Mates Next Door

Conflicting Thoughts

~ASTRA~

My eyes opened to the muffled sound of vehicles and students talking at the top of their voices.

From the sound of it, I could tell I'd woken up late. I wasn't surprised. Sleeping in Flynn's arms had been the best.

My mind went back to last night, when he held me tight and nursed me back to sleep. It was so easy to fall into the warmth of his embrace and remain there.

Turning with a smile that immediately faded off the moment I gazed down at the empty space beside me, I pushed back a bit and stared at the dip in the pillow. It was a stark reminder of last night's ordeal.

When did he leave and why did I not notice?

There was a sinking feeling at the pit of my belly I didn't like but I decided I was probably overthinking it. Maybe he didn't want me to feel uncomfortable when I woke up. He wasn't particularly nice to me yesterday and the thought of him calling me those slur names made me slightly upset.

Throwing back the bed covers, I climbed out of the bed and made my way out of the room but not before noticing a photo of Arik standing with a blond woman and grinning like all was well in the world. She looked way older than him so I figured she was related to him.

I made my way out of his room, noticing how slightly different this place looked compared to last night.

The corridors were brighter and I heard the sound of a shower running. Soft music played in the background while someone talked on a TV.

I found my way to the living room, glancing out through the french doors. It was really bright outside, like it was almost noon.

The aroma of coffee brewing permeated into my nose and I followed it, finding myself standing at the door of a kitchen moments later.

Arik stood shirtless, flipping eggs in a pan. He was really concentrated on what he was doing and a slight frown was etched on his face, like someone upset him.

I took my time to take him in, in all his glory. He had a pair of dark shorts on and an apron that barely covered his chest. His tousled hair was pushed back from time to time as it fell against his eyes, and I was almost moved to do the same.

"Good morning, Arik."

He slowly looked at me, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes before returning to flipping eggs. "Hey, Astra. You're awake."

I nodded and stood by a stool, feeling really uncomfortable. Wondering what exactly I did to make him look more upset, I walked over to where he stood, transferring eggs into a pan.

"Are you good?" I asked. "You look upset."

He chuckled. "It's nothing, Astra. Go take a seat, breakfast will be ready in no time. Or rather, brunch."

"So you woke up late?" I asked, sliding into a stool and watching him slip bacon into the pan.

"No." Was all he gave in reply before going silent.

"Uhm, I saw a photo in your room on your way out," He immediately snapped his head at me. "You were smiling beside a blond haired woman. She's pretty."

"Yes, she is." He replied in a clipped voice and stiffened.

"She does look like your mother or sister. I can't tell because she's quite young."

"We're not related." He gave me a dismissive look before grabbing more plates.

Maybe I was forcing myself to become something to him. We barely knew each other and here I was, asking questions. He had the right to keep things to himself.

Someone breezed past me and I immediately turned to see it was Flynn. "Hey, Flynn!"

He grabbed the handle of the fridge and totally ignored me.

Embarrassment burned through my chest. Looking down at the empty counter, I decided that staring at it until I could get out of this awkward position was the best.

"Are you going to get another one or just finish it up without replacing it like you usually do?"

I snapped my head up to see Flynn taking huge gulps from the carton of milk.

Flynn laughed and wiped his mouth. "This is the first time you're complaining about this. Why is it such a huge deal now?"

"Because you don't have to be told!" Arik snapped and crashed the spatula against the sink. "You do it all the time. It's not fair because Ryder's always replacing the milk whenever you finish it up."

"Oh, c'mon!" Flynn groaned. "Don't take me for a fool, man. I know this isn't about the carton of milk."

"What is it about then?" Arik immediately took off his apron. Quite too aggressively, I had to admit and for a moment, I kept repeating that image of him taking his apron off before I realised they were likely to break into a fight.

Flynn shrugged. "You tell me. You saw me leaving your room this morning."

Oh, s**t.

Arik went silent.

He grabbed two plates. "Have at it then."

"Stop doing this, Arik," Flynn replied curtly. "It doesn't suit you."

"What suits you then?" He scoffed. "Being rude to her then going after her hours later to ignoring her this morning like a f*****g one-night stander?"

"We didn't have s*x, Arik. Get a f*****g grip."

"That's not what I am talking about, you douche bag!"

"I am not going to quarrel with you over a girl, man," Flynn shook his head. "To clarify things, I don't give a s**t. You can have her all to yourself. I was only being nice because she kept having nightmares."

"What's going on here?" Ryder's loud voice came. "Are we going to have a wrestling match after?"

They both ignored him. Arik handed me a plate and walked out of the room.

I would have followed him but I didn't want to make things worse than it already was.

"Just shut the f**k up, Ryder," Flynn hissed and slid into one of the chairs surrounding the mini dining table in the kitchen. "It's none of your business."

"Well it is," Ryder slid in beside him. "We're all friends and I live here too. It would be awkward living with two friends having issues."

"Coming from someone who instigates every trouble we have? I'd pass."

"What's going on?" Valerie sauntered into the room, her hair perfectly made. I don't know why it made me self conscious or why I suddenly picked my phone and glanced at the screen to see how messy my hair looked.

Arik walked in behind her. He was wearing a shirt, much to my disappointment.

"Come here, baby," Ryder spread his arms out. Valerie slipped into his lap and I watched him grab the back of her neck, kissing her like it was a foreplay.

Watching them kiss made me feel really uncomfortable and I had no idea why. I mean, Flynn was basically eating his meal right beside them like they didn't exist and Arik was broodingly staring at the screen of his phone.

I didn't realise how obvious I looked until I found Flynn giving me a suspicious look.

Once I was done eating, I quietly left the kitchen, slightly thankful that everyone was too busy to notice when I left.

It suddenly dawned on me that we lived on the same floor. I stood in the corridor, staring at the door to my apartment in disbelief. They literally lived three doors away from mine!

"s**t," I muttered under my breath and lowered my head as I walked past a group of girls from this same floor, hoping they didn't see me walk out of their apartment. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone knew they lived there.

I fished out my keys and unlocked the door before walking in. It was squeaky clean as usual and I was glad I had nothing to do but jump into bed and finish all my assignments.

*****

Three hours later, almost all my assignments were done. I yawned and fell back in bed, feeling suddenly hungry.

It was almost evening and Valerie was yet to be back. I wondered if she was still there with Ryder.

"Not like it's any of your business." I said to myself, changed into a simple pair of jeans shorts and a tank top before exiting the room with my keys.

I had just crossed the living room when the door clicked open, ushering Valerie and Ryder in.

"Astra!" Valerie called out, sounding more excited than she usually would. Her voice was a few tones higher than usual and it was the same voice she'd been using last night. It was admirable how she was able to keep it for that long. "I didn't notice you were gone."

"Of course, you wouldn't." I looked down at my feet, purposefully avoiding eye contact with Ryder who had his hand on her waist but couldn't stop staring at me.

"Where are you headed to?"

"The café to grab lunch."

"Oh!" She nodded and clicked her fingers. "Wait for me. Let's go together. Will you join us, Ryder?"

He stared at me and smiled before nodding. "Of course, sugar. I wouldn't mind being in the company of two beautiful ladies."

"Oh, he's so sweet!" She grinned at me before hurrying off.

"Stop it, Ryder." I said as soon as Valerie was out of ear shot.

"Stop what?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

"You know what you're doing."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Astra." He shrugged. "If you will be straight forward, I'd really appreciate that."

"Coming from someone who isn't straightforward?" I laughed. "Stop being a hypocrite."

"It's you who's a hypocrite," He chuckled and strode over to me in a few steps. "Be honest, Astra. You hate seeing me with your friend, don't you?"

"Of course, I do." I folded one hand over the other and glared at him.

His lazy smile caught me off guard. "You do because you're jealous, right?"

"What? Jealous? Never!" I retorted in defense

"Oh, look at you," He brushed his knuckles against my skin. "All red and erratic. Sexier than anything I've ever seen."

I slapped his hand off as soon as Valerie walked into the room.

"What's going on here?" She asked, frowning at me.

"Ryder's just being a prick." My heart raced as I muttered under my breath before walking out of the door and banging it shut.