Page 75 of My Roommate from Hell
I just hope he forgives me when he finds out the truth.
I don’t think he will.
But still, I hope he does.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The secret was not, in fact, safe with Avery.
We didn’t even need Tyrell to run a story on us. Word that Zarmenus and I are dating spread with a truly astonishing speed around campus. By the time I woke up my phone was filled with notifications. So far, at least, it seems contained to campus gossip, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until the wider world finds out.
Tyrell even messaged me, asking if we still want him to write a story. He also questioned if Leeke put me up to this. It was enough to tell me he is at least a little suspicious.
It’s now almost nine in the morning, and I’m in line for a coffee. Given how many double takes I’ve gotten so far, I’m starting to feel almost famous. I am trying my best to ignore them, but I can tell almost everyone here is either staring at or gossiping about me.
I keep reminding myself this is a good thing. It’s the plan.
But now it’s not just Zarmenus that’s getting attention: it’s a clear shift. Before, I was just an accessory. All of a sudden I’m the one who is apparently worthy of attention, as the guy dating the boy from Hell. Now people are staring at me even without him.
It’s my turn to order, so I approach the counter. I try to get out of my head and live in the moment. The smell of coffee and freshly baked pastries is incredible, and the hanging pots of purple flowersbehind the coffee machine are so pretty. The chalk display is of a soaring owl holding a book in its talons.
The same guy as last time is working, the one with the good hair and countless tattoos. He lifts his gaze, and he stops in place for a second at the sight of me.
“What can I get for you?” he asks.
“One matcha latte and a black coffee, please.”
“Getting one for your boyfriend?” asks the barista. “Cute.”
I’m worried any response will give us away, so I go quiet. As I wait, I try to distract myself with my phone. First I try reading the news, but nothing catches my attention, so I decide to google Zarmenus to see if the news about us dating has left the Point campus yet. A part of me is afraid that if I go looking I’ll find we’ve been exposed as liars.
It doesn’t seem to have made it to any news sites yet, but the day is still young. The most recent news article that comes up after I search Zarmenus’s name is one by the leader of the Order of the Golden Sun. He says they have plans to deal with Zarmenus and his family in order to restore humanity to its rightful place. I’d be worried if I hadn’t been there when Zarmenus made a total clown of the last person who tried.
My phone vibrates. It’s an Instagram message from Avery. My phone’s been going off all morning with random people, mostly Point students, following me. I figure it’s because they’ve heard the gossip.
Dude I swear it wasn’t me who told!! I don’t even know who it was but anyway I’m so sorry please don’t hate me.
Don’t worry about it, it’s fine!
It seriously is fine. This is part of the plan, anyway. I just wasn’t expecting for people to care this much about us being together. I thought, maybe naively, that it would barely register for most.
“Owen,” calls the barista.
He’s included two cookies that I didn’t order.
“On the house,” he says.
Free cookies? If I knew I’d get this kind of treatment I would’ve fake dated my demon roommate sooner.
I keep my focus forward as I leave the coffee shop. When I get back to our room, Zarmenus is sitting at his desk, reading one of the mangas from my shelf. He chose a horror by Junji Ito that is maybe the most disturbing thing I own. The room is clean, and Bell is nowhere to be found. The cursed doll, however, is now sitting on my bed.
“Everyone knows,” I say as I kick the door shut. I go straight to the doll and put it back on Zarmenus’s desk with a little more force than I need to.
He unhooks his headphones. “That was fast. How are you feeling?”
“Good,” I say. “I think? People were staring at me. I got you these, by the way.”
I hand him the coffee and one of the cookies.
