Page 52 of Dear Roomie (Classic City Romance #1)

James

T he crowd at Cutter’s is as rowdy as I’ve ever seen it.

The tiny bar is packed like it’s game day, with graduates and their families alike, but the air buzzes with a different type of energy.

People are partying like it’s the last chance they’ll get, and for many people, it will be—at least in Athens.

It’s a strange mix of nostalgia, melancholy, and euphoria all packaged together to create an almost manic atmosphere.

It’s the end of an era; the so-called best days of our lives are officially behind us.

Tomorrow starts the next adventure, where we are thrust into the real world without a parachute.

So tonight, we do the only thing we can—we drink .

“Shots for the graduates,” Karis yells over the chaotic thrum of music and conversation. She squeezes between the over-packed bodies, holding a tray with three full shot glasses and two empty ones. “Courtesy of the ugly bastard at the counter. Gage says congratulations, by the way.”

The aforementioned man is currently drenched in sweat as he works to keep the swarm surrounding the bar satisfied. This place was so full when we got here, we weren’t able to secure our normal spot at the bar and had to make do with gathering around one of the scattered high-tops instead.

“Sorry, Morgan, I drank yours on the way over. Figured you wouldn’t mind,” she adds with a devilish smile.

His laughter vibrates from where he stands pressed against my back.

“I’ll remember that next time you ask me to save you the last donut,” he teases, which draws a pointed glare from the tiny woman.

I grab one of the glasses and swallow back the fiery liquid. Chelsea and Evelyn do the same.

“What the heck was in that?” Evelyn sputters. Her face grows red as she coughs around the burn. “Pure alcohol?”

“Don’t know, didn’t ask. I just said to make it strong.”

“Well, it was definitely strong,” she mutters.

“So where is life taking you ladies next? I know Blondie isn’t going anywhere, especially now that she and Morgan are a thing, but what about you two?” Karis turns her attention to my friends, and I lean back into my boyfriend’s hold.

I’m only half listening as the pair fill Karis in on the details that I’ve already heard a million times.

My focus is on the man behind me. I can’t see him, but his fingers trace patterns on my exposed arm, sending chills through my body.

That has been my favorite change—there is very rarely a time when he isn’t touching me in some capacity.

Those gentle brushes of his skin against mine have become my lifeline when everything gets to be too much for me.

He might treat me like a queen, but even the best relationship won’t magically make my anxiety go away.

When the worst of it comes, he holds me and helps me breathe through it, his touch grounding me in a way I could never manage on my own.

It’s a good thing, too, because we have spent more than a few nights together in bed with him holding me while I cry.

Tanner has stayed firm on keeping the girls out of my life.

But fuck that asshole.

That’s a fight for another day.

I blink away my growing melancholy. “Want me to go get us some drinks?” The music is so loud I have to tilt my head to keep from shouting.

“I can go get them,” Morgan offers, but I shake my head.

“No, you stay here. I need to use the restroom anyway.”

He lets out a discontent hum but kisses the top of my head and releases me.

“Be right back,” I tell him as I pull away, and push my way across through the crowd.

The restrooms are tucked away in an alcove in the back corner of the bar.

Thankfully, the line isn’t too long. I’ve seen it wrap out of the hallway and down the wall before.

It only takes a few minutes for me to get in and finish my business, and then I’m making my way back to our group.

I’m about to cross over the threshold into the main area when someone grabs my wrist, halting my steps.

The hairs on the back of my neck rise as my chest grows cold with unease. I yank my wrist out of the unwanted grasp and swing around to face whoever was stupid enough to touch me.

“Easy, James. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Nathan says with a carefree smile, holding his hands up in the air beside his head.

If I didn’t know him better, I’d buy the cheerful facade he’s trying to sell, but I can see the cracks below the surface.

His eyes are shadowed by dark circles that aren’t normally present, and his jaw is tight behind the fabricated smile.

There’s a wild spark in his eyes I don’t trust; it’s the look of a desperate man, and desperate men are dangerous .

“If you didn’t want to scare me, then you shouldn’t have grabbed me in a secluded hallway,” I seethe and step away from him, not daring to turn my back.

“James, wait, please,” he pleads, but he doesn’t grab me again. At least he isn’t a complete idiot.

“What the fuck do you want?” I’m regretting my decision to hear him out before he’s even opened his mouth.

“I wanted to apologize for the way I spoke to you that night, and I guess for grabbing you just now too.” He fidgets with his hands in front of him, the confident mask crumbling away.

“Why couldn’t you have done that literally any place else,” I snap.

“Because you’re always with Morgan.”

“And you never told him how much of an ass you were that night, did you?” The pieces of the puzzle snap together in my head, painting this whole interaction in a clearer, more pathetic light.

“No, I didn’t.” He deflates even more. “And he would probably hate me if he knew, especially now.”

“Why is that my problem?” I cross my arms in front of my chest and let my inner bitch rise to the surface.

“You’re right. It’s not,” he says with a sigh, “but you are his girlfriend, and I’m his best friend. We both love him in our own ways, and I know you don’t want to see him hurt. Making him choose between us would hurt him, even if the choice would be easy.”

“Fine,” I begrudgingly agree. As much as I hate it, he isn’t entirely wrong, and it’s not like we can continue to avoid each other forever, not with Morgan connecting us. “So what do you propose, then?”

“A truce, and more importantly, an apology. I was out of line with the way I spoke to you. I could try to blame the lack of sleep, or getting caught up in the emotional high of the day, but I won’t even try to make an excuse for my behavior.

I’m just sorry it ever happened. If you can bring yourself to forgive me, I would like to start over.

We might not ever be friends, but I hope we can at least be friendly, for his sake. ”

All the fight in me fades. I can do friendly, or at least not hostile, if it will make my boyfriend happy. It helps that I can see the sincerity shining through his eyes.

“Okay, we can start over.”

A smile forms on his lips—a real one, not the facade from earlier.

“Thank you. You wouldn’t be able to maybe help me get a moment alone with Chelsea, would you?”

“Oh, fuck off, Nathan,” I scoff, and this time, I do leave him standing alone in the hallway.

I catch Gage’s eye as I make my way to the bar, and he has both drinks ready for me by the time I make it up through the crowd.

He doesn’t even have time for me to thank him before someone else demands his attention.

My friends are still locked in an animated conversation with Karis as I return.

Whatever she’s talking about has her fully engaged, swinging her hands wildly, somehow taking up more space than should be possible with her tiny frame.

Without interrupting, I slip back into Morgan’s waiting arms. He drops a kiss on the top of my head like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and butterflies stir in my stomach.

I hope it never stops feeling like this.

“Your ex is here,” I whisper to Chelsea once it’s clear the others are focused on whatever Karis is saying.

Her nose scrunches as she looks around the bar. “Where did you see him? Karis and Gage promised he wouldn’t be here tonight.”

“He ambushed me near the bathrooms.”

“Of course he did,” she scoffs and rolls her eyes. “I’ll go see if I can find him and make sure he knows exactly how unwelcome he is.” She starts to move, but I place my hand on hers to stop her.

“That’s exactly what he wants. You are better off ignoring him. ”

She thinks it over for a moment, and I can see the resolve harden in her eyes.

“I’ll be right back,” she says, then heads toward the bathroom alcove.

“What was that about,” Morgan murmurs in my ear.

“Just boy troubles, nothing you need to worry about.” I lean into him and press a kiss against his jaw.

I shift my focus back to the conversation, growing more relaxed with every sip of my drink.

He absentmindedly rocks to the music, moving me with him to the beat.

It’s the perfect way to end my time as a student here, my favorite place with my favorite people.

At least it would be if Chelsea returned.

The minutes tick by without any sign of her, and my unease starts to build in my stomach.

I should tell Morgan about what happened near the bathroom.

Maybe he can go look for his friend and check on mine.

As I open my mouth, Nathan storms through the building and out into the warm night air.

Morgan, Evelyn, and Karis all watch his exit with varying degrees of concern and confusion written on their faces.

Even Gage looks dumbfounded from behind the bar.

“Does anyone know what that was about?” Karis asks as Chelsea maneuvers her way back through the crowd to join us at our table.

Her porcelain skin is flushed and her wild hair more disheveled than normal. I quirk a questioning eyebrow, and she gives me a subtle shake of her head. Message received loud and clear: don’t ask now.

“I guess that explains that,” Karis adds, giving Chelsea a look that pretty much mirrors what I’m burning to ask, specifically what the fuck happened back there.

“Are you all right?” Evelyn asks. At least one of us is able to be a supportive friend right now.

“Just peachy,” Chelsea answers with a saccharine smile.

“Are you sure? I can go talk with Nathan if he’s bothering you,” Morgan offers, eyeing the door his friend went through .

“No, it’s fine. He wanted to talk about us, but I told him there was nothing to talk about, and he left,” Chelsea lies. I doubt anyone else but Evelyn picked up on it, though.

“Ouch,” Karis says with a hiss. “Didn’t sugarcoat it, did you?”

“I didn’t see any reason to. I’m moving to Texas in less than a week. Even if we did talk things out, there isn’t a future for us.”

“That’s valid.” A rare glimpse of fleeting compassion crosses Karis’s face. “This sounds like it calls for another round of drinks,” she declares and saunters over to the bar, no doubt to fill Gage in on the gossip.

She returns with another tray, this time with enough drinks for everyone, with some to spare.

The rest of the night passes by without any more unwelcome intrusions.

The drinks keep flowing, and no one brings up Nathan again.

I get more and more tipsy with every drink, and my hands roam over Morgan’s body with a mind of their own.

“All right, pretty girl, let’s get you home.” He catches my wandering hands before they end up somewhere indecent.

Home sounds perfect.

He helps me to the door, keeping an arm firmly around my waist the whole way.

I stumble over the cracks in the sidewalk in my high-heeled death traps, but he doesn’t let me fall.

The world spins slightly, leaving me unsteady on my feet.

I may have had a drink or two too many. My ankles wobble again, and he pauses to sweep me up into his arms.

“You don’t need to carry me,” I argue, but my body tells a different story as I sink into his hold.

“Just relax. We will be home in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” I tell him in a whispered slur. My eyes start to drift shut against his chest. “I love you.”

“I love you too, James,” he says, placing a soft kiss on my forehead.

I’m asleep before we cross over the threshold, but that’s okay. I was home the second he held me in his arms.