Page 110 of Study Buddies

“Guys, I didn’t move in here because I was looking for a free place to stay. I moved in because I was looking for adecentplace to stay. As in one that wasn’t awful.”

“Have you seen the rest of this basement?” Kyle asked, and I ignored him. This was important.

“I like it here. I like living with you guys. But I can’t stay if you don’t let me pay my way.” The thought of leaving was distressing, and not just because I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I sat down on the bed next to Jayden.

Looking at each of them in turn, I tried to figure out which one of them I was most likely to get through to.

To my surprise, Lucas spoke next. “All right, I’ll look at our expenses and make a budget.” He glanced Jayden’s way. “For your sake, too. You’ve been paying half the electricity and gas bill, but now it should just be a quarter.”

“Thanks, man,” Jayden said. “And as for the rest—the chore charts and all—” he threw a pointed look at Kyle, “Maybe we can meet once a week until we figure it out. But the sleeping arrangements can’t wait that long.” He caught Lucas’s eye. “Tori’s right. You need your room back.”

“I’m fine on the couch,” Lucas insisted. Now he did start pacing, while also rubbing the back of his neck. He was no longer the self-assured man who’d gotten me through the awful ceremony this morning.

Jayden let out an exasperated sigh. “Dude, you had a date the other night, and you didn’t even have a place to get ready.” His eyes cut to me. “A date with a really hot chick.”

I gave him a quick wink before focusing on Lucas. “You still managed to clean up nicely. But you’re moving back into your room—end of discussion.”

Kyle straightened up, as if the conversation was done, but I had a feeling it wasn’t. Lucas still hadn’t agreed to take back his room, for one thing.

Jayden seemed to realize that. “We’ll find another place for Tori to sleep. We’re not going to make her sleep in the bathtub, dude.” He looked around. “We cleared space for one bedroom down here—maybe we could make another one and get one of those portable room dividers or something.”

“Maybe,” I said. My eyes drifted past the cozy lamplight illuminating Jayden’s new room out to the mounds of clutter. I couldn’t see us getting through the rest of that any time soon.

There was one very obvious solution, but either they hadn’t thought of it—or they didn’t want to suggest it. “Here’s the thing,” I began, and I ran my finger along the top of the blue comforter. “This is a really big bed. If Jayden wouldn’t mind, maybe I could… I mean, it’s not a big deal. Lucas and I slept together last night.”

Utter silence met my words—and Kyle and Jayden were staring at me, jaws dropped.

“She means we slept in the same bed,” Lucas clarified.

“Oh,” Jayden said. “Okay then.”

Kyle didn’t say anything, but he studied my face, and I could feel my cheeks flushing. Hopefully, he wouldn’t take that as a sign that Lucas and I had done anything more than sleep next to each other.

Which, of course, we had.

“I don’t mind if you don’t mind, Tori.” Jayden’s gaze was on the space between us. “Unless you snore like a lumberjack or something.”

“She doesn’t,” Lucas said, but he had a frown on his face. “If that’s what you want, Tori, I guess?—”

“Homeowner’s meeting,” Kyle snapped. “Right now.”

We all gaped at him. He stared Lucas down and then jerked his head toward the storage room in the back.

Lucas looked bemused for a long moment, but then he followed Kyle.

Jayden and I exchanged a puzzled glance as they went in and closed the door behind them.

“What was that about?”

“I have no fucking clue.” Jayden sounded just as baffled as I was.

“Should we—is it time to escape to the hammock?”

Jayden laughed. “Let’s wait and see who’s left standing when the door opens.”

“Okay.” I ran my finger along the blue comforter again. “Is this new?”

“No, I had it in storage.”

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