"So...you mean he doesn't...mmmm..." I try to find the right words. "He doesn't use his own bedroom?"
"No, never, but I don't know why. You know Ben. He’s weird! He doesn't drink, smoke, or eat sugar. He's always on a sports diet. He goes to bed at ten and wakes up at five. He's definitely the opposite of me!" That’s the absolute truth. "Maybe it's just one of his whims; who knows?"
Diana laughs, and I smile, too, even though I'm not sure I know Ben anymore. The guy I knew before he went to college is not the same person I see now. He's changed a lot.
"Anyway, he won't mind, I'm sure. I don’t think he even notices that I’m here!" Diana continues.
That isn't true. Ben loves Diana very much. He would never let anyone hurt her. He always tells her everything. At least, that's how it was before college.
"Oh, he just came in. Ben!" She screams so loudly that it rings in my ear, and I jerk the phone away reflexively. "Are you okay if Mia stays with us? She's on the phone waiting."
I feel my cheeks instantly blush, and I start to feel hot. I don't know why I feel ashamed of her talking to him about me. And even though I know he can't see me, I feel my cheeks getting red.
"I don't care," I can hear him saying.
"See? Grab your stuff and move your ass here, baby! Love ya!" Diana retorts and hangs up the phone without letting me respond.
CHAPTER TWO
BEN
"What the hell was that?" I ask Diana when she puts the phone down.
“What do you mean?” My sister pretends she has no idea what’s pissing me off and starts making her 'puppy eyes.'
"You know what!" I bark back, throwing my training bag on the floor.
It was already a hard day, and now I come home to find out that Mia is going to be living under the same roof as me.
"You set me up," I continue, calmer this time. "Nobody asks permission with the other person on the phone listening."
"Since when do you care?" She scoffs loudly, looking at me. "Last week, you told the waiter it was the worst steak you'd ever eaten. And even after the chef came out to apologize, you told him not to waste his time and quit!" She chuckles, crossing her hands across her chest. "You don't care what other people think."
"Yeah, but it's Mia!" I say without thinking, and Diana looks at me with surprise, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you have a problem withMiastaying with us?" She emphasizes her friend's name. I swallow.
"No," I lie.Yes, of course, I have problems. But my sister doesn't need to know that.
"Great, because she's staying whether you like it or not." Di purses her lips in displeasure. "She's my best friend, and she needs my help. How can you be so insensitive?"
"It's not because of Mia. It's because of my tight schedule and training hours," I lie again. Mia would never bother me, and I know that.
"Have you even met her? She's the quietest person on the planet!" Di insists, and I realize that the more I resist it, the deeper Di will dig to find out the truth.
"Fine, but tell her to stay out of my room."
"Oh, don't worry, she won't come close to either your room or the one you take girls to." She smiles mischievously at me.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I raise my voice; my nerves are already on edge.
"Oh, you think I haven't noticed that when girls come over, you take them to the farthest guest room of the house? The one that is as far away from your room as possible?" She has anI know everythingfacial expression that I usually do not notice. Still, right now, it’s pissing me off.
"What girls? You sound like I bring a different girl home every night!" I protest.
Where did this even come from? Since when has my sister been spying on me? Di is curious, of course, especially regarding people she knows. Still, she was never a person who sticks their noses into other's business.
"You've dated Mandy for the whole summer, and she never slept in your bedroom, not even once!" Di starts immediately as if she is ready for this question. "And then you dated that girl...Metisha... She never stayed for the night, but when she came, you..."