Page 4 of Ruined

Luca pops his hip out. “Call me what you want, baby; I make more money than you.”

“Well, yeah, because I’m between jobs.”

Maybe that’s why he’s so grumpy.

“Where are you working, Oliver?” Luca asks, and he’s not sipping his drink; he’s basically one-shotting it. He slams the glass onto the counter and goes straight to making another.

I take a sip of my drink. Big mistake.

Unable to suppress a grimace, I reply, “Restaurant. Busboy.” And then I let out a pathetic little cough.

“Was that too strong?” Luca asks with a laugh. “Here, take mine. I’ll make it weaker.”

We exchange glasses, and the sip of my new drink is mostly orange juice, but there’s still a distinct sharpness from the vodka. Yuck.

“How old are you, by the way?” Nico asks.

“Nineteen,” I reply, with a straight face this time.

Nico smirks. “Just a baby. No wonder you’re so cute.”

“Stop flirting with him,” Luca says.

“I’m not flirting.” Nico leans back on the couch and sips his drink through a straw. “I’m just stating facts. He’s not my type anyway.”

Luca rolls his eyes. “You mean he doesn’t look mean enough?”

Nico’s mouth twitches, gaze fixed on his drink.

“Well, you’re not my type either,” I say, sipping my drink and succeeding in keeping my expression neutral this time.

The twins chuckle.

“I like him,” Nico says with a languid yawn. “We can keep him. As long as he doesn’t stay up gaming until four in the morning.”

“So only until three, then,” I say with a teasing grin.

Nico grimaces. “If you do that, I’ll kick⁠—”

“My ass. Got it.” I take another big sip, and I think the alcohol is starting to affect me. I’m feeling warm and a little less on edge. Like the world is softer somehow, and the barriers between my mind and mouth are fuzzier. I’ve also stopped overthinking everything I say. It feels nice.

“Do you think Hunter wants one?” Nico asks, nodding at his drink.

“He always says no when I ask him,” Luca says with a shrug.

“Who’s Hunter?” I ask.

“That’s his room.” Nico points up toward the last door in the second-floor hallway. “He never comes out during the day.”

Luca nods. “We’ve lived with him for two years, and he’s said maybe ten words during that time.”

Nico huffs. “More like five. But he pays rent on time, and he doesn’t make noise, so he stays.”

Luca sets his glass down on the sofa table and perches on the armrest. “Speaking of house rules, this is the most important one: don’t be a dick.”

“You can suck one, though,” Nico says with a smirk. “We don’t discriminate.”

“Yeah, but none of ours,” Luca adds. “No sleeping with the roommates. That’s another rule.”