Page 103 of Ruled Out

“Uhh, um, thanks,” one of the guys stutters as they move away, the other looking back over his shoulder, nearly walking straight into a bench.

Jessie leads the way up the stairs, taking them two at a time, his fingers still laced through mine.

After so long of sneaking around and years of having to hide who we were to each other, the feeling of being out in public feels crazy in all the best ways.

When we reach my door, Jessie holds out his hand for my key and takes it, opening the door and pushing through. The broad smile on his face tells me he’s feeling the same kind of way—that we made it. We’re finally getting our chance to be together for real.

“Babe, I thought you said th—” Tara waltzes out in her nightwear and robe, her head down and in her phone. When she looks up and registers who I’m with, she stops dead.

“Shit, sorry,” Jessie says awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck. “I thought with it being the afternoon, you’d be, umm …” He waves a hand at Tara.

“Dressed?” she replies, quirking a brow.

I stand next to my boyfriend and fight back laughter as he flushes.

“Yeah.”

She shrugs a shoulder and walks over to the fridge. “I had a late night last night, and today is my only free day, so it’s a pajama day for me.”

Jessie nods and looks around the space as we take off our shoes. “I’m gonna use the bathroom if that’s okay?”

Tara points at the door. “Just over there. But maybe you already know that since this isn’t your first rodeo.”

I flare my eyes at Tara as Jessie steps into the bathroom and closes the door behind him.

Tara’s casual demeanor drops the moment the lock clicks, and her head whips to mine. “Fucking hell,” she whisper-squeaks. “He’s even hotter up close. You actually weren’t shitting me, were you? H-he really is your boyfriend.”

I can’t help it as a big, cheek-aching smile spreads across my face. “Nope, not shitting you.”

Tara pours herself a coffee and takes a sip. “We’re good though, right?”

Crossing the kitchenette, I wrap my arms around her and bring her into a hug. “Absolutely, we are. It should be me apologizing again. I jumped to conclusions, and I shouldn’t have. I had literally no idea about Leo, so by process of elimination, I panicked and pointed the finger at you, and I’m sorry.”

She waves a hand in front of her like it doesn’t matter, but I can see the sadness on her face. “Honestly, it’s fine. At this point, I’m more pissed at that asshole.” She sets down her cup and blows out a breath. “And the fact that we were all supposed to be going back to Riley’s after the game next week. I guess that isn’t happening, and I’m kinda gutted. I like their cocktails.”

“You can still come,” Jessie says, coming back into view. “Just sit with us. We’ll be there after the game. You can even come to that if you like. There’ll be enough seats in the box, and I can get my hands on an extra ticket.”

Excitement lights up her pretty face. “Are you kidding me? My dad will go wild when he finds out I’m not only going to a Scorpions game, but I’ll also be hanging out with the players afterward.”

Jessie swings his arm around my shoulders and kisses me on the side of the head, and I watch as Tara visibly melts.

“Let me know his name and I’ll get him a signed jersey.”

“Ugh, I’ve died and crossed into some kind of alternate, way better universe,” she replies, making me chuckle.

Thumbing over his shoulder to my bedroom, Jessie turns to me. “Want me to get started?”

When I messaged her this morning to say we’d be stopping by, I hinted that I was going to be staying with Jessie for a while. I nod, and my boyfriend takes off in the opposite direction.

I turn back to Tara, taking her hand in mine. “I hope you know this has nothing to do with what happened. We just need to spend time together. Like I told you last night on the phone, we’ve been apart for so long, and I?—”

She squeezes my hand in hers. “I get it. Like, really, I do. Plus, he’s giving you his car, and in all seriousness, babe, what girl wouldn’t want to spend each night beneath …” She nods her head in Jessie’s direction.

A schoolgirl giggle bubbles out of me. “I have zero complaints, trust me. But seriously, come to the game and then Riley’s afterward.”

“Oh, I will; do not worry. My lunch buddy, Charlotte, is going to lose her mind when I tell her later.”

Remembering Tara isn’t like me and makes friends way more easily makes me feel less guilty for leaving the dorm. Knowing she has loads of people around her on campus.