Page 94 of Tapped By My Roommate
“Or because you have the hots for Rhett’s boyfriend,” Cary muttered.
I saw the look of discomfort on Ethan’s face. Shit was getting awkward.
I cleared my throat. “Stop being brats, both of you. Ethan’s here as a favor to me, so how about we don’t scare him off?”
“Sorry,” Cary muttered.
“Yeah, sorry Cary is so dumb,” Audrey said, her cheeks a little red. Probably embarrassed that Cary had pointed out her crush.
Mom seized that moment to save the day. Maybe I got my heroics from her. “Dinner’s ready. Why don’t we all sit down?” She threaded her arm through Ethan’s. “So, tell me about yourself. You’re in college too?”
Ethan nodded. “I’m in my senior year, but I’m applying to grad school…”
I followed along, listening as Mom pumped Ethan for details about his future. I’d been so caught up in the present I hadn’t really given it much thought. But Ethan had big dreams. He might not want to stay in Nebraska forever. The thought of him gone—of my apartment empty and hollow—didn’t sit well. But it wasn’t just the apartment I wanted him in. It was my bed, my heart, every part of my life.
Could we make a life together, though, and what did it mean for my family if we did? Audrey and Cary needed me…didn’t they?
“So when will your car be fixed?” Cary asked as Mom placed a large serving bowl containing beef stroganoff on the table. Beside it, a platter of warm, crusty bread sat waiting to be buttered.
“I don’t know. Sorry I haven’t been able to give you rides from practice.”
“It’s cool,” Cary said. “I got a couple of the older guys to give me rides.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “And the one time they couldn’t, Keith swung by.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Really?”
Cary shrugged. “He takes me to all my games. It’s not ideal for his work schedule to help me out with practice.”
Huh. That wasn’t what I expected. It wasn’t that I thought Keith was a complete asshole. I just knew that he wasn’t the first guy to volunteer to help someone. When I’d still lived at home, in the early days of Keith moving in, I’d paid rent—and he hadn’t. We’d butted heads regularly, and mostly over the fact that he didn’t take good enough care of my mother. Not that Mom agreed. We’d gotten into an argument about it, and she’d told me she was an adult who could handle her own life.
I’d been told, in blunt terms, to mind my own business or move out. I’d been angry back then. Hurt that Mom had effectively chosen Keith over me—or at least, that was how it seemed. In retrospect, I had been over eighteen and would be moving on to my own life soon enough. So maybe it wasn’t fair to expect her to give up her boyfriend to appease her son.
Still, it’d soured my view of Keith for good. And now, here I was, hoping he’d do me a favor. It was a crappy place to be. And yet, as I watched Ethan interact with my family, I couldn’t help the warm feeling that unfurled in my chest and spread through me. Mom liked him; I could tell. Audrey obviously liked him—maybe too much. Even Cary seemed intrigued by some of Ethan’s animal rescue stories.
I could picture more dinners like this one. More dinners where I called Ethan my boyfriend, where he wasn’t just a dinner guest, but a member of the family too.
I nudged him with my shoulder. “Surviving the grilling?” I murmured.
Ethan smiled. “I like your family.”
The fantasy was so real, I could taste it. Ethan and my family, all gathered in one room. Everyone I loved.
And then Keith clomped in, still wearing his work boots, and brought reality with him.
“Food smells good. I’m starved,” he said, taking the empty chair next to Mom.
He barely cast me a second look, even though we’d agreed to talk tonight.
“There’s plenty left.” Mom handed him a plate and kissed his cheek. “Rhett brought afriend.This is Ethan.”
She put enough emphasis on the word friend that it was clear she thought Ethan was more. Fair enough. He was, even if we hadn’t yet put a name to it.
Ethan gave a little wave, and Keith nodded to him before turning his gaze to me.
“Haven’t seen you in a while, Rhett. Must be some problem you got to come to me for help.”
