Page 89 of Not Dating Material

While Monopoly Mondays are good fun, they’re a bit too competitive for me. Gabe stops by for them occasionally, and whenever he’s here, I get that feeling of being the outsider again. He’s friendly, and the others don’t treat me any differently, so I know the feeling is solely on me, but they all have a connection I couldn’t hope to build. Most of the time, I get out first and end up sitting with Xander while Madden and Seven battle it out for the win.

This should be more my speed. I have food Auntie Agatha helped me cook and one giant-ass puzzle that should keep us going all night. I like the calm connection I built with Seven the night we did one together, so I’m hoping for the same vibes here.

No smack-talking, just love.

Unfortunately, I overestimated my roommates.

“Dude, no, you start with the edges first,” Seven says, smacking Madden’s hand away.

“You’re wrong. You’ve gotta color match.”

“You’re both cheating,” Rush says, shouldering his way between them and flipping the box lid facedown. “If you have the picture, it’s a guide. It doesn’t matter where you start because you can just follow that.”

“You want us to do this thing blind?” Seven snaps. “It’s five thousand pieces.”

“His idea is about as dumb as yours,” Madden sings.

I bite my lip, equal parts frustrated and amused. So much for peace and love. I thought Monopoly was the culprit, but turns out it’s all them.

Xander drags his chair over next to mine and curls up in the seat. “It was a good idea, in theory.”

“You know, I thought there’d be less …” I wave my hand over them. “That.”

“Madden might not play sports anymore, but he’s still a jock at heart. Competitive as fuck. And while Seven likes to pretend that he enjoys challenging him, that’s not why he’s like this.”

“Why is he?”

Xander shrugs. “He just never learned how to stop fighting, I guess.”

“Fighting … what?”

He’s quiet for a moment, rubbing his thumb back and forth over his knuckles. “Everything.”

I think back to how Seven was that night I found him last week. He and Xander have a story, I get that, but they’ve clearly been through some things I’d never be able to imagine. While I’m curious as hell about it, it’s also something that I know not to push on, and honestly, I’m probably better off not knowing. I already feel a lot for Seven, and Xander is someone I felt close to instantly; thinking of anything bad happening to either of them makes me want to throw something.

Since I found Seven in his office that night, I’ve been checking up on him. He doesn’t know, and I’d never tell him, but I set my alarm for just after midnight every night, tiptoe down the hall, and press my ear to his door to see if I can hear him breathing inside. Then I tiptoe back to bed.

I’m not even sure why I feel like it’s on me to do it; I just know that I never want him to feel alone again.

“What’s Seven’s favorite thing?” I ask Xander.

“Me.”

Of course that’s his answer. “Well, since I can’t take you on our date, what’s his second favorite thing?”

“Well, that’s easy. Kill Diver.”

“The movie? Seriously?”

“It’s not just a movie. It’s a video game too. And there’s this whole online—you know what? You should ask him about it.”

“But then it won’t be a date surprise.”

“Dress up as Pilot Markie, and he’ll nut in his pants.”

“Who the fuck is Pilot Markie?”

“The guy Seven’s been boy-band-level obsessed with since he was a kid.”

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