“I answered an ad for a roommate, and there was a name mix-up. He thought I was a guy, and I thought he was a girl.” I paused and wiped my sweaty palms on my thighs. “It’s working out well for both of us, actually.”
Michael’s expression could scare a serial killer. “You’re living withmy teammate?”
“Yes.”
“Ahockeyplayer.”
“Yes, you can clarify all you want, but… we both need the roommate, okay?” I said, my throat dry and my skin itching with worry. “This isn’t high school anymore, Michael.”
His jaw tightened, and he brought a clenched fist to his mouth. “We could see if there’s room in like a girls’ dorm or something.”
“No. I’m staying.”
“Ry,” he said, his voice getting tighter. “I hate this.”
Shit.“I know you do, but you have to trust me. You do, right?”
He took a deep breath. “Yes, but—”
“There is no but here. Just yes. You either trust me or you don’t. This will be fine, okay? I’m not going to make out with him under the bleachers.” My face heated at the memory of the teammate who wanted to mess with Michael’s stats to make captain and used me to do it. It caused the one and only riff between my brother and me. That asshole was the main reason I never even looked at a hockey player that way. “That willnothappen.
He swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay. I’m still pissed as hell but not ready to punch someone. If Ihadto pick anyone on the team for you to live with… it would be him. He’s a recluse and a good dude.”
“Don’t take this shit out on him, Michael. I swear to god. This is my fault, and I’m not moving out because you might be upset.”
He nodded, and the anger seemed to dissipate behind his eyes. “Thank you for telling me everything. I hate that it took you this long, but… I can see you’re nervous. We aren’t the same people we were in high school.”
“I want us to remain close, but I gotta figure stuff out on my own, you know?”
He nodded and let out a long sigh.
“Oh, by the way, I’m dragging J.D. to the party Saturday. We’ll show up together so don’t be weird about it.”
He ran a hand over his face and nodded. “Well, that would’ve been a shock, so thanks for the heads up. I’m glad he’s loosening up. I don’t get him.”
“He’s focused, Mikey. Really focused.” I found myself defending him. “Saturday will be great.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.” He put his arm around me in a quick hug. “Thanks for telling me, even though I should’ve fucking known. Don’t keep shit from me again.”
“Love you,” I said, pinching his side and earning a yelp. “Oh, your fan club is arriving.”
A group of five girls giggled in his direction, and I pushed off him. “Be smart bro, I’m too young to be an aunt.”
His eyes bugged out of his head, and he flipped me off before turning on the charm and facing the girls. He was such a damn flirt, but it made me smile. He didn’t shy away from connections with others like I did. He took out his grief on the ice.
* * *
I curled my hair and wore dark skinny jeans, black flats, and a black chiffon top that dipped a little lower than normal in the front. While parties weren’t my thing, going out, flirting, and having a few drinks had their time and place when it wasn’t in the stupid dorms. It had been a long summer ofnothingbut working at the library part-time, so excitement grew in my gut all day. Letting loose sounded awesome.
I rubbed lotion on my hands and arms, made sure to put on an extra layer of mascara, and lined my lips with a deep red. It was the perfect combination of flirty but not overdoing it, which was about the only look I could go for knowing my brother would be at the party. Flirting was alright but never with the hockey team.
Music blared from my phone, and I turned it off to see how my roommate was doing. He sat on the couch, eyes narrowed at the TV, and he leaned onto his knees. “Hey, you getting ready to leave soon?” I asked.
He flicked his gaze to me and back to the TV but did a double take. This time, his intense stare started at my legs and slowly moved up my chest before landing on my face. There was a flicker of heat in his eyes, but it disappeared in less than a second. A warm, dangerous thrill went through me knowing he checked me out.
“Is what I’m wearing not okay?” He gestured down to a gray T-shirt and jeans.
“Oh, you’re fine.” I headed toward the other side of the couch and sat down. “I meant more like, is there anything you needed to do before we head out?”
