The rules we break a roo.., p.4
The Rules We Break: A Roommate Romance, page 4
He glances up at me and smiles. “Hey. Avery’s friend, right?”
He doesn’t know my name? We’ve talked several times. It’s always been at parties when he’s drunk, but still, I thought he’d remember my name.
“Darcy,” I say, smiling back at him. “Avery’s friend and Theo’s new roommate.”
“That’s right. He said you were moving in this week.” Colton runs his hand through his dark-blond hair. “I had finals the past couple days so I haven’t been over there.”
“Order for Colton,” the guy at the counter says.
Colton gets his coffee, then walks back to me. “So how do you like living with Theo?”
“It’s been an adjustment.”
“I could see that. He’s not used to living with a girl. He’ll have to learn to pick up his shit.”
“Yeah, we had a few arguments about that,” I say with a laugh. “But I think we worked it out.”
“Theo’s easy to get along with once you get to know him. He’s one of the nicest guys I know. I’m sure you guys will figure it out.”
“Yeah, I’m sure we will. Hey, do you want to sit down? I got a spot by the fireplace.”
“I can’t. I’m heading out. I have stuff I need to get done before I go out later.”
“On your date?”
He smiles a little. “How did you know I have a date?”
“Theo mentioned it.”
“I don’t even remember telling him.” Colton checks his phone. “I need to get going. I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, bye,” I say as he leaves.
When I get home, Theo’s in the kitchen, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Why is he not wearing clothes? It’s winter, and it’s cold in here. I know he said he runs hot, but he can’t be walking around here half-naked all the time. It’s very distracting, especially with a body like that.
“Hey,” Theo says, opening the fridge. “Did you have breakfast?”
“Yeah.” I hold up my coffee.
“That’s it? I was going to make eggs.”
“I’m good with coffee,” I say, watching him put the carton of eggs on the counter. “It’s after ten. Didn’t you already eat?”
“I eat like six meals a day. This is my second breakfast.” He takes out a skillet and puts it on the stove.
“Do you always cook naked?”
“I’m not naked. I’m wearing a towel. Just got out of the shower.” He cracks six eggs in the skillet then mixes them up with a fork, his muscles flexing as he moves. I shouldn’t be staring at him, but whenever I look away, my eyes find their way back to him. “You sure you don’t want some?” he asks, pouring the eggs in the skillet.
“What?” I glance up at his face.
“Eggs. I can make more.”
“No, thanks. I’m not hungry.” I sip my coffee as Theo turns to the stove and puts the skillet on the burner. Now I’m staring at his back, which is all muscle, and his ass, which is stretching the towel. I’m surprised it’s stayed on with him moving around like that.
“It can be dangerous cooking without clothes,” I say.
He turns back to me. “If you want me to go put something on, just tell me.”
“I’m not saying you have to. I just thought you might want to.”
“I’m still hot from the shower. I wanted to cool off before I put clothes on. But if it bothers you that much, I’ll go get dressed. Can you watch the eggs?”
“Yeah, okay.” I go around the counter, passing Theo as he heads to the stairs. Whatever soap he uses smells really good. It’s a fresh, manly scent, like he just got back from the woods.
“Are they almost done?” he asks, returning to the kitchen a few minutes later dressed in jeans and holding a t-shirt.
“No. I just turned the heat up,” I say as he comes up beside me.
He puts his shirt on. “I can take it from here.”
I hand him the spatula. “I’ll be up in my room.”
“Why don’t you stay? Keep me company?”
“Why do you want company? I thought you liked being alone.”
“I hate being alone. I’m a people person. Wes is the one who likes being alone. He used to get annoyed when I’d ask him to hang out with me down here. He wanted to be alone in his room.”
“I’m that way too.” I sit on the barstool that’s next to the counter.
“You like being alone?” Theo asks, moving the eggs around the skillet.
“No, I meant I like being around people. That’s one of the reasons I wanted a roommate. I didn’t like the idea of living alone and having no one to talk to.”
“Didn’t you say you were an only child?”
“Yeah, and I didn’t like it. I begged my parents for a sister, but they didn’t want any more kids.”
“Having a sister isn’t that great.”
“You said you liked your sister.”
“I love her, but she drives me crazy.” He opens the fridge and takes out a package of shredded cheese.
“What does she do that drives you crazy?”
“Wears skirts that are way too short. Goes out with guys who are too old for her. Doesn’t listen when I warn her about a guy.” He sprinkles cheese over the eggs.
“So you’re protective of her. That’s nice.”
“But she doesn’t listen to me. Her last boyfriend cheated on her and the signs were all there, but when I tried to tell her that, she said I was making it up because I didn’t like the guy.”
“Is it true? That you didn’t like him?”
“Of course I didn’t like him. He was dating my sister.” Theo turns the heat down on the stove. “I think these are done. I’m just going to let the cheese melt.”
“They smell good.”
“Last chance,” he says, getting a plate. “You want some?”
“Maybe just a little.”
He grabs another plate and divides up the scrambled eggs, then gets us each a fork and sits next to me at the counter.
“If it was just me here,” he says, “I’d eat right out of the pan. But now that I’ve got a girl living with me, I’m trying to be more civilized.” He laughs a little, before shoveling eggs in his mouth.
I smile. “I appreciate your efforts.”
“Does that mean you’ll help with the dishes?”
“Sure. I kind of have to since you did the cooking.”
“Do you like to cook?”
“Not really. Do you?”
“Yeah. I just hate the cleaning up part.”
I turn to him. “If you cook, I’ll clean up.”
“Seriously?” he asks, his mouth full.
“We could try it. Just for a few weeks?”
“I’d be open to that.”
“Great! So what’s for dinner?”
He looks at me. “I wasn’t going to cook every meal.”
I laugh. “I was joking. I’ll just go out.”
“Or we could order a pizza.”
“That sounds good.”
I’ve only had a few bites of my eggs, but Theo is already done. He eats faster than anyone I know.
“You’re good cleaning up?” he asks, taking his plate to the sink.
“Yeah. What are you going to do?”
“Play some video games. I need to unwind after that workout. Coach stopped by and was yelling at us.”
“Why was he yelling?”
“It’s just what he does. Nothing we do is ever good enough for him.” Theo goes over to the couch.
“Are you playing that football game?” I ask as Theo turns on the TV.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Will you teach me how to play?”
“If it’s for you, yeah. If it’s for Colton, then no.”
“Why do you care?”
“Because you shouldn’t be changing yourself for some guy. I tell my sister that all the time and she still hasn’t figured it out.”
“I’m not changing myself. I’m just learning something new.”
“Which you wouldn’t do if you weren’t trying to date Colton.”
“I don’t think he’s interested. I saw him when I got coffee today and he didn’t even remember my name.” I finish my eggs and take my plate to the sink.
“You talked to him?” Theo asks, looking back at me.
“I asked him to sit me with me, but he said he had to leave. He barely even looked at me.”
“He probably just had something on his mind. He has a hard time focusing on more than one thing at a time.”
“Maybe that was it, but I still can’t believe he didn’t remember my name. We’ve talked at parties and had English class together last year.”
“Why don’t you find someone else? Someone who actually wants a girlfriend?”
“Like who?” I ask as I put the plates in the dishwasher.
He doesn’t answer. He’s got the video game going and has already started playing. I clean the skillet, then go to the couch and sit next to him.
“I’m ready.” I smile at Theo, but he’s looking at the TV.
“You’re really making me teach you?”
“I’m not making you, but I’d like it if you at least showed me the basics.”
He sighs as he hands me the game controller. “Have you ever played video games before?”
“Yeah, but not this one. I played one with these cute little pink cats that had to go through a maze and if they ran into a unicorn, they had to start over.”
He stares at me. “Are you serious? That’s really a game?”
“Yes.” I laugh. “You have a sister. You should know this stuff.”
“She doesn’t play video games. She’s into all that social media shit. She and her friends post videos of themselves putting on makeup.” He restarts the game. “Okay, so start by practicing moving your player down the field.”
“How do I do that?”
Theo shows me on the controller. “Use this to go straight and this to move him to the side.”
He starts the game and I try to move the guy down the field but he gets tackled. I try a few more times and the same thing happens.
“You got to get him moving right away,” Theo says. “Let me show you.” He takes the controller from me and runs the player into the end zone. “Okay, now you try.”
“I can’t do it fast enough,” I say as my guy gets tackled again.
“Come here.” He motions me to move closer to him.
“Why? What are you doing?”
“Showing you how to use the controller. Move over more so I can reach around you.”
I move so my back is to him. He puts his arms around me and his hands over mine on the controller. I tense up, feeling Theo’s chest pressed against my back.
“If you’re not comfortable, I’ll move,” he says. “I just don’t know how to describe this in words. You need to feel how to move the controller.”
“Go ahead.”
He’s just showing me how to play. So why am I getting all tingly inside? Why is my heart beating faster? Why am I liking the feel of his arms around me?
“You see how I’m moving it?” he asks. “You gotta be smooth, not so jerky.” His thumb is over mine, slowly moving the button thing back and forth.
I clear my throat. “I think I got it.”
He moves his thumb off of mine. “Go ahead and try it.” He watches as I do. “Good, now circle it a few times so you feel how it moves. Do it softly at first, then harder.”
Why is everything he’s saying suddenly sounding dirty? And why am I so hot? I feel like I’m burning up inside.
“Like this,” he says, moving his thumb over mine since I wasn’t doing anything. I’m too distracted. Why am I feeling like this with Theo?
“When do I do this?” I ask, trying to regain my focus as he continues to circle our thumbs over the controller.
“I’ll show you when we start the game again.” He continues to move my thumb with his. “You see how it feels?”
No, because I’m too busy imagining his thumb circling over other places. Every time he moves his hand, his whole arm moves and brushes against my breast, causing feelings I do not want to be feeling with Theo.
“I think we’re done,” I say, looking up at him.
“We just started.”
“I know, but I think that’s enough for today.”
He smiles a little. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. Why?”
“You seem nervous.”
“I’m not nervous. Why would I be nervous?”
Our eyes meet and I feel my heart going faster. I should get up, but I kind of like where I’m at. Theo’s arms are around me, he smells good, and I’m just now realizing how much I like his eyes. They’re a deep shade of brown with flecks of gold.
He slowly backs away. “We can try again later.”
“Yeah.” I get up from the couch. “I’m going to go unpack.”
“You’re not done yet?”
“No. I have more to do.” I don’t, but I needed an excuse to leave. If we’d stayed like that a few seconds more, I might’ve accidentally kissed him. Theo! My roommate, who I’ve always seen like a brother. So why am I seeing him differently now?
CHAPTER FIVE
DARCY
When I get upstairs to my room, I call Avery but she doesn’t answer. I need to talk to someone and get my mind off Theo and how I felt when I was with him downstairs. I call up my friend Piper. She doesn’t answer either. I try Livia, a friend from class.
“Hey,” she answers. “I was just about to call you. Are you done with finals?”
“I was done last Friday.”
“That’s right. You told me that.”
Livia finished her finals on Thursday then drove home for winter break.
“So what are you doing now that finals are done?” she asks.
“Theo’s teaching me how to play a video game. The football one that Colton likes.”
“Has Colton been over yet?”
“No.” I pause. “I’m not sure Colton’s the guy for me.”
“Since when? You’ve been obsessed with him for over a year.”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t seem interested. I talked to him at the coffee shop this morning and he barely looked at me. What about that guy at the drugstore? The one who works at the pharmacy.”
“What about him?”
“You think he’s single?”
“No. I saw him on campus with his boyfriend.”
“He’s gay? Okay, well, I’ll cross him off the list. Why is this so hard? Why can’t I find one decent guy to go out with who isn’t already taken?”
“Wait until after break. A lot of people end relationships right before the new year. You’ll have a whole new crop of guys to choose from in January.”
“I need someone now,” I say with a sigh.
“Why? What’s the rush?”
Because I’m worked up after being around Theo, who doesn’t seem to like wearing clothes and for some reason looks way hotter now than he did all last semester. I need to at least kiss a guy to get rid of this tension building inside me.
But instead of telling Livia that, I say, “I just want to go out. I don’t want to sit around the house all week.”
“Isn’t there a party this weekend?”
“At Eli’s house. I’m going with Wes and Avery.”
“Maybe you’ll meet someone there. Or hey, what about Theo?”
“What about him?”
“He’s hot. Funny. Everyone on campus loves him. Why don’t you go out with him?”
“I’m not going out with Theo. He’s like a brother. And he’s my roommate. You never date your roommate. It’s a rule.”
“Okay, but if you don’t, someone else will.”
“Liv, let’s go!” a girl yells in the background.
“My sisters and I are going to the mall to do some Christmas shopping,” Livia says. “Can we talk later?”
“Yeah. Bye.” I end the call and head back downstairs to get a drink. I stop when I see a girl on the couch next to Theo with long black hair and a really pretty face. Her makeup looks professionally done.
“Darcy,” Theo says when he sees me. “Have you met Erica?”
“I don’t think so.” I walk up to the couch. “How do you know Theo?”
“We used to go out,” she says, smiling at him. “I heard he hadn’t left town yet for winter break so I decided to stop by.”
“I’m not leaving until a week from Friday,” he tells her. “I’m having a party next Thursday. You should come.”
“Maybe I will,” she says, still smiling at Theo.
Does she want to get back together with him? Good for her. Good for both of them. I’m sure they’ll be very happy together. So why am I so annoyed seeing her with Theo?
“Erica works at the place where I get my hair cut,” Theo explains.
“You’re a hairdresser?” I ask.
She nods. “And I do makeup. I do how-to videos online.”
“She has a big following,” Theo says. “She’s even been hired to do makeup for photo shoots.”
“That’s impressive,” I say. “Well, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to get a drink.”
“Why don’t you come over tonight?” Erica says to Theo as I go to the kitchen. I look over and see her scooting closer to Theo on the couch. “We can get takeout. Watch a movie.”
“Yeah. Sounds good.”
He’s going over there? What about our plans to get pizza? Did he forget about that? Or would he rather go hang out with Erica? What am I thinking? Of course he’d want to be with her. She’s gorgeous and clearly still interested in him. If he goes over there, he’ll get sex. Here, he’d just be hanging out with his roommate.
“I need to get to work,” Erica says. She gets up, giving Theo a flirty smile. “See you tonight.”
“I’m not sure what time yet.” He walks her to the door. “I’ll text you later and let you know.”
When she’s gone, Theo joins me in the kitchen. “What are you doing tonight?”
“I thought I was getting pizza with my roommate, but I guess not,” I say, shutting the fridge door a little too hard.
“That was just an idea. If nothing else was going on.” He opens a cabinet and takes out a box of crackers.
