Page 17 of Forever Yours

“That guy. David. He likes you.”

“We don’t even know each other. We met briefly when I was carrying my stuff up.”

Ash grinned and shook a french fry at me. “I know blatant eye-fucking when I see it, and he was most definitely eye-fucking you.”

I snatched the fry from his hand. “You’re delusional.”

He just laughed. “Whatever.”

I coated my fry in mustard and ate it, not giving his comment a second thought.

Ash pointed at the door. “Julien must be something very special for you not to notice a guy like David. That man is gorgeous. I’d do him, and I’m not even gay.”

I threw a fry at him. “You’re nuts. And speaking of Julien, he just texted. He won’t be able to make it. Something came up with his brother. Want to watch movies on my laptop?”

The ever-present grin on Ash’s face spread until it stretched from cheek to cheek. “Forget the laptop. I’ve got a better idea.”

His enthusiasm had me wary, but I decided, might as well. I could do with a distraction.

CHAPTER 6

What was I doing there?

I’d asked that question on a loop the entire time it took me to walk from the dorms to the condo.

And the simple answer was I missed him.

Using my key for the second time that day, I slid it into the keyhole and unlocked the door. Stepping inside, I was immediately hit with the scents of basil and garlic left over from the dinner no one ate.

Quietly closing and locking the door behind me, I shucked off my sneakers. Flickering lights and low, muffled noises came from the living room, so I headed in that direction and found the room empty.

I picked up the remote from the coffee table and turned the television off. Noticing the dirty plates still piled high with now-cold spaghetti, I took them into the kitchen. And sighed. It was a mess. I tossed the old food into the garbage and got to work loading the dishwasher and wiping down the countertops. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and snatched the bottle of ibuprofen left out on the counter island, then made my way down the hall to the bedrooms. Julien’s door was wide open, as was Jayson’s. He was face-down in bed and dead to the world, so didn’t rouse when I walked in and placed the water and painkillers on his nightstand. I retrieved the sheet he had mostly kicked off onto the floor and covered him back up… and about jumped out of my skin when a warm arm circled my waist and an even warmer bare chest pressed to my back.

“I didn’t hear you come in.”

Julien’s breath fanned over my neck, and I leaned back into him, my head nestled in the crook of his shoulder. Our lips met in a soft kiss.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said when he rested his cheek to mine.

“I was up. Couldn’t sleep.”

“Me neither. Jay okay?”

“No.”

I decided not to pry. It was too late, and I was too tired for a drawn-out conversation that would leave me emotionally wrecked. It always did.

Julien glided a hand down my arm. Tangling his fingers with mine, he pulled me out of the room.

“Let’s go to bed.”

His hushed voice was full of promises and sent goose bumps skittering across my skin.

“Don’t you have to be up at five?” I asked him as he shut his bedroom door and reached for the hem of my T-shirt.

It had been his routine for as long as I could remember. Up at five every morning to run.

He hummed a non-answer and tugged impatiently on my shirt. I took over and slipped my tee over my head and tossed it behind me on the floor.