Page 65 of Roommating

She tuts. “We can plan it around the summer schedule.”

“You’ve got something…” I point to her chin, where a bit of chocolate from her pain au chocolat has smeared.

She wipes it off with one motion. “Don’t change the subject.”

I chuckle. “If this were a rom-com you’d have missed the spot and your love interest would inevitably have to wipe it off for you, leading to a ‘will they or won’t they kiss’ moment.”

She freezes with her mug to her mouth. “Are you implying I’d be a shitty rom-com heroine due to my perfect coordination?”

I study her fondly. “In that outfit, you’d be perfect.”

She grins. “So… you’ll come with me?”

I shake my head. “Even if I didn’t have school, I can’t afford it. And if I take time off from work, I don’t get paid. It’s a lose-lose situation.”

Carley waves out the window at a toddler being pushed in a stroller, then turns back to me. “Except you’d see the world. With me. Win-fucking-win.”

I bite my tongue from arguing more. Carley has an answer for everything, but eventually she’ll tire out.Eventuallybeing the key word.

She pouts. “You’re only twenty-four and all you do is work, go to school, and study. When do you play?”

“I played with Adam last night,” I say, waggling my eyebrows.

I rushed home after my class and we had a quickie in my room. By the time Marcia got home from the co-op board meeting, we were fully dressed and on the couch discussingThe Hunger Games.

“Let’s table planningourtrip to Europe for now.” Her eyes twinkle. “And dish about Hot Grandson.”

My lips curl into a smile. “What do you want to know?”

She leans forward. “You’ve hooked up two nights in a row. It’s practically a relationship.”

I pick off a piece of my apple turnover. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s definitelynota relationship.”

“You’re allowed to have a strictly sexual relationship, you know. I want to keep it casual with Frank, so we only hook up once a week.” She taps my hand. “But whatdoyou want?”

I shrug. Based on everything I’ve learned about Adam in the months we’ve lived together, if we’d met under different circumstances—like if that message he sent me on Bumble had been real—I’m fairly certain I’d want to pursue something more than sex. Then again, “dating app” Adam and “roommate” Adam might not be the same person. You can write a phony or misleading dating profile and fake who you are over drinks, even dinner, but there’s only so much you can hide from the people you live with and, in our case, work with. But why am I even thinking about this? Ididn’tmeet Adam on Bumble. He’s Marcia’s grandson. A knot settles in my gut, though it might be carb overload. “I feel a little scandalous to be honest.”

Carley smiles big like this is great news.

I hold up a hand. “Not in aBridgertonsexy-scandalous way. I feel guilty… like I’m betraying the friendship and trust I’ve built with Marcia over the last almost year by sneaking behind her back to sleep with the grandson she’s just getting to know herself.” It’s thefirst time I’ve said it out loud, which makes it more real. I slink down in my chair.

Carley frowns. “What does Adam say about it?”

I fiddle with my napkin. “We haven’t discussed it. Between worrying about Marcia’s health and then sneaking around, there’s been no time to define the relationship. Although that would be premature even in a typical hookup situation, which this is not.”

Carley purses her lips. “So what’s your plan?”

I shrug. “There is no plan. I assume he’ll move out eventually and if we’re still—”

“Banging?”

I chuckle. “Right. If we haven’t gotten bored of each other by then, we’ll need to discuss next steps. But we’re not there yet.”

“Whenishe moving out? Wasn’t this supposed to be temporary? It’s been a couple months already.”

I recall what he said in bed about not yet having figured out what he wants to do next and focusing on his relationship with Marcia for now. “I don’t think he’s in any rush. And it’s gotten really fun lately, so neither am I!”

We laugh.

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