Oliver: fam meeting tonight?
Family meeting. My eye twitched. I appreciated the sentiment from Oliver, but most of his self-prescribedfamily meetingsended with two of us horsing around or making a bet or getting into trouble. They were entertaining at least. I couldn’t walk away from a bet even though I knew it’d never end well for me.
Luca: I’m busy until six.
Dean: six it is then.
Having a new roommate would fill the void since Gage, our other teammate, had gotten injured and had to move back home for a few months. His room sat unused, a twin bed and an empty dresser shoved into a corner. It’d be nice to have a little extra income for us to split, but mainly, I wanted a roommate who would leave us alone.
If they were an athlete, all the better. They’d understand how tough it was and the dedication it took. Dean wouldn’t suggest someone unless they’d fit in. I knew that. Relaxing into my chair, I silenced my phone so I could jump into my homework. I’d worry about the roommate later, when I had the mental capacity.
* * *
At two minutes before six, the four of us sat at the kitchen table Callum’s mom had found for us and refinished. The school’s logo sat in the center, and each chair was either orange or blue. It always smelled like paint, but I liked it. The thought was kind. Oliver grabbed a sports drink for us and sat at the head of the table, his glasses perched on his nose and his blond hair in a manbun.
He had the most style out of all of us, that was for sure. Callum came next with his loud personality and swagger. Dean was more like me, focused and football everything. He had the face for a QB and the attitude to handle the stress. These guys were the closest things I had to brothers and the only people who knew the truth of my situation. They understood my desperation and determination and that anything that got in the way of that would be removed.
“This feels too formal.” Callum frowned at Dean. “A full fam meeting? What’s going on?”
Dean squeezed the back of his neck, his face getting red as his attention flicked to me for a beat. “Look, this isn’t ideal, but it needs to happen. Please support me on this.”
“Anything, bro.” Oliver adjusted his hair and leaned onto his elbows. Nothing flustered Oliver, ever, and it made me strangely jealous. I’d love to not stress about everysinglething all the time and just exist. Watch horror movies and buy random shit online. Not worry about my grandma’s health or her finances or the fact I was one injury away from losing the financial security our family needed. I’d love my biggest issue to be how I did my hair that morning.
“It’s my sister.” Dean swallowed hard. He stared at the table and blew out a long breath.
My lungs froze, Lorelei’s face flashing in my mind. She hadn’t seemed hurt when I’d run into her earlier. Was she injured? Sick? In a car accident? I scooted closer, every muscle tightened and ready to spring into action. We could help drop stuff off or bring her food or—
“She needs a place to stay for one semester. And by that, I mean she wants to live here.”
“Lolo?” Oliver asked, his face lighting up in a grin. “Living inthishouse?”
“Yes, but don’t say it like that.” Dean leveled his gaze and growled. “She has always and will always be off-fucking-limits.”
The other two commented something, but the sound was distorted, like my mind couldn’t understand their words. It remained on the fact Dean’s sister was a walking wet dream. Lorelei Romano, here, in this house, near me was unacceptable. I couldn’t… she’d… I closed my eyes, my ears ringing as panic washed over me. I couldn’t afford to be distracted, and she defined the term. My pulse raced so hard my fingers throbbed.
The conversation came back to me, their voices returning as I inhaled.
“She won’t care about the hookups or parties?”
“Nah, she’s laid-back and is always working out. We’ll hardly see her.” Dean frowned at me, his head tilting to the side. “Luca, you’ve been quiet. Is this okay? I know you’re strict about who comes here during the week.”
I met his eyes, different scenarios running through my head. Me receiving a bad grade because she played music too loud or me not sleeping well because of girl drama and the lack of sleep causing me to get injured. Me getting caught up in her spell and forgetting why I was here. Me breaking my control and ruining my relationship with Dean, thus, destroying my NFL chances. Been there, done that, and Lorelei might be the most beautiful distraction on earth, but she couldn’t bemine.“Truthfully, I’d prefer she not live here.”
Dean winced and ran both hands through his shaggy hair. “Why? I can talk to her to make sure she doesn’t interfere with your study schedules or workout regime. She agreed she won’t have her friends over, no partying, nothing.” Dean’s frown grew as he stared me down. His eyes pleaded with me, and the same large brown eyes he shared with Lorelei filled with regret.
Shit.How could I explain this to him without revealing my strange, selfish thoughts? Not one of them made sense.Oh, I’m attracted to your sister and don’t want to tempt myselforShe’s my weakness.My reasons made me sound irrational. I ran a hand over my jaw, hoping to buy myself a few seconds to come up with a brilliant, very reasonable explanation. “Girls complicate things.”
Dean laughed. “No shit, but this is my sister we’re talking about. Not some cleat-chasing chick.”
Callum and Oliver snorted, and the weight of their stares hit me right in the chest. My face burned, and I scooted back in the chair, uncomfortable as hell. “I understand, but she could complicate our dynamic.”
Dean ran a hand over his face with a loud groan. “I know. Fuck, I do. But what am I gonna tell her? Sorry you gotta live on someone’s couch when we have an empty bed? We can write up a contract with the rules. Whatever you need, Luca. She won’t bother you. I’ll make sure of it. She… it’s the start of her junior season. Some guy broke her heart, and she’s been down about it. This year is important to her and to know she doesn’t have a place to live? Couldyouimagine not having a bed during the season?”
My throat tightened with all the words I didn’t say.Who broke her heart?Where did he live? What idiot of a human had hurt her? I willed my spiraling pulse to right itself and cracked the knuckles of my left hand.
Objectively, takingherout of the picture, it would suck ass to not have a home while the season went on. Everyone needed a spot to be themselves, decompress, reflect on a game however they preferred. I didn’t have siblings, but my teammates were my brothers, and the thought of them having an empty room and not giving it to me because of some asshole and his own issues…
“Okay,” I barked out.
