Page 7 of The Roommate Experiment

But then the silhouettes move on and I hear Dylan go into his bedroom.

Sagging back onto the mattress, I stare at the ceiling, bewildered and wondering.

A sharp ding pierces the stillness. Rolling over, I grab my phone from the nightstand. It’s a text from Nina.

Nina

Hey, how are you doing?

I hesitate, then type back.

Hunter

I’m fine, why?

Even as I hit send, I have a sinking premonition of what her next question is going to be.

Nina’s response comes quickly, confirming my suspicions.

Nina

Tristan told me that Dylan said he upset you earlier

I let out an even louder groan than before. My body curls inward as if to physically reject the mortification. Great, so Dylan is already complaining about me. My bitchiness has made its way through the friendship grapevine.

Honestly, I deserve it. Of course Dylan’s telling people what a disaster I am. I don’t even blame him for saying something. If I were Dylan, I’d be texting all my friends too, warning them about my neurotic roommate with a chip on her shoulder. Why wouldn’t he? I’ve gone from friendly to unhinged in less than an hour.

Instead of coming across as the cool, easy-going roommate he might’ve secretly imagined spending late nights laughing with, I’ve cemented myself as the uptight control freak who gets irrationally upset over a couple of dirty dishes. I’ve officially tanked any chance of being seen as fun, chill, or—heaven forbid—someone worth dating. The kind of person he’d look forward to coming home to.

He probably thought I was at least normal when we moved in together. Now he knows the truth: I’m a dickhead who vented her frustration on him for no good reason. He has no idea why I really flipped out on him. Dylan must be so confused.Way to go, Hunter.Even if I were remotely on his radar before tonight—which I wasn’t—this just solidified my place as not-girlfriend material. No, scratch that—not even want-to-casually-hang-out-with material.

That’s probably why he was lurking outside my door. To tell me this has all been a mistake, that he’s moving out, and going to live happily ever after withOlivia.

My fingers fly across the screen, tapping rapidly as I go all out to play it cool.

Hunter

I was tired and snapped at him about the dishes

You know how I can be about that stuff

I’m sorry if I upset him. It’s no big deal. I’ll smooth things over tomorrow

Nina’s reply pops up.

Nina

Yeah, typical. When my brother says he’ll do something, he means… eventually

But are you sure there’s nothing else? Tristan thought there was more, based on what Dylan told him

Holy fucking hell, what did Dylan say to Tristan? Did he guess the reason I was upset? No, that’s impossible; I practically asked to become BFF with his girlfriend and have regular sleepovers. He can’t know it’s about Olivia.

I prop myself on one elbow as I re-read the message, chewing my lip. Should I confess to Nina about my massive crush on her brother? My gaze flickers to the framed photo on my nightstand—me, Nina, and Rowena in matching pink Elle Woods costumes, drenched but grinning ear to ear on the Halloween night we first became friends.

Could I really admit my fixation on her brother after all this time? My thumb hovers over the keyboard, my heart squeezing. What would I even call it? An infatuation? Obsession? It feels so intense, so all-consuming, but can you truly be in love with someone who barely knows you’re alive? And what’s the point now that he’s officially off the market? After staying silent for eleven freaking years, do I tell Nina the second her brother is no longer available?

I almost confide in her. But I chicken out at the last second, typing a deflective response.

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