It was the roommates. Had to be. Or random people who came to rob me. Either way, I didn’t care. They could have the ramen and peaches if they got me away from these beady-eyed bastards who were staring like I didn’t have any home training.
I continued to bang, forgetting I wasn’t exactly presentable in my short shorts and headscarf. But hell, I needed out. The air in here was feeling hot and heavy.
“Hello?” a deep voice asked on the other side of the door.
“Here!” I called. “I’m stuck. The door won’t open and I’m on the verge of a panic attack because the color pink makes me claustrophobic.”
“Okay, calm down,” he said. A shadow appeared at the bottom of the door and the knob wiggled on the other side. “Did you lock it on accident?”
“Oh, gee, I don’t know. Let me have that be the last thing I check," I said, tone clipped.
“My bad.” He stopped wiggling the lock.
“Sorry.” I pressed my hand to my forehead. “Usually, I’m not this snappy. I’m tired and hungry and freaking out.”
“It’s fine.” He was quiet for a moment, presumably thinking. “Stand back from the door.”
I glanced behind me. “Standing back is like one foot away from the door’s radius. It’s not an enormous bathroom.”
“Well, do your best and get ready for the door to swing open,” he said.
“Okay, tell me when—” I didn’t get to finish because the guy went barreling forward, forcing the door open with his momentum. I yelped as the wood almost hit me and I lost my balance, nearly falling on my ass. He reached for me before I toppled over, grabbing my wrist to pull me upright.
“Jesus!” I gasped and could hear my racing heart in my ears. “You could have given a girl a countdown or something. It’s common courtesy, you know? Have you never saved someone trapped in a bathroom?”
My joke went over his head because he gave me a flat, “No.”
As my fear of almost getting killed by a swinging door faded, I realized the guy standing before me looked familiar. That dark hair, those pink scars, and an annoyed glare…
“Holy shit,” I breathed and laughed a little.
“You’re the girl from the arena,” he said, recognizing me, too.
“I guess karma’s a bitch,” I joked. When his forehead furrowed, I gestured to my nose. “You know… I almost ended you with a door and now you’ve done the same.”
“Right.” He didn’t look amused. He looked pissed. “I told you to stand back.”
I snorted. “Well, whatever. We’re even, and apparently we’re roommates.”
“So, it seems.”
“Aren’t you the conversationalist? I’m going to have a hard time keeping up.” I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing at his angry expression. Oh, boy. This was going to be a long semester if he couldn’t get my sarcasm.
“I’m Naomi.” I went to offer my hand for a shake but noticed he was still holding onto my wrist. His fingers were cold from the outside and hardened with callouses. I could tell he was holding back his strength. The guy held me like I was the handle of a teacup. When he realized what he was doing, he snatched his fingers away.
“Finn.” He barely opened his mouth as he spoke.
“Nice to officially meet you. Once again, I’m sorry about the door thing.” I winced a little. “Didn’t mean to assault and flee. I was on the clock and my friend needed a soft pretzel stat so…”
“It’s fine,” he said, sounding like he wanted me to shut up.
“I cook a mean ramen,” I offered. “Too late for an apology meal?”
“I don’t need a meal.”
“Oh, come on.” I moved, squeezing past him to start to the stairs. For a moment, our bodies were mere centimeters apart. Finn smelled like what I dreamed the perfect man would. Like wood and spice and a burning flame. I bit my bottom lip to bring myself back to reality.
Focus.
