Page 18 of The Roommate Situation

My jaw clenches. “He what?” I don’t get angry easily, but hearing these stories about his ex makes my blood boil.

Rory nibbles his fingernail, looking at me, then shrugs.

“That is messed up, little rabbit,” I tell him.

“Yeah, I’m realizing that.” He gives a small smile. “I’m starting to be more and more thankful every day that he cheated on me, because if I spent another year with him, or even another month, I might have actually gone my whole life believing it was okay for him to treat me like that.”

“Why did you let him treat you like that?” I ask. He wraps his arms around himself as he answers.

“He was my first. I had never really had another guy show interest in me before him, and I just didn’t realize how messed up some of the things he said and did were. When I first met him he was charming and funny, and did kind things for me. It wasn’t until we moved in together that he started to change. And I think, part of me just didn’t want to believe it. I mean, my parents are great. They’ve always supported me, so it’s not like I was seeking out a toxic relationship or anything, I just never had someone fawn over me the way he did at first. But the longer we were together, and the more we spent time alone, the worse it got. And I realized he never really cared about me.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t get a better first experience, little rabbit.”

“Me too,” he says, a sad smile on his adorable face.

“Well, you have me now, and even if you puke your brains out or pass out, I promise I won’t be embarrassed.”

“Thank you,” he says.

When I pull into the Quest parking lot I turn the car off and wait. “You ready?”

“No,” he tells me. “But better get it over with.”

As we near the building Rory keeps playing with the sleeves of his jacket. Underneath is a short sleeve button up and bow tie. This one is black, with suspenders to match, and he has red skinny jeans on his legs that look amazing on him, showing off his little bubble butt.

I only hesitate for another second before I reach over and take his hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze, and I hear the slight gasp that leaves his lips, but he doesn’t pull away. Instead he squeezes my hand back and we walk inside that way. I stay holding his hand as we sit and wait for his name to be called. His leg is bouncing and he’s biting his thumb nail, but I think I’mstill helping him stay grounded a bit. He relaxes even more when I rub my thumb over his hand, and I hear a soft sigh as his leg ceases its movements.

I even get so bold as to press a kiss to his curls. We get a few looks from the other people waiting their turns, and I’m sure they’re judging us for something, but I don’t give a shit.

“Rory,” they call after a few more minutes, and he stands, still clinging to my hand.

“You want me to go back with you?” I ask, and he nods, so I follow. While he’s giving them his paperwork and paying, I sit beside him in the extra chair. He’s literally doing everything with one hand so he doesn’t have to let go of me, and I’m finding it really sweet, but also my chest squeezes with how nervous he must be.

“You’re being really brave,” I tell him softly.

“No, I’m not,” he mumbles. “People do this all the time. It shouldn’t be such a big deal.”

“But it is a big deal, to you. It’s scary. But you’re still here. That’s brave. Everyone is brave in their own way.”

“This your boyfriend?” the lady behind the desk asks, a fond smile on her face. She has dark skin and her hair is pulled back in a ponytail as she types.

“No,” Rory says. “Just a friend.” He looks at me. “A really good friend.”

My cheeks heat. “Aww, little rabbit,” I say, and nudge him. He flushes, then and I realize what I called him, but he doesn’t seem bothered by it, just flustered.

“You nervous?” she asks, and Rory nods.

“Don’t like needles,” he says.

“Oh, yeah, that’s rough. If you tell them ahead of time they can have you lie down. That might help.”

He gives a small smile and nods.

“Okay, we’ve got you all checked in,” the lady says. “You can have a seat around the corner. They’ll be calling you back shortly.”

Rory nods and we stand, making our way to a second waiting area. “You got this, little dude,” I tell him, as he grips my hand like a vice.

Fortunately it’s only a couple more minutes before they call Rory back, because he needs to get this over and done with or he’s gonna work himself into a tizzy. He doesn’t let go of my hand as he follows the phlebotomist back to a sectioned off room. There’s a chair and a table like you would see in a doctor’s office. On the counter are several different containers with vials in them, each with different colors on the top.

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