Page 30 of Problematic Summer Romance

The thing is, I know exactly what he’s doing, and it’sidiotic.

But also kind of amazing. Because when he straightens, my eyes skitter to Alfie’s arm, which is wrapped all the way around Georgia’s neck. Georgia’s hip, likewise, is leaning half against Alfie’s crotch.

In the past year, I made it very clear to Alfie that whenever he came over, there would be no PDA in shared areas, to avoid making Georgia uncomfortable in her living space. Clearly, this is a courtesy that they don’t plan on returning.

I follow Conor’s advice and breathe, feeling my anger rise up again. And with it, a touch of recklessness that…

Fuck it. We ball.

“Actually.” I glance up at Conor, surprised by how firm I sound. “There’s no reason for you to leave. Why don’t you just spend the night?”

•••••

I sleep ina twin bed.

I hadn’t forgotten, not exactly. I may, however, have neglected to consider its implications when I impulsively invited Conor to stay. I pull him in and close the door behind me, leaning against it. Then I wait for him to turn around and for our gazes to lock.

At which point, we laugh.

Silently. It’s mostly his shoulder, shaking, and me biting into the heel of my hand as I come to terms with whatever the fuck just happened. Until Conor hears something and lifts his finger. It’s Alfie and Georgia, walking past my door to her room.

Conor moves closer, palms above both my shoulders, boxing me in. Eyes never leaving mine, he pushes once, forcefully. The door shakes in the hinges, and I frown, unable to figure out what he’s up to. Until he does it again. And again. Andagain, building a rhythm that…

Oh my god, I mouth.

My shock makes him smile. When Alfie’s and Georgia’s voices suddenly fall to whispers, his eyebrow lifts. There’s the sound of another door being slammed shut, and with one last, energetic push, the noisiest so far, Conor steps away from me.

I shake my head, baffled by the conniving, amusing, petty plans this man seems to have put in place in the last three hours,and ask in my most conversational tone: “Are you out of your mind?”

He listens for more noises. When he’s satisfied that the others are not eavesdropping, he starts glancing around my room. With him in it, it looks about as big as the eye of a needle. “Probably. But that’s unrelated to my presence here.”

“I cannot believe you came. I haven’t seen you in…” In?

“Yeah, I tried to figure it out on the plane.” Conor Harkness is here. Inspecting the desk where I fall asleep when I playFinal Fantasyfor too long. Running a finger pad down the cracked spine of my old astrochemistry textbook. “I think Eli invited me to your high school graduation.”

“Oh. Did you go?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

He gives me a straight look. “I’d rather shit in my hands and clap than go to the graduation of some teenager I barely know.”

Laughter,reallaughter, pours out of me for the first time in days. It’s snorted out and phlegmy, probably disgusting, but Conor seems charmed, even as his eyes roam my desk and stumble on the!BIRTH CONTROL!Post-it that I put up to avoid forgetting my pills.

He nods to himself, faintly discomposed.

“Told you. Not thirteen.”

“Still not sure about that.”

“I’m an adult. I go to school in a different country. I have a credit card. I own sex toys.” I impulsively open my bedside drawer and show him my stash, only slightly regretting it when I remember the giant dragon dildo Rose gave me as a birthday present.

Conor takes it in. Blinks, several times. “Not thirteen,” heacquiesces with a nod, moving to study the hoard of stationery items that live on my desk.

“Is this creepy?” I ask. “That you’re here, I mean.” It doesn’t feel like it, but…should it?

“The fact that I’m in your room? A little, yeah. In my defense, though, that was your call. Not part of my plan.”

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