Switching Lanes (8 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Once I arrive home, I sit on the bed and pull out my phone from my bag to text Layne that I made it safely. Then I dial Alexis’ number to tell her the little piece of news that will have her squealing.

“Hello?” Alexis answers
.

“Alexis, you are never going to believe this. But Cole is Layne’
s new roommate.”

“What? How did this come about?”

“Well, it’s a long story, but long story short, Dylan got his ass handed to him by Layne and he kicked him out of the house. So Layne was looking for a new roommate. Imagine my surprise when I saw Cole there just as Layne and I were about to go to a movie.”

“Okay, so like you went out on a date with Layne?”

“What? No. I don’t think. Don’t change the subject. We are talking about Cole here,” I say sarcastically. “You don’t think it was a date, do you? Never mind don’t answer that. Anyway…,”

“So who would
have thought those two would be getting along. Now I definitely need to attend one of these parties,” Alexis says.

“Yes, you should. I cou
ld totally see you two together.” I smile at the thought.

“I think you need to worry about your love life, of lack thereof.”

“Fine, suit yourself,” I say. “Anyway, I just wanted to call and let you know. I’ll let you go. Are we still on for apartment hunting next weekend?” I ask.

“Definitely.”

“Okay, talk to you later,” I tell her.

“See ya,” she replies.

Winter Break is in full effect and I haven’t made any plans. I change into my pajamas. Just as I slide under the sheets, my phone buzzes.

It’s from Layne.
Since school is out for break,
wanna pack a bag and go with me to my uncle’s cabin for a few days? A couple of the guys are going and bringing their girlfriends and I thought you’d like to come, too. Let me know as soon as you get this.

I pull the sheet up over my head and squeal and think maybe my imagination is playing tricks on me. So I open my phone again and the message reads like it did the first time I read it.

Yes! Sounds like fun!

Great, I’ll be by in the morning to pick you up
. We are taking our own cars.

Layne has always be
en a last minute planner. Even when we were young, he always planned something the last minute, and you were only given a moment’s notice. Now I won’t be able to sleep from the excitement. I force my eyes shut and count sheep until I finally fall asleep.

I wake at a 6a.m
, sharp, so I can be ready for the trip in time. Layne will be here in two hours. I take a quick shower and put a little mousse in my hair and let it air dry, so it will be wavy. I wrap a towel around my body and notice my roommate isn’t even in yet from yesterday. Grabbing my overnight bag from underneath my bed, I flip it open and throw in a few cowl neck sweaters and skinny jeans. I also pack a pink sweat suit set just to lounge around in, and a few other pieces for a just in case moment. I make sure to have decent pajamas as well.

Two hours pass quickly because
the next thing I know, there is a knock on my door. I open it and find Layne’s smiling face with a coffee cup in his hand. “Let’s switch; hand the bag over and I’ll give you the coffee.”

I obey his command and hand my bag over to him, taking the coffee from him with my other hand. “Good morning to you
, too,” I torment.

“Come on
, Sunshine.” He grins. I pull the door shut behind me and sip on the coffee as we walk to his car. The same smell that I smelled last night on him wafts through my senses and it makes me want to get closer to him. If only he knew what that cologne does to me. It makes me want to do bad things to him.

“So who’s all
coming this weekend?” I ask, sliding into the passenger seat.

“Jimmy and his girlfriend
, Ciara, Carter and his lady, Beth, and then Thomas and Heather; four couples including us.”

Did he just call us a couple? I know I wasn’t hearing things.
“Well, I get along with all of them so should be a fun weekend.” Most of the guys are Layne’s roommates, so I’m friendly with those girls. I click with Heather the most, and she keeps saying Layne and I make a cute couple and I always roll my eyes at her.

“The cabin is big enough for all of us.
Thought we could all use a getaway for winter break.”

“It’s cool. How long are we staying?” I ask.

“As long as you want.”

A
devilish grin appears on his face. And those dimples get me every time. Maybe he has some ulterior motive behind inviting me out for the weekend.

An hour passes and we pull into a huge log cabin
; it looks to be two floors. And the windows are huge. Trees accentuate the cabin in the back and we walk inside and the ceiling is very high up. We walk into the living room and I look around in awe and the eat-in kitchen is just as big, with stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops as well as a kitchen island, and a nice sized square wood table and chairs.

“Come on
; I’ll show you the room,” Layne tugs on my hand. I love that he is so comfortable with me, though we have been friends forever. My heart would be crushed if he didn’t feel the same about me as I do him. I love every part of him, even the tormented parts and the loving way he takes care of me. I could fall hard for this guy; it even scares me how much I could fall for him. I would walk through fire for him.

We walk up the stairs and into the master suite. It is beyond my wildest imagination. The bed is the main focus with the four tall posters on each end,
and it is high off the floor, and there is a low dresser sitting across from the bed with a flat screen on top, off to the side in a luxurious bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub and walk in shower. Layne just watches my reaction as I look around.

He smiles setting our bags down.
“I’m guessing you approve.”

“Heck yeah
; this is a beautiful place your uncle has. I’m seriously in awe right now.”

“He spent a long time fixing it up,
and it turned out even better than it already was. I can’t believe I never brought you here before,” he says. “The others should start arriving this evening. We should go back downstairs so I can get the fireplace going, and stock the fridge with beer and food.”

“Of course,” I say
, following him down the staircase and loving the view from above. It is such an open space, but it feels warm and inviting. I sit on the tan cloth couch while Layne goes outside to grab some wood for the fireplace.

“It’s colder t
han a daddy’s dick out there!” he says, shivering with the wood in his hands. He places the logs in the fireplaces and lights it and pokes the wood around for a few minutes, then rubs his hands to warm up. Jimmy and his girlfriend, Ciara, come into the house and we greet them both. I hug both of them and Layne welcomes them.

“You guys get to pick t
he next room. The suite is off limits, though,” I tell them happily. I watch as the two bound up the stairs to pick their rooms.

“This place is amazing,” Ciara says
, looking down at us over the railing from up above.

“
I’m so excited for the weekend,” I tell Layne as he sits next to me on the couch.

“I have some things planned. So I hope you brought some warm clothes,” he tells me
while patting me on the leg.

“I did. I seriously can’t wait,” I tell him
with a smile.

“When everyone gets here,
we’ll propose a toast and cheer for an exciting weekend. I think this is definitely going to be a good weekend.”

God how could I not love this man that stands before me? He would take a bullet for the one he loves. And I finally see his personality is starting to come back and shine through. Maybe he is finally breaking free from the pain. Death is not something you can easily get over, but with time it does get easier. Even I can atone to that.

“I wasn’t even thinking, but you don’t mind sharing a room, do you? I don’t know what I was thinking just assuming you would want to,” Layne says.

“Oh no
, it’s fine. I mean, come on, that suite is amazing,” I say with a laugh.

“Oh, is that the only reason?”
he asks with a smile.

Ciara and Jimmy come back down the stair
sand join us in the living room. “Did you guys have an okay ride up here?” Layne asks.

Ciara sits on Jimmy’s lap in the big
oversized chair by us. “We did,” Jimmy answers.

“You guys can help yourselves to anything in the fridge. It should be pretty well stocked with beer and food,” Layne tells them. Then he looks at me. “Wanna go for a walk around the property?”

“Sure, let me grab my coat,” I tell him. I run upstairs and throw on my heavy coat and gloves. “Okay, I’m ready,” I tell him as I bound down the stairs. He holds his hand out to grab mine. I let him, and they seem to fit perfectly, like that’s what they were made for.

We walk through the wooded area in the back and ma
ke it to a clearing. It is so beautiful as the snow starts to fall. “Thanks for coming with me,” Layne says, shoving his hands in his coat pockets.

“I’m glad you invited me. I could use the getaway after all the studying and catching up I’ve done. And midterms were a bitch.”

We walk a little while longer before heading back.

By the time we get back to the house
, we meet the rest of the crew that arrived and we greet each one. Everyone managed to pick their rooms without any fighting. We meet in the kitchen for some shots.

“To Layne, for inviting
all of us on this awesome getaway,” Carter salutes and we all cheer. It’s already turning dark outside since we changed the clocks back, and I love the extra hour of sleep.

“Wanna head upstairs and watch a movie?” Layne turns to me.
We head upstairs and I spot a full basket of goodies on the bed. The note reads “For the host and hostess”. I sit on the bed and see that it is filled with cheeses, crackers, and bologna.

“Mmm
, looks good,” I tell Layne.

Layne starts by taking out the small cutting
board and knife to cut the meat and cheese.

“What movie do you want to watc
h? He points to the stack of DVDs by the TV. “I have a collection over there.”

“I thought there was something you wanted to tell me last night,” I tell him, remembering his statement.

“I think I need another beer. Want one?” he asks, changing the subject.

I’m already buzzed from the shots we did earlier, so what’s one more beer?
“Yeah, sure.”

I stand and look through the pile of movies. I opt for a
Mission Impossible
movie and slide it into the player, and then I grab my pajamas to change into. I go into the luxurious bathroom and change into my pajama shorts and short sleeve top. Hopefully being under the blankets will keep me warm. I prop myself against the headboard of the bed and pull the sheets over my legs.

Layne comes into the room and hands me a beer.

He sits on the bed next to me and we dig into the goodies from the basket.

I must have fallen asleep halfway through the movie, because
I wake early the next morning to the smell of coffee. My head pounds from the drinking last night. I look to my left and find an empty spot, and then I hear the shower running in the bathroom. Layne comes out with just a towel wrapped around his waist and I almost melt right there. The watery bead cascading over his body is so hot.

“Good morning,
Sunshine. Are you ready to get a live Christmas tree today?” he beams and his eyes light up like a small child’s.

“I’m excited. I’
ll just jump in the shower while you get dressed.” I pass him and I want to just rip off the towel that is hiding his manly figure. But I continue to the bathroom and a cold shower is sounding like it’s something I might need. Once I feel lively enough, I head downstairs and grab a cup of coffee.

“The boys are out getting a Christmas tree. They probably won’t be back for a while,” Heather says. “We are more concerned with what’s going on between you and Layne.” The girls
giggle.

“You guys know there is nothing going on between us. We’re just friends
; we have been for years,” I brush them off. “Heck, I’m surprised he didn’t drag one of his sluts along, being that he isn’t getting any from me. Hell, this is probably a record for him.” I giggle, and then bring the coffee mug back up to my lips.

“Well whatever you are doing, you look great,” Ciara tells me.

“Thanks. I’ve just been trying to take care of myself.”

I listen to the other girls talk about their boyfriends.
A twinge of jealousy shoots through me, since I don’t have someone to brag about. But I am happy for them and I’ll listen to anything as long as the attention is off me.