Page 76 of Good Girl Fail
Worry flickered across Auden’s face but he nodded. “Of course. Whatever you need.”
“Can we be here with you?” Len asked. “In the moment?”
She let the question move through her and allowed her gut feeling to provide the answer. “Yes. I’d like that.”
Len smiled and Auden’s shoulders relaxed a little.
She made a quick trip to the bathroom, texted Quyen that she was staying over, and then stole one of Auden’s T-shirts to wear. When she got back into bed, Auden slipped beneath the covers with her. Len followed suit, claiming the spot behind her. The warmth of their bodies surrounded her, the bed not big enough to leave space between them. She didn’t know how to feel yet about the things that had happened tonight, but for now, in the darkness of Auden’s bedroom, flanked by these two men, she felt safe and cared for.
She’d worry about the rest in the morning.
CHAPTERTWENTY
Auden was already partially awake, his internal clock primed to get him up before dawn for swim practice, when the smell hit him. He blinked his eyes open, his brain trying to process the anomaly.Is that…?
Shit!He sat up so fast, he knocked his pillow sideways, sending whatever was on the nightstand toppling to the floor with a crash.
“What the hell?” Len mumbled, voice knotted with sleep.
“Get up! Both of you, come on,” Auden said, his words coming at top speed as he jostled O’Neal. “We gotta get out of here. Now!”
O’Neal rolled onto her back and pressed her hands to her face. “What’s wrong?”
But Auden didn’t have to answer. The smoke alarms started blaring, and her eyes went wide. He hopped out of the bed, grabbed his phone, and then yanked a pair of clean boxers out of a laundry basket.
“Shit shit shit.” Len was fully awake now and throwing back the covers. He grabbed O’Neal’s hand. “Up and out, Sweets.”
The smoke alarms continued their urgent shrieking, and the three of them hustled out of the bedroom. Auden handed a pair of boxers to O’Neal as she jogged next to him. “Here.”
She glanced at the item as if she didn’t understand what it was but then the situation registered on her face. She was in panties and a T-shirt. She quickly stepped into the shorts, and then they all rushed out the front door.
The acrid smell was stronger outside, and black smoke curled out a window of one of the bottom floor units—Hunter Brickham’s apartment. Sirens wailed nearby, and flashes of red lit up the pre-dawn sky.
“Looks like the calvary’s almost here,” Len said as they quickly descended the stairs, his hand on the small of O’Neal’s back. “Is everyone out?”
“No idea,” Auden said. When they reached the bottom, he banged on the door of the unit below them and yelled “Fire!” just in case they were hard sleepers.
But someone called out from behind him. “We’re out!”
He turned, finding a small gathering of people in various states of undress at the far edge of the parking lot. Julia, one of the two women who lived in that unit, was waving at them.
A shot of relief went through Auden. He grabbed O’Neal’s hand, and they all power-walked over to the group as the sirens got louder. Smoke billowed out of the window, and the occasional glimpse of orange flame flashed inside. Auden did a quick mental check. Julia and her roommate were there, both in bathrobes. The graduate students from the other upper apartment were sitting on a curb, one filming with his phone. And Brickham, or Brick as he was known on the swim team, was glaring at his roommate, a skinny brown-haired guy who was wearing a Super Mario Bros. T-shirt and a guilty look.
No one said a word as firefighters arrived and got to work. O’Neal shivered next to Auden, and he wished he’d grabbed a sweatshirt to lend her when he’d gotten the boxers. Len must’ve noticed her chill as well because he wrapped his arms around her from behind, trying to warm her. Brick glanced Auden’s way, and Auden quickly released O’Neal’s hand.
The fire was out within a few minutes, thankfully, and seemed to be limited to the kitchen of Brick’s apartment, but the group had been told to wait to get official word that it was safe before they went back in. One of the firefighters was in deep conversation with Brick’s roommate.
Soon, the sun was staining the sky with pinks and purples, and Auden worried they’d be stuck out there for hours. He cocked his head at Len and O’Neal, indicating they should get some space away from the group. Once they were out of earshot, he turned to O’Neal.
“You okay?”
“Not on fire, so I’m good.” She gave him a wobbly smile, looking far too tempting in his swim team T-shirt. “But should I expect a terrifying surprise every time I sleep over? Last time your mom, now a fire. Is the universe trying to tell me something?”
He sighed. “Iwasplanning to surprise you, but by getting up before both of you to grab hot donuts from down the street.”
“Donuts?” She lowered her head in dramatic disappointment, pressing her forehead to his shoulder. “That sounds so good right now.”
“Instead, we almost got deep fried ourselves,” Len said, stretching his arms above his head and yawning, his tattoos flexing in the morning light. “Fun times.”