Page 48 of The Roommate Situation

Rory has to leave early the following evening to be at the art show before it starts. I know Lucy and Jackson will be there too, and I’m way excited to see what he’s done. I know it will be amazeballs.

Tomorrow night is our Christmas/yay we finished finals and didn’t die, party at Lucy’s place, and then the following morning Rory is dropping me off at the airport and then heading home for Christmas. I know I should be more excited about seeing my family, and I really do want to see them, but I’ll hate being away from my little rabbit for two whole weeks.

“Oh, shit,” I say, mouth gaping as Rory comes into the living room dressed in a tux. I’ve never seen him this dressed up before, and he’s cute af. I take his hand in mine and press my lips to his fingers. He squirms and bites his lip.

“You look amazing,” I tell him.

He flushes and presses up on his tiptoes to kiss me. “See you soon,” he says, then grabs his coat and heads out the door.

I shower and dress, then text Jackson and Lucy to let them know I’m on my way. They say they’ll meet me outside and we can go in together.

It’s a short drive, and I’m there in less than five minutes. It’s dark out since it’s evening in December, and the pathway up to the front door of the art building is lined with snow, and lit up by street lights. I can see the crowd gathering through the large windows and the glass front doors, and more and more people are arriving every second and making their way inside.

Lucy and Jackson are just inside and I smile when I see them. Lucy hugs me and kisses my cheek. Jackson looks a little off, though, with dark circles under his eyes and his hair not styled to perfection as usual. He doesn’t say anything, just stands with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slumped.

“You okay?” I ask.

He nods, and when his phone buzzes he takes it out of his pocket, looks at it, and then slides it away again without responding to whoever it was, but his cheeks are flushed and he looks even more upset now.

We make our way through the crowded hallway, filled with different pieces of art; drawings, paintings, photographs. They’re all amazing, but I know before I see it that I will love Rory’s the best.

We spot him, and Lucy and I weave our way through the crowd over to where he’s standing next to his piece, Jackson trailing behind us, looking at his phone again. He’s clearlybothered by something and doesn’t want to tell us what, but this night is about Rory, so I turn my attention to him again, and the gorgeous watercolor he’s painted that is displayed on the easel next to him. Underneath it is the title: “Parker.”

My eyes widen and I look at him.

“Is that me?” I say, and he bites his lip, nodding. He’s painted a picture of me lying in bed on my stomach with the sheet over my bottom half, my bare back on display and the sunlight spilling through the window, casting shadows over my face. It’s incredible.

“It’s amazing, Rory,” Lucy says, and kisses his cheek.

“How did you do that without me noticing?” I ask, still in disbelief.

“I took a picture of you and then worked off of it. Are you mad?”

“What?” I say. “Mad? No, I’m honored. I can’t believe you picked me for your final project. It’s so good.”

He beams and I kiss his cheek. When I turn, Lucy is having a hushed conversation with Jackson a few feet away.

“Is he okay?” Rory asks.

“I don’t know,” I tell him.

“He’s been acting weird lately. Moody, and closed off, and I don’t know what’s going on. He won’t talk to either me or Lucy about what’s bugging him.” He hesitates for a second before asking, “Is Preston okay?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “He’s seemed okay in class, but I haven’t really talked with him outside it in a while. Before break, though, he was acting kind of weird, blowing the guys and I off because he had ‘plans’.” I put the word in finger quotes. “Why?”

“I heard them arguing at the party we had right before Thanksgiving and I think maybe they’re fighting.”

My eyes widen. “You think they’re together?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Like I said, he won’t tell us anything. But remember the Halloween party?”

“Oh, shit. Yeah, they were flirting weren’t they?” He nods and then we see Jackson looking in our direction and Lucy whispering something to him. He makes his way over to us and gives Rory a hug.

“I’m sorry I’m being an asshole,” he says.

“It’s okay,” Rory says.

“No, it’s not. Things are fucked up right now but you’re my best friend and tonight is your night. I’m really proud of you, babe.”

---