Page 63 of Rules of the Game

“What happened? You guys were hot out there,” Shana piped up, joining me on my quest to find my quirky roommate. Hopefully, she had better luck than I did.

“I wasn’t feeling it.”

“Okay, I may be gay, but even I can admit that guy is a ten. What the hell happened—” We turned the corner and were met with an effervescent Misty, saving the day. Her green hair was wild around her head, and her lips were swollen and red.

“Misty!” I quickly checked that I wasn’t interrupting, but the guy wasn’t around. “Have fun?”

She smiled wide, then bit her bottom lip, cheeks blooming pink. “Might be the best night of my life.”

“That-a girl. At least one of you has their priorities straight,” Shana said, and Misty looked toward me.

I shrugged, not wanting to get into it. “So where is he?”

“He had to go, but I gave him my number and…” She held up her phone. “He already texted.”

Her excitement was contagious, and I found myself grinning back as she practically vibrated with energy.

“We’re going on a date next week.”

Shana whooped and tugged Misty in her arms. You’d think those two had been friends for years instead of meeting today. Alcohol would do that for you. “Alright, let’s get out of here before Misty here picks up any more guys.”

She blushed from head to toe, then looked down at her phone, which had just lit up with another message. “Yeah, let’s go.”

* * *

A loud bang followed by laughter yanked me from my sleep. I jolted upright, straining my ears to make out the voice, and blew out a breath when I recognized Lucas and Alex slurring their words.

I lay in bed smiling as they moved through the house with the lightness of a herd of elephants. There was a dull thump, followed by Lucas’s laugh, and my guess was he’d tripped into the wall. I bit back a smile at the sounds of them no doubt making a disaster in the kitchen, cupboards slamming shut and the sound of water running.

I smothered my giggle with my palm when Alex slurred, “Love you, man.”

And Lucas’s muffled reply. “You too, buddy.”

Pounding feet marked Alex heading up the stairs to his room, but I didn’t hear Lucas’s door open. Instead, a quiet thud landed on mine. Air sucked from my lungs as moments ticked by without him moving.

Tension tightened my stomach when the doorknob twisted, and I buried my face into my pillow, closing my eyes right before the door creaked open. I should be one hundred and ten percent getting up and yelling at him to get out of my room. At the very least, I should redirect his drunk ass to his own, but I lay there completely still, waiting to see what he did next.

Lucas stumbled closer and stopped when his knees hit the edge of my bed. I had to work to steady my breath as my body sent adrenaline pumping through my veins. A voice in the back of my brain screamed that I was mad at him, but nothing in this world could convince me to stop this moment.

Callused fingers trailed over my cheek and slid my hair behind my ear. My eyes burned with the gentleness of the touch. Lucas bent over, and his lips grazed my forehead, sending warmth flooding through me. I’d craved his touch, and the tenderness was damn near my undoing.

My breath hitched when his weight pressed down on the mattress, and the length of him pressed along my back. His nose buried into my neck, taking a deep breath in, and his arm locked me against his chest.

“I miss you.” His words broke around the vowels, and I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth, my body tensing against tears. I took shallow breaths, surrounded by the smell of beer, cinnamon, and sandalwood. I knew he wouldn’t be here if he was sober, but I couldn’t stop myself from enjoying this moment, even if it was the only one I had.

His breath evened out, and his chest rose and fell against me. Was I really going to let him sleep in here? I shifted away, and his grip tightened, pulling me closer. I guess I was.

He sat up suddenly, and I reached out to stabilize him as he struggled to rip his shirt off. I smothered my laugh and helped guide it over his head, revealing corded muscles highlighted by the dim window light. He collapsed back in the bed, his hand tucked below the pillow, leaving his tattoos on display. My fingers itched to trace the design along his ribs that I’d only glanced at before. Lowering my hand, I ran the pad of my finger over one of the lines, and his side erupted in goose bumps. I followed it around his side to a small cursive tattoo. I leaned in closer and gasped.

Always. 07-24-2004

He’d gotten a tattoo of my birthday? I snapped my face to his, expecting him to be asleep, but I was met with his eyes already on mine.

“I don’t understand.” My voice was barely a whisper.

He cupped my jaw and ran his thumb over my cheekbone. I leaned into his touch, unable to help myself.

“I wish this was real,” he said before wrapping an arm around me and pulling me into him. I lay there silently with my head resting on his chest as his breathing settled and he drifted off to sleep. A million questions tumbled through my mind, but he traced slow circles over my spine, and the heavy weight of sleep pulled me under.

---