On His Knees by Tabatha Kiss

Chapter 15

Jenna

Swish, swish.

My ears twitch to the sound of floorboards creaking outside the bathroom door.

Seth. Seth. Seth.

Still in my house.

I thought I’d gotten rid of him, but apparently not. I put my foot down, told him what’s what, and then… I caved.

Instant regret.

Well, sort of.

But I should have made him beg more.

I have nowhere else to go.

That can’t be true. Right? Seth Newbury is an annoying jackass, but he’s not unpopular. I actually can’t think of a moment in the Delta Xi house when I didn’t see him surrounded by people who adored him.

But that was then.

What’s different now?

I spit into the sink and finish my bedtime ritual with a splash of cool water to the cheeks before opening the bathroom door.

Seth.

Just like last night, he stands with his back to the wall. Grey sweatpants. Toothbrush in hand.

His eyes bounce up from the floor in acknowledgment before quickly slipping right back down again with a wide smile.

I squint as I ease out of the bathroom, carefully staying on my side of the hallway. When I reach my room, I peek over my shoulder.

Watching.

Smiling.

“Why are you grinning like that?” I ask.

Seth tilts his head an inch. “Hm?”

“Why are you grinning like that?”

“Sorry. Are we not doing the house rules thing anymore?”

I open my mouth to reply, then snap it closed again. Don’t talk to me. Don’t look at me.

Whatever. Let him leer.

I don’t care.

I really don’t.

“Goodnight, Jenna,” he says.

“Goodnight,” I say without thinking as I close my bedroom door behind me.

* * *

I round a corner, running at a full-blown sprint down Shanty Row. My pulse pounds even harder, but I ignore it in favor of the promise of a fresh, adrenaline-infused runner’s high once I get to the end.

I reach the opposite corner in front of my house and come to a quick stop. I lean over with my palms on my knees, taking a few moments to catch my breath… and prepare myself for another day of Seth Newbury.

But it’s just one more day this time.

After tonight, he’s gone for good.

I exhale hard, pushing every molecule of air out before hopping up the porch and plowing through the front door. A long, cool shower calls to me, but I make a detour to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water first.

I pop open the refrigerator and pause. There are a few extra bottles lined up in the door, far more than I bought the last time I went shopping. Each has Jenna written on the label in black marker… but some of them aren’t in my handwriting.

Seth replaced the bottle he drank. And then some.

I raise a brow.

Okay. Not bad housemate behavior there.

I take a bottle and stand, but I catch sight of something else that wasn’t there before; a plastic food container with a sticky note attached to the lid that reads... Jenna.

I grab it, carefully peeling the lid off to take a peek inside. It’s a healthy portion of Seth’s orange chicken and rice from last night. He said there would be leftovers, but I didn’t expect him to actually leave me leftovers.

I give it a whiff, and my stomach instantly growls for an early lunch.

Damn, that looks good.

A door opens down the hall. I quickly slap the lid on the container and toss it back into the fridge before Seth reaches the kitchen.

“Good morning!” he says as he saunters inside in his blue blazer, ready to go to work.

I give the fridge door a soft kick to close it. “Hey,” I mumble.

He heads straight toward the coffeemaker. “T-minus eleven hours until party time!” he says. “Are you hype?”

“Yeah,” I drawl as I twist the cap off the bottle. “Very hype.”

“Ellie is hard at work on the guest list. Lots of Beta Kappa Beauties are in town, so that’s promising. Corey’s bringing the keg after five. You’ll be here around then, right? I don’t get off until six.”

I nod. “Should be.”

“Excellent.”He pauses with a tilt of his head. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say. “Great, actually. After tonight, I’ll finally have my house all to myself.”

Seth presses his lips together and nods without a response.

Good. This conversation breaks rule #2 a bit too much, anyway.

I pivot on my toes to enter the hallway. Without a word, I veer into the bathroom with my bottle of water in hand as the thought repeats in my head.

Tonight, Seth will be gone.

I smile.

Tonight, Seth will be gone.

I peel off my sweaty running shorts and top. Tonight, I’ll be... well, alone. But that’s fine. I can tough out a few days on my own until Heidi comes back on Sunday.

I step into the shower.

Tonight, I won’t have to worry about Seth wandering around my house ever again.

Tonight, I’ll—

I twist the handle and water blasts me in the face. I stumble backward, unprepared for the sudden, steady flow firing out of the showerhead.

What the fuck?

With closed eyes, I ease forward to stand beneath the hot water. It hits me fast and hard. Blissful calm washes over me after literally months of subpar showers. I crack a smile. Did our useless landlord finally come out and do his job? No, I would have known. It’s highly doubtful, meaning...

Did Seth fix it? Does he even know how to do that? I mean, surely someone has been here who does, and he’s the only person who’s been here except me all week.

Okay. Not bad housemate behavior there.

So, let me get this straight.

In the last twelve hours, Seth Newbury went shopping. He replaced the water he stole from me. He cooked me food. He organized what promises to be a decent party now that Ellie and Corey are involved in the planning process. And now he’s fixed my shower?

What the fuck is going on?

I glare at the shower wall with suspicion.

And what the fuck is he going to want in return?