Page 54 of Riverside Reverie

“Definitely!” Talia shouted, peeking her damp head out from the bathroom down the hall. “Like, I beg of you. I’ll even pay your rent for the first few months until you get a job.”

“Hell, I will too!” Jasmine offered, her eyes wide and pleading. “Student renters were great when we were students, but the last one was a nightmare. Please say you will, Lux! I want you to be our roomie so bad!”

“I don’t think that’d be necessary,” Lux blushed beneath their attention. “I have some savings I could dip into.”

“So, it’s settled then?” Jasmine asked hopefully, her eyes going from Lux to me and Desmond again.

Lux bit her bottom lip, deliberating. I could tell a lot of thoughts were racing through her mind at that moment.

“If it doesn’t work out long term, that’s alright. There will be no hard feelings. You’re welcome to give it a trial run if you’d like,” I chimed in. I held her gaze, hoping she could see how much I wanted her to say yes, too. Not that I wanted to pressure her.

“Fine,” Lux’s lips twitched as she tried to suppress a smile.

Talia let out an excited whoop as she came into the kitchen, high-fiving Jasmine and then holding her hand up for Lux. Lux tentatively high-fived her, the smile on her face widening.

“You guys are ridiculous,” she laughed, shaking her head.

“Oh, you’ll learn,” Talia joked, diving into the first box of pizza.

Lux

The five of us ate pizza and hung out on the back deck overlooking the yard, sheltered from the rain beneath a gazebo. It was still a warm evening, despite the rain, but I much preferred the shelter of the gazebo and the nearby house to the tent and a tarp.

I couldn’t believe I actually said yes to them, that I’d be their new roomie and move to Sudbury. But on the drive up, I’d loaded my emails and I had no responses from any of the places I’d applied at.

I did have several messages on the Gram from people back home sending me Brinley’s latest antics. Brinley even sent a few herself, of her and Scott out on a boat somewhere sharing a disgustingly vulgar kiss. Brinley had never sent me her videos before this conquest of hers, and I knew she was doing it to rub it in.

Apparently, while I’d been camping, she’d scored herself an invite on someone’s fancy yacht and brought Scott along with her for the ride. The resulting social media posts were excessive.

I was surprised that it didn’t hurt as bad as it would have a few days ago. It irritated me, yes, but it didn’t sting. If anything, it made me more resolved to move out as quickly as possible.

And I really did like the house. The front door opened into a small foyer with a front hall closet, then led into a rather large living room with high ceilings and beautiful exposed wood beams.

The kitchen was at the back of the house, it was cute and updated with fresh white cabinets and black hardware. It had a beautiful marble white and black countertop and a deep matte black sink and tap. The appliances were all relatively new from the looks of them, and there was even a dishwasher. A sliding door led to a large porch and a spacious shared backyard.

To the left of the kitchen was a hallway that led to the three bedrooms and bathrooms. Jasmine, having lived there the longest, scored the master bedroom and ensuite bathroom, but the other two bedrooms were still large. The main bathroom was newly updated too; Talia and I would share that one.

There were beautiful dark hardwood floors throughout, and the paint colours were light and modern. Jasmine had told me while giving me the tour that Desmond and Theo purchased this duplex for super cheap, and that it’d been in dire need of a gutting and full renovation on both sides. But the end result was remarkable.

She said Desmond and Theo’s side was more masculine but had the same layout, only in reverse. They also didn’t have another roommate. After Baz moved out, they didn’t bother renting out the third bedroom.

Once we’d eaten the pizza, Talia suggested we play a few rounds of Yahtzee. I’d never played it before. Theo was sitting beside me, so he showed me how to, his arm around the back of my chair as he whispered instructions.

By the end of the thirteen rounds, I’d mostly gotten the hang of it, and somehow managed to win.

“Should we play again, see if that was beginner’s luck?” Talia asked with a wicked grin. She seemed to be hoping my win would inspire me to play another round, but I was a firm believer in quitting while I was ahead—that, and everyone else wasn’t into the idea.

Jasmine yawned, stretching her arms above her head. “I’m out. Damn, I’m so tired. The rain is making me sleepy.”

“Don’t forget all the paddling we did,” I pointed out, smiling a little. My arms were aching from the exertion, and I was a little tired too. But I was also wound up. The heat radiating off Theo’s arm over the back of my chair against the nape of my neck wasn’t helping.

My thoughts kept going back to our night together—to the feel of his body against mine. I desperately wanted a repeat, but the opportunity hadn’t arisen. Not that Theo was keeping his distance, he’d touched me subtly every chance he could. His arm across the back of my chair, his knee brushing against mine. The glances he kept stealing suggested his thoughts were very much in the same place as mine.

“Yeah, I might call it a night,” Jasmine said, yawning again. “You can bunk with me if you want, or you’re welcome to sleep on the couch.” The other bedroom was currently empty, awaiting furniture and a new roommate—which was me, I guess. Before I could respond, Talia interrupted.

“Or…” Talia said, looking at Theo with a smug smile. “You could sleep with Theo. I’m sure he wouldn’t be against that idea.”

My face heated at her suggestion, but Theo’s fingers toyed with the hair over my shoulder, and he smiled at me.

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