Page 6 of The Casualty of Us (Philosophies of the Heart Duet #1)

A quiet laugh fills the air, and I barely stifle a groan before looking back over my shoulder to scowl at the guy whose name I don’t know.

Catching the way his eyes seem to be lingering on my ass that’s still up in the air before quickly lifting to mine as the dimples cutting into his cheeks twitch.

Kill me now.

“Don’t look so smug about it,” I mutter, backing away from the bed with another laugh filling my ears and turning over to see him striding toward me.

He holds out a hand as he comes to a stop in front of me, making my scowl deepen as our gazes settle against each other.

Hazel and blue holding with silence hanging around us for a moment before he lifts a brow.

“Unless you like it down there?” His voice comes out a little gravelly, totally contradicting the pretty boy thing he has going on.

I narrow my eyes at him but reluctantly reach up, barely making contact with his fingers before he wraps his hand around mine and pulls me up.

Still grinning as he stares down at me from a height somewhere around Ollie’s six feet, if the way I have to tilt my head back to keep him in sight is any indication.

I frown up at him. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

His dimples twitch again, and I wave my free hand up at his face. “That.”

“Not sure I know what you mean.” He shrugs far too innocently, head tilting to the side. “You never did answer my question, though.”

“What question?” My frown deepens as I run through—

“I asked if I was lucky enough for someone to have messed up the room assignments and put me with you for the next four years, but you felt the need to curse about the situation.”

I have to stop the way my lips start to lift at the teasing but must not be completely successful because there’s a spark of victory in his gaze. “So?”

And it’s that little spark that pushes me out of my head enough to quip back, “It’s cute.” I finally free the grin wanting to come out to play, cocking my head at him. “That you think you could handle me.”

His pupils flare, lips parting with a surprised sound and he leans in—

“O!” A door slams in the other room, and I jump with it, the pull on my hand bringing with it the realization that it’s still being held captive by the guy in front of me. “Found snacks and one of my roommates!”

“You’re not a girlfriend, are you?” The low question has me darting my eyes back to him and finding his own narrowed now.

“No, gross.” I pull my hand free with a soft laugh and wipe it against my jeans nervously. Not sure why I’m dragging out the guessing game when he’ll be able to tell Ollie and I are related as soon as we’re in the same room, but I’m having too much fun to stop.

The narrowing of his eyes eases regardless, though, and he leans in a little closer. “And is it O or Ophelia?”

“O.” I blink up at him. “Just O.”

“Hayes.” His dimples return in full force with the name. “Just Hayes.”

“Whoa.” Ollie’s voice has me jerking my gaze to where he stands in the doorway and seeing the way his brows immediately fall at the sight of me in his room with a random guy. “Uh?”

The sound comes out like a question and makes me take a step back while giving him a small smile. “Found your other roommate.”

Hayes’s gaze lingers on me for a second before he follows my lead, taking a step back as well and turning his head to look at my brother.

Probably noting some of the near-identical features like the wavy hair and button nose and big eyes.

Ollie’s just hold a more masculine edge to them these days in comparison to mine.

He looks back to shoot me an amused glance with another puff of laughter, and Ollie’s brows fall further before Hayes turns to him with a jerk of his chin.

“Hey, man.” He closes the couple of steps to him before holding out a hand much the same way he did to me. “Hayes Flynn.”

Ollie quickly looks from his hand to me and then meets his gaze again. “Oliver Fitzroy.” He takes his hand, giving it some loose kind of guy shake before nodding my way. “See you met my baby sister.”

The posturing in his tone is not at all lost on me, neither is the way he practically puffs out his chest, and I roll my eyes at it. “We’re twins, Ollie, get over yourself.”

Another guy comes to stand in the doorway, completing the apparent party that’s happening, and I quickly take in the dark blond, noting his white button-up shirt and jeans along with the close-cropped hair on top of his head.

The book in his hand and small glasses he wears add to the overall studious vibe he’s throwing off.

Especially in comparison to my brother and Hayes.

The brown eyes behind his glasses quickly roll over the guys before landing on me and widening instantly.

“Holy shit, you’re Ophelia Fitzroy.”

My face falls at the recognition, and Ollie immediately moves closer to me as that knot in my chest flares to life again before the numbness washes over it.

Leaving me staring blankly at the guy who just called me out as he stands there with his mouth hanging open.

I force my gaze over to Hayes and see the dawning realization there as he puts the pieces together.

In the lack of dimples or grin, even though he hides it a bit better than the other one.

Ollie finishes moving to my side, and I clear my throat before attempting to defuse the situation. “That’s me,” I offer blandly. “Thirty million dollar girl in the flesh.” I force my lips up into something I hope resembles a smile and toss out offhandedly, “Sorry, I don’t offer pictures anymore.”

The blond one’s face instantly turns red and he hurries out. “No, that’s not—” His words stop, eyes flicking to where Ollie is standing next to me and what I’m guessing is the glare he’s leveling his way. “Sorry.” He nods at me a few more times before getting out, “I’m Holden.”

“Right.” I nod back quickly, running my hands down my pants as the awkwardness sets in and muttering again. “Right.”

The resounding silence that follows makes my decision for me.

“So I’m going to head out.” I look up at Ollie to find him still scowling at the two roommates. “Hey, dipshit.” His eyes finally jerk my way with a flash of concern, and I bump his shoulder with mine. “I’m going to leave you to it and go find my own room now.”

“No.” He gives me an adamant shake of his head. “Well, yeah, but I’ll come with—”

“No,” I cut him off, sparing a glance for the other two and finding curiosity all over both of their faces before looking back to finish quietly, “I’m fine, Ollie, it’s fine. Settle in, and I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast.”

He pauses, staring down at me dubiously. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.” I reach out to give his hand a quick squeeze while tacking on, “Just text me when you’re heading down tomorrow.”

Only waiting long enough for him to squeeze back before dropping it and starting for the door, not wanting to drag it out with an audience and make myself even more of a topic of conversation.

Holden’s pink cheeks make me slightly more sympathetic to him in the whole situation, though, and I nod at him again before a hazel pair manages to snag my gaze.

The curiosity is front and center still, but the dimples are back as well, and he gives me a wink. “See you later, O.”

I roll my eyes at him while passing by and wait until I’m a few steps away to call out over my shoulder, “I told you to stop that.”

A puff of laughter follows that has me fighting a smile all the way through the living area until Ollie’s voice stops me. “O.”

I turn back to see him coming my way with an unhappy look on his face, but he doesn’t give me a chance to stop him before grabbing one of my hands. “Here.” He presses one of the Pinecrest cards we got into it. “It’s the extra keycard for my dorm.”

I swallow, staring down at the card as he wraps my fingers around it. “Ollie…”

“Yeah, you stop that too,” he grumbles. “It’ll make me feel better knowing you have it.” I look up at him, seeing the worry etched all over his face. “Promise me you’ll use it if you need to?”

“Yeah,” I scoff. “Because I’m sure your roommates will love that.”

He shrugs, seemingly unconcerned. “Holden’s so apologetic I’m pretty sure he’d do anything you want at this point, and the other one…” He blows out an irritated breath. “From what I just saw, the fucker would probably be hoping you’d stumble into the wrong room.”

“Be nice,” I scold. “He’s your roommate, you need to get along.”

“Promise me, O,” he demands seriously. “You’ll come get me if you need anything, even just some sleep.”

“I-I promise,” I swear hesitantly, not wanting him to worry but knowing that I’m going to try my hardest not to. “I’m fine, really, everything is going to be fine. Go make nice with your roommates, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

His eyes search mine for another moment, and I shore up the resolve in them before he sighs. “Fine.”

“Lots of fines,” I mutter dryly, reaching into my back pocket and pulling out one of my own keycards before passing it over to him. “Just in case you need me too.”

He stares at the card for a beat before that crooked grin grows on his face. “I knew you loved me.”

“Shut up.” I laugh, reaching down for my backpack by the front door and warning him. “Only for emergencies.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He reaches out, opening the door for me. “Whatever you say, baby sister.”

The sight of several guys hanging around in the hallway with their doors open has inspiration striking because I’m not about to pass up the opportunity to be a pest.

I wiggle my fingers at him while crossing over the threshold before shouting back loudly, “à plus tard, Ollie !” Tossing some French his way since I know he doesn’t understand it despite my tutoring attempts. “Have fun with the roommates!”

And it takes him a minute to recover, but he comes back swinging just like I knew he would, “You too, Ophelia !” Hopefully easing his worries too. “I’ll miss you, baby sister!”

I grin.

Touché, big brother. Touché.