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“How’s Ash?”
“Fine. He misses you guys.”
“Yeah, of course he does. We’re the fucking best,” Marcus said with another grin and threw himself on the couch beside me. “You got anything to eat in that bag?”
“We just had breakfast,” Cayden told him.
“Yeah, like an hour ago,” Marcus grumbled. He eyed the box I’d carried in with me. “What’s with the stuff?”
Here we go.“It’s a funny story, actually. It seems like I might need to stay here for a little bit.”
Marcus’ eyebrows climbed his forehead as I relayed my housing dilemma.
He whistled when I’d finished. “So, you’re telling me I get to stay in this sick dorm, and I get a hot roommate? College fucking rocks.”
“She’s not your roommate,” Cayden called from the other side of the apartment. “I’m your roommate, remember? And you can keep your filthy hands to yourself around me.”
Marcus sighed but nodded. “He’s right. It’s Anderson who’ll have the pleasure of sharing with you.”
“My brother was supposed to share with Beckett?” Things couldn’t be worse. Would he even let me stay in the room? My heart was pounding and my palms slick at the thought of seeing Beckett again after a whole summer of tension.
“Sure was. Now, should we think about getting some food in here? These bare cupboards are taunting me, man. I have to have a full fridge,” Marcus rambled to Cayden while I stood frozen in my existential crisis.
Get a grip, Eve. You have nowhere else to go. It isn’t like you wanted to live with Beckett or even see him again. Just get on with it.
Right. It wasn’t my fault, and it was my only option right now. Beckett might hate my guts, but I wasn’t jeopardizing my entire college future to keep him happy. He’d have to get on with it, just like me.
I headed toward the other room. The dining room was huge and ran into the kitchen. You could tell money had been spent on this dorm. There were two bathrooms, for a start, one with a shower and one with a bathtub. Another room opened off the sitting room that was for storage, with racks hung on the wall to storesports equipment. Then, the two bedrooms. I paused outside Beckett’s. There was a label on the door.
Martino/Anderson.
I took a deep breath and opened the door.
The room was twice the size of the one I’d been in earlier with Isabelle, the roommate I was supposed to have.
A huge bay window sat in the middle of the space, dividing it neatly in two. There were generously sized single beds on opposite walls from each other, and plenty of storage. The dark floorboards were gleaming and unscratched, the walls a soft ivory, and there were even sconces set at even intervals and reading lamps on the desks. Each side had a dresser, wardrobe, desk, chair, bedside table, and bed. It was miles above the previous dorm. I immediately felt annoyed that the hockey players got such preferential treatment, while also being excited to live there. It was totally unfair, but I was also grateful it was so nice. Basically, I was a total hypocrite.
I took my stuff in and glanced between the two sides. Which would Beckett expect? I had no idea. I caught myself hesitating. What the hell? He’d been horrible to me when I’d tried to reach out to him. It wasn’t like I’d made him take drugs in the first place or buy from that dodgy guy. That was what had kickstarted that whole chain of events, nothing else. I didn’t even tell his dad, not that Beckett knew that. And I hadn’t asked him to put himself in harm’s way because of me. I hadn’t expected that from him, and I’d certainly never demanded it.
I was done feeling bad for him.Done.
I decided on the left side of the room, because it had a better view out of the bay window in the middle. From my bed, ifI stared out, I could see the tops of the trees that lined the walkway to the library. It was beautiful, and I wanted it. So, I took it. My entire life, my bedroom had looked out onto our neighbors’ yard. They’d been hoarders who’d filled up every single space in their house and had let their precious trash overflow into the backyard. Broken chairs and old furniture, trash bags full of clothes that smelled moldy when it rained. Kids’ toys that were scarred and dirty and ripped straight from horror movies. That had been my view for the last ten years since that family moved in next to us. I wanted to see some goddamn trees for once.
A knock sounded on the door. Lily stood in on the threshold. “Wow, it’s amazing in here!”
“Yeah, it’s nice, isn’t it?” I sat on the edge of the bed.
“Really nice. My place isn’t nearly as nice as this, but luckily, I get to come here and hang out all the time with my two favorite people.” Lily smiled at me. “So, we’re going to run into town to get some groceries. We can pick up the rest of your stuff on the way.”
“Are you sure? That would be great.”
I’d carried a box of stuff with me, but the other box, and my lone suitcase, had been too heavy to bring.
“Sure, no worries. We’ll be back in a bit, and then we can get you unpacked.”
“What about your room? Don’t you have to unpack, too?”
“Already done.”
