Page 126 of Fair Catch

“Exhibitionsists,” I echo, my eyes falling to my best friend. “Really?”

Theo nods, his nose wrinkling up in disgust. “Really, really. So unless you’re into watching, I’d definitely make your presence known before coming down the stairs.”

“Don’t listen to a fucking word he says,” Phoenix tells me before giving Theo a sly look. “Theo is just crabby because he’s not getting any.”

Theo studies him briefly before he scoffs. “You know nothing about my sex life, Mercer. And all I’m doing is warning our friend Kason that he should maybe shield his eyes from the sectional in the rec room whenever he goes down the stairs. Unless he’s looking to get an eyeful—”

“That wasone time,”Holden shouts on his way back out to the car for the rest of the boxes.

“Yeah, you really need to get over that,” confirms Phoenix, following his boyfriend out the door.

“I’ll get over it when I’m able to scrub the memory of it from my brain,” Theo calls after them. “God knows I can’t live, laugh, love with it in its current condition.”

“Lobotomies are still legal, you know,” Camden offers from where he’s sitting on the couch. “Live, laugh, lobotomy.”

Theo glares at him, muttering, “You’re so lucky there isn’t a bowl of popcorn out here right now.”

Fuck.

My chest squeezes, and I do my best to shove down memories the wordpopcorninvokes. But as they barrel through my mind, I shove them to the side and force myself to focus on the present.

On this group of guys who are picking me up when I’m at my lowest—and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.

“I really do appreciate y’all for letting me stay here for the rest of the term. Sleeping on a tiny couch was already getting old,” I tell Cam and Theo with a dry chuckle.

“Please, you’re doing us the favor by cutting the rent down,” Theo says as Phoe and Holden return with the rest of the boxes. Waving his hand at them again, he gripes. “Besides, these two fuck-heads don’t need two separate bedrooms when they never use one of them.”

“Hey, I use my closet,” Holden gripes from where he’s setting one of my boxes by the stairs.

“Better tell Phoenix to make some room in his, because Kason’s about to be taking yours,” Theo tells him, a big grin on his face.

“You’re enjoying this,” I note, watching the glee on Theo’s face.

“Oh, absolutely. And now that you’re here, I have an extra brain to combat the idiocy that happens around here.”

With that, Theo gives a pointed look in Camden’s direction, who is watching, wide-eyed, as this all unfolds.

As if on cue, Camden asks, “Am I the only one who’s lost as towhywe’re getting another roommate?” He holds up his hands when I glance at him, quickly adding, “Not that I mind! I just think I missed a chapter or two.”

“A chapter or two?” Holden echoes with a laugh. “Try the whole fucking book, Cam.”

A knock on my bedroom door the following week pulls my attention up from my laptop, only to find Phoenix leaning against the door jam.

“Hey. You busy?”

Truth be told, I’ve been scouring my streaming services for a horror movie to watch, only to realize they’ve all been tainted with memories I’d rather not think about right now.

So in other words, nope. Not busy at all.

Shrugging, I close the screen of my computer and set it beside me. “Nothing that can’t wait.”

Taking that as permission to enter, he steps into my room, closes the door behind him, and drops to the end of my bed.

“I just wanted to see how you were,” he says slowly, gaze searching my face. “Are you settling in okay?”

Putting on the best smile I can muster, I wave him off. “Oh, yeah. Makes it easier that I hadn’t unpacked while I was living on Mal’s couch all last week.”

There’s a beat of silence where he just stares at me, his eyes soft and glossy at the edges, and it takes every piece of strength I have left not to break on the spot at the sight.

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