cuddy put his arms together, making it obvious that the recently healed limb was drastically skinnier and much paler. “Yep.”

  “There’s a story there, but I have calculus in twenty.”

  “Aren’t you here for gym class?” I asked.

  Erik bunched his brows. “What class?”

  I waved to twenty or thirty students milling about in the cardio section, not doing much exercise. I realized there were two types present: legit gym rats and those wanting to get their gym credit out of the way without much effort.

  Erik laughed. “I was lifting with Vic. He’s on the football team.” He peeked at his watch. “I need to hit the shower. Drinks Friday?” Erik asked.

  I nodded. “If you can’t wait, Gem and I are hosting G&T Thursday tomorrow.” I rattled off my address.

  Erik kissed my cheek, locking his eyes on April and her new girl toy still watching our every move from the free weight section. “See you then.”

  April waved bitchy fingers, her middle finger slightly more prominent, in Erik’s direction, whispering something to the hand-weight chick.

  Alone with Cuddy, I asked, “Can you help me free my feet?”

  “That I can manage.” He leaned over. “Why’d you buckle in, anyway?”

  “At the time, I thought it was funny.”

  He laughed. “And now?”

  “I may have to drop this class and never show my face in here again.”

  “Ah, don’t be that way. Take pride in who you are. There’s only one person like you on this planet.” He flicked my nose. “Thank goodness for the rest of us.”

  “You coming to G&T Thursday?”

  He bounced on the balls of his feet, wearing the same tattered sneakers from the bike accident. “Are you officially inviting me?”

  “I am.” I gingerly stepped off the bike. “That’s going to leave some marks.” I glanced down at my battered knee and then elbow.

  “I’m assuming G&T refers to gin and tonics, not everyone watching you and Gemma have sex.” He put a finger to his chin. “Although, I wouldn’t turn that down.”

  I whacked his side. “Yuck! Why do men only think of one thing?”

  “Not true. Sometimes, I remember to eat.”

  I looked him up and down. “Not much.”

  “Not all of us have your natural curves.”

  “Whatever! Speaking of eating, I’m starving. Want to grab breakfast after class?” I made air quotes.

  Cuddy looked at his bare wrist. “Can’t. Have a meeting.”

  “You really need to work on your blowing-off routine.” I grabbed my workout towel, placing it around my neck, and took my water bottle from the cup holder. “I’m going to wait for a treadmill. Want to join me?”

  “I probably should do the exercises my PT assigned.” He cradled his bad arm against his body.

  “Right. Wouldn’t want your grandfather to figure things out. You might end up locked in the dog kennel in the basement.”

  Cuddy laughed.

  “Don’t forget about Thursday.”

  He saluted with a goofy grin. “Don’t drop the class, okay?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  On my way through the treadmill section, the amount of people waiting for a machine to free up had doubled from when I gave up hope. No one was in the vicinity of the stationary bikes. Maybe they heard about the danger involved. Glancing up, I saw a person zip by on the track on the second floor. I gingerly climbed the stairs, taking advantage of the privacy to check out my knee. Red splotches from the impact were rapidly turning cherry red. Great, now Gemma would know, unless I didn’t get naked around her until I healed.

  The idea was absurd.

  Chapter Three

  Around six on Thursday, roughly ten people were crammed into our modest front room. Three had w
edged themselves onto the couch that was more suitable for two. A handful of people were out front on the balcony. Gemma was on G&T duty, filling people’s cups before they were close to empty. I prayed her methods didn’t backfire. Picking up other people’s vomit was at the bottom of my hostess highlight list.

  The door was wide open to allow some circulation in the room. Although we had air conditioning, we couldn’t afford to run it. Even the windows in our bedrooms were open to help combat the late-August heat.

  “Well, well, well. The torch has been officially passed.” Bernie, in the open front door, bowed, twirling her arm as if saying she wasn’t worthy.

  “Jenny! Bernie! Glad you made it.” Gemma plucked two red Solo cups from the stack on the coffee table. “Now the party can really get started.”

  Irked, I clamped down on my lip, not wanting to give Bernie any ammunition to use against me. She had plenty at the moment.

  Several people in the room exchanged howdy dos, asking about how Bernie and Jenny spent their summers.

  More guests trickled inside.

  “Finally, a G&T party I can enjoy.” Michelle, Jenny’s best friend, and one of the original hosts of G&T Thursday last year, hooked her thumbs through the loops of her jeans.

  “Why didn’t you warn me about all the work that goes into them?”

  “And ruin my shot for freedom?” Michelle’s eyes bounced off Jenny and landed on Bernie. “Is everything okay between those two? Something about their body language…” She trailed off.

  I hitched a shoulder, not wanting to go there with Michelle, the therapist in training.

  Michelle, much to my surprise, dropped the subject and made a beeline for the balcony, not bothering to say hello to Jenny.

  Someone slipped an arm over my shoulder. “Love the place, Lance. Bare white walls are all the rage.”

  “We’re still in the process of decorating.” I nudged Erik with my hip. “Who’s Lance?”

  He retightened the long sleeve around his waist. “A professional cyclist.”

  My jaw dropped, much to Erik’s amusement. “Don’t you dare say a thing about that.” I stabbed the air with a finger.

  He glanced over his shoulder to check out my elbow, a significant bruise betraying the stationary bike incident. “What’s it worth to you?”

  “My friendship.”

  Erik’s eyes darted to the ceiling. “Please. You have to keep me around or you’ll end up crippled or worse.”

  Gemma thrust a cup into Erik’s hand, a little roughly. “How are you, Erik?” Her voice had an undertone of warning.

  “Better than some.” He quickly stepped out of whacking range, sipping his G&T, amusement tingeing his eyes.

  Gemma wheeled around to me, her brow furrowed.

  I shrugged as if I had no clue what Erik meant.

  Erik waggled his brows over the rim of his cup.

  April entered the apartment. “I’m surprised you’re upright, Tiny T.”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I said to her, sneaking a peek at Gem’s face.

  There was a fleeting fleck of betrayal in her eyes.

  “Sure, you do.” April appraised my reddening face and Gem’s blank stare. Covering her mouth, she said through the cracks of her fingers, “You didn’t tell Gemma about gym class?” Her voice was growing louder, getting almost everyone’s attention.

  Bernie motioned with her hands for the crowd to shut up. “Sounds like April has a story to tell, people, starring the lovely Tegan.” She waved like a sycophant in a royal court. “You have the floor.”

  April grinned.

  I mouthed, “Don’t you dare.”

  She laughed. “Yesterday, in gym class, I was doing arm curls.” April demonstrated, her tank top showing off tiny bicep bumps. “I heard someone utter Uh-oh, followed by a loud crash. There was Tegan, strapped to a stationary bike, on the floor. Erik and some dude, being chivalrous, rushed over and righted the bike, rescuing the damsel in distress.” She bowed in Erik’s direction.

  Everyone laughed.

  During the story, Cuddy had entered the apartment, standing to the side with a sympathetic expression.

  April took notice. “Here’s another witness who can corroborate the story.”

  Cuddy waved hello to Gemma and then said to April, “Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.”

  “A true friend.” I looped my arm through Cuddy’s good wing.

  “Careful, don’t break his arm again,” Erik joked.

  Again, the room burst into laughter. Everyone already had heard that story through the campus grapevine, a curse of attending such a small university in a smaller town that didn’t have many extracurricular activities to offer students besides drinking and gossiping.

  “Cuddy!” Jenny put her hand up for a high five.

  Cuddy reciprocated with his good arm. “What’s up? Haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks.”

  “You two are friends?” I asked.

  “We bonded that night at the hospital,” Cuddy said as if it were perfectly normal to make friends during a late-night trip to the emergency room.

  “We thought you were a goner, TR,” Jenny said in a fake distraught voice, putting a hand on my shoulder.

  “Shut up.”

  They giggled like naughty kids told to stop horsing around during church.

  “We lived together all summer. How come I didn’t know?” I asked.

  “All of you were busy during the summer, so I had to find others to hang out with.”

  A girl called out for Jenny to fill her drink.

  Cuddy wandered to a group near the window.

  “Geez, what’d you say to clear the area?” April joked.

  “You know, April, one day you’ll fall flat on your face, and I hope I’m there to witness it.”

  “Good luck with that.” She raised her cup. “To you. You’re never boring.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  Needing a moment, I disappeared into the kitchen under the ruse of prepping more beverages.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about the exercise bike?” Gemma encircled my waist from behind, tenderly kissing my cheek.

  “I’m tired of being the spazzy one.” I whacked the ice bag with a tiny gold hammer from my do-it-herself tool kit Dad got me. “This hammer is useless.”

  Gemma took it from my hand, banging it on the ice chunk and effectively breaking it into pieces. “Beginner’s luck.” She winked.

  Jenny appeared around the corner. “Hey, Tiny T. You okay?”

  I forced a confident smile. “I’m dandy.”

  Jenny tossed an arm over my shoulder, giving my head a noogie. “One day, you’ll be telling that story yourself as an icebreaker. It’s funny.”

  Gemma handed Jenny the replenished pitcher with a commanding headshake. Jenny took the hint, leaving us.

  “I take it that’s how you hurt your arm and leg.” Gemma folded her arms over her chest. “Not getting taken out by an out-of-control rollerblader on campus.”

  I let out a puff of air. “Maybe. A blader did graze me, though. It wasn’t a total lie.”

  She smiled. “Just a half lie.”

  “Okay, point taken.” I leaned against the counter. “Are you mad?”

  Gemma took a step closer, brushing hair off my face. “Not one bit. But, I’m baffled why you didn’t tell me.”

  “I didn’t want you to laugh at me. Besides, it’s hard to fill you in on everything that happens to me when you aren’t around.”

  She cupped my cheek. “I never laugh at you. With you. I love your Tegan moments.”

  I sucked in a breath, putting a hand on my chest. “You have a name for my idiocy?”

  “You aren’t an idiot.”

  “So, you’ve wiped out while riding a stationary bike?” I folded my arms over my chest.

  Gemma started to speak but quickly changed tactics by kissing me—with tongue.

  “Ca
reful or you might set off the smoke detectors.” Bernie waved a hand in front of her face. “More people have arrived. We need another pitcher. A host’s job is never done,” she said in her mom-like voice. “Should I enlist Michelle to give you two lessons?” Her grating laughter and condescending eyes made me want to slam my fist into her face.

  Gemma scrambled into action, opening the freezer in search of more bagged ice. “On it. Tegan, can you cut some limes?”

  “Do you trust me to?” I asked, petulantly.

  “Of course,” Gemma said with confidence.

  “I’ll help.” Bernie sidled up next to me, grabbing one of the fancy kitchen knives from the wood block, another gift from my father. “With two of us, we can knock these out in half the time.”

  “We need more ice.” Gemma headed to the balcony for the cooler.

  “Your place is cute,” Bernie said, not looking at me. “How’s the honeymoon stage going?”

  “Fine.” I followed up with a curt nod.

  Bernie stabbed a lime with her knife before slicing it in half. “You’re so touchy these days. What’s wrong? Guilt eating away at you?”

  “I have no regrets.”

  She leaned her head to my ear. “It was a good kiss, if that’s what you mean.” Bernie ran a thumb over my lips. “So soft and full.”

  “Everything going okay? No missing fingers?” Gemma dropped the ice bag into the sink and grabbed the little hammer.

  “Yeah, just admiring your girlfriend’s lips. You’re one lucky girl, Gemma. Many would love to kiss her.” Bernie laughed, continuing to slice another lime with deadly precision.

  “Luckily, I don’t have to worry about Tegan on that front.” Gemma flashed me a bold and loving smile. “She may be clumsy, but I can’t imagine her tripping and ending up with her tongue in the wrong mouth.”

  “That would be interesting to witness.” Bernie scooped the limes into a pink plastic bowl. “I’ll get these out to the masses.” She shot me a glance over her shoulder, seductively arching an eyebrow only for my benefit.

  I rinsed lime guts off my fingers. “What can I help with?”

  Gemma filled the ice bucket. “Not a thing, beautiful. Go mingle. The stationary bike story has fizzled completely.”

  In the main room, Erik made a beeline for me. “April can be such a bitch.”