Page 44 of My Three Roommates

“What now?” I ask Tanner.

“Let’s just see what happens,” he replies. “The night’s full of possibilities.”

Cody's phone buzzes loudly, ripping through the still air and jolting us all out of our peaceful reverie. He glances at it briefly, freezing as he reads the message more carefully. His expression changes drastically.

“What’s up?” I ask him.

“My office just announced our big summer party," he replies slowly. "I need to take a date."

“One date?” I ask, not knowing what else to say. I already know the answer.

“Yes. Just one.”

There’s a sudden weight in the air. “For sure?” I don’t want to give up hope yet. I did a temp job once where they were really relaxed about who showed up at the company events. They were even including us temps, and barely anyone does that.

“Yes. It’s a strict rule. Apparently last year there were children running around out of control and knocking everything over. They put a lot of work into a casino night theme. The feral kids ended up destroying the whole vibe.” Cody glances between all of us. “So this year it’s an adult-only, strictly plus-one event and they’re going to enforce it.”

Cody’s gaze pauses on me. The silence rapidly becomes awkward. “I want to take you, Kenna.”

The possibility of formal dates hasn’t come up before. The only time any of us have spent one on one has usually been at home, or on very casual outings.

I glance at Brad, but his expression’s hidden by the shadows. I know he’s not ready to be the date of another guy yet.

I want to say yes to Cody, but I don’t know if Brad will be okay with it. I can only wonder what’s running through his mind.

CHAPTER 25 BRAD

THE RARITY OF an empty house greets me as I arrive home. Heading straight to the bedroom, I crash out. Exhaustion weighs me down but I can’t manage to even drift off into a hazy half-sleep.

What I really want is a drink, but dragging myself off the bed is way too much effort now.

The front door creaks open and closes with a soft thud. I don’t need to open my eyes to recognize Cody’s familiar footsteps. After a moment, he comes in and sits down on the bed across from me. I eye the beer in his hand longingly.

“Having a very early night?” he asks, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Or did you suddenly turn ninety?”

“Hilarious. We don’t have any plans, do we?”

He shakes his head, a wry smile playing on his lips. “Not a thing. Just a boring night, I guess.” he says.

“Got any more of those?” I make a grab for his beer and surprisingly, he lets me have it.

“Last cold one in the house. Lucky for you, I detoured and made a booze run on the way home.”

“Hey.” I brighten up. “You’re on top of things.”

After I’ve taken a couple long swallows, Cody grabs the bottle back from me. “Essential for a Monday night. Cheers.”

“To what?” I ask.

“End of the workday.” He shrugs. “Last night, huh.”

I drape my arm over my eyes. “Yeah? What about it?”

He pauses. “Would it bother you if I take Kenna to my work thing?”

One thing I like about Cody is his directness. I can always trust him to be honest and upfront. “I figured you’d want to do that. I know you can’t exactly opt to take Tanner or me. I wouldn’t want to get into that kind of situation. Being a guy on a date isn’t something I can get my head around yet. Is it weird when you do it?” I ask him.

“I haven’t dated that much. I’ve never really had a boyfriend before. Hanging out at gay clubs is the most I’ve usually do. I’ve never taken a guy on a date anywhere, let alone to a formal event,” Cody says.

---