I don’t know what her problem is with me, but she’ll have to get over it or I’m gonna tell every person in this house what they’ve been up to.
“So it’ll obviously be you two plus Sawyer. I’ll take the fourth room, and that leaves two. I say you ask Jimmy.”
“Jimmy?” Charli gives me a skeptical frown.
“Yeah, he’s good people.” My voice gets tight as I defend my friend. She better not insult his ass.
“But… wouldn’t he hate it? He’s looked like he’d rather eat slugs than be here all weekend.”
I work my jaw to the side, then softly explain, “He needs this. And he’ll be the best roommate. Have you seen how thoughtful the guy is? Plus, he respects peoples’ spaces and privacy.” I point a thumb over my shoulder.
“And he does look pretty hot doing shirtless Tai Chi,” Charli admits with a head tip and a quirk of her lips.
Darian frowns at her.
“What?” She bulges her eyes at him. “I’m only looking.”
“Who else are you thinking?” I ask. “I’ll help you narrow down the list.”
Scrunching up her nose, Charli refuses to answer me, while Darian crosses his arms, looking just as stubborn.
“Really?” I raise my eyebrows at them both. “You want to play it like this? You want me to go out there and announce to everyone what you’ve been up to?”
Charli narrows her eyes at me.
“You know half that room would want in on this thing. And you know that one bad roommate can ruin it for everyone. Don’t force me to screw this up for you.”
Darian huffs and looks at his sister, who finally answers me.
“Ben. I’m thinking Ben.”
My face bunches. “Why?”
“Because he cleans up after himself… and everybody else. He’ll keep the place tidy.”
“So you’re just gonna turn him into your personal slave?” I seethe, unable to hide my disgust. Sure, I’ve grown up with people cleaning up after me, but they get paid well. I would never expect anyone to do it for free, and I doubt Ben’s the type of guy to accept payment.
“Of course not,” Charli growls. “But he can help keep the rest of us organized.”
“And he’s not some reckless asshole who jumps off roofs.” Darian’s voice is low and dark.
Shit, he looks pissed.
I cross my arms and stare right back at him. “What the fuck is your problem with that? I’ve done it before.”
Charli closes her eyes and grits out, “Our dad fell off a roof in college, and he’s been in a wheelchair ever since.” When her eyes pop back open, she levels me with a glare that almost makes me feel guilty.
I look between them, working my jaw to the side before nodding once. “I didn’t know. It won’t happen again.”
They keep staring at me, and now I’m feeling uncomfortable, so I spin for the door. Grabbing the handle, I pause and murmur, “Pick who you want, but I’m telling you Jimmy’s good people.You won’t regret that decision. And I don’t care what you think of me. I want in, or I’m blowing the lid on this thing.”
Flinging the door back, I stalk into the living area feeling kind of stormy.
Why?
I don’t even fucking know.
Pausing, I rest my shoulder against the wall and stare into the living area, unnoticed. Jimmy and Ben are now in the kitchen, cleaning up after everybody. I imagine what it’d be like to live with them and understand why Charli’s liking Ben. Although he’s kind of boring, he is a nice guy, and he’s responsible.
