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.
I continued going through my dresser, until I found what I needed. I put the short shorts on, which I hate to admit, cover just about the same amount as my underwear.
He stayed silent.
When I looked up at him, his eyes were trained on my legs. "Do you mind?" I said.
"Nope." He just stood there, stupid smug smile still on his stupid smug face. "I don't mind one bit."
Then he took two steps forward until we were chest to chest
I looked at him confused, and then he brought his mouth down to mine, only I was faster this time and pushed him away before there was contact.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
He chuckled.
I hate that fucking chuckle.
"I'm late for work. I need to get dressed, get out!" I pointed to the door.
"I'm good here," he said.
Asshole. "Fine!"
I stripped my top off and got changed in front of him. I was wearing a sports bra so it wasn't a big deal. I didn't bother looking for his reaction as I went to my closet to change my shoes.
"Where do you work?" He followed me into the closet.
"Elliot's."
"You mean that sports bar near campus, the one where the girls wear those-" he cut himself off, looking at my uniform. "Oh," he said, nodding his head, eyes fixed on my boobs.
I cleared my throat.
He looked up.
Then two seconds later his mouth was on mine again.
I pushed him away. "Quit. Fucking. Kissing. Me!"
He laughed.
"I don't see how this is funny." I ran around my room, trying to get ready.
"Fine. I'll stop kissing you."
"Good! Thank you."
"On one condition."
I rolled my eyes. "And what's that?"
"You play a game with me."
I walked to him so we were face to face. "What game?" I was curious.
"Two truths for fifteen. I don't know if you remember-"
"I remember." I interrupted him. My voice softened. If this was what it was going to take to make sure there was no more physical contact between us in the future, I was willing to play. "Okay, but not today."
I brushed past him and out my bedroom door.
Logan
I watched her from just outside her room as she rushed to the front door, reaching for the keys on the hook, only they weren't there.
She had a look of confusion on her face, before opening the front door. "That asshole," she muttered under her breath.
She pulled out her phone, I assume, to call Ethan, who apparently didn't answer, according to the amount of curse words coming out of her mouth.
Finally, she glanced up at me, "Do you think you'd be able to give me a ride?"
She doesn't have a car? "What happened to your car?"
"Which car?"
"That red civic you had."
Her eyes widened in shock.
"How do you—never mind. I uh, I had to leave it with Mom. So can you? The ride, I mean?"
I opened the front door for her and led her to my car. I'd do pretty much anything this girl asked if it meant I got to spend even a second of my time with her.
***
I was familiar with the bar she worked at, so she didn't need to give directions, which meant the entire drive we sit in silence.
It was the type of uncomfortable silence that's deafening to your ears.
I pulled into a spot and turned to her. She was biting her lip, looking out the windshield.
You know how sometimes you remember someone, or something, and you close your eyes but you can't imagine them. Like, you can kind of make them out in your mind, but you can't see them? It was never that case with her. If I wanted to remember her, all I had to do was close my eyes and she'd be there. I'd always picture the way she threw her head back when she laughed. The sound was so infectious; you couldn't help but laugh with her. I remember everything about her. They way her lips felt against mine. The way my fingers felt linked with hers. The way her hair felt under my touch. Those fucking moaning sounds she made. I fucking remember everything about her. Everything. Clear as day. Perfect. In every fucking sense.
"I didn't know you wore glasses." I blurt out.
"Shit," she mumbled, going through her bag. She pulled out her contacts case, brought down the visor mirror and replaced her glasses with her contacts, blinking a few times when she was done. "I better get inside." She jerked her head to the front door.
I followed the movement and saw a bunch of guys hanging out the front. They were all drunk, cussing, and pushing each other around. She stepped out of the car, and I found myself doing the same.
I walked next to her, hands in my pockets.
"What are you doing?" she questioned, walking a bit closer to me as we passed the guys.
"I haven't eaten all day." I shrugged.
Plus, I've been here before, and I know how I treated the girls that worked here. I'm sure as shit not going to let some asshole treat her like that.
Logan
One of the guys from the team happened to be here, so we sat, totally by coincidence, on a table in Amanda's area. We ordered and ate together before he had to leave to get to his girlfriend’s dorm before her roommate came back.
Basically, he left to get laid.
Amanda was leaning on the bar; waiting for drinks, talking to the guy prepping them. He said something and she laughed, that same laugh I remembered so well. I eyed the guy that was laughing with her. And even though I had no right, I was jealous. Not because she was talking to him. Not even because they might be flirting with each other right now. But I was jealous because in my mind, those laughs belonged to me.
I walked up behind her and cleared my throat. The guy she was talking to stood to full height, squaring his shoulders when he saw me. Like I was a fucking threat to her.
She slowly turned around and looked up at me, "You all done?" She was actually smiling.
"Uh, yeah." I was still looking at the guy, who'd crossed his arms and was now staring me down. I felt a light tapping on my arm and tore my eyes away from that asshole to see Amanda's fingers on me, trying to get my attention. I brought my gaze to hers. "Yeah, I'm done. What time does your shift end?"
"Midnight."
I looked at my watch. Four hours to go. "I'll just wait here and give you a ride when you're done."
"What?" she said, laughing at me.
I don't know why. I didn't think it's funny.
"You can't wait, Logan. It's hours from now. What are you going to do here?"
"Dude," asshole bartender interrupted us. "My shift ends at the same time. I'll giver her a ride."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Amanda," I said, looking straight at him, "I'll take us home when you're done."
Instantly, I was being dragged by my arm into a random abandoned hallway.
She pushed me up against a wall, her tiny frame blocking me in. There was fire in her eyes.
I was getting turned on.
"Did you work it out?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?" My hand went out to touch her waist, because when she was this close, all I wanted to do was touch her.
She was too quick to swat it away.
"Did you work out whose d
ick was bigger?"
I chuckled.
Her eyebrows rose.
I moved in to kiss her.
She pushed me away. "Quit. Fucking. Kissing. Me!"
Then she turned in her spot and stormed off. Her short shorts showed off her amazingly toned legs.
Logan: I think I may have a problem.
Dad: If it's red, itchy or inflamed, come straight home and notify everyone.
Logan: Ha Ha. Seriously though, is there some sort of medical condition involved with the uncontrollable need to kiss someone?
Dad: Why are you asking this?
Logan: Because I can't quit kissing this girl.
Dad: No medical condition. Maybe you just like her.
Logan: That makes more sense. I thought for sure it was my body’s way of telling me something.
Dad: Like what? That maybe you more than like her?
Logan: You may be right.
I waited around until she was done, which surprisingly didn't drag on as much as I thought it would. She didn't argue when I told her I was staying, and no guys attempted to hit on her, so it was a win/win for me.
She was silent the drive home, and when I pulled up to the curb; I realized it was because she'd fallen asleep.
I nudged her, "We're home."
She started to blink, those big blue eyes trying to focus. When they finally did, they landed right on me. "I was so tired," she whispered, her voice scratchy.
"You want me to carry you in?"
She laughed through a yawn. "No, I'm okay." Her eyes started to close again.
"Amanda?"
"Yeah, Logan?"
"I really am sorry." Her eyes snapped open and fixed on mine. We sat there, staring at each other for so long, neither making a move to get out. I continued, "Last night...the things you said-"
"I can't," She shook her head. "I can't talk about this with you. Not now. Not yet. Okay?"
"Okay."
She moved to open her door and was halfway out when she turned to me, "Are you not coming in?"
"I uh, I don't have a bed. I was just gonna crash at Cam and Dylan's dorm," I finished on a yawn. I removed my cap, threw it in the back seat, and shook my hair out, trying to wake up.
"Oh yeah," she said, like she'd just remembered. "Wait. You drove me to work, stayed through my six hour shift, drove me home, and now you're basically driving back there to crash?"
I nodded
"That's stupid." She turned to face me. "I have one of those pullout beds under mine. You can uh...you can sleep there. I'll swap rooms with Ethan or something..." she trailed off.
I looked into the house; it was pitch black. "He's probably sleeping, don't wake him, it's fine. Honestly, Amanda." Another yawn broke through.
"You're too tired to drive." Her eyes met mine, before looking away. "Anyway, we're both mature adults. I'm sure we can stay in the same room without killing each other, right?"
I smiled at her. "Right."
***
She made up my bed and went to the bathroom. We hadn't said a word to each other since we came in. I stood in her room awkwardly and waited until she came back.
She'd changed into a high school football jersey; it was three or four sizes too big. I automatically wondered who it belonged to.
She got into her bed and pulled the covers over her. She avoided looking at me.
"Are you getting into bed?" she whispered.
I didn't answer right away, because all I could think about was getting in there with her.
"Logan?"
"Huh?" I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Yeah. Sorry."
She giggled.
I shrugged out of my jeans and pulled my shirt off.
She stopped giggling immediately. Her eyes huge, staring at my body.
"Busted!" I whispered.
She gasped. "Get in your bed so I can turned the light off, Asshole."
"I totally caught you eye-licking me."
"Shut up!" she said, but she was smiling, too.
I started to get into the bed, which was practically on the floor. "You totally want me." I smiled to myself.
"Correction, Logan," she said quietly, her tone serious. "I totally did want you. A long, long time ago."
What the hell do you say to that? I stayed silent, until I realized my entire body was shivering from the cold and the blanket she gave me didn't even cover half of it.
"I'm cold." I huffed out.
"Well, that explains your size misfortune." She chuckled.
I could't help but laugh.
"Seriously, turn the light on. I need to fix this poor excuse of a blanket you gave me." We were both whispering, giggling quietly.
She turned the light on and I looked down at myself.
She cracked up laughing.
"You want to explain to me why I'm sleeping under a Hello Kitty blanket made for an infant?"
She laughed harder, rolling around in her bed. She manages to stop, only to look down at me, and laughed again.
"This isn't funny!" I tried to keep a straight face, but her laugh was so infectious. "Look!" I motioned my head to the blanket on my chest. I pulled it up to my neck, and it ended just below my boxers. I pulled it down past my feet, it ended just above them. I did this a few times, because each time I do it, she laughs harder.
She finally calmed herself down enough to speak, "It's all I had." She laughed into her pillow.
I came to a stand and looked around the room.
She was still laughing.
"There's probably something in my car I can use. Anything has to be better than a Hello Kitty rag." I picked up my jeans and went through my pockets, looking for my keys.
"Don't be stupid," she said, still giggling. She lifted one side of the covers and motioned for me to get in. "Don't get any ideas. And don't touch me. Like, at all."
I smiled huge, and got into bed with her.
"I mean it. Don't touch me," she said, scooting to the other side of the bed.
"Okay," I returned, moving closer in and spooning her.
She didn't stop me.
And that's how we fell asleep, with her back against my chest, and my arms wrapped around her around her.
SIXTEEN
Logan
"Dimmy!"
I got pushed out of a warm bed and onto the floor, landing with a thud, which fucking hurt.
When I opened my eyes, she was leaning over the bed, looking down at me. Her eyes were wide, her hand covering her laugh.
"Dimmy!" Ethan called again.
It was morning.
"Yeah!" she replied, her index finger over her lips telling me to be quiet. Like I could freaking talk over the pain searing through my body right now. "I'm getting ready for class, you have the day off, yeah? You don't need a ride?"
"Yeah, I'm good," she yelled back, containing in her laugh.
"Have you seen Logan? He didn't come home last night. I hope you didn't freak him out and he changed his mind."
"Who cares!" she yelled, smiling right at me. "Fuck him. He's an asshole!"
I shook my head at her, and then pulled her by her jersey until she landed on top of me.
"You're so mean," I whispered in her ear, then started tickling her sides.
She squealed and started squirming, trying to get out of my hold.
Then we both froze abruptly, because I was hard, and she could feel it.
"Get dressed, climb out the window, and then knock on the front door."
Then she was off me and walking out of the room.
Climb out the fucking window? What am I? Fourteen?
I did it anyway, because like I said; my balls—her pockets.
Ten minutes later we were all seated and having breakfast.
"I gotta go buy some shit today, you guys need anything?" I asked.
"What kind of shit?" Ethan said with a mouth full of cereal.
I tried to make
a list in my head. "Everything. I guess I need all the furniture for my room, bathroom stuff. I need to buy a new computer and stereo system. Shit...everything."
"It is true!" Ethan barked out. "One of my boys told me your room at the house got trashed. He said a bunch of guys went there and did some damage. You screwed the wrong guy’s sister one too many times or something?"
Amanda's eyes bugged out as she choked on her food. She got up and made her way to the sink.
Ethan eyed her like she was crazy. "Anyway," he continued, "you should take Dimmy with you, she loves shopping for that kind of stuff. She has an eye for it, you know?" Then he looked over at her. "Oh hey, maybe Luca will be working at the Apple store. He's been asking about you again. Just put the kid out of his misery and go out with him already." He got up and washed his bowl. "I'm out, I'll see you guys tonight."
***
She was wiping down the counter, when I approached her. "So, can you come with me today? I mean, if you don't have plans. I could really use the help." I hoped to God she said yes. I'd do whatever she wanted if it meant that I could spend the day with her.
She turned around and faces me. "Two truths for fifteen time?"
I smiled at her. She remembered. I nodded my head and jumped up on the counter, waiting for her question.
"Is it true? They trashed your room because you couldn't keep your dick in your pants?"
I shrugged. "I guess. I didn't really hang around to find out." I hated that she knew that.
I waited for more, but she didn't say anything else. So it was my turn, "Where were you last year? I looked around for you but I—"
She interrupted before I could finish, "I had to stay home. Well, one of us had to, so I did."
She started to walk away but I held her back with a grip on her arm. "It's called two truths for fifteen. We need to talk about it for fifteen minutes, remember?"
She nodded, and inhaled deeply, "Some shit went down at home. I guess Mom found out Dad had been cheating on her since, well, forever." She shrugged like it was no big deal. "Mom—she kind of lost it. Got into drinking, heavily. She lost her job, her car, nearly the house. Dad took everything worth anything and just bailed with his latest mistress. He hasn't looked back. So it was tough times. I stayed and worked full time, studied at the community college when I could. Helped Mom with whatever she needed."