Page 95 of My Roommate from Hell
“How?”
Zarmenus walks over to the door, and then slams his back into it. I get what he’s going for. It sounded like we crashed into it together. I go closer to him, and hit the door with my palm.
“Yeah,” I say. “Keep doing that.”
The shock on Zarmenus’s face kind of makes my life.
“Who are you?” he whispers.
“I’m not losing my internship because of Adam. So come on, let’s sell this.”
“With pleasure.”
He takes hold of my shirt, and spins me around. He pushes me against the door, for real this time. My shirt is bunched up in his palms. It’s pulled up, exposing some skin. I feel breathless, dizzy, and completely out of control. His chest is heaving, and there’s an undeniable energy between us. I want him to kiss me. I want this to be real.
His gem flashes, and I start to smell smoke. Flames appear on his hands. I jump away, swatting at the flames on my chest. They die down, but they’ve left two black scorch marks on my shirt. I check my skin, and I haven’t been burned.
“What was that?” I ask.
A bloodred blush creeps up his neck, staining his cheeks.
Is Zarmenus blushing?
“Sorry,” he stammers. “I lost control.”
“Don’t be,” I say, surveying the damage in the mirror. “This is good. It sells it.”
“You sure?”
I leave the bathroom and stop in my tracks. Two guys are standing outside, filming us with their phones.
“Smile,” says one of them.
“Delete it,” says Zarmenus, his voice dark. The two boys stop smiling and lift their phones to delete their videos.
“Show me,” he says.
They show him their screens. Once that’s done, we go down the hall.
“You okay?” I ask.
“I can’t believe they were filming us,” he says. “They’re supposed to be my friends.”
People turn to look at my ruined shirt as I pass them.
As we reach the entrance hall, Adam steps into my path.
“Where are you going?”
“Home,” I say. “Zarmenus burned my shirt.”
He narrows his eyes. “Why?”
“It was an accident.”
“I got carried away while we were making out,” says Zarmenus. “It happens.”
“Does it?” he asks. “Or are you trying to convince everyone you’re really dating? I was talking to your friend, Owen, and he’s as suspicious as I am.”
