Page 25 of Splintered Hearts

Ignoring his glare, I walk through the sliding doors into the kitchen. It’s big enough not to feel crowded, with blackappliances and baby-blue walls. It’s veryAlice in Wonderlandcoded, which I like. The checkered black-and-white floor just sets the whole vibe off.

Walking into the connected living room, which is pretty big for such a small house, I see the hallway. There’s also a closed door, and I wonder if it’s a bedroom. Walking over to it, I knock but don’t hear a thing, and while yes, it’s a bit nosy, I open it up to find an empty bedroom.

So, Hunter’s old room.

Or maybe my new one?

Opening it up, I’m impressed. It’s cute. A queen bed is pushed up against the wall, and the only other things are a dresser and a nightstand. Mark has both at his house, so he probably chose to leave them here for Jamie. The bed, however, looks brand new, still wrapped in plastic for the new resident of this room.

Or me.

Closing the door, I head down the hall. There are two doors, and I choose the one Bri told me is the bathroom—I assume the other is Jamie’s. Then, after using the bathroom, I wash my hands and inspect the pretty big room. Much like the living room, it’s scarcely filled, but the counter is huge, with only hand soap on the wide space.

I like this all way to much.

There’s room, and the place just feels so good to be in. The vibe is right, the price is right, the roommate is more than right. It almost seems too perfect. What if Jamie didn’t mean it though? What if he was just being nice?

Ignoring my stupid thoughts and doubts, I walk down the hall. My shoes squeak. Fucking floorboards.

The door to my right swings open. “Xavier, I said leave—” Jamie stops, towering over me in the doorway. Or at least, that’s what it feels like standing next to him. Jamie’s just huge—tall, broad, and imposing. But his face softens a touch seeing me,then he glances down the hall to see if I’m alone. “What are you doing?”

“Using the little girl’s room.” Jamie’s brows furrow before he drags his tongue over his bottom lip. A flash of silver catches my attention.

And a tongue piercing!

“What are you doing in here?” I ask. Mark knew I’d want this man. “The party’s out there.”

“I just wanted some quiet.” While the party isn’t really loud, people are a lot sometimes. I get it. “Do you want to come inside?”

“Really?”

Jamie nods, turning back toward his room and leaving the door open for me. Stepping inside, I shut the door. There’s a full-sized bed pushed up against the far right wall, and a dresser with a speaker sat to the side, but what catches my attention is the narrow bookshelf sitting next to an art desk with a blank sheet of paper clipped to the top. Pencils and erasers litter the space. It’s funny seeing how messy the shelf is compared to the rest of the house—which is immaculate, almost sterile.

Okay, but the man has a bookshelf. I have to take a peek. He notices my interest. “You like to read?”

“It’s my favorite thing in the world. Can I look?”

“It’s just art books and stuff. Some graphic novels but mainly art books.” I don’t care. I just want to know a little more about him. There are a few art books on color theory and the human form.

“You’re an artist?”

“I wouldn’t say that, but I like art and drawing.”

“So... an artist.” Laughing, my attention swings back to the bookshelf. “Are these your sketchbooks?” Skimming the spines with my fingers, I grab one, pulling it out.

“Oh, no I—” Jamie rubs the back of his head. His beanie isgone now, revealing soft black hair that’s longer on top and short on the sides.

“Yours?” Jamie’s shoulders sink, looking away. “Can I look at it?” Hesitating for a moment, Jamie finally nods, moving closer as I sit on the bed. Our knees brush. Holding the book in my lap, I notice the slight insecurity on his face. “I don’t have to look.”

“It’s . . . it’s fine.”

“I’ll put it back.” Clearly he’s uncomfortable. Grabbing the elbow of his sleeve, I pull his attention to me. I’m unsure where all the air in the room has gone, but it certainly isn’t inside my lungs as I struggle to breathe. “Seriously. It’s okay.”

Jamie moves, giving me room to sit next to him. “You can look.”

“If it’s terrible, I’ll let you know. I’d never lie to you.”

That makes him laugh, the sound warm and deep. This close, I can’t help but take him in. Jamie smells like soap, and he’s removed his sweater in favor of an oversized blue shirt. His hooded eyes are locked on the notebook in my lap. His left brow is pierced. His gaze moves from the notebook to me again, and damn. Bright brown eyes with swirls of amber watch me before looking away, and his ears redden.

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