“Don’t worry, man. There’s zero chance of that happening.”
The biggest fucking lie I ever told.
15
CHARLIE
Maybe Troy doesn’t remember our kiss. Yesterday, when I came home from the gym and found him with his teammates in the kitchen, he sure acted like he’d forgotten. I didn’t want to linger to find out, especially when Andreas kept glowering at me. Troy must have told him that I was to blame for his accident. I’d be pretty pissed at me too if I were him. Their quarterback won’t return to the game for a month.
Damn. I wonder if Troy is angry with me. He didn’t show any indication, but he also didn’t take me up on my offer to drive him to class yesterday or today. I only offered because it was the right thing to do.
You live in a house of lies, Charlie.
Ugh. Shut up, conscience!
It doesn’t matter. My schedule is already busy enough as it is. I’m low on cash, so I decided to take more editing jobs. I have a two-hundred-page novel to start tonight. I’m glad I stopped by my favorite Tex-Mex restaurant and grabbed dinner. I was running all day and barely had time to eat a handful of nuts.
Troy is watching TV when I come home. He glances over his shoulder, and his eyes give me a quick once-over before he says, “Hi.”
“Hey,” I croak.
What the hell? Where is my damn voice? Oh yeah, it’s being squeezed by the tightness in my throat. One single glance from him makes me as nervous as a schoolgirl in front of her first crush.
What was that look all about anyway? Was he checking me out?
Oh God. Maybe he didn’t forget about the kiss after all.
I veer for the kitchen, angling my face in a way so my hair covers half of it. I’m acting like an idiot, but it seems that kiss shattered my protective shield, revealing the bumbling mess that I am. It was so much easier to pretend I wasn’t attracted to him when I had all that hate going on.
“What you got there? It smells good.”
“Tex-Mex. I got plenty if you’re hungry.”
He jumps from the couch. “Yeah, I’m starving.”
Great. There goes my plan to make a plate and eat in my room. If I do so now, he’ll know I’m avoiding him. I can’t give Troy that kind of leverage. Never show weakness.
“All right then.” I grab plates and utensils. While I’m unpacking all the food, I feel his gaze staring a hole through my face. “What’s up, Troy? Got something on your mind?”
“You’ve been living here for three weeks, and this is the first time we’re going to sit down to have a meal together.”
“We have busy schedules. And there’s also the fact that we don’t like each other very much.” I give him a lunatic grin, but Troy’s face remains serious.
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s the case anymore,” he says casually as if his words don’t make my heart skip a beat.
“You can’t possibly tell me that after everything I’ve done, you like me now. Come on. You had a chicken run in your room all thanks to me.”
He finally cracks a smile, making my erratic heart go haywire. It doesn’t know if it should speed up or stop beating altogether.
“The room looks perfect though. I think you’ve made up for your mistakes.”
“Well, you sure haven’t made up for yours. I can’t open my bathroom door anymore without a slight degree of apprehension.”
He twists his face into something like remorse. “I’m truly sorry about that. I specifically told those pledges to stay clear of the second floor.”
“You can’t trust frat boys, that’s for sure.”
“Where is that comment coming from? Do you have a feud with someone from Greek Row as well?” He quirks an eyebrow.
“Not me per se. A friend of mine does.”
He narrows his eyes. “Hmm. And you’re the type of person who lets others’ opinions sway yours?”
“If you’re implying that I’m a sheep without a mind of my own, you’re mistaken,” I snap.
“Ah, there’s the Charlie I know. I was beginning to worry you’d left me for good.”
That makes me pause a beat. “What? You like when I’m mean to you?”
“Oh yeah, I live for your testy barks.” He chuckles.
“You’re crazy.”
I pull up a chair, making sure I skip one so there’s plenty of space between Troy and me. We eat in silence for a moment, and I begin to relax. He doesn’t remember the kiss, or if he does, he wants to forget it happened too.
“This is pretty good,” he says.
“Yep.”
“Not as good as your kiss though.”
I choke on my food as it goes down the wrong pipe.
“Are you okay there?” Troy glances at me, half-amused, half-worried.
Lost in a fit of coughing, I reach for the glass of water. When the danger of suffocating on fajitas is gone, I dare to look at him. “You remember we kissed?”
He turns in his chair, leaning his good elbow on the counter. “Charlie, no drug on earth would make me forget that.”
Oh my God. What the hell does he mean?
“Is this a joke?” I ask.
He sits straighter, furrowing his eyebrows. “What?”
The doorbell rings, interrupting our conversation. Damn it, I wanted him to answer that. The butterflies in my stomach are wide awake now and wreaking havoc in my belly.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he tells me.
I stare at my plate, suddenly no longer hungry. My mind is spinning like a top. What the hell is going on here? Troy must be concocting something. It’s the only explanation for why he would say he would never forget our kiss.
I mean, I know he’s attracted to me. I’ve seen plenty evidence of that. That must be it then. He just wants to get me to sleep with him before he gives me the boot.
A female voice jars me from my inner thoughts. I turn in my seat to find a beautiful Barbie in our home. Her attention is 100 percent on Troy, but I don’t need to have a good look at her face to recognize her. She was in a few photos with Troy on his Instagram account. They seemed close in them.
“I can’t believe the Pied Piper of all daredevils got injured at home. Are you sure you weren’t doing tricks with your skateboard?” she asks.
Troy chuckles. “No. I wish that were the case.”
He glances in my direction, catching me staring at the duo like an idiot. The girl follows his line of sight, and for a couple beats, her expression darkens.
“You must be Troy’s new roommate,” she says with a tight smile. “I’m Brooke.”
“Nice to meet you.” I get up from my seat with my plate in hand.
Troy arches his eyebrows. “Where are you going?”
“Now that you have company, I won’t feel bad for eating dinner in my room. I have lots to do before hitting the sack.”
He seems disappointed, but my eyes don’t linger on his face long enough to be sure that’s the case. Besides, why would he want to hang around me when there’s a Victoria’s Secret model standing in front of him?
Ugh, I sound like all those loser heroines with too much low self-esteem. When did I become that person?