Page 15 of Clueless Romeo

I didn't even need his help. Did I? I frowned at my reflection.

Now that I wasn't in college anymore, sports was no longer a factor. It could be as simple as logging in on an app and remaining anonymous. But I had to admit I was curious about what Roman thought he could do for me. Still, if he didn't bring it up again, neither would I.

Taking a deep breath, I shook off the thoughts and left the bathroom, nearly running straight into a petite pixie with tamed curly dark hair draped around her slim shoulders.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Chris," I apologized to my brother's girlfriend as I gripped her shoulders to keep her upright.

Her pink lips quirked, green eyes dancing with amusement as she took a step back and glanced at my bare chest. "Well, that's some greeting."

"What greeting?" Caleb asked, appearing behind her and scanning my shirtless body. "Oh fuck no." He growled. "What the fuck, Corey Joe? Can't find your clothes this morning?"

I rolled my eyes, mostly because he was only wearing a pair of loose gray boxers. Before I could reply, Christa beat me to it. Unfortunately, her words weren't exactly something that would wipe the scowl from his face.

Spinning around, she popped her hands on her curvy hips. "Jesus, Caleb. It's not like I haven't seen it before."

He immediately stiffened, and she giggled. "You are identical after all."

Caleb's eyes narrowed to slits, obviously annoyed when he looked back at me. "Just go put some damn clothes on."

I snorted while making a mental note that I couldn't just roam around the apartment half-naked anymore. That was another reason I needed my own place as quickly as possible. "Gladly. See ya later, Chris," I said with a smirk, just to get under Caleb's skin.

"With more damn clothes on," Caleb tacked on with a bite in his voice.

Chuckling at my stupid brother, I hooked into the next doorway just as I heard Christa start to lay into him about his rudeness. I truly loved that about the girl. She didn't let him get his way with everything. Caleb's whining soon followed, and I rolled my eyes.

After I closed the door, their voices became muffled. I tossed the towel on the floor and walked naked to my dresser. Despite the heater's best efforts, my room was cold, and for once, I was glad because it was a distraction I desperately needed.

Now that I'd escaped the semi-feuding couple, my thoughts, once again, returned to Roman. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't seem to push them away.Again.

Sliding open the top drawer, I fished out a pair of boxer briefs and pulled on the solid black underwear. I lay back on my bed and fluffed the pillow beneath my head.

The sound of the squeaking pipes in the walls as a shower was turned back on told me one of the two, or both—gag—had started getting ready to leave, which was a good thing. I needed some quiet and space to think.

As I stared at the ceiling, I considered downloading the stupid hookup app just to get my mind off my neighbor and prove to myself I could manage my sudden need to figure things out on my own. Even though I'd gone years denying this significant part of myself, it was as if meeting Roman had flipped a switch, and there was no turning back.

My hands shook slightly when I grabbed my phone off the charger on the nightstand. I swiped the screen and typed in my passcode.

The screen lit up, and the app store option stared back at me, taunting me. With a simple click, I could…

Could what, exactly?

What was my plan?

I groaned, fed up with battling with myself over something as stupid as a fucking app. I would download it. No big deal. It didn't suddenly obligate me to act on anything.

But it would have to wait. If I was really going to check out a gay hookup app for the first time, I didn't want my idiot twin banging on the door. Or worse, walking in. I needed to invest in locks for the bedroom doors.

While waiting for Caleb and Christa to leave, I scrolled through my social media, randomly liking photos and statuses I only half-read. As the sounds of them moving around the apartment filtered through the thin walls, anxiety bubbled in my chest and limbs every minute I waited for the two to leave.

By the time they called out a goodbye, I was a fucking mess. And when the front door closed, I was met with silence.

I debated dropping the idea but knew I'd eventually cave anyway. Thoughts of Roman played on a loop in my head. His eyes, the tattooed skin he'd revealed…

I gave my head a solid shake. The last thing I needed was to be drooling over my neighbor, and there were other guys out there. Available and down to screw around, which was exactly what I wanted.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled up the app store, and my thumb hovered over a well-known gay hookup app. Why was I hesitating? There was nothing wrong with looking around—window shopping a bit. That was all.

Before I could back out like I'd done countless times, I tapped the screen and steadied my breathing as I watched the download. When the option switched to install, I tapped it, then rolled off my bed to pace the room. And then the icon was there on my home screen like both a small yellow-and-black warning and a welcome all at once.

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