Declan’s eyes pop open in surprise. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I know that your family is wealthy,” I reply.
“Mr. Shelby, have you been stalking me?” he asks with fake offense.
I can’t help but smile but can’t seem to manage a laugh without coughing again. “No, I haven’t. But let’s just say I know my parents. They always have a way of manipulating things in their favor.”
Declan grins to himself as he pulls another drag through the cigarette.
I don’t go into much detail, but judging by his lack of surprise, I’d say my suspicions were correct. My mother wouldn’t let me board with just anyone. No, I would bet my life that they paid off the housing department and hand-selected my roommate, someone from a wealthy family, presumably. Someone without a dangerous background.
So, while Declan asked to know my story, I can already guess his.
“Wow,” he says as he stubs the butt of the cigarette into a nearby ashtray. “I guess we’re just two birds of a feather, aren’t we?”
“Are you also running away to uni to escape your overbearing parents and try to live an authentic life instead of the charade of being rich?”
Declan’s dark eyes are like an abyss as he stares at me, and it’s almost too intense, as if his gaze is swallowing me whole.
“Close, Shelby,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. “The only difference is that my parents are dead. But everything else sounds right on the money.”
My face falls. “Oh, blast,” I mutter. “I’m sorry.”
He laughs as he shoves my shoulder. “It’s fine. I’m used to it by now. I do, however, have an overbearing sister and aunt that I’m here to escape, so I guess we do have a lot in common.”
Heat flushes to my cheeks from the embarrassment. As difficult as my parents are, especially my father, I couldn’t imagine not having any parents at all. How lonely that must be for him.
Desperate to change the subject and relieve myself from the torment of having my foot so far in my mouth, I ask, “So what are you studying?”
“Fine arts,” he replies, kicking a pebble with his shoe.
That explains the charcoal.
“What about you, Shelby?” he replies, without expanding further on his topic of study.
I give a shrug. “Theatre studies.”
He nods appreciatively before shoving his lighter into his pocket. “Theatre, huh? You want to be an actor or something?”
Wincing uncomfortably, I reply, “I don’t know yet. Maybe.”
“Well, you’ve got the face for it,” he replies, and I freeze for a moment, letting the compliment wash over me.Did he just call me handsome?
It could have been some backhanded compliment, for all Iknow. I’m not good at casual conversation. I don’t always pick up on nuanced clues and jabs.
“Uh, thanks,” I mutter in reply, making Declan laugh.
With that, he throws an arm around my shoulder and tugs me toward the door. “Come on, Shakespeare. Let’s get some food.”
The soft skin of his arm touches my neck as we make our way toward the cafeteria, and I turn my head toward him, absorbing the brief warmth of his smile like it’s the sun hanging in the sky.
It might be a little too early to call it, but I think I’ve just made my first uni friend, and if my parents did have a hand in choosing my first roommate, I’m glad they chose Declan Barclay.
Chapter Five
Colin
I’m lying on the thin mattress in my room when Declan bursts in with nothing but a towel around his waist. The cold weight of something glass lands on my stomach, and I let out a grunt. The paperback I was holding falls from my hands as I pick up the brown glass bottle my roommate tossed at me.
