The New Tenants Pt. 01

Chapter One - Leah

The book clutched tightly in my hand tumbled onto the sofa at the sound outside. It was loud enough to yank me out of the plot of the fast-paced crime novel.

"Summer?" I called out to my roommate, wondering if she'd heard the obscure noise. It sounded like it was coming outside of the front door, maybe even the driveway.

Despite being a little nervous about what I might see, I hurried to the front window and tucked the white linen drapes out of the way. The blast of sunlight nearly blinded me for a second, but I immediately saw the source of the sound.

Water from the hose outside was being blasted from the nozzle and into a bucket. Summer was knelt, hovering over the filling bucket and dumping soap inside of it. I couldn't help but notice how nice she looked, dressed in white denim shorts and a red bikini top. Her tan glowed in the bright sunlight and her long hair swept forward when she wrangled the hose to stop the flow of water.

I didn't want to be watching my roommate, but ever since we'd moved in together at the beginning of the semester, I was enthralled by her. Summer was different. She was gorgeous and could easily be swapped for a model on the cover of Sports Illustrated or Cosmo. Her legs were long but shaped like an athlete's when she moved a certain way. Like crouching down with that bucket.

I was intimidated by her at first. A girl so gorgeous couldn't possibly be as nice as Summer was, right? I worried she was pitying me. I don't have a glowing tan like her, and more times than not I shield myself away from the sun because it only burns me or leaves my cheeks covered in more freckles--a flaw I gave up trying to hide with makeup after meeting Summer.

One day, she'd said my freckles were cute and brushed the back of her hand across the apple of my cheek.

Cute.

Summer said something about me was cute entirely unprompted. I took her word for it even though I didn't agree.

It felt a little creepy to be watching her out the window like that, but peeling my eyes off her was too difficult. The more I got to know Summer, the more I wondered if I wanted her or wanted to be her. Occasionally, I'd have a fleeting thought of her on the other side of the wall between our bedrooms. What was she doing in there with her door closed?

My thoughts went somewhere I'd hadn't wanted them to go and I started picturing her changing her clothes, then touching herself. I thought of every detail--what Summer would look like straddling her pillow and grinding against it, what her petite fingers would like slipping into her pussy, what her breasts looked like underneath those tight shirts and sports bras she liked to mop the floor in.

I'd taken it too far and struggled to look at her the same way again. That's how I knew I didn't want to be Summer Brenton. I wanted her.

Still watching through the window, I saw her bend down and pull out a soapy cloth from the bucket. She began to pump circles across her white Jeep, scrubbing vigorously enough to make her full breasts bounce in that top. I could see it even across the driveway.

My breath quickened and I peered harder at her through the glass. Watching her as she bent down again, this time from behind and I could see the bottom curve of her ass cheeks that the shorts failed to cover. Warmth started to spread through me the longer I stared at her washing her car, seeing the water slosh around from the bucket and hood of the Jeep onto her body. Part of her top was stained darker, and I knew if I was closer, I could probably see her nipple poking through.

I bit my lip, hard. It was wrong to be watching her like that. Summer was kind to me, not interested in me in any kind of way. She was confident in everything she did, so she didn't doubt herself. Unlike me, she didn't read into everything she, or other people, did.

Just as my mind finished running laps, I saw her freeze in place as she faced the front of the house. Those gorgeous eyes of hers were squinted from the sun, but she was looking directly at me in the window.

Shit.

As I scrambled back, she started to wave at me in a motion to come outside.

She didn't look mad, but still. I couldn't risk her calling me out for watching her like a weirdo. I turned away and took a stride towards my room before freezing in place when I hit the hallway. Perhaps hiding away would look worse and create even more awkward tension from this. I could walk outside, act entirely nonchalant and put it back on her. I'd tell her, Of course I was looking out the window, you were making a bunch of noise.

Slipping through the double front doors of the house, I got about halfway to her and stopped. The hot sun instantly sent my skin into a blaze.

"You wanna help me scrape these dead bugs off my car or what?" she smirked and worked the cloth into the other side of the hood of the white Jeep.

Confused, I cocked my head to the side. "You want me to help you wash your Jeep?"

"Yeah! It's hot out here but I'm not risking this paint job only to be a bug cemetery."

Cautiously, I stepped closer to the bucket of water, but Summer stopped me. "Why don't you change? You're gonna get soaked."

I bit my tongue. Watching her was enough to make me soaked, but not in the way she meant.

We weren't dressed all that differently. I was in dark blue jean shorts, but instead of a bikini top, I was in a t-shirt from a dance competition from back in high school.

"It's just a t-shirt," I said. "I don't have a swimsuit here."

Summer rolled her eyes playfully and tossed the rag back into the bucket. Its landing caused a wave of suds to slosh out onto the pavement.

"Come on," she grabbed my hand and pulled me back inside.

My hands were clammy when they were corralled with hers, and I hoped she didn't notice.

In her room, all I could smell was that scent of hers that I came to know well. Like creamy vanilla, and a hint of coconut. Summer rummaged through the top drawer of her dresser and then tossed a black bikini top at me.

I held it up, looking at the cup size. "Summer, this might fit you but it's not going to fit me."

She swatted the air to dismiss me. "It's too small at on me, just wear it."

With her hands on her hips, she waited. I could already feel my cheeks flushing because she was about to see my bare chest if I took off the t-shirt. I'd never been one to lounge around with a bra on.

"Go on, let's see it."

Her words made me swallow hard. In one quick motion, I pulled my shirt over my head and avoided eye contact with her as I shimmed on the skimpy bikini top. I realized my chest filled it out well and that Summer was right. Maybe my C's weren't as tiny compared to her chest that put DD's to shame.

As I looked down at my cleavage, Summer moved in close and adjusted the top sightly on my left breast. She tugged the material to center it and her knuckle hit my right breast when she let go.

Summer was basically touching my boobs.

It felt like I was beginning to break out into a full body sweat.

"Perfect!" Her tone was so chipper and perfectly normal. As if she didn't do anything out of the ordinary, just helping a girl out. It was as normal to her as touching my cheek and calling my freckles cute.

"One more thing," she said and pulled my glasses off my face. Placing them on her messy dresser, she grinned her bright white smile at me again. "Gosh, the glasses are cute, but I love how you look without them."

I nodded, unsure of how to accept these compliments from her. Part of me wanted to lunge forward and kiss her. In a perfect world, I'd tackle her to the bed and unleash all of the pent up desire I had for her. I'd touch every inch of her body with my fingers, and lips, and tongue.

"Thanks."

It was all I managed to get out, and it sounded pained.

But Summer didn't appear to notice and took off toward the front door to head back outside. I let out a deep exhale once I could tell she was far enough away. What the fuck was I doing?

• • •

"Put your back into it," Summer teased me while washing the back of her Jeep.

"Relax, I am," I teased her back, our eyes locking for a moment while we giggled. She was always so fun, and easy going. It made me wish I was different-- confident, and outspoken like her.

She stopped to wring out the cloth and then used the hose to rinse off the rims of one of her tires. "Did you get that text from Adam about the yard?"

My mind went blank for a second. "Who?"

"The landlord. He said something about coming by today to cut the grass himself since those new landscapers never showed up."

Since when was Summer on a first name basis with our landlord.? Mr. Hart was nice and all, but I wasn't in the business of becoming friends with a landlord. Plus, he was double our age and likely wanted nothing to do with two college girls, other than knowing we weren't destroying his house with sorority events or parties.

"He didn't text me," I said, noticing that I probably sounded offended. I wasn't, but he probably was assuming that Summer was the one to reach out to. She was the outspoken one, and I was the quiet one. Mr. Hart, or Adam, probably didn't care about me knowing.

"Oh," Summer said. "Well, I guess we'll have to see if does show up. He sent that text several hours ago but maybe he's not coming."

She shrugged and went back to washing, keeping her focus on the side mirror, and scraping at the dead bugs that were plastered on the surface.

As if he'd heard us, a shiny blue pickup truck pulled in behind Summer's Jeep. I wanted to keep my back to it and ignore Adam. Summer was the opposite and as extroverted as ever.

"Hey Adam!" She called as he stepped out of the tuck, her chest bouncing in her top as she gave a dramatic wave. I looked over to him and noticed he was wearing black sneakers and tan shorts and he looked happy.

"Hey," he said, glancing at each of us quickly before slamming the driver's door. "Just gonna cut down that forest that's started back there."

"Oh, it's not that bad." Summer joked back.

He laughed and rummaged through the bed of the truck. I was still scrubbing around the license plate of the Jeep. I'd never been a fan of small talk.

There was something different about Summer. She was always bubbly and extroverted, so willing to talk to anyone about anything. Kind to everyone she met, no matter who they were. But she seemed to be hanging on to every word Adam said. Physically, she was inching closer and closer to his truck as she spoke to him.

"There's a mower in the back shed, but I'm going to trim up some of those hedges too." He announced with a pair of long orange clippers in his hand.

I gave him a friendly smile, knowing it would feel awkward to thank him for taking care of the yard. I'd always felt awkward just sitting around when my parents had someone come clean our house or I called the maintenance departments at the dorms.

As soon as he was far enough away, Summer moved in and clutched my arm. It was a habit of hers to grab my arm and reveal some sort of epiphany she'd had.

"Adam's hot." She looked deep into my eyes as she spoke, like she was now going to hang on to my response now.

"He's our landlord, Summer."

She sighed and looked up at the sky, wishfully. "I know, but did you see those shoulders? I mean, as soon as we came over to tour the house, I knew I wouldn't be too shy to ask for any maintenance help."

"Are you the one who told him about the grass?"

"No! He did text and ask if the new company showed up and I was honest!"

The direct sunlight made her hair dirty blonde hair look lighter, and her brown eyes look like pots of warm caramel.

I shook my head, giggling at her. "So what are you gonna do about it?"

She glanced down at her chest for a second, then at mine. The material of her top was completely wet and I finally let myself look long enough to see her nipples. They were poking through slightly, and there was no way Adam didn't see it.

"Come on," she clutched my wrist once again and led the way back inside.