Page 10 of Trust Me

Chapter 4

Dean

I looked at the building, feeling surprisingly hopeful about this whole thing. It was stupid, obviously, considering I didn’t even have a job yet. I had some savings—not much, but if I decided to make an impulsive financial decision like this, it could get me locked in, probably.

There was no point getting ahead of myself. I might not even get along with this person. Since Brooks was the one who found the guy—Benny, he’d called him—I figured it could be great or terrible. There was really no telling. Maybe it was all an elaborate prank. That felt on brand.

Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I stepped onto the curb and headed for what was probably a pointless meet and greet. It was a small community, not far from campus. The place was clearly dated, but it had the feel of somewhere that used to be quaint. It had a compact parking lot next to the leasing office, then there was a gate to walk through, which didn’t have a lock on it, so I guess it was just for the aesthetic. It let out into a small courtyard between three two-story buildings. The one straight ahead was exactly where I was supposed to go.

It was hard to tell their size from the outside, but based on the number of windows and doors, I couldn’t imagine these were very big inside. Bigger than the dorm, at least, and all I really cared about was sleeping by myself.

Thinking about it like that was kind of depressing. A couple months ago, I was planning on moving into a place with Sadie, my now ex-girlfriend. Life was too short to mess around with things that weren’t working, and she definitely fell into the ‘not working’ category.

At least now, I’d be doing things on my own. Nobody could stand in my way.

I climbed the stairs, then stopped in front of the first door. It was a corner unit, so that was cool. If my room was on the side that didn’t share a wall with the neighbors, I wouldn’t have to worry as much about being too loud, not that I was that kind of person. I was a firm believer in using headphones when there were other people around.

God, what if this guy was the opposite?

I had to focus on scoping things out thoroughly. The last thing I wanted was to be too hasty, then end up with a roommate I despised. That was my worst nightmare.

My knuckles had barely touched the door when it swung open. I blinked at what stood in front of me, or more accurately, who stood in front of me.

“Is this a joke?” I asked.

Oliver laughed, his hand going behind his neck to rub it. “A joke? Nah, but I did have one prepared to break the ice.”

“I . . .” My stomach felt too acidic for me to force out any words.

“Knock knock,” he said. When I remained silent, he bit down on his lower lip for a second. “Who’s there? Me, obviously.” He made a ta-da gesture that made my nose wrinkle.

“Right . . .”

“Well, this is awkward. It was supposed to be kind of ironic, I guess. Like, you knew it was me, but you’re at the door, so it was fitting. It went better in my head. Anyway, you can come in.”

He stepped to the side and gestured into the apartment. I was still playing catch up, torn between disbelief and anger. Maybe I felt both.

Benny. Oliver freaking Bennett.

Goddamnit, Brooks. What was he playing at? I knew that he was perceptive—annoyingly so. There was no way he hadn’t noticed that Oliver and I hadn’t hit it off, so what was the point? To piss me off, most likely, and it was definitely working.

“Are you just going to stand there?” Oliver asked. His head cocked; I didn’t know if it was a curious or taunting gesture.

Without saying anything, I stepped inside the apartment. He closed the door behind me, making me feel sort of trapped, then walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. It was small, just a galley style with a couple of cabinets on each side. Dated, but in good condition. At least it didn’t smell or anything, and the sink only had a few dishes in it. I’d texted him yesterday, so it was possible he’d cleaned. For all I knew, he lived like a rat most of the time.

“You know, Dean, I’m getting the impression you didn’t expect to find me here, which is weird since this is my place.”

“I didn’t,” I replied as I made my way further in.

The living room was small and there was no dining room, which I couldn’t care less about. Most people didn’t actually use them anyway. There was a couch, a wooden coffee table, and a TV on a simple stand. I eyed the two bookshelves, which were stocked with manga alongside various decorative pieces I’d label as nerdy—anime, mostly. I also saw some Lord of the Rings décor and a dragon that I thought was from Game of Thrones.

This made sense somehow. I hardly knew the guy, but it just felt like him.

Glancing to the right, I saw two doors. Assuming they were to the bedrooms, I opened one, but I found a bathroom behind it. I walked through and pushed open another, which led to a bedroom. It was plain, only a bed, a nightstand, and a tall dresser. When I went through the final door, I found myself back in the living room.

My lips tilted downward as I sifted through the information. The Jack and Jill bathroom situation was fine and dandy, but if my calculations were correct, something wasn’t adding up.

“Is there not another room?” I ventured.