Page 94 of My Roommate from Hell
I explain myself to her as Zarmenus sips his drink.
“Who are you texting?” he asks.
“Ashley,” I say. We’re the only two in the kitchen. Still, I drop the volume of my voice. “I wanted some advice about things couples do in public. Not kissing, obviously, but, like, other stuff.”
Zarmenus reacts kind of strangely. His eyes widen, and he takes a small step away from me. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was nervous.
“Oh, sorry!”
I turn, not believing what is happening. Tyrell has just walked into the kitchen. He’s wearing a dark blazer and fits right in with the crowd. But since when does he hang out with these people?
“Hey,” he says as he gives me a hug.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Adam saw my stories onPoint Pressand invited me,” he says. “He said there was something he wanted me to know about you two. Any ideas what that could be?”
I have to stop myself from letting the shock show on my face. Is Adam trying to out us to Tyrell? He has to be; it’s the only thing that makes sense.
“The only thing Adam loves more than attention is drama,” says Zarmenus. “You can’t believe anything he says.”
“Yeah, I feel the same,” says Tyrell. “But I’d be a pretty horrible journalist if I didn’t at least hear him out. Anyway, I clearly interrupted, so I’ll give you two some space.”
As soon as he’s gone, I step closer to Zarmenus. “Adam’s going to tell Tyrell we’re lying.”
“Don’t worry,” he says. “We don’t know that yet. Let’s just stick to the plan, all right? What should we do?”
He’s right. We can’t stop Adam from talking to Tyrell, so the best strategy is to stick to the plan, which is to be the most convincing couple possible.
Back when Ashley and Jackson started dating, simply put, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They were never overly affectionate in public, but they did start randomly excusing themselves to do errands in a room with the door closed. It was obvious that they were hooking up, but I never called them out on it. I thought that was good best friend etiquette.
One time, the three of us saw a movie, and Jackson said he was going to the bathroom, and gave Ashley the most obvious look. She excused herself a few minutes later, then they conveniently both came back at the same time. It gives me an idea.
“We should pretend to make out in a bathroom,” I say.
He grins. “I’m in.”
Drinks in hand, we rejoin the party. Ashley messages me back:
Fun!!! Okay, longing stares, lingering touches, etc. YOU WANT TENSION! Oh btw I’m reading this book at the moment that you have to read! It’s about two wizards who hate each other then one accidentally drinks a love potion and chaos ensues. You’ll love it.
I pocket my phone. It’s good advice, and I will read that book. But I’ve got a plan.
We join a conversation that includes Adam and Tyrell. They’re talking about a Netflix documentary I haven’t watched yet, so I’m content listening. A few times, I catch Adam looking in our direction. I try not to make it obvious, but I stand a little closer to Zarmenus than I need to.
When there’s a lull in the conversation, I decide to make my move.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” I say, and I do my best to copy Jackson’s obvious look. It does turn a few heads as I go to the bathroom. I go inside, closing the door but not locking it, then I pace around in a circle. This confidence feels good, yes, but now it’s like the ground is shaky underneath me. Have I overshot? Am I really the kind of guy who does this?
A soft knock sounds on the door. I pull it open an inch, and find Zarmenus standing outside.
I let him in, closing the door behind him.
“Well,” he says. “What now?”
“Let’s wait,” I say. “They’ll get the message.”
“I think someone might’ve followed us. We need to be a little more convincing.”
