Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 43759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Read Online Books/Novels: | Helping Hand (Housemates #1) |
|---|---|
Author/Writer of Book/Novel: | Jay Northcote |
| Language: | English |
| ISBN/ ASIN: | 9781310322075 |
| Book Information: | |
Jez Fielding and James MacKenzie—Big Mac to his mates—are in their second year at uni. After partying too hard last year, they make a pact to rein themselves in. While their housemates are out drinking every weekend, Jez and Mac stay in to save cash and focus on their studies. When Jez suggests watching some porn together, he isn’t expecting Mac to agree to it. One thing leads to another, and soon their arrangement becomes hands-on rather than hands-off. But falling for your 'straight' friend can only end badly, unless there’s a chance he might feel the same. This book is a complete story and can be read as a standalone. | |
| Books in Series: | Housemates Series by Jay Northcote |
| Books by Author: | Jay Northcote Books |
Chapter One
Jez flipped idly through the channels on the TV as he m unched on
the bland, slightly soggy pizza that had been on special offer in the
superm arket. It tasted like shit.
“For fuck’s sake, j ust pick som ething and stick with it. You’re driving
m e crazy.” Mac—aka Jam es MacKenzie, aka Big Mac to his m ates—
grum bled from the dining table, where he had books and notes for their
current assignm ent spread out in front of him .
They were on the sam e course—Geography, and Jez had already
finished his and handed it in early, but Mac was only halfway through.
“You could work in y our room , dickhead, or go to the library if y ou
want peace and quiet,” Jez said, but his tone was m ild.
“I prefer it down here. Working on a Saturday night is bad enough
without being shut away on m y own as well.”
Jez settled on The Simpsons and put the rem ote aside.
The living room door opened and Shawn put his sandy blond head
around it. “Me and Mike are heading out soon. Are y ou sure y ou don’t
wanna com e and m eet us later? We’re going clubbing after the pub.
There’ll be tons of freshers out tonight; pulling will be like shooting fish in
a barrel. All those girls straight from the arm s of their parents ready for
their first taste of freedom —and by ‘freedom ,’ I m ean m y dick.”
Jez rolled his ey es. “In y our dream s, Shawny. And no. I’m skint,
rem em ber? So unless y ou want to buy all m y drinks tonight, it’s never
gonna happen.”
“What about y ou, Big Mac?”
Mac ran his hand over his short dark hair and didn’t glance up from
his laptop. “Nope. I’ve got this essay on river sy stem s to get done by
Tuesday.”
“Aw, com e on, m an. It’s Saturday night. Can’t it wait till tom orrow?”
Mac clenched his j aw and flushed as he shook his head, looking
down at his notes and shuffling the papers around. “No.”
“But—”
“Give him a break, Shawn,” Jez said, a steely thread of warning in
his voice. “I’m sure y ou and Mike can m anage without us.”
Jez, Mac, Shawn, and Mike had lived in the sam e corridor last y ear,
and had soon gravitated towards each other and started hanging out
together. At the start of the y ear, they ’d all gone out a lot, checking out all
the popular student pubs and clubs in Ply m outh, but Mike and Shawn
hadn’t gone quite as crazy as Jez and Mac, who kept up the party ing right
through till the sum m er. By the end of their first y ear, Jez had racked up
an enorm ous overdraft and his parents flatly refused to bail him out even
though they could easily afford it. Mac got behind with his studies, been
late for a couple of assignm ents, and then nearly flunked the end-of-y ear
exam s. So now, at the start of their second y ear, Jez and Mac had decided
to rein in the party ing, and Jez wasn’t going to stand by and watch Shawn
give Mac a hard tim e about it.
Shawn m et Jez’s gaze and obviously decided it wasn’t worth arguing.
He shrugged instead and said with a grin, “Okay, whatever. Later,
losers.”
“Have fun,” Jez said.
“Oh, we will.” Shawn banged the door shut behind him .
“Thanks,” Mac said, his brown ey es serious and levelled on Jez.
“You’re welcom e.”
Jez finished his pizza and then settled him self m ore com fortably on
the sofa, ly ing sideway s with his head propped up on a cushion. He could
hear the tap of Mac’s fingers on his laptop key s and the occasional scratch
of a pen and rustle of paper as he worked, but it didn’t bother him . As
Mac said, it was a bit sad being stuck in on Saturday night, and so he was
glad of Mac’s com pany. They had an easy relationship—a solid, casual
friendship based on spending lots of tim e in each other’s com pany over
the past y ear.
The house they lived in was a large rental with six bedroom s. On a
weeknight there were usually a few of them around, hanging out in the
living room or getting in each other’s way in the kitchen. But tonight Jez
and Mac were the only ones who’d stay ed in. Dani, the only girl who
lived with them , was away this weekend visiting her boy friend, and Josh,
the fifth guy in the house, was usually out every Friday and Saturday. He
tended to do his own thing rather than socialise with the rest of them at
weekends. Josh was gay, so his hangouts were rather different from the
rest of them .
An hour or so later, Mac finally closed his laptop. “That’s it. I’m
done for tonight. I need a drink.”
Jez watched as Mac stood and stretched, his back cracking as he