Page 85 of Playing Flirty

“Ten!” I shouted.

He gave me a nod of approval, scooped a healthy serving of vegetable stir fry and noodles into the bowl, and then reached across the bar and handed it to me.

The maple syrup and soy sauce combination titillated my senses. I’d have to add this to the long list of things I desired from this man. Another craving only he could satisfy.

“Shaun, how come you’ve never cooked for me?” I asked, twirling noodles around my fork.

“I’m not really good at it.”

“That’s putting it lightly.” William smiled, staring at Shaun, who was looking down at the chart. His voice softened. “Sometimes I think it’s the only reason you moved in with me.”

Shaun finally looked up to meet his gaze. A silent conversation seemed to happen across the island, and the tension in Shaun’s shoulders dropped.

“Dude, the spaghetti and meatballs you made on the first night?” Shaun kissed his fingers. “You won me over instantly.”

William beamed in that special way he reserved for his brother. My heart reached out, wishing he could always smile like that.

“When did you move in together?” I asked.

“Funny story actually.” Shaun side-eyed his brother and grimaced. “In my first year at college, I found an apartment, paid the deposit, and when I showed up with the moving truck, there was already someone else living there. I tried contacting the landlord, or who I thought was the landlord, and surprise surprise, the number had been deactivated.”

“What?” I nearly choked on a long noodle. “You got scammed? Didn’t you view it beforehand?”

“I did.” He sighed. “It’s a pretty elaborate scam. They give you the official viewing date, so I rocked up to an open flat with a few other people. They assume you’ll contact them directly if you’re interested. Maybe I was a little gullible.”

“Alittlegullible?” William gave Shaun a smug grin.

“Wait, what happened? What did you do?” I had reached the last sliced pepper in my bowl and wished there was a bit more.

Without asking, William took my bowl.

“Well, I couldn’t get my deposit back, so I was completely broke and too embarrassed to tell my parents,” Shaun explained. “I knew William was studying, too, and I assumed he’d be staying nearby, so I took a chance and called him.”

“It was a mistake giving you my number.” William handed me another bowl of food. “I let him in for one night, and then he never left.”

I smiled at William, enjoying the story and thankful for the second helping.

“Thanks, man, for helping me out,” Shaun said. “Even though… you know… you didn’t have to.”

William shrugged, his discomfort apparent again.

While I wanted to know everything about him, I didn’t want to force it out of him. He also had no reason to tell me. It was easier keeping it on the surface level, where perhaps he wanted it to be… where it should be if we were still playing.

Sometimes it didn’t feel like a game.

To me.

“With these delicious meals, I’d never leave either,” I said, hoping to ease the strange ache in my stomach.

Even though no one had knocked, Shaun hopped up from his meal and opened the front door. Neema walked in, ignoring us, and followed the delicious aroma of William’s cooking into the kitchen.

She breathed in through her nose, her eyes lighting up. “Thanks, William. You sure you don’t want to live with us after the wedding?”

A stone dropped into the deepest part of my belly. Logically, I knew there would come a day when Neema wasn’t my roommate anymore and I’d need to get my own place. I always figured Patrick would ask me to move in with him before she moved out.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine. Besides, I expect you’ll need to accommodate your adopted adult child over here.” William gestured toward me.

Neema and Shaun laughed.

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