Page 40 of The Roommate Experiment

“Hey, guys,” Nina calls out, waving. “Ready for an interesting evening?”

“That’s one way to put it.” Tristan chuckles, slipping his arm around Nina’s waist.

I smile at them, glad of having a buffer of people between me and my hot roommate.

Inside the building, the doorman informs us we have to ride all the way to the top. I’d expect nothing less of Adrian West, the Wall Street legend.

The penthouse lives up to the stereotype as well. It’s an apartment that belongs in a magazine, all clean lines and understated luxury. Everything about it screams “expensive,” but I try not to let it intimidate me.

Hunter’s laugh rings through the entryway, warm and genuine as she hugs Rowena, reclaiming my focus. It’s a sound I’ve heard a thousand times, yet tonight, it hits me differently.

When the ladies are done hugging each other, the official introductions begin. I offer Adrian a firm handshake, making sure my smile reaches my eyes. “Great to meet you, man.” I put the right amount of friendliness in my tone.

Adrian matches my grip, his smile easy and confident, and his eyes flashing with… relief? The guy must’ve been nervous about “meeting the friends.” “Likewise,” he responds, and we exchange a few more pleasantries before Rowena ushers us into the living room.

As I follow the group, my gaze shifts to Hunter again. She’s walking ahead of me, her hair catching the suffused light. A lock of it is falling over her eyes and the sudden, inexplicable impulse to brush it behind her ear almost overpowers me. I clench my fists at my sides to stop my hands from doing something stupid.

We all settle at the table. Rowena is next to Adrian, Nina by Tristan’s side, and Hunter and I get inevitably pushed together.It’s okay, not a big deal, I tell myself, even as her inebriating scent hits me again.

Rowena and Adrian are playing the perfect hosts, making sure everyone’s comfortable. I catch Adrian watching Rowena in a way that’s hard to decipher—something between admiration and uncertainty. I wonder what the deal is with them. Their engagement is fake, yet there’s an undeniable connection between them, one neither of them seems to have figured out.

When Adrian asks how we all met, I have an excuse to turn my full focus on Hunter as she dives into the story of their disastrous Halloween meet-spook. Her voice is animated, eyes sparkling, and I can’t stop watching her. I’m caught in the way her lips move, or how she gestures with her hands, those fucking golden bracelets catching the light and making me want to rip things—her clothes, more specifically.

“We met in college,” she’s saying. “On a tragic Halloween night where we all ended up ditched by our dates, soaked in a diner, and wearing the same Elle Woods costume.” She sighs, looking at Nina and Rowena. “It was love at first sight.”

“I think I saw a picture.” Adrian grins at Rowena with an expression not too dissimilar from the goofy stupor affecting me earlier in the shower. “Nice costumes.”

“We all used to live together,” Nina adds. “Until, well, recent events.”

Rowena gets uncomfortable for the first time tonight, probably wanting to avoid the topic of her fake engagement, aka the elephant in the room no one has mentioned yet. “You mean since you moved in with that guy?” She points at Tristan. “And Dylan leaped at the chance to turn my old bedroom into a home office, right?”

I grin at this. “Guilty as charged. And the company’s not bad either.” I check Hunter’s reaction, but she’s not looking my way; she seems very interested in her salad.

To distract myself, I toss a breadcrumb at Tristan. He laughs, deflecting it. I’m about to throw another breadcrumb when Adrian, without missing a beat, catches the one that flew his way and tosses it right back at me. I laugh, pretending to be outraged as I clutch my chest dramatically.

“Man, you’ve got some arm there. Did you play any sports?” I am genuinely curious now. The guy’s reflexes are impressive.

Adrian grins, leaning back in his chair, looking more relaxed than he has all evening. “Varsity baseball, but I gave that up in college because I didn’t have time for athletics.” He glances at Rowena, and something unspoken and private travels in that look. They share a deeper understanding, a secret language the rest of us don’t speak.

“Rowena told me you two played basketball in the NCAA?” Adrian adds, shifting the conversation to safer ground.

“Yeah, we did.” I shoot a quick smile at Tristan, who nods in agreement. “It was a crazy time. We ended up winning the national championship our senior year…”

Nina groans. “Not the highlights of the final again, please.”

We ignore her and give Adrian a blow-by-blow of our epic victory.

After that, dinner flows effortlessly. Adrian fits in seamlessly, his dry wit and easy-going nature a perfect complement to our seasoned banter.

As the conversation winds down, we finish the wine, lingering over the remains of the dessert. The atmosphere is relaxed and familiar despite the newness of Adrian. He and Rowena exchange a quiet glance, and it strikes me how comfortable they are with each other. They seem to have found a balance that’s still elusive for me in my new house setting. If they can make it work as platonic roommates after knowing each other for three weeks, Hunter and I should be smashing the cohabitation after… Wait, how long have we known each other? I do the mental math and, fuck me, it’s been over ten years. How did I never notice her before?

I turn to her. She’s laughing at something Nina said. Her lips curved in that easy, radiant smile that never fails to disarm me. The sight stirs a deep warmth within me, unsettling yet grounding.

Platonic, my ass.

I look away, focusing instead on the candle flickering in the center of the table. What is going on with me? I stuff my mouth with the last bite of cake and try to forget about it.

When dinner wraps up, we gather our things and head toward the front door, a pleasant buzz in the air.

---