AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I went to the trunk, and Lars popped it open so I could grab my stuff. When I slammed the lid, I was surprised to see him standing so close.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” he intoned, white hair glowing in the fading sun.
It was like a halo. He was a little grumpy angel.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re going to be switching rooms as soon as I make some calls.”
My eyes rounded. “Wait.” A slow smile dragged my lips upward. “You’remy buddy?” It made sense. Why else would they ask him to pick me up at the airport?
He shook his head adamantly. “Not for long.”
Amusement swelled my chest as I settled a little more firmly into the pavement, my eyes already very comfortable on him. “I take it you didn’t sign up for this?”
He made a rude sound. “No!” he burst out. “Coach dropped a paper with your name on me yesterday.Yesterday.”
My interest was piqued. “Coach? You play a sport?”
A defensive look crossed his features before he smoothed it out, straightening to his full height, which was a few good inches less than mine.
He might even be shorter than Wes.
“I swim,” he said, his tone just as defensive as that first glimmer in his arctic stare. Then, “I’m a swimmer here at the institute.”
A rush of fond familiarity had my arms dropping to my sides. A little of that homesick feeling I’d been ignoring valiantly receded. “No shit?” I mused. “My little brother is a swimmer at Westbrook.”
That seemed to surprise him. Curiosity lit his electric eyes. “Really?”
I nodded. “Yep. He’s a freshman this year. He’s been swimming since he was a kid. He’s pretty good. What’s your stroke?”
He jolted a little. “Why do you care?”
I shrugged. “Wes swims freestyle.”
“Wes is your brother?”
I nodded. “And Max is my other brother.”
After another slight hesitation, he said, “I swim backstroke.”
“Ah, the one everyone thinks is easy because your mouth and nose are out of the water. But it’s one of the hardest after butterfly. Plus, you’re at a disadvantage because you can’t see where you’re going.”
“Yeah,” he said, voice echoing with that same surprise from earlier but also, if I wasn’t mistaken, a little bit of relief. It was almost as if he were used to people giving him shit about being a swimmer.
An odd protective feeling overcame me, and I found myself angry at those faceless people who might not even exist. I mean, really, swimmers were cool. “Sorry they kinda just dumped me on you. I figured they would have people in like a foreign exchange program for that.”
“That’s what I said,” he muttered.
“I’ll keep my bags packed,” I said, motioning toward them. “And I’ll stay out of your way until I can switch rooms.”
“I didn’t plan on a roommate,” he rushed out. “I asked for my own room this semester.” His lips clamped shut, and his eyes darted everywhere but at me like he was embarrassed he let that slip.
I held up my hands in surrender. Dude was clearly hella stressed over sharing his space. “Understood. Maybe I can bunk in there tonight, then tomorrow find somewhere else?” Leaning toward him, I whispered, “I’m not cut out for sleeping outside.”
His blue eyes rolled. “Fine. I’m calling the dean in the morning.”
“Okay.” I agreed amiably even though disappointment ricocheted beneath my skin as I turned to throw my duffle over my back and palm the handle on my suitcase. As irritable and unimpressed with me as he was, I was bummed I wouldn’t be sticking around.
