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Even though I didn’t turn to look at him, I could feel his gaze sharpen on me.
“What the fuck is your problem?”
Now I looked at him, barely resisting the urge to slap him across the face.
“What’smyproblem?”
“Yeah.” Leo glared at me. For a moment, all I saw was Pierre’s eyes, seething. “I’m just trying to be sympathetic.”
I let out a harsh laugh, facing the building again. I didn’t want to look at him. Scumbag.
“You bullied us for four fucking years in a row,” I muttered. “Nothing can make me believe your sympathy.”
We fell into another bout of uncomfortable silence, which said more about our feelings than either of us probably cared to admit. He knew I was right. Yet, for some reason, he was here, standing beside me. All three of them—despite everything that had happened in high school, they were willing to put up a fight against my new tormentor.
Something had changed. And it wasn’t me.
“I just…” I sucked in a short breath, trying to shove Pierre’s face out of my head. Just for a moment. “I don’t understand why, after all these years, you guys are so keen on getting into my pants.”
Leo snickered, and after a moment, I laughed along.
“I mean,” I continued, “it’s no secret that I liked Elliot. For, like, a long time.” I paused to see if Leo was holding back a laugh, one more honest than the first. But he kept quiet. Maybe he was actually listening—or actually cared, for once. “But he didn’t. So, did he change his mind over summer, or what?”
I could hear Leo gathering in a deep breath, as if he were about to make a difficult confession.
“Maybe we all changed our minds,” he said, whispering as if he was embarrassed to be saying the words. “Or our hearts.”
Hearts.
“I think you mean your sex drive,” I said, trying to lighten the awkward mood. “Or your impulses.”
He cracked a slight smile at that as I glanced at him. A second later, there was the sound of door hinges squeaking, and we both looked up to find Felix walking back toward us, Elliot staggering along behind him, face buried under the shadow of his hoodie. He kept his eyes down until they reached us.
I looked around at the three of them, measuring their expressions before settling back on Elliot. I couldn’t help but feel a slight flutter of warmth in my belly, remembering the feeling of the sheets under my back, his lips pressed against mine. His hands. His skin.
Fuck.
This wasn’t the time to think like this.
“So?” Elliot said, his voice raspier than usual. “What’s the plan? What do we do with your roommate?”
Blinking, I glanced between him and Felix, waiting for a response. Instead, they looked at me.
“What?” I said. “I’m not the one who’s supposed to be planning this shit out.Youare.”
“Then why are you here?” Elliot muttered, lifting his head just a little bit so that I could look into his eyes.
“Because,” I drawled, “you weren’t answering your phone.”
His expression seemed to lighten up.
“So, what you’re saying is…” he began, narrowing his eyes, “you came all the way to Powell to look for me? They didn’t take you straight here?”
I nodded, as did Felix and Leo.
“Wow,” Elliot whispered, a small grin flickering across his lips. Maybe there was some pride in knowing that some desperate bitch—desperate for anything—would make the effort to go walk a few miles to get to you. “Okay. Well, let’s see. Leo? Any ideas?”
“Well, what exactly is the goal here?” Leo replied, turning to face me. “Is it to make her—”
