Page 72 of All The Ways to Miss You

Before leaving, she looks back and grins. “You’ll regret this, roomie.”

thirty-two

“You rented that room for how much?” Linden yells at me from across his office. Right after Cait left, I hurried the six blocks to my family’s company, Grayson & Wade, to tell him the bad news.

“You know how hard it is to find a good roommate. Don’t you remember Mike the Stoner, or Beatrice the Murder Butcher, or worse, Cameron Crazy Town? If I have to have a roommate, I want to live with someone normal,” I say, trying to build my case.

“And no doubt, pretty.” He cocks a brow.

“That’s not it.” I lay on the defense. Though Cait’s beyond beautiful, it’s a lot more than that. My bones buzz when I’m around her, and I mean they outright vibrate like a fucking tuning fork. That’s not normal. At least, I don’t think it is. Something about her affects me, and I’m making it my mission to find out why.

Linden raises his hands in resignation. “Fine. Crazy Town was crazy. And I agree, you’ve had some bad luck with roommates, but you’re paying for her portion. No freebies here, Evan. You know the family policy. You’ll have to work extra hours at the office.” He shakes his finger.

He’s always treated me more like a son than a younger brother. Or maybe this is what older brothers do. Annoy the shit out of you.

“I already told you I would.” I keep my voice level.

“Fine,” he says, agreeing with reluctance.

He returns to his papers, shuffling through them when I turn to leave, but I need to escape before he digs into me for something else.

“She must be something special,” he says.

And there it is. I knew I wouldn’t get off that easy. He knows I wouldn’t do this for anyone, because Linden is anything but stupid. In fact, he’s brilliant. A fucknut of a brother, but still. There’s a reason why he’s taking over the family business with Viv, and I’ll be at their side when I graduate in the spring.

I turn to face him again. “You have no idea.” I smirk because I’ve been caught.

“Idiot. Get out of here.” He shoos me away.

I salute him and return to work . . . on a Saturday . . . because of a girl who has no intention of ever giving me the time of day.

For now.

I’m sitting on a bench with Steph outside of Mr. Moon’s. We’re watching a crowd of Cubs fans head to the L train on their way to tonight’s game.

“Could you be any more obvious? I mean, half-off rent? Desperate much?” She settles her sunglasses on the top of her head, securing her newly shortened blond hair. The spot around her new nose ring is irritated and pink. She’s been on this new kick lately, changing up her look. I expect a tattoo next.

“It worked. That’s all that matters, except now she thinks I’m the biggest dirtbag on the planet.” I curl the rim of my baseball hat tighter, shielding my eyes from the dying sunlight. Steph and I drank too much last night, and my eyes have been sensitive all day.

She wraps an arm around me. “She’ll soon figure out you’re a good guy, and you’ll fall madly in love. That’s what you want to hear, right?”

“Maybe you should focus on your own love life.”

“Maybe I want to take credit for bringing you two together. You think this happened by fate? That the Cait London appeared on your doorstep by herself? No, sorry, chump. It happened by Steph. Remember that when you name your firstborn. You better name that kid after me. Hell, name all your kids after me. Steph A and Steph B sounds nice.” She looks at her watch. “Shit, we’re late.”

She jumps up and adjusts her clothing, skintight jeans and a top that’s too tight. It’s all balanced over platform heels. She looks great, but she’s like a sister, so this new non-tomboy Steph is an adjustment.

“I think I’ll head home.” I stand and stretch, reaching to the sky. When my T-shirt rises above my stomach, I drop my arms and dig my hands into my jeans pockets.

Steph gives me her death stare. “Did you hear anything I just said? You owe me for bringing you and Cait together, and this is how you repay me? By ditching me when I need you the most? No. Just no. I need a wingman tonight. Capisce?”

“Why are you so damn bossy, woman?” I groan and grab my head.

“When will you learn? This friendship isn’t free.”

I give in and we head north to Division Street, a mecca of college bars and late-night street parties. Once upon a time, I was into this. Once upon a time, I knew all the bartenders and bouncers, but now, Steph says I’m getting a fatal case of “adulting” and I should fight it with every fiber of my being. In my defense, I’d prefer not to end every night with vomit.

We meet with a group of friends for a birthday party. I don’t know the dude, Trevor, but Steph has a thing for him. That’s where being wingman comes in. Three rounds of tequila shots warm us up at Father’s. At A-Bar, we down two purple hooters. At The Cabin, I remember a lot of dancing, and after several rounds of rum and Coke, that’s where the night turns fuzzy.