He shook his head. "Nah, man. I was good in high school, but not good enough for college. I was one of those 'good-at-everything-but-not-great-at-any' kind of guys, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it."
"Anyway," he perked up, "this room here," he opened the door, "this is yours. I guess you could call it the master. It's the biggest one, has its own bathroom and little outdoor area. It's more rent than what we pay but you get that. Dimmy and I—we're kind of struggling at the moment, so as soon as you can move in—if you want to move in, that is—the better for us."
I walked into the empty room and looked around, then walked into the bathroom and did the same. It was more than decent.
I walked back to the hallway where Ethan stood. “I can move in right now." I told him. Anything that was worth packing was already in my car.
"Awesome, dude."
We shook hands and started walking to the front door.
"Uh, Logan?" Ethan said from behind me.
I turned to face him.
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous. "So, when I said that Dimmy and I were struggling—I wasn't kidding. I mean, she has a job, and so do I, but we need more hours. Anyway, we're a little behind—"
"Dude," I interrupted. "Whatever you need, man. It's fine. Just let me know."
He smiled and nodded, just as I heard the front door swing open. Ethan's voice filled the room. "Oh good, Dimmy. You're home. You can meet our new housemate, this is—"
"No. Fucking. Way." I heard a familiar voice.
I whipped my head to the front door, so fast I almost pull a muscle in my neck.
"No fucking way." She repeated, her head shaking from side to side. She looked from me to Ethan. "No E, no fucking way."
"What the hell?" Ethan said behind me. He walked to stand between us.
I think I was smiling, but I couldn't be sure. My heart thumped in my chest so hard, and so fast, I could feel it vibrating throughout my body.
"No, Ethan. Just no," she said.
Ethan looked from her to me, and back again. "We need the money Dimmy, it's either that or one of us go home. You decide."
Now I know I was grinning like an idiot because she was glaring at me, eyes narrowed.
My hands went in my front pockets as I took her in.
Amanda.
My eyes roamed her from head to toe. Her dark hair was up in one of those messy bun things, and she was wearing glasses. I didn't know she wore glasses, or contacts. They're those thick black frame hipster style ones, and they make her look fucking hot. She wore a tight long sleeve top that molded to her curves. She carried a yoga mat under her arm, and when my eyes moved lower down her body, I saw it.
She was wearing my sweatpants.
My cheeks began to hurt from the shit-eating grin I wore.
"Nice pants," I told her.
She looked confused for a second before she looked down. Her eyes widened as understanding dawned.
Then quickly, she threw the yoga mat onto the floor and ripped my pants off her legs. She stood in the living room in her top and panties.
I was getting turned on.
Pretty sure I'd be on her if her brother wasn't standing in between us.
"Fuck, Dimmy!" he yelled, eyes squeezed tight. He moved to the kitchen and ran the tap.
She threw the pants at my head and I instinctively caught them. She brushed past me and into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.
I looked to Ethan in the kitchen, he had the water running, his head under it, letting it flow into his eyes, like he was actually washing away the memory of what he'd just witnessed. "You need to fucking warn me when you do shit like that," he was yelling. I don't think he knew she wasn't here anymore. "I shouldn't have to see that shit."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Dude, she's gone."
He opened one eye and surveyed the room. When he knew it was safe, he opened the other. 'What the hell was that about?"
I shrugged. "Don't know. Your sister's obviously crazy." Lie.
"Don't let it deter you from moving in," he said, pointing at me. "You already agreed. Plus, she's not so bad. She stays in her room mostly."
He grabbed the keys off the hooks near the front door and slipped on his shoes. "I'm going to the store. You need anything?"
I shook my head.
Then he was out the door. And I stood in the living room of my new house.
One I shared with Amanda.
Amanda
After last night's embarrassing outburst I just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide out for, oh, I don't know, the rest of my existence. Give or take.
I know that it was just one night with him, and I know that it really shouldn't have broken my heart, but guess what? It did. And I've learnt to live with that.
Not seeing him for a year helped, I was over it.
I knew that going to college meant the occasional run in with him, especially since I was getting closer to Micky through Facebook, and once I got here and met Lucy, it was kind of inevitable. I was doing so well avoiding him, making sure that wherever I was, he wasn't. I'd even hung out with them in group situations when I knew he'd gone home for the weekend or had other things on. I made sure of it.
Yes, I could have given up their friendships, but I didn't want to. And really, I shouldn't have to.
So every day since I got here I was mentally self-fiving myself because I hadn't yet run in to him. It doesn't seem like a big deal, huge campus and all, but if you knew Logan Matthews, then you'd know the enormity of his presence alone.
Until that day in the library.
And when I saw him, it felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.
Not because I didn't expect to see him, because I knew I would eventually.
It was because I wasn't ready for all the emotions that would come with physically being around him.
It was like everything I had felt over the last year, but all at once. And it hurt. It was too much. I couldn't even look at him. And when Micky had asked if we'd met before, I lied.
I lied because I wanted to see if I could hurt him. If me playing dumb would have an effect on him. If he would feel anything to know, or at least think, that I didn't remember him. That it was just another night, and he was just another guy.
And I really didn't want to rehash the circumstances to which we met. At least, that's what I told myself.
But the truth? The truth is that I wanted to keep the memory of that night to myself. I didn't want to share it with anybody.
Because it was mine.
And because it was the best night of my entire life.
***
The last thing I expected to see when I came home tonight was him standing in my living room.
Logan Matthews.
The guy I'd spent a year trying to forget. The guy I spent every day trying to avoid. And here he was. My new housemate.
Unfortunately for me, Ethan was right. I had no choice. We needed the money or one of us had to quit college and go home.
***
I was already late for work so I was frantically going through my dresser, trying to find my uniform, when there was a knock on my door.
"Yeah?"
It was him. He walked in, closing the door behind him. Hands in his front pockets making the muscles on his neck and arms pop. He had that smug smile on his face.