Page 19 of Weak Side

“Nope,” I said, lying through my teeth. Chad called me dramatic often. The only difference was that when Chad said it, I wasn’tbeing dramatic.

He pursed his lips and gave me a look that told me he knew I was lying but continued on with the conversation. “This isn’t going to work.”

I slumped backward and crossed my arms over my Bex shirt. “Us being roommates? I agree! That’s why I made the rules.”

He shook his head. “No. I’m referring to these.” His fingers tapped the paper. “These are completely one-sided.”

I bit my bottom lip as I reread what I had written.

Use a fucking quieter alarm. It wakes me up each morning, and I don’t have the luxury of going to bed at 9pm like a grandpa.

No more fucking girls in our room.

Or sexual favors. Go do it in your car. Or the locker room. Or in the hallway. I don’t care. But not near my stuff.

If you’re going to listen to trashy music, use your AirPods.

Don’t come on my side of the room.

Okay, fine. He was right. I wasn’t going to apologize, though. There was no backing down when it came to guys like him.

“Do you agree?” he prodded, pulling the paper out of my grasp. I bit the inside of my cheek, refusing to answer him. He squinted as he studied me, and his sigh was so strong I felt his warm breath brush against my skin. “And you’re stubborn. Noted.”

“I am not,” I said, sitting forward. I lowered my voice. “I just don’t like the idea of you bringing a ton of girls back to our room and fucking them all over the place. I just picture you fucking them on my bed or something, and it’s…gross.”

His grin was a warning sign like no other. “Do you picture me fucking often?”

“No!” The word sprung out of my mouth as my cheeks puffed with anger. “I don’t have to picture it! I saw you in action yesterday!”

His pink lips rolled together, and he looked away, shoulders shaking with quiet laughter.

He is annoying. I take back what I said earlier. Theo Brooks is not appealing—at all.

I began to scoot out of the booth with annoyance backing my every move, but Theo’s voice made me pause for a second. “Oh, come on! You know if you don’t discuss this with me now that I’ll just corner you in our room later.”

There was a flutter in my lower belly that had me questioning my sanity.

“You can’t escape me.” His fingers tapped against the table. “So, sit down.”

I sat down begrudgingly but then smiled deviously as a sudden threat floated from my mouth. “Fine, then be serious, or I will walk over to those girls staring at you and see if they’ll switch rooms with me.”

Theo’s smile disappeared. I nodded before glancing at them. “Mmhm. Do you know how many random girls have tried trading me rooms because they want to room with you?”

The color drained from his face. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “Yep.” The sound of my P had a distinct pop to it. “There’s a whole bunch of puck bunnies running around this campus that would die to be your roommate.”

“You wouldn’t.” He sat up a little straighter, showing off his rising chest. He was right, I wouldn’t. That was just plain mean because the girls that had approached me would probably rape him in his sleep or something, and considering I was actually a nice person, it would weigh on my conscience.

“Stop fucking girls in our room, and you have my word.”

Angry lines formed on his forehead. “That’s like telling you that you can’t have sex with your fuck-boy boyfriend inyourliving space. How is that fair?”

“He isn’t a fuck-boy.” My voice wasn’t nearly as convincing as it should have been.

Theo half-rolled his eyes as he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “He seems like one, but it’s not my business. Just like it isn’t your business who I have sex with.”

We both blew out an agitated breath at the same time and stared each other down. His jade eyes were hardened around the edges, and I knew he was challenging me. He had a point, but I wasn’t willing to give up the control and concede, so instead, I jolted my hand out and snatched the paper back from him. I lifted up from the booth and pulled the pen I used for taking orders out of my back pocket, flipped the paper over, and wroteClaire and Theo’s Roommate Rulesat the top.

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