Chapter 20
Charlotte
Not much of my stuff survived. I didn't actually get to see the state of my old room, because the firefighters only allowed one person per dorm and Ethan insisted on going.
The box he brought back had a few shoes and clothes that were at the bottom of my closet and hadn't caught fire, but they were soaked by the firefighters' water and smelled horrible.
My computer was a tiny bit scorched on the lid and had also gotten wet, but there was some chance of fixing it, which already made me really happy.
My bathroom was barely touched and I hugged my hair and skin products like they were the greatest treasures.
But I cried a little at the news that my favorite teddy bear, books, and Kindle hadn't survived.
Maddie wasn't as lucky with the bathroom, but her closet had held up almost entirely and I've never seen a human being so happy holding their favorite pair of boots. Her tablet also had a chance of being fixed once it dried out.
We talked about the housing situation and decided to wait for the university to make an announcement and see if there was any chance of relocation to another dorm. For now she'd stay at the fraternity with Zac and I'd keep on with the guys.
We got back to the apartment after dropping the equipment off for repair, and I go straight to the laundry room to put all my clothes through the wash. I set it to the longest possible cycle to see if the smell of soot comes out.
I organize the things I brought into the closet and bathroom and take a princess bath with my favorite soap. While I'm getting changed, I get a notification and stop to look.
Logan Hayes added you to a group called "1's too few, 2's good, 3's the best"
Logan: Drown in the tub, Pinkie?
Me: If I had I wouldn't be answering, would I, Lil Logan?
Logan: Lil Logan? Seriously? There's nothing "lil" about me
Ethan: Including the ego
Me: If you're going to give me a diminutive nickname, I'm going to give you one too
Logan: But Pinkie is cute. Lil Logan is a boner-killer
Me: And what do you suggest?
Ethan: I'm fully in favor of Lil Logan
Me: It's decided, then
I laugh to myself in my room and finish putting on a pair of sweatpants and the T-shirt I got from the college. It's huge on me, but it's super comfortable.
I grab my phone again and walk out of the room. The pair of players are sprawled on the couch with their feet on the coffee table. There's only one empty spot between them, so I jump over Ethan's legs and take the seat. His arm goes around my shoulders instantly and I snuggle into him.
A little voice in the back of my mind reminds me this is kind of a couples thing, but I choose to ignore it. I went through a trauma, I deserve a few days of neediness.
"What are you two going to watch?" I ask Logan, who has the remote, quickly scrolling through options on a streaming service.
"I don't know yet, I'm seeing if there's anything interesting," he answers without paying much attention, and I raise an eyebrow, considering how he can think about what he wants to watch scrolling through everything that fast.
"What do you like to watch, Peach? I don't think I ever asked." Ethan speaks up again and I turn my face to look at him.
"First of all: Peach?" I question the new nickname with a puzzled face. He brushes his hand over my cheek before answering.
"Yeah, I thought peach would suit you. Pink, soft, and sweet." The rather adorable explanation makes me blush.
"Okay, I'll accept it because I thought it was cute," I state, and he smiles before taking his hand off my face. Logan glances at us sideways.
"I thought it was because of Princess Peach from Mario Bros," he remarks, and I frown.
"She doesn't have pink hair."
"Yeah, but it's also the only thing about her that isn't pink. It'd still suit you."
"Why? Do I look like someone who needs rescuing?"
"Now that you mention it, we kind of rescued you after you ended up homeless," he shoots back, and I open my mouth.
"Hey! You two offered!"
He laughs and makes a dismissive gesture with his hand.
"I know. But you know what, I liked it? I'm going to switch your nickname from Pinkie to princess, what do you think?" he offers, and I huff.
"I'm not a fan of either one."
"Option unavailable," he claims, and I shoot him a look that says "you're terrible, aren't you?"
"Ugh, I'll take princess, then. Pinkie is too ridiculous," I choose, and he winks at me in approval.
"Deal, damsel in distress," he says, and I roll my eyes.
"Wait, and how am I going to nickname you two?"
"Hunk? Thor's double?" the clown suggests, and I hurl a couch cushion at him, which he barely dodges.
"If he's Thor, I want to be Batman." Ethan joins the game, and I smack his thigh without mercy.
"I'm being serious! What do people usually call you?"
"By our last names, usually. In school they sometimes called me Tanny or Tan," the dark-haired guy finally answers my question, and I nod in approval. "And him Loey."
"Loey and Tanny. Both cute, I like them."
Logan huffs.
"Doesn't match my strong, masculine athlete vibe, but I'll make this exception for you, princess," the blond complains, and I shrug.
"Okay, nicknames settled, we can go back to looking for something to watch. Tell us what you like to watch," Ethan repeats the question, and I think for a few seconds.
"Hmm... basically crime, firefighter, or medical shows, like Criminal Minds, 911, and Chicago Fire.
But when I don't want to think too much, I like to leave those cooking competition shows on.
I love chef Gordon yelling at people, it's strangely fun," I say, and Ethan laughs at the same time as Logan stops what he's doing to look at me with judgment.
"Hey, don't judge if you haven't watched it! "
"I'm not judging... Not much, at least. It's just peculiar," the blond answers, and I stick my tongue out at him.
"I'll have to agree," Ethan adds, and I pinch his knee in reprimand, which only makes him laugh more.
"And you two, you grumps, what do you watch?"
"I don't keep up with much lately, when I get a little free time I'd rather game," the dark-haired guy reveals. "But I like The Boys, The Last of Us, and Sons of Anarchy, for example."
"Interesting. The Last of Us I want to watch, but I'll only do it when more seasons are out, I hate waiting around for half a dozen episodes," I complain, and Ethan murmurs a "yeah."
"We watch those together and I like them too. But I've also got Dark and Peaky Blinders among my favorites." It's Logan's turn to share, and I focus my attention on him.
"Cult stuff. But pretty predictable," I remark, and the player frowns.
"What do you mean predictable?"
I shrug.
"You know, all those shows scream 'guy stuff.' Kind of cliché." Logan opens his mouth to fire back, but Ethan is quicker.
"And isn't it cliché for girls to like crime shows?" he says, squeezing my thigh, and I let out a little laugh.
"Yeah... maybe it is. I also listen to true crime podcasts sometimes," I admit, and Logan looks at me like I'm kind of crazy.
"I've hooked up with plenty of girls addicted to that. What's the fascination with the subject?"
"I can't explain it, it just... keeps me curious."
Logan shakes his head like I don't make any sense and turns his attention back to the TV.
"Why don't we all step out of our comfort zone today? Pick a show that wouldn't be any of our first choice," Ethan suggests.
"Hm, I'm in." My quick answer earns me another squeeze on the thigh. I don't know if it was such a good thing having this big, warm hand of Ethan's touching me all the time. Pretty soon I'd start wanting to ask him to move that hand up.
I chase away the shameless thoughts when Logan says:
"Let's count to ten while I scroll down through the options. Whichever one we stop on is the one we watch," he decides, and we go along with it.
The little squares with the thumbnails flash by, and when the time runs out, the selection lands on a... Colombian telenovela: Coffee, with the Scent of a Woman.
I let out an uncontrollable laugh while the two players make faces.
"Let's try again and..."
"No, no, no! Now I really want that one!
" I declare, and they groan in unison. Ethan tries to negotiate, but I don't give in and I even send Logan to grab blankets and Ethan to make popcorn.
Soon the three of us are wrapped up on the couch with buckets of popcorn in our laps, watching this Gaviota woman meet Sebastian and enchant him with her voice.
Oh, this was going to be wonderful.
Logan
I wouldn't admit it even under torture, but after just four episodes of the telenovela, I was hooked. Those people's dramas were strangely addictive, and when I went to sleep, I was still thinking about who was lying about what in that Vallejo family.
I wake up a few hours later with a terrible thirst. My phone tells me it's almost three-thirty in the morning. Since I forgot to bring a water bottle to leave on the nightstand, I'm forced to get up and drag myself to the kitchen.
However, as I pass through the living room, I find a Charlotte sleeping all curled up on our couch and the TV on at a low volume. She's using the blanket I brought earlier, but I feel kind of sorry about how her neck is going to wake up tomorrow in that bad position on the cushion.
I walk to the kitchen with even more care not to wake her and drink two giant glasses of really cold water.
I take another look at Charlie on my way back and even make it to the hallway, but...
I can't leave her there.
I sigh and turn around. With the utmost care, I slip one arm behind her neck and the other under her legs tangled in the blanket and lift her.
I lift more weight than this at the gym, so it's no big sacrifice.
When I take the first step, she makes a little sound and I think she's going to wake up, but she only murmurs something else unintelligible and clings to my neck.
Oh, damn. Her soft breasts pressed against my chest weren't in the plans and don't do my sanity much good. Ever since she came here, I've been trying hard not to think about how attracted I am to her and not to try to backstab my friend.
I pull the air in hard and let it out before going back to walking carefully.
Luckily her bedroom door is open so I just push it a little and soon manage to set her down on the bed.
The moment she rests her head on the soft pillow, the girl smiles and lets out a moan of satisfaction that nearly kills me.
I try to take her arms off my neck, but she really protests now.
"No, don't go," she says with a little pout, and I blink repeatedly. Does she know she talks in her sleep?
"I have to go, baby. And you need to get back to sleep," I murmur quietly, and she lets out a whimper.
"I don't want to."
"But you have to, princess. And so do I."
"Hmm... you're annoying. I want a goodnight kiss, then," she demands, and I press my lips together to keep from laughing.
"Okay. Goodnight," I say and kiss her forehead gently. She lets out a satisfied little sound now and unsticks from my neck, rolling to the side and grabbing a pillow. It doesn't take even a second for her to be completely out again.
I laugh quietly and leave the room, leaving the door ajar behind me.
It wasn't exactly how I'd dreamed of getting her into bed, but life had funny ways and I wasn't going to complain too much. It was even... nice taking care of her too.
As long as I didn't start liking it too much, everything would be fine.