Page 34 of The Roommate Situation

I flush. “He treats me just fine.”

“You tell me if he doesn’t.” She points her finger at me.

“Yes, Ma’am,” I say with a solute. She grins and then proceeds to tell me all about her day. The boy she has a crush on, the kid in her class who got in trouble for swearing, and the fact that her and Addison are graduating to green belts in their karate class in December and since I’ll be home for Christmas break I’ll get to see it.

“Can’t wait,” I tell her. “Hey, let me talk to Addy for a bit. Love you, sis.”

“Love you, too,” she says.

“Hey, princess,” I say when Addison is holding the phone.

“Hi,” she says. Her voice is soft but she’s smiling. It turns to a frown when she says, “I miss you.”

My heart squeezes. “I miss you too, Addy Bear. I’ll be home for Thanksgiving soon, okay? We can have a tea party and you can introduce me to your new plushies.”

She grins. “Okay. I have a new crown, too. You can wear it if you want.”

I smile widely. “I would love to. You enjoying karate still?”

She nods.

“You gonna get a black belt and kick everyone's butts?” I ask, and she giggles.

“Rory Campbell,” I hear Mom’s voice and Addison giggles again. “We don’t encourage violence, young man. You know that. Karate is for self defense. Not kicking butts.”

Addison and I both chuckle and I wink at her. “I should go,” I tell her. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” she says, and I hang up. I set my phone down and lie back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling as I run my fingers through my hair and bite my lip.

Would Parker be my boyfriend if I asked him? Should I ask him? We’ve been having a lot of sex and it’s been amazing. Better than I ever dreamed sex could be, but I can’t help wanting more. He’s the best person I know and he makes me happy, makes me better. He gave me the courage to break ties with Zach, to stand up for myself. I feel more confident because of him. I don’t think I’m scared of making a mistake with him anymore. I know who he is. He’s genuine, and kind, and he’s the same person with me that he is with my friends. He always puts me first and makes sure I’m comfortable and safe in bed. Zach never did that.

No, I’m not afraid of finding out he’s different. I’m afraid of him rejecting me when I finally muster up the courage to ask for more. To define what we are and what we’re doing. I want more than just sex with him. I have since I moved in and realized what an amazing guy he is. But what if he doesn’t want the same thing?

I sigh and roll off the bed, heading down the hall and into the living area where Parker is talking on the phone. He grins at me and goes back to talking.

“No, it’s fine. Yeah, I’m sure. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be okay. I know. Mom, I know. It’s fine. Please don’t cry, Mom. Ipromise I’ll be okay. I’ll see you guys at Christmas. Okay. I love you, too.”

He hangs up and gives me another small smile as he shoves his phone in his pocket.

“What was that about?” I ask. “I mean, if you want to tell me, that is. Because of course you don’t have to. You just, I mean, it sounded, um, I mean. Is anything wrong?” Parker crosses the room as I ramble and then he’s kissing me. I melt into the kiss and he’s smiling again when he pulls away. “Is something wrong?” I ask again.

“No, not really,” he tells me. “Just not going home for Thanksgiving, but it’s fine.”

I frown. “Oh. How come?”

He flushes.

“Shit. Sorry. I’m being really nosy. I don’t mean to be, I just want to help.”

“I know, freckles,” he says. Then presses another kiss to my nose. “Things are tight right now, for them. They can’t afford to bring me home this year and then pay for me to come home at Christmas too. It’s okay, though. It’s just a few more weeks until Christmas. It’ll be fine. Mom was just emotional. She feels bad.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I hate that Parker can’t be with his family over the Thanksgiving break, and I hate even more the thought of him being here all alone.

“There’s gotta be other students who aren’t going home. I’ll find someone to hang out with.” He gives me a grin and then moves towards the kitchen.

“What if you came home with me?” I ask, the words flying out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

He turns to me, hazel eyes wide. “Really?”

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