Free Share You by Rene Folsom Page A

looking for the right person to share it with.” Well, that came out a little strange, but it was true.
    Without instructing her to do so, she immediately made her way into the living room where Nick was camping his ass on the couch. As we entered, he stood and held his hand out to greet our guest.
    “Ava! So nice to put a face with the name. We’re very happy you were able to make it out on such short notice,” Nick schmoozed while grinning a little too broadly.
    “Oh, please,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I’m just thankful the opportunity was still available. I should be thanking you.”
    Interviewing Ava was like meeting with an old friend. All three of us naturally bonded and we offered her the room immediately. Upon showing her which room would be hers, she asked if it was okay for me to keep all the books and bookshelves exactly where they were so she could read them. I wanted to tackle-hug her for that alone because that meant I wouldn’t have to put my beloved library collection in boxes.
    As I watched her mount her motorcycle and drive away, I said out loud, “That is so bad ass!”
    “I know, right?” Nick chimed, approaching me from behind and making me jump a little.
    I turned so I was facing him and draped my arms around his shoulders. “You like her, don’t you?” My words came out more as a statement instead of the question it was meant to be.
    “Well, yeah… I mean, what’s there not to like? She looks responsible and is very friendly…” he stuttered.
    I just laughed as I patted him on the cheek lightly, assuring him it was okay to like another chick. “Nick likes a girl. How sweet,” I teased, hoping it would lighten the mood a little.
    “What? No… I… well…”
    “Shh. It’s okay. I think that girl would even have chicks crushing after her—with her perfect teeth making that perfect smile. She really does have a way with words, too,” I said as I stood on my tiptoes and inched my way closer to his mouth.
    Just as our mouths were about to touch, his eyes got really wide and he let out a bellowing laugh. “Ha! Kelli has her first girl crush! And here you are picking on me!” He continued to laugh as he backed away and pointed at me—bending at the waist and making an overly dramatized slapping-of-the-knee gesture.
    Was he right? Was it a girl crush? Or was I just happy to find someone I could feel so comfortable with to share our home?
    The first thing that flashed through my mind was the way her ass looked in those tight pants as she drove away on her motorcycle. Well, fuck me sideways—I do have a girl crush.
    A flush immediately overtook my face. Hell, I could feel the tomato-red complexion overtaking my entire body as embarrassment rendered me speechless. Nick stopped his hysterical laughing, wiped a tear from his eye, and immediately became serious.
    “Really? I’m right?” he questioned. “I mean, I was just joking.”
    To save my pride, a slow smile crept up my face before suddenly letting out a burst of laughter that mimicked his previous eruption. “Gotcha!” I hollered as I pointed and pretended to fake my initial embarrassment.
    “Yeah, I don’t buy it,” he said with a shake of his head.
    “I like her, Nick. I’m so glad we’ve found someone that seems genuinely perfect for a roommate,” I admitted as I stood in front of him, nervous about what he thought of me—a definite first since the day we said I do .
    “Yeah, me too,” he agreed. “Plus, I’m thankful I don’t have to carry all those damn books out to the garage.”
    I hugged him tight as I buried my face against his chest and murmured, “My books would have kicked you out of our room before they would have gone in the garage.”
    *****
    Ava came over the next day and butterflies filled my stomach with just the thought of being around her. I have no clue what came over me. It was as if my nerves were possessed with the jitters each time she laughed. Could it be that I was just