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“Is it very overwhelming?” his mom asked, concern in her voice. “I know Auden had a few growing pains here, but he had more freedom growing up than you did. This has got to be a lot.”
Auden watched O’Neal closely, searching for clues that she was panicking about last night. She met his gaze. “It is, but I don’t regret the decision I made. This still feels like it was the right choice for me.”
Auden smiled, something tight unlocking in his shoulders. He took a long sip of iced tea, keeping his eyes on her.
She blushed.
Maya tapped her hand against the table. “No, no, no. You’re supposed to say,No, Maya, it’s horrible and I miss you and I need your annoying roommate to move out ASAP so I can move in and go to Wainwright with you.”
“Aww,” O’Neal said, wrapping her arm around his sister and side-hugging her. “I do miss you so much, and I wish we could be together, but I want a journalism degree and you want Wainwright’s killer creative writing program. So it’s really the schools’ faults.”
“Stupid schools,” Maya said, stabbing her waffle but smiling a little and leaning into O’Neal. “I can’t believe Auden gets to play with you instead of me.”
Auden choked a little. “We’re not toddlers, My.”
Maya rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“I think this will be good for the both of you,” his mom said, directing her gaze between O’Neal and Maya. “College is about discovering the kind of adult you want to be. Sometimes that’s easier when you shake things up a little. You can hold on to the best things about your younger years—like your friendship with each other—without using those things as a crutch. You’ll both be forced to grow. Maya, you’re already learning how to deal with difficult people courtesy of your new roommate—a valuable life lesson if I’ve ever heard of one. O’Neal, you’ll get to experience a bigger world than the one you grew up in, which will help you figure out who you are and what you believe is right for you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” O’Neal said with an appreciative smile.
His mom reached over and patted his knee. “I won’t lie and say I wasn’t a little worried when Auden first chose Bennette, but look how well it’s gone. Good grades, doing great on the swim team, and growing into such a respectable young man. I didn’t have anything to worry about after all. I raised him to make good choices and not act like an idiot. Gold star for me.”
A ping of guilt went through him, but he forced a chagrined smile. “Your bar wasnot acting like an idiot?Way to set a stretch goal for me, Mom.”
“Sweetheart, do you remember your middle school years?” She gave him a lifted eyebrow look. “You only lasted two Sundays as an altar boy because you almost burned the church down while lighting the candles for service. I had to be realistic.”
O’Neal laughed and then bit her lip. Maya grinned with little sister relish—always happy to see Auden roasted.
“Hey,” he said, affronted, “maybe I did that on purpose because wearing those robes was mortifying. The girl I had a crush on started teasing me and calling me Father Auden.”
O’Neal’s eyes danced with humor. “Maybe she was flirting.”
“Shedefinitelywas not. Plus,” he added, “it was just logistically unsound to have drapes hanging near candles. Major fire hazard.”
“The fire hazard wasyou,”Maya said. She looked to O’Neal. “Mom still won’t let him light the grill in the summer.”
“I’ll be sure to keep him away from matches,” O’Neal said. “No tailgate barbecues for you this football season, mister.”
He dipped his fingertips into his water and then flicked O’Neal with a few droplets. “Go ahead, Shaq, pile it on.”
“Hey!” She put up her hands, laughing, and the sound filtered through him like sunlight, putting him at ease.
He and O’Neal had crossed all kinds of lines last night. He’d had his tongue between her legs, had made her come multiple times, he’d beeninside her.He was still having trouble wrapping his head around everything that had happened and fighting off a little guilt about it too, but being able to joke around with her like they had when growing up smoothed a few jagged spots. Maybe they would be okay. Maybe he hadn’t damaged her in some way with his selfish need to touch her.
O’Neal lifted a grape off her plate and gave him ajust try melook. “Flick water at me again and it’s on.”
He lifted his palms in protest, laughing, but O’Neal’s eyes went wide, her smile instantly faltering. Panic crossed her face.
“No food fights, children,” his mom said with amusement in her voice. “I’d rather not get escorted out before I can have another coffee.”
She motioned for the waiter, but Auden’s attention remained fixed on O’Neal. She was giving him a look that was clearly full of warning, but he couldn’t tell what she was panicking about.
He opened his mouth to ask her, but when his mom’s and Maya’s heads were turned toward the waiter, O’Neal lifted her hand and deliberately knocked her water over in his direction.
“Shit!” Ice water splashed into his lap before he could shove his chair back.
His mom’s head turned. “Auden.Language.”
