But Mack’s annoyance made sense. Whenever any football or hockey player went anywhere on campus, they were recognized. They might’ve had good intentions to study, use the library for any solid reason, but they caused a scene each and every time. A part of me thought they did it on purpose, to get fawned over and flirted with. It’d be a nice ego boost. Dean loved attention. Even as a kid, he ate it up, so being a quarterback was the natural move for him.
“We can move to a table farther back?” I spoke to her but kept my attention on the guys. Dean, Callum, Oliver, and Luca didn’t just walk, they strutted. My brother’s teammates and friends were decent guys. Sure, most of them partied hard, but they were kind in their shenanigans. If you wanted a good time, they were the guys to hang with but never more than that—a temporary night of fun. Not that I had any interest in that. I wasdonewith athletes. Forever.
“No, it’s fine.” She rubbed her lips together and twirled a blonde curl that escaped her braid. Her cheeks reddened, and I was about to ask her why she had that blush creeping up her face, but Dean walked in our direction.
My pulse raced, my stomach getting a different kind of butterfly explosion—hope.Please let me live with you. Please. Please.I’d texted him last night asking when I could move in, but he’d responded withwe’re discussing it.
Discussingwhat?My possible homelessness? Had it been a fun dinner topic with the bros?
He hadn’t texted me again, which was fine, but I needed an answer soon or I had to come up with another plan of desperation. I could…check online for places off campus. Yeah, I could do that. It would suck because I didn’t have a car, but it wouldn’t be impossible.
His face, similar yet different than mine, seemed neutral. No smile, nor hint of anger. Just, blank. His game face.
I hated that I couldn’t read my own twin. It wasn’t like the movies where we could send messages through our minds. If anything, us being twins made us too similar to communicate sometimes. I crossed one leg over the other, then sat straighter. No matter what he said, I’d take his answer with pride and dignity. Then, I’d call our mom and cry.
“Hello, Dean.” I smiled, looking totally chill and not like I was freaking out inside. I pushed my hair behind my ears, some curls getting stuck on the large hoop earrings I wore. “How are you? Well? I’m jazzy for a Tuesday.”
“Stop being weird.” He snorted and stared at Mack for a second, then back to me. My teammate did not acknowledge him.
“Me? Weird? Never.” My voice rose an octave, and I felt more than witnessed his teammates staring at me. My skin tingled from the attention. My brother liked being in the spotlight, but me? Nah. Only when I was on the field and in my jersey. The uniform was armor of sorts, protecting me.
“Look.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You can live with us, but there are con—”
“Yes! Ohmygod.” I jumped from the chair, throwing my arms in the air and spinning in a circle. “I could cry. I won’t, but I could!” I did a jig dance before flying at my brother in a hug. He caught me with a grunt. “Thank you, Dean!”
“Okay, chill.” He patted my back awkwardly and gently shoved me away. “There are concerns we need to talk about.”
“Of course, yes, I totally understand! Anything! Need me to promise an oath? Get something notarized? I’ll do it.” My smile stretched across my face, the gesture so large that my cheeks hurt. “You’re saving my life, you know. I acted super chill about it, but I was a mess inside. A hot mess express.”
He rolled his eyes, his own mouth curving up on the side. “So dramatic.”
“Normal dramatic,” I corrected.
He held out a fist, and I bumped it before he stepped back. I hadn’t been kidding about almost wanting to cry. With the news that Mack had found a place already and this huge project my professor needed from me, my nerves were fried. Having a home until the holidays eased my worry. I took a breath and made sure to meet Oliver, Callum, and Luca’s eyes. “Thank you, all of you. I know this isn’t what you wanted, but I promise you won’t even notice I’m there.”
“Dean said you could cook.” Callum arched a brow. “Feels like this is an easy thing to negotiate. If we let you move in, you feed us.”
“I can cook for you,” I blurted out. “Not on game nights but other nights, yes. I mean, I probably can’t buy all the food—”
“She’s notfeedingus. We have a rotation.”
Everyone stared at Luca, his aggressive tone out of place for this conversation. I swallowed and played with the string from my sweatshirt. I couldn’t tell if he was mad at me, the world, or chefs. His usual grumpiness seemed more somehow. Luca’s brown eyes narrowed at Dean, then he flicked his gaze to me for one second.
So much emotion swirled behind his eyes, but none of it felt kind.
“We’ll put her in the rotation then, that’s fair.” Oliver smiled at me, easing the tension growing inside my chest. His hair was in a bun and had an orange tie around it. Cute.
“Luca created a schedule where we cook one night a week. Game days don’t count obviously, but I can add you to the schedule.” Dean tapped the edge of the table twice. “I’ll leave you and Mackenzie alone. We came here to study, but I figured I’d tell you the news since I saw you.”
“How long were you gonna make me sweat?” I asked, a little annoyed he hadn’t texted me this last night. “Did you decide five seconds ago?”
“Take the win, Lo.” Dean’s tone grew louder, irritation lacing it. “The room is available now, so just let me know when you’re coming.”
“This Saturday work?”
He nodded, and with that, he headed toward the back of the library. Oliver and Callum grinned at us. Callum saluted me with two fingers, and I repeated the motion back. Luca though…he’d already walked away without so much as a look. The nerves in my stomach sank to my feet.
“I cannot believe you’re living withthem.” Mack stared at me wide-eyed. “Luca might actually hate you.”
