Chapter 8
Dean
My car purred. Purred instead of performing death metal vocals. It had never sounded like this, not even when I got it. Granted, I gave the guy five hundred for it, knowing it was a piece of junk, but it had functioned well enough for a couple of years.
It smelled clean in here. I didn’t keep the thing dirty, but it was old and you could tell. The upholstery was lighter and the floors were spotless. When I ran my fingers over the dash, they came back dust-free.
Music filled the space for the first time, coming from a brand-new radio that had Bluetooth. With my playlist coming through the speakers, the drive to Oliver’s place seemed to fly by.
As soon as I shut off the engine, I looked around the interior of the car. This must have cost a fortune. I didn’t care what kind of money Brooks had. It was too much.
I didn’t know if I was angry about it or emotional. Both, maybe. I hated that he’d taken it upon himself to fix my car, leaving me no option to decline. Then, he went and acted like an asshole.
Shaking my head, I got out of the car. That situation was in my rearview now. If Tilian wanted to continue pursuing something with him, that was on him, but I was moving on. This was a brand new chapter in my life.
Oliver was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. The way he watched me approach put me on edge. I knew he was studying psychology, but he didn’t have to act like it. The perceptive look in his eyes made me wonder what he saw, though.
“How was the drive?” he asked.
“Better than paying to sit in a Prius with a stranger.”
“I bet.” We started up the steps, and while we walked, he tapped his fingers on his leg. Just as he put his key in the door, he looked at me. “I know you have a car and all, but I was wondering—”
The door flew open, making him jerk backward, releasing the key that was still in the lock. His eyes were wide, and as the seconds passed, he looked completely frozen.
Shifting my gaze away from him, I studied the guy at the door.
His lips quirked, and his eyes were alight with amusement.
They were the same brown as his chin-length hair, which bounced as he broke into laughter.
It drew my attention to the hoop on his left nostril and the one in the middle of his lip.
“God, Oli, you really got spooked.”
Snapping back to himself, Oliver shook his head and pushed past him into the house. The other guy followed, and I came in last. After closing the door, I watched them stare at each other in the living room. It was like a standoff, but I didn’t know if they were about to fight or not.
Another few seconds passed, then Oliver dropped his forehead onto his fingers. He laughed, his shoulders shaking with the movement. “I told you I’m busy, Remi.”
Remi shrugged and leaned against the wall casually. “Busy just means you need a little extra convincing to make bad decisions.”
“I still don’t know how you run a successful business.”
“I’m a damn prodigy. When I’m a millionaire, you can say you watched me come up.”
Oliver shook his head, then dropped his arm. When he looked at me, he grimaced. “Dean, this is Remi. He’s a menace, but in a lovable way. Sometimes.”
Remi’s gaze went from my face down to my toes. He must’ve noticed me before, but he hadn’t so much as looked at me until now. His expression was unreadable, like an expertly carved mask.
“Dean, huh?” He pushed away from the wall and held out his hand. “Am I interrupting a study session?”
Since I was taught to always shake a man’s hand when I met him, I set my box on the floor, then gripped Remi’s hand tightly. “Not interrupting anything.”
His eyes went to the box. His brow pinched just slightly, then he looked at the other one that Oliver had set on the counter. Finally, his gaze went to my bags.
“Hm. A really weird sleepover?” he guessed.
Oliver came up beside him, drawing Remi’s attention. I was glad to have it off of me, but I still felt like a bug under a microscope.
“He’s moving in,” Oliver said. It sounded normal coming from him, as if this were just any old Thursday evening.
“Moving in?” Remi frowned. “You didn’t tell me.”
Oliver breathed a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “I wasn’t sure he’d follow through, actually.” He shot me an apologetic expression. “You were sort of squirrely about it.”
I shrugged. “I went back and forth on it, honestly.”
A smile curved his lips. “See? My instincts were spot-on.”
“Must be why you hounded me about it.”
He scoffed. “I did not hound you. I checked in.”
“By showing up at my door, even when you have my number. How’d you know where I live anyway?”
He blinked twice, then his eyes darted to the left. “I’m a connoisseur of information.”
I wanted to push for a better answer, but I could feel eyes on me. Looking at Remi, I raised a brow. He didn’t back down. Not even a little.
What the hell was this guy’s problem? I thought Oliver was weird, but apparently the company he kept blew that idea out of the water.
Oliver thrust his arms above his head suddenly, letting out a loud groan as he stretched. “I gotta piss. Remi, can you get that box into Dean’s room?”
He flashed his buddy a grin before he scampered off into the bathroom.
Once the door closed, awkwardness fell in the room like a thousand-pound hammer.
Deciding it wasn’t worth suffering through, I grabbed my box off the floor and headed into the bedroom.
I set it on the bed, then Remi came up beside me and placed the other one there.
“Thanks,” I said.
He just grunted.
As I dropped my bags on the floor, I was aware of him watching me. My skin prickled, and I had the urge to demand to know what his problem was.
“So, you guys have known each other for a while,” I ventured. “You best friends or . . .”
“Brothers.”
I nodded and unzipped my duffel. “Cool, cool. Makes sense.”
It didn’t really make sense. I assumed he was using the term figuratively, more bond than biology.
“Well, I don’t think I need help unpacking,” I said when he continued to linger.
The bathroom door opened into my room, and Oliver came out, looking ready to . . . I didn’t really know. Maybe he was one of those up for anything kind of guys.
He clapped Remi on the shoulder with a grin. “So, new adventures. Crazy, huh?”
Remi’s expression softened remarkably. “Yeah, man. Going from living alone to having a roommate is an interesting move.”
“The status quo is boring. So, did you want to game?” Oliver glanced at me uncertainly. “Maybe after Dean gets settled . . .”
I shook my head. “I’m good. Go ahead and do your thing.”
He bit the corner of his lip. After a second, he released it. “You sure?”
“It’s just a couple boxes. I’m probably gonna shower and tuck in early anyway.”
“For sure. If you wanna join us when you’re done, we don’t bite.”
I was about to respond, but Remi spoke up. “Think we can head to my place?”
“But you’re already here.”
“I came here to drag you out. My setup is better.”
The uncertainty returned to Oliver’s face, but he nodded. “I’ll meet you out there.”
Remi didn’t hesitate to leave the room. I breathed a laugh as I continued to unload my clothes. If he came around a lot, it might be worse than dealing with Jay’s shitty attitude.
“You’re sure you don’t mind?” Oliver asked, coming closer. “I can tell him I’m staying in.”
“Nah, I’m cool. Really.”
“Okay . . .”
When he went silent, I glanced at him. He was running his fingers over the comforter, tracing the pattern absently. Noticing that I was watching him, he pulled his hand back.
“I can bring dinner when I come back.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. Like I said, I’ll probably go to sleep early.”
“Yeah, okay. Uh, I’ll shoot you Remi’s address.”
“Why?”
He lifted one shoulder. “In case you feel like coming by. Games. Snacks. He’s bound to have beer or something if you’re into that.”
“I’ll let you know if I feel like it when I’m finished.”
His awkward demeanor shifted, and he smiled wide. “Awesome. I had a key made for you. It’s in the kitchen.”
“Sounds good.”
With a two-finger salute, he backed out of the room. Once I heard the front door close, I laughed a little. The guy was odd, but maybe he was a little bit endearing.
Heading into the kitchen, I checked the counter. There was a black key there, laying on top of a piece of paper. I leaned back against the fridge while I scanned it.
I paused, wondering why anything would be expired. Then, I wondered what the hell a Kakarot was. As I looked at the little drawings he’d made, I decided I probably didn’t want to know.
Something about the note made me wonder if I should put in a little bit of effort, considering we’d be living together. He seemed to want me to swing by Remi’s place, but I wasn’t keen on that. Not at all.
Well, maybe I’d ask him his favorite color or something. That was what friend-ish people did.
Then again, I didn’t know Tilian’s favorite color. Probably green. I didn’t know Linc’s either. Or Rick’s. Or West’s. Or Kai’s.
Hm. Was I a bad friend? What a weird way to come to that conclusion.