Page 96 of Dear Roomie
“Why is that my problem?” I cross my arms in front of my chest and let my inner bitch rise to the surface.
“You’re right. It’s not,” he says with a sigh, “but you are his girlfriend, and I’m his best friend. We both love him in our own ways, and I know you don’t want to see him hurt. Making him choose between us would hurt him, even if the choice would be easy.”
“Fine,” I begrudgingly agree. As much as I hate it, he isn’t entirely wrong, and it’s not like we can continue to avoid each other forever, not with Morgan connecting us. “So what do you propose, then?”
“A truce, and more importantly, an apology. I was out of line with the way I spoke to you. I could try to blame the lack of sleep, or getting caught up in the emotional high of the day, but I won’t even try to make an excuse for my behavior. I’m just sorry it ever happened. If you can bring yourself to forgiveme, I would like to start over. We might not ever be friends, but I hope we can at least be friendly, for his sake.”
All the fight in me fades. I can do friendly, or at least not hostile, if it will make my boyfriend happy. It helps that I can see the sincerity shining through his eyes.
“Okay, we can start over.”
A smile forms on his lips—a real one, not the facade from earlier.
“Thank you. You wouldn’t be able to maybe help me get a moment alone with Chelsea, would you?”
“Oh, fuck off, Nathan,” I scoff, and this time, I do leave him standing alone in the hallway.
I catch Gage’s eye as I make my way to the bar, and he has both drinks ready for me by the time I make it up through the crowd. He doesn’t even have time for me to thank him before someone else demands his attention. My friends are still locked in an animated conversation with Karis as I return. Whatever she’s talking about has her fully engaged, swinging her hands wildly, somehow taking up more space than should be possible with her tiny frame. Without interrupting, I slip back into Morgan’s waiting arms. He drops a kiss on the top of my head like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and butterflies stir in my stomach.
I hope it never stops feeling like this.
“Your ex is here,” I whisper to Chelsea once it’s clear the others are focused on whatever Karis is saying.
Her nose scrunches as she looks around the bar. “Where did you see him? Karis and Gage promised he wouldn’t be here tonight.”
“He ambushed me near the bathrooms.”
“Of course he did,” she scoffs and rolls her eyes. “I’ll go see if I can find him and make sure he knows exactly how unwelcome he is.” She starts to move, but I place my hand on hers to stop her.
“That’s exactly what he wants. You are better off ignoring him.”
She thinks it over for a moment, and I can see the resolve harden in her eyes.
“I’ll be right back,” she says, then heads toward the bathroom alcove.
“What was that about,” Morgan murmurs in my ear.
“Just boy troubles, nothing you need to worry about.” I lean into him and press a kiss against his jaw.
I shift my focus back to the conversation, growing more relaxed with every sip of my drink. He absentmindedly rocks to the music, moving me with him to the beat. It’s the perfect way to end my time as a student here, my favorite place with my favorite people. At least it would be if Chelsea returned.
The minutes tick by without any sign of her, and my unease starts to build in my stomach. I should tell Morgan about what happened near the bathroom. Maybe he can go look for his friend and check on mine. As I open my mouth, Nathan storms through the building and out into the warm night air. Morgan, Evelyn, and Karis all watch his exit with varying degrees of concern and confusion written on their faces. Even Gage looks dumbfounded from behind the bar.
“Does anyone know what that was about?” Karis asks as Chelsea maneuvers her way back through the crowd to join us at our table.
Her porcelain skin is flushed and her wild hair more disheveled than normal. I quirk a questioning eyebrow, and she gives me a subtle shake of her head. Message received loud and clear: don’t ask now.
“I guess that explains that,” Karis adds, giving Chelsea a look that pretty much mirrors what I’m burning to ask, specifically what the fuck happened back there.
“Are you all right?” Evelyn asks. At least one of us is able to be a supportive friend right now.
“Just peachy,” Chelsea answers with a saccharine smile.
“Are you sure? I can go talk with Nathan if he’s bothering you,” Morgan offers, eyeing the door his friend went through.
“No, it’s fine. He wanted to talk about us, but I told him there was nothing to talk about, and he left,” Chelsea lies. I doubt anyone else but Evelyn picked up on it, though.
“Ouch,” Karis says with a hiss. “Didn’t sugarcoat it, did you?”
