Page 85 of Kiss Me in the Dark
"Yeah.Freshman year.He gave me a black eye, and I broke his fucking nose."Landon chuckles, a dark edge to his smile.
"That's messed up."I sigh."Carter's always been the worst of the group.I just didn't expect him to start stuff like that today.He's as much of an ass as my roommate."
"Maybe give Fox a break," Landon says with a smirk."I mean, he's not all bad."
I scoff, rolling my eyes.But then my phone buzzes in my pocket.I pull it out, staring at the screen.Four words from my roommate, and I can already feel my stomach twist.
FROM FOX: WE NEED TO TALK.
22
Hearts On Trial
“Thankyouforstoppingby Gio’s Burger.”I flash a polite smile as I hand the customer his order.
With my elbows propped on the counter, I run my hands through my hair, realizing I probably need a haircut.My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I groan, not even bothering to check it.I already know who it is—it’s my annoying roommate, Fox.
Ever since his last message—We need to talk—I’ve been ignoring him.He can’t just summon me whenever he wants, expecting me to fall in line.His texts only got more demanding after I got to work, his latest one filled with question marks.
FROM FOX: WHY ARE YOU NOT RESPONDING???
The double question marks make my irritation flare up again, and I almost consider turning my phone off.
“You okay?”Nat asks, looking at me curiously from the other side of the counter.
I lower my hands and turn to her, shaking off my irritation.Since I got here, Nat hasn’t stopped pestering me about Saturday night.I’ve kept my answers vague, not in the mood to rehash anything about Fox.Lately, it feels like he’s taking up way too much space in my head, and I don’t like that.
“I’m fine,” I say, straightening up.
“Still hungover from Saturday?”Katie teases from the other side of the counter.Noah’s off today—lucky guy.
I huff.“As if that’s even possible.”
“Well, you’ve been acting off since you got here,” Nat says, frowning at me.
“I’m just tired.”
“Roommate troubles?”she presses, leaning in as if we’re about to share a secret.
“This has nothing to do with Fox,” I say quickly.
Nat narrows her eyes at me, unconvinced.“You’ve been dodging details about Saturday night.Did you two kiss or something?”
“We did nothing,” I lie, but I know she doesn’t believe it.
“Uh-huh.Sure,” she says, smirking.“But if you won’t tell me, I’ll just get all the details from Landon.”
I sigh, shaking my head, just as the bell over the door chimes.To my surprise, it’s Elias, looking good in a green plaid shirt, jeans, and sneakers.He smiles when he sees me and heads to the counter.
“Hey, you,” Elias says with a warm smile.I bite my lip, feeling my own smile tugging at the corners.Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nat and Katie watching us with interest.Of course, they’d be all over this.
“Hi, Eli,” I say, surprising myself with the nickname.
“How are you?I’ve been texting you for the past hour,” he says.
“You have?”I pull out my phone, realizing I’d assumed all the notifications were from Fox.Sure enough, three texts from Elias are there, asking if I’m working and if he could drop by.
I pocket my phone.“Sorry, I didn’t realize.I’ve been busy.”
