She stretches out a hand. Changes her mind. Her eyes search mine, like she’s hoping I’ll say something, and for a fleeting moment, her gaze drifts down to my lips and desire pounds through me.Seriously, this needs to stop.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Don’t forget your belt.”
She clips herself in, and our ride back feels just like the drive over to the dorm, except this time I’m even more stressed. As we stroll from the parking lot to the apartment, her arm brushes against minewith every step. I can hear her sighing, shooting me confused looks as we make our way to the front steps.
“I hate it when you’re like this,” she bursts out.
We take the elevator up. Slowly, my eyes move to meet hers.
“Like what?”
“Moody. Shut down.”
“Winter break is over, Lois. I’m bummed—that’s all.”
She chews on her nail. As soon as I step into the apartment, I make a beeline for the fridge and grab myself a beer, leaning against the kitchen sink, swigging from the bottle as I stare into space.
“Can I wash some clothes? That way all my stuff will be clean for tomorrow.”
I nod, and bring the bottle to my lips. She really can’t wait to be out of here, can she?
She sighs again and heads back to the bathroom, returning a few minutes later, standing over her bags, staring down at her things.
“Well, at least we won’t need two trips.” She smiles at me. “That’s a plus!”
She crouches down and starts rifling through her shit. Watching her get ready to leave is putting me in the worst mood ever. There’s a knock at the door and she jumps up, racing over to open it up.
“Hey, Carter!”
“I just swung by to pick up Lane’s notes. Feeling any better?”
Great. Just what I needed.The one person who can vibe-check me in a second flat. Carter wanders into the living room, watching as Lois turns back to her bags.
“All good, Laney?”
“Never better.”
“Are you sick?” He tilts his head, sizing me up.
“Nope.”
He purses his lips, grabs a beer from the fridge, and joins me by the sink, jutting his chin at Lois.
“What the hell is she doing? Did you finally make a little space for her stuff?”
I don’t answer right away. Watching her crouch on the floor like that, I realize I did her wrong. I should have given her a shelf somewhere. A drawer of her own. And now it’s too late.
“She’s leaving.” My words echo down the bottle neck.
“What?!” His eyes search mine. “But why?”
“She finally got her dorm room.”
“Finally?”
“That was the deal,” I snap.
I collapse onto the couch and turn on the TV. Carter rushes over to join me.
