Crushing on a moody roommate who probably already hated me wasn’t productive. Besides, I had unfinished business with Mid. It’d feel weird liking someone else.
“Let me at least say thank you for saving me from dying in front of those creepy illustrations. I owe you my life.” I beamed at him, hoping my smile wiped away any sign I’d nearly gone feral over his scent.
“That’s dramatic,” he noted, following me out of the bathroom.
I shrugged. “What’s life without little theatrics here or there?”
“Simple.”
“Boring,” I corrected with a wink.
He frowned, pausing on the top stair while I continued down.
“All good?” I called to him over my shoulder.
His response was a grunt, and he resumed making his way down the stairs. I’d take it as his version of a ‘yes.’
Chapter Seven
Finn
Thatvoice.There’snoway that’s the same voice.
I tried to come up with some logic on why my new roommate wasn’t the girl I’ve been anonymously messaging. As I panicked, she rambled on and on about a house tour.
It couldn’t be her. No way in hell the girl standing in front of me was Chai. Her voice sounded similar, yes. But out of the billions of people on this planet, there was bound to be someone who sounded like her. Out of those billions, the probability of us renting the same house in the same college town was slim to none.
And yet…this is happening.
The guys were still outside, unloading their things from my van. So, I only had a few minutes to recover from realizing the girl before me drew out her vowels in a familiar singsong way.
She introduced herself as Naomi. I met her a week ago when she nearly knocked me to my knees. Naomi sent my head spinning so I couldn’t concentrate on the obvious similarities between her tone and Chai’s.
Like at the arena, the first thing I noticed was how tall she was. It was especially difficult to ignore her height now, because she wore a large tee that barely went past her ass. She moved like a graceful dancer as she walked around the kitchen, showing me where they kept the appliances. Naomi’s smile lit up her brown eyes, and I felt a clench in my chest whenever she looked in my direction.
What the hell was wrong with me? I didn’t get this way around people IRL. I didn’t want to avoid eye contact and also be close enough to feel the heat of someone’s body. My doctor said the medication I was taking could have side effects. Nervousness and heart palpitations were on the list. I’d have to discuss readjusting my dosage as soon as possible.
“Which flavor do you prefer?” She gestured to the pantry. Someone had filled the shelves with dozens of ramen packets.
I opened my mouth to answer but got distracted when she reached into a high cabinet. Her fist curled around the edge of her shirt, trying to make sure it remained in place. The fabric still edged up a little in the back and… fuck. Her ass looked incredible.
I went over to help get down the bowls. No matter what my body was feeling, my brain told me the sooner she stopped holding onto her shirt, the better. Especially since I could hear the guys at the front door.
“Thanks.” She smiled when I handed her the bowls. Her fingers felt like a summer morning when they brushed against mine. I noticed how she maintained eye contact with me, not straying to my scars like most people did when I got this close to them.
“Well, well, who do we have here?” Henrik’s voice made Naomi break eye contact. I should have been thankful for the interruption. Instead, my jaw clenched at Naomi’s transfer of attention. I was going to have to share her. That shouldn’t have annoyed me.
She gave Henrik the same smile she’d given me. “I’m Naomi. Roommate, live-in cleaner, and semi-functional human.”
Henrik was a better man than me. His eyes didn’t stray from her face once when she shook his hand. The same couldn’t be said for Lincoln or Sam.
“Didn’t realize this place came with art,” Lincoln teased.
I scoffed at the line. Naomi didn’t seem to mind, though. Her posture straightened ever so slightly when she laid eyes on Sam. In the past few months, I’ve spent time around him, I understood most women usually felt shy in his presence. Sure, Lincoln was the flirt, but Sam had something I couldn’t quite understand. And that something worked wonders on women. Naomi was no exception.
She seemed his type, too. Sam liked women who shined. And right now, Naomi was the sun. She stood in the center of the room, trying to balance conversation with guys who unabashedly (and, in my case, awkwardly) wanted her attention.
“Warning, the bathroom upstairs is a death trap.” Naomi pointed up. “Finn saved me from a night curled up in the fetal position.”
