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Chapter Twenty-Two

I'm glowing after the praise Maddie and Angela have lavished on my chapter for this week.

I might just be getting the hang of this spicy romance thing after all.

Although to be fair, I'd looked over their notes from last week and specifically checked this chapter so see if any of that advice would apply here too, then fixed it.

I did the same with Sasha's notes from last week, but this week's critique has almost as many red marks.

A few super helpful, and the rest bordering on nitpicky.

It's okay though. Deep breath . She's helping me improve, and once we get through my story, it'll be so awesome, my editor will have practically nothing to do.

"How is it going with the new roommates?" Maddie shuffles away the edited copies of her chapter.

"They're actually gone this week, right?" says Sasha, causally sipping her cosmo.

"Yes, well, no. They're technically still on break this week, but a couple of them came home early." And since I need to apologize anyway, I add, "That's why I had to leave early the other night."

"Were they locked out or something? Did you have to go let them in?" Sasha arches an eyebrow.

"No, they asked me to come home and help them with something." I absolutely am not going to tell them what specifically they needed me to help with.

"That's cute though that they wanted you home when they got in," says Angela. "When I lived with friends, we'd get so used to each other being around that when someone was out, the whole vibe in the house felt off."

"It definitely felt that way with them gone." I laugh. "We all work from home so it's weird when the house isn't full."

"What did you say they do again?" Sasha swirls her drink.

"I don't think I did." I know I didn't, and I still sort of don't want to tell them, but I can't really see a way around it. I doubt they'll make anything of it, anyway. "They're gamers."

"As in, they play games all day?" asks Angela.

Sasha frowns as she looks me over, as if she's displeased with my answer. But I can't help what my roommates do for a living.

"And they make a living from this?" asks Maddie, equally skeptical.

"I guess so." I shrug, knowing full well that between their subscribers and their monetization on other platforms, and the fact that they can afford to cover my room and board, they're doing just fine.

"I don't know that I've ever met a professional gamer before, just casual ones," says Maddie, staring off into space for a moment. "Are they super nerdy?"

"Let's just say, I'm watching a lot of new shows I've never heard of before." Police boxes. Hitchhiking aliens. Pirates.

Though that last one wasn't nerdy so much as instructional, I guess. I like learning new things from my roommates. And I'm pretty sure they enjoy teaching me.

"I had a roommate once who was nerdy. Not a professional gamer, but I think he played some games," says Angela. "We didn't spend much time together, but he had a lot of dolls. He called them action figures though. In general, I'd say he really liked toys."

I nearly choke on my wine. "Yeah, my roommates have some toys too." And not just the kind Angela is talking about .

"I'd love to meet them," says Sasha, watching me carefully.

"They work a lot," I remind her. "And at weird times, so that might be difficult."

My parents were easy to fool into believing that we're platonic roommates, but I'm not sure Sasha would believe it as easily. Anything beyond roommates hadn't even occurred to my parents, but she might be looking for it. She had asked if they're dating anyone.

"Roommates who work a lot are the best," says Maddie, "even if they work from home, because they're so busy they're never around and it's almost like living alone. But you don't have to pay all of the bills yourself."

"Yeah, we're in one of those really big old houses because there are so many of us," I concur. "I don't even want to imagine what it costs to heat a place like that."

"You don't see your own utility bills?" Sasha sits up a little straighter.

"Uh, no." I look around at Maddie and Angela. Maybe I just made a huge slip-up. "I just moved in, and we haven't had really cold weather yet. We probably won't have to really turn the heat on fully until it starts snowing."

That sounds plausible. Besides, I could be paying a flat rate each month for my room. I've heard of people doing that, I think. I really hope they buy my explanation and don't ask any more questions.

"Oh my god, don't look now." Sasha's gaze shifts away from me, and she fluffs her hair.

"Oooh, do I have anything in my teeth?" Maddie leans forward and flashes her teeth.

"No?" Next to me, Angela seems just as confused by their weird behavior as I am.

"Good, because two of the sexiest guys I've ever seen have just walked in." Maddie picks up her drink and leans back in her seat.

"They're not buff, but lanky," says Sasha. "They look like I could teach them a thing or two and they'd love it."

"Are you going to go over and hit on them?" I giggle a little as I sip my wine. I've never seen my critique group react like this to anyone, so these guys must be something special.

"They're chatting at the bar," says Maddie. "Maybe I should go up and get another drink."

"Okay, I'm going to turn very slowly and look," says Angela. "At the bar you said?"

Angela twists a little, humming under her breath, before whipping back around in her seat. "They're looking this way. Do you think they saw me?"

"Do you think we could get them to buy us a drink?" asks Sasha.

"I'm not sure about the drink, but they're definitely coming this way." Maddie brushes her hair back over her shoulder and smiles up at whoever is approaching.

I'm super curious who could have my spicy romance author group so excited. These ladies write panty-melting book boyfriends, so it would take a lot for them to notice a guy in real life.

As these apparent hotties approach, my critique partners sit straighter and smile wider.

I'm so curious to turn around and see what they look like, but I stay still in my chair.

I already have my hands full with five guys who I admit are pretty hot, and I guess I'll get to see these men my friends are gawking at if they do come over to our table.

Sasha is smiling and looking up through her eyelashes as a presence pauses behind my shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?" asks a disconcertingly familiar voice.

My eyes go wide as I whirl around in my chair, shocked. Yet again, my worlds are colliding and I'm waiting for the floor beneath me to open up and the earth to swallow me whole. Me disappearing would be the best thing that could happen right now.

But nope, I'm still here. Pinned to my seat by Quintin's stare as he and Lionel loom over our table.

I'm not sure what to do with myself. I want to hurry them out the door, but that'll be weird.

And my critique partners clearly want an introduction, from the way they've been checking my boyfriends out since the moment they stepped into the bar.

"Um, I have to pay my bill." Not original or smooth, but it's the truth.

"Clarissa," says Sasha, a little sharper than usual, pulling my attention away from my roommates, "aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?"

"Yes," I say, drawing out the word and glancing around to my critique partners, then back to my boyfriends. "This is Quintin and Lionel, my …" I pause, weighing my options. "Roommates."

At my word choice, my boyfriends look sharply at me.

I'll definitely pay for this later, but hopefully they'll go along with it for now.

It's almost like they keep forgetting that they hired me for this position.

Lately, there have been moments where it feels like they want it to be real.

But it's not like they're introducing me to their friends and family as their girlfriend.

No, it's me out here in public taking such a big step, and when this whole situation ends or falls apart as it inevitably will, I'll be the one left alone and embarrassed.

"Yeah, we're living together." Lionel shoots me a wink, then reaches out to shake Sasha's hand. "I didn't catch your name."

"I'm Sasha." She lets her thumb trail along the back of Lionel's hand, holding on for much longer than is necessary or normal, and there's a look in her eye as if she wants to lean forward and devour Lionel. But he's my snack, not hers.

"This is Maddie and Angela." I point to each of the ladies to draw their attention away from Sasha. "This is my critique group."

As soon as Quintin and Lionel move on, my shoulders relax.

Although all three of the other ladies are still shamelessly ogling my boyfriends.

Since I'd shown up on their front stoop to interview for their girlfriend, I'd known these gamers weren't bad-looking.

In fact, I'd readily admit to myself, and absolutely no one else, that they're actually quite attractive.

But I'm surprised my girlfriends are checking them out so blatantly.

"It's nice to meet all of you," says Quintin. "Clarissa doesn't talk about her work much at home, so we're glad she has someone to do that with."

Lionel nods. "That's very important."

"So you haven't read her work?" Sasha asks, bringing the group's attention back to her.

"No," says Lionel, "but when she's ready, we'll be here to support her."

Internally, I cringe. If they ever find out how I'm using them, there is absolutely no way they'll be supportive. In fact, I doubt they'll forgive me for violating their privacy this way.

"These are the roommates who made you come home during our movie night?" asks Sasha, turning toward me accusingly.

"Yeah." I cut my eyes over to Quintin, remembering exactly what they made me come home for.

"Were you locked out?" Sasha narrows her eyes on the way Quintin reaches over to squeeze my shoulder. "Why did you need her to come home without any notice?"