The Deal With My Hockey Star Roommate

Vanessa's POV

"If you don't start putting yourself out there, Vanessa, your love life is going to completely stall," Addison said, shaking her head as she carefully capped her waterproof mascara. She was sitting cross-legged on my unmade bed, her dark hair tossed up in a messy topknot, looking like a total magazine ad in her oversized pink vintage tee.

I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly gave myself an optic nerve sprain, keeping my attention firmly on the vanity mirror. I was trying to apply sunscreen to my face without looking like a ghost, but my reflection was fighting me. While Addison possessed the kind of effortless, high-fashion slenderness that could pull off baggy clothes, my body had decided to develop a mind of its own. I was a mass of soft, stubborn curves-broad hips, an annoyingly hourglass waist, and a chest that made wearing standard beachwear a tactical nightmare. Top it off with a thick mane of ginger hair, and I always felt like a cartoon character standing next to her.

"I am putting myself out there," I sighed, tugging at the hem of my denim shorts. "I just don't see the rush, Addie. We have the entire summer ahead of us."

"We are spending the next two months at a beach house with your twin brother and the rest of the varsity hockey roster," she countered, leaning forward with her green eyes rolling in dramatic frustration. "Opportunity is practically staring you in the face, V. Every single guy down there is over six feet tall and looks like he was sculpted by Michelangelo himself. If you don't finally make a move on someone, I'm going to lose my mind."

I turned around, holding my bottle of sunscreen against my chest like a shield. "If I am ever going to finally take that step with someone, it's going to be because I'm actually in love with them. Okay? I need a genuine connection. I'm not just going to hook up with some random guy at a bonfire just to clear it off my to-do list."

Addison's jaw dropped, an incredibly wicked smirk spreading across her glossy lips. "Oh, my God. You're still totally holding out for him, aren't you?"

My cheeks got so red immediately. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Jax!" she squealed, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at me. "You're still completely obsessed with Jax Holden! Look at your face! You're literally turning the color of a cherry Starburst! You've been waiting for a real connection with him since the day we met him! I just knew it!"

"Shut up!" I hissed, grabbing a stray decorative pillow from my armchair and hurling it straight at her face. She dodged it with a loud giggle, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

But the accusation hit a little too close to home, and my brain immediately dragged me backwards in time to the university athletic dining hall during our freshman year. It was the exact day Addison had first noticed my pathetic, love-struck staring and decided to take matters into her own hands. I could still vividly feel the sheer panic that had seized my chest when Addison had waved her arm through the air like a maniac, shouting, "Hey, Jaxx! Over here!" to the brooding, dangerous-looking rookie hockey player who had just walked into the cafeteria holding a battered paperback book. I had tried to literally slide under the linoleum table, praying for the floor to open up and swallow me whole. But Jax had looked over, caught us staring, and instead of walking away, a brilliant, breathtaking smile had broken across his face. He had strode right over, sliding into the vinyl booth directly next to me, crowding my personal space until I could smell his manly perfume. "Hey, V," he had murmured, completely ignoring Addison's immediately turned-on flirtatious tone to focus his smoky grey eyes entirely on me.

"Earth to Vanessa," Addison's voice snapped me back to the present, breaking the memory into pieces. She was standing by the door now, a beach towel slung over her shoulder. "Come on, the guys are already down by the volleyball nets setting up the coolers. Let's go."

I grabbed a lightweight, silky white beach dress from my closet, sliding it carefully over my swimsuit to corral my curves, and pointed a stern, warning finger at her. "I am warning you right now, Addison. We are going to the beach, and you are absolutely not allowed to do anything stupid like you did freshman year. No shouting, no matchmaking, no schemes to fix my love life. Got it?"

"My lips are sealed," she promised, crossing her heart with a look of innocence that wouldn't have fooled a toddler.

As we walked down the steps of the beach rental and onto the hot, powdery sand, we could hear the music playing from the speakers much louder. The sun was high above us, and a short distance away, a massive net was set up while a group of guys shouted and laughed.

At the center of it all was my twin brother, Leo. Watching him leap into the air to spike a volleyball into the sand, it was still wild to think about how much things had changed. Back in high school, Leo had been a total nerd who spent his weekends playing video games and getting teased for his glasses. But then he had picked up a hockey stick, hit a massive growth spurt, and completely transformed. Now, he and Jax were the two most popular, high-profile varsity players on the college team, tearing up the ice as defensive partners and drawing massive crowds of screaming fans to every single game.

"Look who finally decided to join civilization! Thought you weren't coming. Finally dragged your ass out of staying at home all the time," Leo yelled, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm as he spotted us.

I waved back at him, letting out a little smile as I looked around, not entirely sure what-or who-I was searching for. Then my eyes locked onto Jax, who had come closer to where we stood.

He was already dripping wet from a swim, his messy dark hair sticking to his forehead. He wore nothing but a pair of dark swim trunks, his broad shoulders and deeply cut abs clearly visible beneath the heat of the sun.

"Hey, V," Jax called out in his deep, husky voice.

Before I could even formulate a normal human response, Addison suddenly tripped over a buried piece of wood, her beach bag flying from her hands. In a wild, clumsy attempt to stabilize herself, her fingers snagged into the delicate, silky fabric of my white beach dress. With a sudden tear, the metal clip of her towel caught the thin strap of my dress. As she stumbled backward, the fabric twisted around the metal, tightening into a messy knot that physically chained us together.

"Oh, my God, I'm so sorry!" Addison shrieked, but instead of helping, she somehow spun around, completely tangling the fabric further until I was pulled forcefully forward, losing my footing entirely.

I braced for impact with the hard sand, but instead, my body tumbled directly into a muscular chest. Two massive hands instantly gripped my waist, steadying me. Having my bare hands flat against his warm chest was total sensory overload. A sharp, tingly jolt of electricity flared right down my spine, and for a terrifying second, I was pretty sure he could feel my heart trying to break out of my ribs.

I looked up, my face mere inches from his jawline, our chests practically glued together by the tangled, ruined fabric of my dress, pressing my body flush against his hard angles.

"Whoa there," Jax murmured, a low chuckle vibrating right against my ear. "Careful, V. I know I'm a distraction, but you don't have to throw yourself at me. Are you okay, though?"

"I... Addison... the fabric..." I stammered, my brain completely melting under the intense weight of him keeping his eyes fixed on me. He didn't let go of my waist. Instead, his large palms smoothed slightly over the flare of my hips, his grip tightening as his eyes dropped to my lips for a fraction of a second. He took in the wild halo of my ginger hair blowing in the wind, strands crossing his face before his gaze lifted back into mine.

Everyone had been laughing in the background, but their voices faded away as I quickly got back to my stance. My heart was beating so loudly I was certain he could feel it. He stepped back, running a hand through his hair nervously. I glared back at Addie as she nodded between me and him.

Hmm. Maybe Addison was right. Maybe I didn't need to keep hiding behind my doubts. Maybe I could make this connection a reality. Maybe I could ask him if he was free to walk around the beach with me... but what if... No, I'm just going to ask anyway. It's a harmless question.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, leaning just an inch closer. "Jax, I was actually wondering if maybe we could-"

BZZZZZ. BZZZZZ.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out quickly.

"Hold on," Jax murmured, flashing me an apologetic look as he reached down with one hand, pulling the screen up between our faces so he could see the display.

I didn't mean to look, but the screen was bright enough to catch my attention. The incoming caller ID read, in bold letters: Babe ❤️

And, the call wallpaper attached to the contact wasn't just a casual photo. It was a flawless, professional shot of a statuesque blonde goddess.

"Oh..." I murmured to myself as I shifted slightly away from him, looking down while blinking the tears away quickly.

"Hey," Jax answered, his tone instantly shifting into a sweet, charming voice probably reserved only for the beautiful girl on the screen. He turned his face away from me. "Yeah, babe. No, I'm just down at the beach with Leo and the guys... You can't stay one day without me, babe? Now you want to come to my friend's beach party? Alright, you can come. You know I can't turn you down."

I stood completely frozen, forcing a stiff smile onto my face while my chest felt like it had been violently run over by a Zamboni. I wanted nothing more than to rip the rest of my dress apart, sprint directly into the deep ocean, and swim until I reached a place where brooding hockey players and their perfect model girlfriends didn't exist.