Chapter 5 #2
Avery: Hey, Sam, if you're still looking for a roommate, I'm in.
I heard the angels singing, and my chest exploded.
Fuuuuuuuuuck yeeeeeeeeees. I felt triumphant.
"What's with that Cheshire-cat smile?" Mom asked.
"You probably all remember Avery. We dated in high school. Anyway, to cut the story short, we’re both interested in the same loft. We’re going to be roommates for a while.”
The next few moments were downright comical. First, everyone sitting next to me stopped talking: Tate, Lexi, Liz, and Declan. Then the others fell silent, too, probably wondering why no one was saying a word.
"What's happening?" Luke asked. He was at the other end of the table.
"You dated? You’re moving in with your ex-girlfriend?" Paisley exclaimed.
"Paisley, she's a friend now," I said patiently. “It’s not what you’re all thinking. This is platonic.”
She scoffed. "My friends at school say there's no way you can be friends with an ex-boyfriend. It's forbidden."
"Your friends at school have ex-boyfriends?" Tate burst out.
I exchanged a glance with Lexi, who cringed. That train hit my brother without any warning, as I feared. I just didn't think it would happen so fast.
"We’re drifting off the point," Paisley said. "The focus was on Uncle Sam." She was surprisingly efficient as a moderator.
Tate wasn't saying anything else, but that could just be because he was too dazed. Everyone else turned to look at me.
"Son, are you sure that's a good idea?" Mom asked me. "You and Avery were very close. First loves don't just fade away."
I looked around the table. “Can we please continue what we were doing before? This is very awkward. I simply wanted everyone to know I’d be moving out of the hotel. It’s not up for debate.”
Tyler patted my shoulder. "Dude, I think you forgot how things happen in this family. Everybody discusses everything to death and offers you their opinion.”
“Everyone has already offered their opinion," I said.
“No, we haven’t,” Luke chimed in.
I looked straight at Declan, who, to my astonishment, said nothing. I didn't seem to be the only one weirded out by this. He was always the quickest to point out what could go wrong.
"What, no warning to give him?” Luke asked.
“I can't see any legal repercussions from this. Still not sure if it's a good idea."
"I don't need anyone to vote on it," I grumbled.
"Why do you even need a roommate?" Luke asked.
"I don't. We both showed our interest in the space simultaneously, and she needs a roommate. I like the loft—"
The look in his eyes was triumphant, and it derailed my train of thought. I didn't like it, but I didn't question it, because I honestly didn't want to know.
"Hmm. Well, I tend to agree with your mom," Kendra said. "It might not be the best of ideas."
"Unless…," Megan said.
"Unless what?" I asked.
"You’re planning to… you know. Get back with her." She wiggled her eyebrows. I liked her a lot. She was very feisty.
"Damn, I didn't think about that," Tyler said. “Are you?”
I burst out laughing. "God, I forgot what it was like with you all."
"Yeah, we should ease the guy in," Reese said. "We don't want to scare Sam off. He isn’t even in the WhatsApp group. Now we're suddenly overwhelming him with… I'm not even sure if I should call this advice."
“No, it's called opinionating," Paisley said confidently.
I smiled again. I was happy to be back, even though I'd lost my touch. I had no idea how to handle this conversation. Especially since the last time everyone butted into my life, my brothers had been single. Now I had twice as many opinions.
"This is good, Uncle Sam," Paisley said, "because you’ll get a female perspective on it."
"I wasn't even aware I needed a female perspective," I said. "Or any sort of perspective. But by all means, pitch in."
"Oh, we weren't going to stop," Tate said.
"Or ask for permission," Reese added.
"We were just taking a moment to process everything," Luke finished.
Duly noted. The Maxwell clan had sharpened their skills over the years, and I was playing catch-up. But not for long.
"Anyone care to share the story with me?" Lexi asked. "I don't believe I know it in full."
"And we can't offer our advice without knowing it," Megan agreed. “How long were you together? Was it serious?”
Gran looked at me before glancing at Paisley. Considering she knew the expression "balls dropping off," I couldn't see how my story would be worse for her ears.
"Avery and I dated for two years in high school."
"They were prom king and queen," Mom said. "And I honestly thought they’d marry right after college. But then they broke it off as soon as prom was over."
"Mom, would you like to tell the story?" I asked.
She ignored me and said, "But I don't know the whole story."
I swallowed hard, putting my fork down. I hadn't thought about that evening for years. Did I want to drag it all up?
"Her mom got sick, and she had to move out of the city to take care of her. Just before she left, she said it wouldn't make sense to keep dating while we were apart.” In the blink of an eye, things just ended. I'd wanted to be there for her, help her with her mom. But she categorically refused.
My chest constricted. Even after all these years, losing her felt like a punch to the gut.
"Okay, see that expression on his face? It tells me your mom is on to something," Lexi said in a fake whisper.
"Yeah, dude. Are you still mooning over her?" Tyler asked.
I stared at him. "I already agreed to this, and I'm not going to go back on my word, even if you’re disagreeing with me."
"Oh, we’re not disagreeing," Luke said. "We’re just going to enjoy watching you fall. Last Maxwell brother standing." He winked. "But not for long."