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Uneasiness creeps in. I don’t see her or talk to her because the one thing that ever tied us together was my ex-girlfriend. “Listen, I’m sorry for showing up like this. You actually have the power to help me out, and I’m hoping you’ll say yes.”
“I have a lot of work to do,” she says, peering longingly over my shoulder into her bedroom.
“Nor…”
“Don’t.” She sighs. “Don’t call me that, okay? I prefer Len.”
“Len?”
“Yes, it’s my name.”
The gruffness in her voice takes me aback. “I thought your name was Norah?”
“Actually, it’s Lenore.”
I almost face-palm myself. Of course it is. I knew that. The lady in Student Housing told me, and it’s why I didn’t know who she meant at first until I put two and two together.
Peering away, she picks at a loose string on her sock. The printed design creeps up and under her multicolored gummy bear pajama bottoms, but I can’t quite tell what it is.
“Sorry, I…forgot.” Though,never knewis more appropriate. “Your name is pretty.”
“Thanks, I hate it.”
Her defeated tone sparks my caring side. She clearly doesn’t want anything to do with me, and in different circumstances, I would drop this whole thing. However, the image from earlier this morning of my roommate picking up one of his dirty socks, smelling it, then sliding it onto his foot pushes me forward. “Listen…Len. I hear you’re having roommate problems. I’m alsohaving problems, and the Housing lady called me this morning to say this room was available, and I really want it.”
“This…room?Myextra room?”
“You wouldn’t believe the losers they’ve stuck me with. I can’t sleep. I—”
“But you’re a guy.”
The outrage in her voice makes me laugh. She looks away, and I clear my throat. “Sorry. Yes, I am. I didn’t think that would be a problem, what with the separate rooms and all. Knightley is co-ed. We’re both adults.” With history, I could add. I wouldn’t be a total stranger.
“No, no,” she says, standing before I can say anything more. She flails her arms around. “You’ll have your teammates over here all the time, eating my food and breaking things. You’ll leave the toilet seat up and the milk on the counter. And a stream of girls coming from your room. I swear to God, I cannot deal with another nightmare roommate right now. I will lose it.”
She pushes her glasses up her nose, her hands in tiny fists. She’s kind of cute when she’s all worked up. The urge to tease her rises, but I stop myself. Instead, I press my lips together to think about the best way forward. “Trust me, I’ve also had some nightmare roommates, so I know exactly how not to act.”
She nibbles on her lip. “I thought you had a roommate? Your friend…” She snaps her fingers, like she’s trying to recall his name.
“Sarge. Sarge Button. He transferred out.” I peer away. Sarge was too good to play here, what with the lack of notoriety Warner hockey gets. We’re having a winning season and absolutely no one cares. He was the smart one.
“Oh, I’m sorry. He was always nice.”
For the first time, she looks like the Nor—Len—I remember. “Yeah, he was the best. We had a place off campus, but I couldn’t afford it on my own, so I had to move back to the athletic dorms.Ever since then, it’s been one nightmare after another. Student Housing called me this morning because the nice lady over there thought this might be the perfect fit.”
Nor— Len worries over her lip before focusing on me. “Are you seeing someone?”
I shake my head. She doesn’t want a “string of girls” in and out of the suite. Neither do I. “You?”
“No.” Her answer comes quickly but morphs into shocked anger. “Who are you to even ask?”
I place my hands up in protest. “You asked me.”
“I wanted to know if I was going to have to hear you have sex all the time because let me tell you, these walls are good, really good, but they’re not perfect. Far from it. There must be dead spots with no insulation because—”
“If you want me to say no girls, I will. I’ll sign a freaking contract.”
Her brows pull down, studying me. “You’ll sign a contract? Outside of the Student Housing one?”