“This is a room,” Dylan replies, snorting, and I roll my eyes, moving into the kitchen to find Coop with headphones on as he cleans the dishes in the sink. The aroma from dinner still lingers in the air, and my stomach rumbles with the hope that there are leftovers.
Opening the fridge, I’m relieved to spot the container on the top shelf labeled with my name on the sticky note attached to it.
“You’re lucky there’s enough chicken stir fry left for you. I thought Dylan was going to square up with Nate over the last serving,” Coop says, and I turn around, grinning.
“Have I told you that you’re my favorite?”
“Whatever,” he says, rolling his eyes. I grab a fork out of the drawer, diving straight in without even bothering to warm it up first. “Are they still on the couch?”
I nod, too busy chewing the mouthful of rice and vegetables. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now, too distracted by the effort it took to keep my focus on my paper at Alondra’s. “Dude, this is fucking awesome,” I say, taking a moment to breathe.
“It was better hot,” Coop says, drying the pan in his hands, and I lean against the counter.
“What do you know about Ellie’s roommate, Alondra?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
Coop laughs under his breath. “Ellie will murder you if you go anywhere near her. She barely lets me come over when she’s home.”
“That’s because her last roommate was obsessed with you,” I say, taking another bite as Coop levels me with an unamused expression.
“Fuck off, Willow wasn’t my fault. Don’t say you want to hook up with no strings attached, then start cutting out pictures of me for a wedding scrapbook,” he says, shuddering, and I can’t blame him because I’m just glad that shit hasn’t happened to me. “Alondra’s been nice the few times I’ve been around. I’ve never met the other one, but Ellie said they’re quiet and clean. Ellie seems to like them, though. My sister would eat me alive if I said she’s pretty, but I’m not blind either.”
Nice and quiet aren’t exactly how I’d describe Alondra. She’s not just pretty—she’s beautiful. It really wasn’t a line I used on her Friday night.
I swallow the food in my mouth, clearing my throat. “She’s the girl I kissed at the bar Friday,” I admit, and his eyebrows raise. “I didn’t know she was Ellie’s roommate, or that she’s Coach Brown’s daughter.”
This time, Coop’s jaw unhinges, and he laughs. “His daughter?”
“Yeah,” I say, scratching my jaw, and Coop walks toward the living room.
“Dylan, say bye to Sally and get your ass in here,” I hear him say just after I take another bite of the dinner I’m inhaling, making me choke.
Coop walks back in, shaking his head at me while tears stream from the corners of my eyes as I cough, trying to swallow the food in my mouth. Dylan’s scowling, and if I could laugh, I would. “Couldn’t you have told me what the hell is going on without making Sandy leave?” he grumbles, giving Coop a look of irritation.
“Tell Romeo,” Coop says, crossing his arms over his chest.
I cough once more, but my voice is raspy. “Wow, Coop. Thanks for asking if I’m okay first after I almost died,” I say, setting down my dinner on the counter. “The girl I kissed Friday night is Ellie’s roommate and Coach B’s daughter.”
Dylan scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Very funny. Coach B doesn’t have a daughter, and Eleanor made it clear we’re not to even be in the same room as her roommate. Did you really have to make Sandy leave?”
“Al’s also tutoring me for my Comp II class,” I continue, choosing not to look at either of them.
“You’re not joking?” Dylan asks, and I wish I was. “Holy shit, you kissed Coach’s daughter? What the hell were you thinking?”
“Probably the same thing you were thinking when you and Sandy decided to camp out on the couch in the living room instead of going upstairs to your bedroom,” I say, and Coop’ssilence tempts me into looking at him, but I can’t tell what he’s thinking. “Obviously I didn’t know she was Coach’s kid when I went up to Al at Twin City.”
“But you knew who she was when she became your tutor?” Coop rumbles, asking the right question, and I sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me things were that bad with your class? I would have helped you, and so would Ellie,” he continues, and I know they would have helped me, but it’s not their job.
“Alondra might be Coach’s daughter, but she’s smart, and she’s in my class with me. She already got our professor to agree to let us work together so I can use my accommodations the way they’re meant to be used.” I’m aware that I was letting my pride get in the way of using them before, but I’ve had enough people over the years tell me their perceptions of dyslexia, and it always ends up with them either looking at me or treating me differently.
“You’re a fucking idiot for having Alondra tutor you because you can’t keep your dick in your pants,” Dylan says. I would try to deny it if I hadn’t struggled to focus on what Al was saying tonight because I was too busy staring at her full lips, remembering how it felt to kiss them. At one point, she leaned over, and all I could focus on was the smell of strawberries that flooded my senses, and it was intoxicating.
“It’s a bad idea, Jack,” Coop echoes, and I tug a hand through my hair.
“She has no interest in anything other than a tutor and a . . . tutoree relationship. Fuck, whatever you want to call it. She wants nothing to do with me.”
“And what do you want to do with her?” Dylan asks, and I wish I knew.
The simple answer would be that I’d love to find out what she’s like in bed, but unfortunately for me, even if Alondra were interested in me, she’s off-limits.
