Rosie consulted her work calendar. “I work the night before, but I’m off that Saturday and Sunday. I’ll ask someone to switch me so I can sleep. But I still have no idea how to play. And I don’t have a copy of the game.”
“They’re playing the tournament on PlayStation 4s.”
Rosie shook her head. “I don’t have any game consoles.” There wasn’t much point; she only ever played Mario Kart with her friends, and they had their own.
“Matt can teach you! I was just so hopeless at it. I kept crashing!”
Rosie glanced at Matt, who was looking at his hands. “I, uh, I have a test due tonight, but I’m off work. So, if you want to come up, I can show you on my PS4.”
She looked back and forth between Mia and Matt, who seemed uncomfortable. This had to be Mia’s idea. Rosie wanted to help her friend out, but working with Matt seemed crazy if she couldn’t get this attraction under control. She needed a muffin.
“I don’t know guys, what if I’m terrible at it, too?” Rising, Rosie pulled three muffins out of the pan and put them on a plate, bringing them back to the table.
“You’re good at everything you put your mind to, Rosie. Like your baking, for example.” Mia mmmm’ed as she bit into the warm muffin. “I just can’t get into it. I don’t have the background knowledge.”
Rosie bit into her snack, then glanced at Matt, who was eyeing the third muffin. “Go ahead, it’s for you.” He finally met her gaze, then reached out to pull the plate to himself. Dang, his eyes were beautiful. They reminded her of sparkling aquamarines.
“I’ll even cover the entrance fee for you, and you can have my share if the team wins,” Mia added.
Rosie’s eyes bugged out of her head. “How much are we talking?”
“First place is a thousand dollars, which would be split four ways,” Matt explained. “I joined up with three of my friends from work, but one guy had to drop out.”
Not bad. And maybe she could get to know Matt better. Now that he was living in the same building, she suspected she’d see a lot more of him.
“When will you be done with your test?”
“I have two hours to complete it once I start.”
“Can you start it now, and then I’ll come up after the two hours?”
Matt nodded. “That should work.”
Good, she’d have time to make herself presentable.
Matt excused himself after finishing his muffin, awkwardly thanking Rosie for her help. He was fidgety, and couldn’t look her in the eye, but the prize was a lot of money, and it had only been a couple of years since Rosie was a college kid herself. Cash you didn’t get from your parents was precious.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Mia chanted and hugged Rosie fiercely. “I felt sooooooo bad about letting him down. I owe you one.”
“You’re welcome. I just hope I’m not a big disappointment.”
“You could never be a disappointment. It’sStar Wars. That’s yourthing.”
“Well, let’s hope so. I’ll clean up the kitchen and then I’ll change. I’m covered in flour.”
“Thanks for the muffin.” Mia hung in the doorway to her kitchen while Rosie stashed the rest in a container. “Look, I know Matt was rude when he moved in, and he’s kinda awkward, but he’s a good guy, you know?”
“Yeah, Olivia would kill him if he wasn’t.” Rosie dried off the dishes she’d washed and put them away, then wiped off the small counter. Satisfied that the kitchen was clean, she headed for the bedroom and her hamper. She even had time to take a shower.
Food and Beverage Management wasn’t exactly a difficult class, but Matt struggled to focus on his test, knowing that Rosie was coming up to play a video game. When he finished, he went back through and reread all his answers before submitting them. Glancing at his phone, he realized he had taken almost the entire two hours.
Hurriedly, he ran around the living room and kitchen tidying up his space. Just as he was contemplating pulling out Olivia’s old vacuum, there was a quiet knock on the door. When he checked the peephole, it was Rosie.
Opening the door, he waved her inside. “Thanks f—for coming.” He couldn’t look at her long, but he saw galaxy print leggings hugging those voluptuous thighs and a long-sleeved blue t-shirt that hid the rest of her curves. She smelled amazing, like she’d just come from the shower. Hope soared. Maybe Mia was right, and she didn’t hate him?
“How did your test go?” She sat on the red couch while he gathered his controllers and turned on the console.
“It — it was fine.”
