Page 50 of Roommate Wars
She pointed at my face. “I cook for you! I share that food.”
“You hoard what’s in the fridge, and if I accidentally touch something of yours, you snap at me.”
“That only happened once.”
She’d been saving a bagel she’d picked up from a specialty shop the day before. I knew better, but it had looked delicious, and I might have reached for it. “Once was enough. You almost broke a rib with the elbow jab you delivered.”
“Boyfriend?” Sophia said. She stared at Elise. “Why are you calling himboyfriend?”
Max walked up to Sophia, staring at us with the same perplexed look.
Shit.
“Shit,” Elise muttered, mimicking my thoughts. “Nothing, Soph. It’s nothing.” She dug her tiny fingers into my side to get me to release my grip on the takeout. It didn’t work. “We’re still fake dating,” Elise said. “It’s easier if we play it off all the time.”
“How’s that easier?” Sophia’s look was dubious.
I slipped around Elise’s grabby hands and set the food on a clutter-free desk. I hadn’t been expecting Max to be here, though I should have. In any case, I’d gotten extra tacos for Elise, so she’d just have to share.
Within seconds, chairs scraped the floor as we pulled them up to the table, and all talking ceased while the food consumption commenced.
But Sophia and Max were exchanging questioning glances and doing the nonverbal communication that drove me and Elise nuts. They didn’t seem entirely sure of the situation, but everyone was too hungry to stop shoveling food in their mouths.
“Mmm,” Elise said, her expression one of ecstasy. “Jackson, you are an angel.”
I bit into my chicken burrito with the works, ignoring her lusty look that had me thinking of other things. “I should have known food would be the way to your heart, since you’re so stingy with it.”
She smirked. “Don’t start with that again. But yes, food is important. Can’t you tell by how well I feed you?”
I would not fall for that and admit the quality of her cooking was debatable. I was just happy shefed me. It sucked making food for yourself. I much preferred Elise’s frozen concoctions.
Sophia pointed a chip at Elise. “Now that you’ve eaten, go home. It’s getting late. I’ve got this.”
Elise frowned. “You’re just saying that because I was cranky earlier.”
Sophia laughed. “You were, but don’t worry, I’m wrapping up and heading home too.”
“I’ll stay with Sophia,” Max said, tossing the final bite of his taco into his mouth.
Elise and I looked at each other, shrugged, then started cleaning up empty food containers. We headed toward the front of the store. “Are you sure?” Elise asked her sister once more, glancing around as though she was afraid to leave Sophia with all the work.
Sophia yawned. “The rest of this can wait until tomorrow. Max and I are right behind you.”
With that reassurance, Elise and I headed south on Polk, then cut over into our neighborhood. She was wearing a flared navy skirt with a pinstripe top and a pair of white Adidas sneakers. The skirt and top were basics I recognized from the loot I’d given her, but the sneakers were all Elise and made the outfit. She was professional and fashionable and pretty, and I had the urge to be closer. Which was a strange sensation, but I was rolling with it.
“Let’s hold hands,” I said. She looked up, comically appalled. I raised my eyebrow. “Get used to it. We’re dating.”
It was dark out, but I’d swear her cheeks flushed.
“I didn’t take you for a hand-holder.” She accepted my hand, and I nearly shivered like a maiden at the pleasure of her touch. And also because her palm was fucking freezing.
“I’m not, but it seemed like a good idea. What in the hell is wrong with your hands? They’re ice blocks.”
She tried to tug her palm free, but I tightened my grip. “They’re always cold. Don’t hold my hand if you don’t like it.”
“I like your cold hands.”
She sighed and stopped fighting. After a few more moments, she looped her arm through mine, bringing her body closer. “You like cold hands… How do you feel about cold feet?”
