Chapter 6 Sloane
Sloane
Then
“Your mom sounds like a real sweetheart.”
I scrunch my nose at Eric as I slide my phone back into my pocket.
The sarcasm in his voice is as evident as my aggravation with my mother and her sudden interest in parenting.
After eighteen years of ignoring me and pawning me off on every nanny, housekeeper, and seemingly competent person within a five-mile radius, she’s decided that now—when I’m living on campus and trying to carve out some semblance of an independent existence—is the time for her to get in touch with her maternal instincts.
And all you had to do to get her attention was cut loose for one night.
One night where I did what I wanted when I wanted.
One night where I made decisions and didn’t worry about how it reflected on my family or what it said about my worth as a woman in society.
One night where I was free and blissfully unaware of the ramifications I would still be facing months later.
And all of the aggravation and nagging would’ve been worth it if I could remember more than a few bits and pieces of it.
I toss myself back on Eric’s bed and frown up at the ceiling. Phone calls with my mom always leave me agitated and spoiling for a fight, and I don’t want to direct any of that at him. “She’s a monster.”
“True, but that doesn’t mean you have to let it ruin your day.”
He lies down beside me, forcing me to turn on my side to accommodate his wide frame on the twin-sized mattress, and an easy grin stretches across his face. It’s all dimples and straight white teeth surrounded by full lips that make me want to spend all my time kissing him.
We’ve only been dating for a few months, but I already feel safe and at home with him in a way I never have with anyone else. He just has this calming energy around him. A serene aura I want to soak into my bones until letting things roll off of my back comes to me as easily as it does to him.
“You’re right.” I scoot closer to him and tip my mouth up for a kiss, which he happily gives. “I’d much rather spend the rest of my afternoon kissing you.”
“Mm-hmm. That sounds like a plan.” He gives me another short peck before breaking the kiss to look at his phone. “One we’ll have to make a reality as soon as I get my clothes out of the dryer. I’ll be right back.”
He’s off of the bed and bounding out of the door before I get the chance to sit up all the way.
The door snaps closed behind him, leaving me with nothing but silence and the leftover agitation from my mom to keep me company.
I lie back down and close my eyes, hoping to shake off the last vestige of irritation before Eric gets back.
A few moments later, when my breathing has evened out and I feel as close to chill as I’m going to get, I hear the key in the lock and the faint sounds of the doorknob turning that let me know Eric’s back.
His heavy footsteps ring out against the tile floor, stopping short at the foot of the bed. I can’t stop the goofy smile that takes over my face as I imagine him standing over me.
“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to finish what you started before you abandoned me for laundry?”
“Wrong guy.”
My eyes fly open, and I sit up when I see the tall, male figure looming over me, a deep frown marring his features as he watches me process his words with rapt curiosity. His voice is still ringing in my ears when I swing my legs over the side of Eric’s bed and stand. I regret the move instantly.
The walkway between the beds is narrow, and his big frame is already taking up most of it.
He stares down at me, and for a second he looks like he isn’t going to do the proper thing and back up a little, but eventually he does.
With his eyes still on me, he takes a seat on the bed on the other side of the room.
“Oh my God.” I hold my hand over my racing heart and try to arrange my body in a more suitable position. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“All I did was walk into my room.”
“Yes, but you could have announced yourself.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “Why would I do that? This is my room.”
His room. Of course. My startled mind finally catches up to reality, recalling the sound of the key in the door and the confident way he moved around the room.
This must be Dominic. Eric’s best friend and roommate, who I haven’t so much as laid an eye on since we started dating.
The only thing I know about the guy is he became friends with Eric and his twin sister, Mallory, when they were young and they’ve been joined at the hip ever since.
Usually, this information would be enough to make me change course and try to make a good impression, but there’s something adversarial about his tone that lets me know it won’t matter.
“Right, but there’s always the possibility your roommate could have company.”
He rolls his eyes. “My roommate has spent more time in your bed than his own in the last few months, so I tend not to worry about who I might find in a room I usually have to myself.”
The mention of the time Eric has spent in my bed is accurate since, thanks to my mother, I’m one of the only freshmen on campus with a single room, but his words still make me blush.
They seem to be dripping with equal parts innuendo and disdain.
Like he’s intrigued and disgusted at the idea of his best friend spending time with me.
“I—”
“Nic!” Eric yells as he walks through the door, dropping his basket of freshly laundered clothes to go hug his best friend. “I thought you were in class, man.”
“I was supposed to be,” Dominic says, clapping Eric on the back with his eyes still on me. “My lab got canceled, so I came back here.”
“Lucky bastard, my labs never get canceled.”
Eric crosses the room and wraps his arms around my shoulders, hugging me to him and pressing a kiss to my forehead that makes Dominic’s eyes flare. God, what is this guy’s problem?
“Yeah.” Dominic lifts both of his eyebrows. His gaze darkens as I lean into Eric’s touch. “I’m the lucky one. You’re the one spending the whole afternoon laid up with… Sorry, what was your name again?”
“Stop being an ass.” Eric laughs, flashing me a reassuring smile. “He knows who you are, babe. I guess spending too many nights alone in this room has made him forget his manners.”
“Right.” Or maybe he’s decided to hate my guts based on a five-second interaction.
Except that sounds kind of dramatic, so I push the thought down and force myself to smile back. It must be a little shaky though, because Eric spins us around, turning his back on his friend and facing me with concern etched in his features.
“What’s the matter? Your mom didn’t call back again, did she?”
“No. I’m fine.”
I can’t stop myself from looking over Eric’s shoulder at Dominic to see what he thinks of this little exchange.
I half expect him to be fighting back a laugh or on the verge of telling me I’m not good enough for his best friend, but he’s not paying any attention to us.
His long legs are stretched across his bed, his feet kicked up, and there are headphones in his ears as he scrolls through his phone.
When I look back at Eric, he doesn’t look convinced but thankfully doesn’t press further.
“Alright, let’s go back to your room then.”
“Okay.”
It takes us all of five minutes to pack up our things, and Dominic ignores me the whole time.
He makes small talk with Eric about the trip they’re planning to make to his mom’s house this weekend and doesn’t even blink in my direction until right before we’re about to walk out the door, when he pins me with a hard stare and says:
“Nice to meet you, Sloane.”