Page 74 of IOU

“I’m not calling you Murphy.”

I jump up from the table, eyeing the smile on Luke’s face. “I’m serious, Boss! I almost gave the man a heart attack. They legit had to stop his heart so he wouldn’t die right there in front of me.” I’ve been arguing with Boss that my mother should have named me Murphy since I literally define Murphy’s law.

“Tachycardia doesn’t develop from annoyance,” Boss adds all seriously. Which, he really isn’t ever silly, so what did I expect? “It was probably stress or an underlying condition.”

I shrug and sit back down, needing some coffee after waking up in bed with Maverick. Who, by the way, looked absolutely delectable all curled up with the three inches of sheet I shared with him. All the hard lines and angles looked softer in the morning light. It was as if he was at peace for once in his tense life.

“Maybe,” I agree. “He did mention something along those lines, but you have to admit, I have the worst luck with roommates lately.”

I say lately, but I’ve only ever had two roommates. One is a boyfriend-stealing, wannabe social influencer, and the other is a crabby, water drinking nerd who likes to scare the shit out of me on weekdays.

My chest clenches with the thought of moving out and away from Maverick. I really do like living with the scrooge. He shares most of his stuff with me—even the things he doesn’t know about—and he tucks in stuffed sea lions even when the owner of said sea lion is an asshole to him.

I felt so damn guilty when I crept back into the living room and saw Lawrence resting in my spot under a soft blanket, all I could think after that was what if he dies in this room? What if I lie here all night and my only friend’s heart stops, and I’m not there to help him?

I couldn’t let the last thing I said to him be nasty.

So I checked on him a few times.

And what do you know? His bed was way comfier than the sofa.

Sleeping hugged up next to Maverick was the best sleep I’ve had in months. Not to mention his arms are crazy strong, and his body puts out a massive amount of body heat.

“I bet it’s stress-related.”

My gaze snaps to Luke.

“My heart does crazy shit too when I get all pent-up,” he adds with a stupid smile on his face.

I start to laugh, but then Boss makes a low noise, and Luke’s chair moves back violently from the table as if someone kicked it.

“I’m serious.” He laughs, aiming his words at me and not Boss, who is still glaring holes in the guy. “Men’s bodies aren’t equipped to handle such stress. Didn’t you say he works a lot?”

“You think it’s blue balls causing all of this?” I’ve never thought of blue balls causing such physical reactions. I thought it was just a mental irritation.

“No,” Boss barks, startling me for a moment. “Luke is just messing with you.”

I narrow my eyes at Luke and sigh. “Is there anything I can do to help his condition, you think? Other than moving out?”

Boss watches me closely. “Did he ask you to stay?”

A short burst of a laugh barrels out of me. “No, but I’d like not to shorten his lifespan if I can help it. He’s been a pretty decent friend.”

Yeah, I said friend. Maverick wasn’t here to stop me.

“Just be yourself, kid,” is all Boss recommends, which is completely unhelpful.

Good thing I’m a problem solver.

When I get back home, the door is unlocked, and Maverick is awake, sitting on the sofa with Lawrence tucked away in the opposite corner. “You’re up,” I say lightly. “Feeling better?”

I head straight for the refrigerator. Kyle’s omelets were not great this morning, and I need to wash the taste out of my mouth with something other than his equally bad coffee.

“Tell me something,” he says as I root through more fresh produce than one college student should have. “Did you really pay $20.99 for this shit?” His tone borders on amused and horrified, and that causes me to snap up so fast that I bang my head on the top of the fridge.

Oh no.

Oh no.

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