Page 38 of Oblivious Roommate

“Yeah, we grabbed lunch before I started looking for the troll. I asked him if it was okay to pursue the guy.”

“Who would the troll be in a perfect world?” I scoot a bit closer. “What kind of guy would be good enough for Cassian Lastra?”

He lets out a chuckle. “Someone I’d want to see all the time. With similar values and interests. Outdoorsy, so we could go hiking a lot. A nice person. Oh, and he would have to get along with my friends. Is that too much to ask, Matt? Do such unicorns exist?”

“Well, he better get along with me, cause I’m not going anywhere.” I laugh and have to stop myself from kissing him. “You’ll be picking me up after I puke at another cafe when I’m eighty.”

Cass catches my gaze and squeezes my bicep through the blanket. His eyes are so very dark and sincere. “By that time, we’ll probably be neighbors at the same nursing home. I won’t have to drag you far to get home.”

“I’ll be racing you in my walker.” I laugh at that vision of the future.

“You better. At that age, we’ll have to keep in shape somehow,” Cass says and drops his feet to the floor. “I will remind you of this on your birthday, because you will officially be one year closer to that future.”

“Oh yeah? Are you planning a walker race for my birthday?”

I slurp my tea, holding it with both hands, because I might just put one on his thigh otherwise.

Cassian smirks, laughing like the perfect movie villain. “Oh, you think I’ll just reveal my plans to you?”

“Dammit! I thought I was being sneaky. So it’s a surprise? Is Logan involved?” I ask casually, but I would despise a reality where that was the case.

“No, he’s leaving tomorrow. Some kind of family thing. He’ll be gone for two weeks.”

And yet, Cass is here with me, not spending the evening with his boyfriend.

“Have you met his family?”

“They live on the other side of the country. Plus, I think he’s not out to them yet,” Cass says, shrugging. “But maybe he and I can go somewhere together once he’s back. Everything has been choppy lately, and we can’t sync our schedules, you know?”

I’m not mad about it.

“That’s tough,” I say to seem like a better friend than I am. I can’t help it, Logan rubs me the wrong way. “So it’s just you and me for my birthday?”

I like parties, but one on one time with Cass is always best.

He places his hand on my knee, which is not broken—thank God—and smiles. “Yeah, Mattie. I think maybe I’ve been too scattered. In the next two weeks, it’ll be just work, school, and time with my best friend, hm?”

Butterflies flutter in my stomach. “You won’t be looking for hook-ups now that Logan’s away?” I ask, wanting to understand that side of him better.

Cass’s eyes narrow, and his hand burns me through the blanket. “You seem awfully interested in my sex life, Mattie. Is there something you wanna tell me?”

I freeze, my face is engulfed by fire all the way to my ears, and I stare at him, unable to choke out anything for a while. Is this the right moment to tell him?

Maybe?

He has that cute smile and I wanna eat him alive.

“I…” I put down my tea, but then pounce on him. “You asshole! I’m just trying to understand all your gay stuff!” Yeah, as if it’s not my ‘gay stuff’ too.

Cassian laughs and tries to roll away, but I hold him still. In the end, he drops his hands and looks up at me. “Okay, shoot. I’m here to answer all your gay questions.”

I shake my head. I could kiss him if I only lowered my face by a few inches. Would he recognize me then? “Do you try to look for sex outside of what you have with Logan often?”

Cassian sighs. “Not really. I suppose I did it a couple of times, but that’s mostly because it would feel uneven if I didn’t, you know?” He blinks. “Not that I don’t like it. It’s just that… I guess I tend to focus on one person.”

I’m glad the thick blanket separates us in case my body gets a little too interested in the position we’re in. “Sure, I get it, Logan sluts around so you want action too,” I tease him.

Cass rolls his eyes. “He has commitment issues.”