Page 15 of Fair Play
“I love to sleep,” I counter. “But I don’t get nearly enough of it. Bodi loves it too. As evidenced by the fact that he’s upstairs out cold. He’ll sleep until an hour before he has to leave for the game.”
Rome grimaces. “That gives me hives.” He walks over to the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of water, pausing to stare down at the papers I have scattered all over the counter. “You looking for a car?”
I nod. “Two hours on the bus this morning is neither practical nor pleasurable.”
“Why didn’t you ask one of us for a ride?” he asks in surprise.
“It was early and you were both asleep. And it’s a game day.”
“I was up. I heard you leave. I would have given you a ride. Two hours on the bus is ridiculous. And not all that safe depending on the time of day.”
“My brother would probably have a coronary if he found out you gave me a ride.”
Instead of the laughter I expected, Rome is dead serious when he says, “I’m not worried about your brother. If you need a ride, just ask.”
Our eyes lock and there it is—that same spark from the night we danced.
How the fuck am I going to get past this insane attraction to him when it practically sizzles in the air whenever we’re in the same room together?
Fuck.
I turn away first.
“Thank you. I’m going to have to ask him to cosign a loan for me to get a car. I can’t afford any apartments that are close enough to campus to walk, and this place is just too far away.”
He frowns for a minute, like he’s thinking. “You know, I might have a solution for you. Let me make a phone call this afternoon and I’ll get back to you.”
“About… a car?” I ask in confusion.
He nods. “My dad’s car is still in the garage. Mom refuses to sell it even though he passed away five years ago and she has her own.”
“Oh, I couldn’t—” I begin.
“Sure you could. Mom can never resist doing something nice for someone, and she really needs to let go of the car.”
“Are you originally from here?” I ask suddenly. “I thought you just got traded here?”
“Yes, I was born and raised here. Went to college back east and never came back for more than a visit. Never wanted to either, but I guess fate had other plans for me.”
“What about when you retire?” I ask curiously.
He shrugs. “I have a cabin in upstate New York. Bought it a while back, one of the few things neither of my exes wanted in the divorces. It’s on Lake Canandaigua. Quiet. Pretty. Almost paid for. I’ll probably move there.”
“Away from your family?” I wrinkle my nose. I can’t imagine purposely going that far away from Bodi. I don’t want him in my business twenty-four-seven, but I still want him in my life. Especially later, when we’re both married and have a few kids.
“If you knew my family—and you probably will now that you’re living here—you’d understand.”
I sigh. “Is it obvious that I’m most likely going to have to stay here with you guys until the end of the season?”
He nods. “Well, yeah. L.A. is expensive as fuck and we’ve already determined that roommates can be tricky.”
“If I decide to finish my master’s, I’m hoping to maybe live on campus next semester as an RA or something, but I applied too late to do that this semester.”
“You’re going to keep going to get your master’s?” he asks.
“I don’t know yet. I’m on the fence because I need to work and make money. Bodi got called up during the playoffs last season and he wasn’t sure he would make the team this year, but then he did so he talked me into following him to L.A.”
“How did you feel about that?”
