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“Thank you, Mrs. R.” Luke stared at the keys, and Nico nudged him. “Do you want to go to the apartment or come with me to get the car?”
“Huh?” He blinked and stood. “I’ll take your backpack with me and go to the apartment. Call me when you get here, and I’ll help you unpack.”
Nico nodded to their landlady. “Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. R. I know my family will be coming down at least a couple of times this summer, so you’ll have to join us for dinner.”
She smiled and wagged a finger at him. “You’re certainly a charmer, aren’t you?”
“I do what I can.”
She snorted. “I’m sure you do.”
Luke
Nico: At the car. No break-ins to report.
Luke: Smart ass.
Luke had not agreed to rent a bedroom with one bed. Why hadn’t Quinton said something?
Fuck, nothing about this summer was going according to plan. He tossed his and Nico’s backpacks on the king bed.
“Stupid Kent,” he growled.
His phone buzzed, and his hand shot into his pocket. Oh. Not a new Kent status update. He should have let Nico keep his phone.
Nico: That’s probably the dumbest part of my anatomy.
Some of the tension in his shoulders eased as he laughed. That creampuff was too easy to pass up.
Luke: Then get your stupid ass back here so we can unpack. :P
Nico: Here. Come get me and all our crap.
Leaving the door open, he trotted down the stairs and into the backyard. Though backyard was a stretch of the imagination. A brick patio took up three-quarters of the space with small flowerbeds either side. The whole apartment was smaller than the first floor of his country home.
Gonna be cozy this summer.
Nico emerged from the side door carrying what looked like half of Luke’s stuff. He offered the bags to Luke. “Last in, first out. If you take these up, I’ll get the next bunch.”
Fifteen minutes later, they had all their bags in their bedroom.
Luke didn’t dare look at Nico. “What are we going to do about this?”
“Paint a line down the center of the bed and punish any encroachment with death?”
Luke groaned and laughed. He eyed Nico and noted the slight unease in his posture. Not so laid-back now. “I’m serious.”
“So was I.” Nico sat on the edge of the bed and gave it a test bounce that—wow—should not have taken Luke the places it took him. “Okay, so I wasn’t. But I think the solution for tonight is we both use the bed and promise to stay on our own side.”
Luke shoved the unbidden images away and focused all his attention on his laptop bag. “Is there a tomorrow part to this solution?”
“Air mattress.”
Luke sized up the room. They’d need to move the bed to create enough space, but it could work. “Who gets which?”
“Since I don’t expect to be entertaining guests at night, I don’t mind taking the air mattress, but I’ll require a quid pro quo.”
“If your price is too high, I’ll resort to wrestling you for the bed.”
“Oh, the things you say, Mr. DeRosa.” Nico fanned his face with his right hand while actual heat rippled up Luke’s throat at the unintended implication.
“Your price, Nico.”
“I want the bathroom first in the morning.”
“Fair deal. You take care of buying the mattress, we’ll split the cost, but no dibs on the bathroom until it arrives.”
“Oh, so organized.” Nico’s eyes danced. “Do you like to be in charge?”
Luke blinked rapidly at Nico’s teasing. “Um, not really. I just like to plan ahead.”
“Nothing wrong with a surprise now and then to liven things up.” Nico dug out his phone. “But about the mattress. Let me get it. My parents were thinking of getting one for my brother’s kids when they come for the wedding, so I can put it on the wedding bill. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. We should figure something out before it gets too late.”
“I’m good. I have some ramen in my bags.”
“Ramen.” Nico stared blankly at him. “That won’t do.”
“I’m on a budget. It’s why I need you splitting the cost of this . . . cozy apartment with me.”
Nico held up a finger. “I get you’re on a budget, and I won’t ask you to blow it. But I like real food, and I like to cook. We’re going food shopping, and you can kick in whatever you’ve budgeted, and I’ll be fine.”
“I can’t take handouts from you.” Hell, he hardly knew the guy.
“It won’t be.”
“So how does me letting you buy food for us both not turn into you paying for me?”
“Do you cook?”
“Huh? What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Do you cook? And more to the point, have you ever been food shopping?”
“Not really. I mean, I can make mac and cheese from a box.”
“And ramen.” Nico’s face wrinkled up like he’d smelled garbage on a hot summer day.
