"Of course," I answer right away. "But let's eat lunch first. Do you eat grilled chicken and green salad? Because that's what's on our diet today. And apparently for a while," I ask, making a face.
"I do."
"Great. Make it for us? Consider it your share of the rent," I say, already getting up to avoid another of her little smacks, but this time the girl just laughs and gets up from the bed too.
"Okay, you pains, cooking is one of the things I do really well," she assures and dashes off to the kitchen. I trade a knowing smile with Logan, followed by a high five, and only then do we go after our roommate.
Chapter 20
Charlotte
Not much of my stuff survived. I didn't actually get to see the state of my old room, because the firefighters only allowed one person per dorm and Ethan insisted on going. The box he brought back had a few shoes and clothes that were at the bottom of my closet and hadn't caught fire, but they were soaked by the firefighters' water and smelled horrible. My computer was a tiny bit scorched on the lid and had also gotten wet, but there was some chance of fixing it, which already made me really happy. My bathroom was barely touched and I hugged my hair and skin products like they were the greatest treasures. But I cried a little at the news that my favorite teddy bear, books, and Kindle hadn't survived.
Maddie wasn't as lucky with the bathroom, but her closet had held up almost entirely and I've never seen a human being so happy holding their favorite pair of boots. Her tablet also had a chance of being fixed once it dried out.
We talked about the housing situation and decided to wait for the university to make an announcement and see if there wasany chance of relocation to another dorm. For now she'd stay at the fraternity with Zac and I'd keep on with the guys.
We got back to the apartment after dropping the equipment off for repair, and I go straight to the laundry room to put all my clothes through the wash. I set it to the longest possible cycle to see if the smell of soot comes out.
I organize the things I brought into the closet and bathroom and take a princess bath with my favorite soap. While I'm getting changed, I get a notification and stop to look.
Logan Hayes added you to a group called "1's too few, 2's good, 3's the best"
Logan: Drown in the tub, Pinkie?
Me: If I had I wouldn't be answering, would I, Lil Logan?
Logan: Lil Logan? Seriously? There's nothing "lil" about me
Ethan: Including the ego
Me: If you're going to give me a diminutive nickname, I'm going to give you one too
Logan: But Pinkie is cute. Lil Logan is a boner-killer
Me: And what do you suggest?
Ethan: I'm fully in favor of Lil Logan
Me: It's decided, then
I laugh to myself in my room and finish putting on a pair of sweatpants and the T-shirt I got from the college. It's huge on me, but it's super comfortable.
I grab my phone again and walk out of the room. The pair of players are sprawled on the couch with their feet on the coffee table. There's only one empty spot between them, so I jump over Ethan's legs and take the seat. His arm goes around my shoulders instantly and I snuggle into him.
A little voice in the back of my mind reminds me this is kind of a couples thing, but I choose to ignore it. I went through a trauma, I deserve a few days of neediness.
"What are you two going to watch?" I ask Logan, who has the remote, quickly scrolling through options on a streaming service.
"I don't know yet, I'm seeing if there's anything interesting," he answers without paying much attention, and I raise an eyebrow, considering how he can think about what he wants to watch scrolling through everything that fast.
"What do you like to watch, Peach? I don't think I ever asked." Ethan speaks up again and I turn my face to look at him.
"First of all: Peach?" I question the new nickname with a puzzled face. He brushes his hand over my cheek before answering.
"Yeah, I thought peach would suit you. Pink, soft, and sweet." The rather adorable explanation makes me blush.
"Okay, I'll accept it because I thought it was cute," I state, and he smiles before taking his hand off my face. Logan glances at us sideways.
