The Unexpected Roommate

Chapter 14

    "I'm ready." Is the first thing out of Avery's mouth as we walk through the door.

    "After," I gesture towards his bruises. "After I tend to those."

    "Then tell me while you tend to my cuts." We sit down on the sofa and he watches me as I pull out the necessary tools to clean his cut. "Don't drag it."

    "Why are you so nosy?"

    "Because you're mine whether you want to admit it or not." He tucks a loose lock of hair behind my ear. "I just wish you would stop fighting it."

    "I'm not fighting anything." I subconsciously lean into his touch. Not good at all.

    "Kiss me," he says, and I shake my head no, taking his hand into mine. Avery chuckles and I start to tend to his wounds. I purposely go for the pain-relieving antibacterial spray. "Ouch," he pulls his hand back from me. "Warn me next time."

    "Sure, will not." I smile at him. I take his hand back. "So, you want to know about Chris. We broke up a year ago, due to him cheating on me. Cheating on me for half maybe more of our relationship. I caught him screwing his sister."

    "What?!" Avery looks at me with wide eyes.

    "Not like that. He would call her his sister because they knew each other for a long time. Since like diaper days or something like that. Well anyway, he was hooking—no screwing her every Tuesday through Thursday and sometimes on Sunday."

    "How do you know all of this?"

    "Vicky and Shay found out that for me. After catching him having s*x with her made me sick to my stomach. I originally was supposed to move in with him last year but seeing that I broke up with him the year before last—it never happened."

    "I guess God had other things in store for you—like me."

    "Really." I dabbed the cut above his eyebrow harder. "I'm not interested in you like that."

    "You're a pretty bad liar. I won’t tease you too much, but please do continue about the ex." He winks at me.

    "Anyway, so when I broke up with him, I blocked him on everything. I even went as far as deleting my email address and creating a new one. I didn't want to deal with him in any way."

    "So why did he show up after all this time? It just doesn't make sense to me."

    "It's a mystery to me as well." I wanted to know the answer to that question more than ever. Chris is enrolled in the same University as me and not once has he shown his face. Not once has he ever attempted to seek me out, but now—that's strange. Avery wounds are cleaned and bandaged up and I began to clean up.

    "Does he go here?"

    "Yeah, he does...unfortunately." I don't want to talk about this anymore, but I know Avery isn't the type of person to let things be. "Are we done?" Avery looks down at his hands and then touches the bandage above his eyebrow. I'm finished and ready to go back on with my day. I still have a class later this evening. 

    "No."

    "Avery, I told you everything."

    "Not everything." He leans back against the sofa closing his eyes. Jeez, his shirt lifts up just enough that I can see his lower abdomen—the gym treats him nicely. "It's okay to touch."

    I look away feeling all the blood drain from my face. "I don't know what you are talking about. I think we are done here."

    He wraps his fingers around my wrist stopping me from getting up. "I think I need to be clear about something." He sits up, I nod my head for him to continue. "I want to be your man; do you want me to be?"

    Wait what?! "Avery...what about India and all the other girls that seem to have a—"

    "I wouldn't have asked if I was still sleeping around Ave. You're all I can think about and s**t I don't know—I want more." He smiles at a thought, I'm assuming. "If you don't want more, let me know."

    "I don't know what to say."

    "The truth,"

    "Here's the truth." I take a deep breath. "Not too long ago you wanted to kick me out to hook up with India—not cool one bit. Not too long ago you were bed hopping with various of girls around campus. Just because you came to my rescue with Chris doesn't mean I'm going to fall at your feet and worship you or think highly of you and little of myself by jumping into a relationship with you." I look at him and he doesn't show any emotion, so I continue. "Maybe you feel the need to be my man because you don't want me to move out or because you think I will go running back to Chris. I will never go back to Chris but moving out is something I need to do."

    "You're making it bigger than what it is. For the last couple of days, you’re all I've been thinking about. India and I are nothing more than friends now."

    "Making bigger than what it is? You wanted to kick me out to hook up with India, and now you two are just friends? Avery, please save the bullshit for someone else. I just told you why Chris and I aren't together anymore so for you to use we are nothing more than friends' line with me—just stop." My blood is boiling but I want to finish this conversation without getting mad or blowing up on him. "I need you to realize that what you did was wrong on so many levels. I just can't see myself with someone that thinks what he did wasn't wrong. Avery, thank you so much for coming to my rescue with Chris, but that's not enough to make me want to be with you."

    "I made a mistake, I know I did, but let me try to fix it—I want to fix it. Let me show you that I can be boyfriend material...that I can be a friend. Avery just give me a chance."

    "I have until the end of the week to turn this in." I look at the housing application on the coffee table. "If we can get along, I will tear it up at the end of the week. If we can't, then—you know the rest."

    "But you can't make it difficult for me either. Don't try and sabotage what happens. Just let it happen."

    "No s*x, during this week trial." I add.

    "Come on, why not?"

    "Because I know myself too well and I won't be thinking straight. Also, I love my legs."

    "Fair," he laughs. "No sex."

    "With anybody." I add.

    "I..." I raise an eyebrow at him. I know he will back out now. He won't last a few days without dipping his hand into someone's honey pot. "Deal."

    "Are you sure? Now is the time to back out."

    "I will show you just how committed I am. I meant what I said—I want to be your man and I'll prove it this week."

    "Friends first." I don't want him to be my man—no time soon. "I think we need to start off slow. I love a good, friends to lovers' troupe."

    "I'll be your friend this week and lover the week after. Deal?" he leans closer to me.

    "Deal."

    He kisses me quickly, "I need to take a shower. You're more than welcome to join me, friend."

    "I have to get going." I stand up. grabbing my satchel off the floor. "I guess…I’ll see you later."