Page 21 of The Roommate Game

I fluffed a throw pillow to give my hands something to do. This entire exchange was weird. Very weird.

“This isn’t about sex.”

“Everything leads there anyway, so why not?”

I threw the pillow at Gus’s head, grumbling as he caught it and waggled his brows.

“And what does any of that A, B, C scenario have to do with Eli?”

“He’s a guy looking for a signal from someone he’s attracted to, Captain Oblivious. That’s you, by the way. Eli likes you, but doesn’t know how to read you. Or maybe he doesn’t know how to behave with a scenario-C gentleman such as yourself. That’s where I come in.”

“This is preposterous, but you might as well keep going.” I flopped onto the sofa, letting the weight of the day pull me into the too-soft cushions.

Gus perched on the opposite side and faced me. “You want him to call you, set up a dinner date in advance, buy you flowers?—”

“I don’t need flowers.”

“No, but you want ’em. Admit it. Nothing over the top. No roses for you. I bet you like sunflowers.”

“I—yes, I do.”

“Knew it.” He flashed a wicked smile, tossing the pillow back at me. “See where I’m going with this? I’ll coach you and help you read his signals.”

“Coach me? Wow…that’s truly convoluted yet shockingly thoughtful. Thank you for thinking of me.”

“No problem.”

“However, you forgot that he’s interested in you too, and?—”

“Not anymore. I told him I’m seeing someone.”

I frowned. “Are you?”

“No, but you like him and I respect that. And let’s be real. The only reason I’m on Eli’s radar is because he knows I fit in the A-to-B scenario. No dinner or flowers required,” he replied matter-of-factly. “We could go straight to pound town.”

“God, you’re disgusting.”

Gus’s grin widened to epic proportions. “Attraction is easy. Sex is easy. Our buddy Eli doesn’t want to hold my pinky, but my dick is?—”

“Stop.” I launched across the sofa and flattened the throw pillow over his face.

He batted me away like a fly, laughing. “All right, all right. You get the point.”

“I do. However, I’m not desperate, and I’m not so hung up on Eli that I need outside help to bend him to my will. If it’s not meant to be, that’s okay.”

I meant every word. Gus’s earnest apology and odd take on mending fences was sweet but totally unnecessary.

“Maybe itismeant to be. The finger action is a clue to?—”

“I told you not to say that. It’s nasty.”

He made a lewd gesture with two fingers, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “He likes you, Rafe. Go get him. That’s all.”

I narrowed my gaze. “You think so? Don’t answer. That’s too high school.”

“I do. I’m good at anal-o-gizing.” Yes, he emphasized anal.

“Analo-gizing,” I corrected automatically, raking a thumb along the cushion seam. I must have been in a more dire frame of mind than I’d thought, because suddenly Gus’s suggestion didn’t sound downright mortifying.