HIS ROOMMATE

US

CHAPTER 24

KAI'S POV

I let my eyes sweep the room, looking for an anchor. Anything familiar.

And then I found them.

The group.

Ash was leaning against the railing by the bar, drink halfway to his mouth, and he froze. Just… stopped. Like he’d seen a ghost, or maybe something worse — me, in a dress. His eyes went wide, then narrow, like his brain was buffering. Not just Ash. Leo. Mike. The whole table. Everyone we grew up with was staring like I’d grown a second head.

Heat crept up my neck. Tomboy. That’s what they called me. That’s what I was. Hoodies, grease under my nails, sarcasm for armor. Not… this.

But before I could spiral, I caught movement near Mike. Cindy — Mike’s date — lifted her hand and gave me a small, real wave. No shock. No judgment. Just “hey, you made it.”

That tiny wave did something to my chest. Loosened it.

I exhaled. Tilted my chin up. And grabbed Nancy’s arm.

“Come on,” I muttered, dragging her forward before I could change my mind. “Let’s go meet our friends before I remember I hate heels and run.”

Nancy grinned like she’d won again. “See? Ruining prom already.”

Maybe. But if they were going to stare, I was going to give them something worth staring at. Head high. One step at a time.

“Hey guys,” I say, forcing the smile wider because if I don’t, I’ll crack.

Ash is still staring. Like I’m an alien in heels. “Oh my God Kai… I can’t believe this is you.”

I roll my eyes, laughing it off. “I thought you said you weren’t coming,” Valerie says. Her tone’s… polite. Guarded. Like she’s sizing me up without moving an inch.

Nancy jumps in before I can answer. Dramatic whisper: “I had to do everything to convince her. Can you imagine she was gonna stay in bed, stuffing her face with popcorn all night?”

Leo chuckles, low and surprised. “Well you did good, Nancy.”

Cindy beams. “Kai, you’re amazing… I mean, I never imagined you in a dress but this is great.”

I grin at her. “Nancy wouldn’t let me come in a hoodie and pants, anyway.”

The circle parts like the Red Sea and there he is. Adrian. Suit fits him like it grew on him. Eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles.

I turn to him, give him a small smile. “You look really good in a suit.”

He chuckles, low. “I can say the same for you.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” he says, stepping closer. “The guys were going on and on about you not coming.”

This time my smile’s real. Because they cared. Because they’re my friends and I didn’t screw it up by showing up.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” I say, quieter.

Adrian’s eyes flick to Nancy, then back to me. “You two… didn’t have to make an entrance, though.”

I laugh. “Nancy made the entrance. I just got dragged along.”

The music swells, saving me from having to say more. The DJ’s yelling something about “first dance” and couples are moving to the floor.

Adrian gloves his hand through his hair. “Want to—”

“Hey, Kai,” Valerie cuts in, smooth as silk. “Dance with us?”

KAI’S POV — restructured + expanded

Us.

The word hit like a door closing. Like Valerie drew a line on the marble floor and put Adrian on one side, me on the other.

Third wheel. Of course I was the third wheel. That’s always been my role in their story — the best friend, the wingman, the girl who laughs from the sidelines.

Adrian’s eyes flick to mine. Fast. Like he got caught doing something he shouldn’t. Then away. “Yeah. Let’s dance,” he says, voice careful. Too careful.

My stomach twists. Do I want to dance with them? With him? With her?

The DJ’s voice booms: “Alright couples, this one’s for you. First dance of the night!” Lights dim. A slow song starts, all strings and soft vocals. Couples drift to the floor like they’ve been waiting for permission.

Valerie slides closer to Adrian, hand already finding his lapel. Possessive. Practiced. Like she’s done this a thousand times in her head.

I’m not here to be anyone’s third wheel. Not tonight. Not in this dress. Not after I dragged myself out of bed and let Nancy convince me that showing up mattered.

So I smile. The kind that doesn’t reach my eyes but looks real enough from a distance. “You’re right,” I say, stepping back half a step. “It’s only fair Adrian gets the first dance with his girlfriend.”

The word *girlfriend* tastes sharp. I hand him over like I’m doing the polite thing. Like I’m not dying inside.

Adrian hesitates. For half a second his jaw ticks. “Kai, we—”

“Nancy,” I cut in, turning before he can finish. “You owe me a dance after dragging me here in these heels.”

Nancy catches on instantly. She loops her arm through mine, grinning like she’s saving me from drowning. “Damn right I do. Let’s ruin the slow song too.”

I don’t look back as we walk away. I don’t watch Adrian take Valerie’s hand. I don’t let myself see if he hesitated one second too long.

Because I’m not the girl who waits for a maybe. Not anymore.

If he’s dancing with her, I’m dancing with someone who chose me first.

That’s what I tell myself as Nancy drags me toward the edge of the floor. Heels clicking. Spine straight. Head high.

But the lie unravels the second the bass hits my chest.

Well… he doesn’t have to choose. Adrian’s just my friend. My best friend. The guy who taught me how to jumpstart a car at 2am and sat through my Edward rants without flinching. That’s it. That’s all it’s ever been.

I shouldn’t feel this twist in my ribs. I shouldn’t feel bad that he wants to dance with his girlfriend. He loves her. I’ve seen it — the way he looks at Valerie when she laughs, the way his whole body relaxes when she’s near. He’s happy. Genuinely happy.

And that’s what matters. Right?

Nancy spins me once, twice, until the room blurs and my dress flares out. “See? No slow dancing required,” she shouts over the music. “We’re making our own rules.”

People move around us. Couples sway. Adrian and Valerie are out there somewhere, moving together like they’ve done it a hundred times. I don’t look. I really don’t.

But I feel it anyway. The empty space where his hand should’ve been. The way the song makes the air feel heavier.

He’s just my friend. Friends don’t get first dances. Friends don’t get jealous. Friends smile and mean it when they say “I’m happy for you.”

So I smile. Wider this time. Real this time. I let Nancy twirl me until I’m dizzy and laughing, until my lungs forget how to hold onto that ache.

He loves her. He’s happy. That’s what matters.

I repeat it like a mantra until the song changes and the beat kicks back in.

Dancing with Nancy. Laughing too loud. Choosing myself first, for once.

But my eyes betray me for half a second. They flick across the floor anyway.

The song ends and we’re all breathless, laughing, heels kicked off under the table. We collapse into the booth like we just ran a marathon instead of ruined a slow dance.

Ash steals fries off my plate. Leo’s trying to convince Cindy he can still dance. Mike’s arguing with Flora about which movie we’re watching after this. Normal. Loud. Us.

Valerie’s phone buzzes. She glances at it, smile flickering. “Excuse me,” she says, sliding out of the booth. “I have to take this.”

She walks off toward the lobby, heels clicking fast, and the second the doors swing shut behind her, the energy at our table shifts.

I catch it in my peripheral vision — Ash leaning in close to Adrian, voice low. Shoulders tense. Something intense.

Adrian’s different. Not the relaxed guy who danced with Valerie two minutes ago. His jaw’s tight. He keeps glancing at the door where she left. Fingers drumming on the table. Nervous. The kind of nervous I’ve only seen when he’s about to jump into something reckless.

“You got this, bro,” Ash says, and his grin is way too wide. The kind of grin that means trouble, or a secret, or both.

Adrian exhales hard and nods. One sharp nod. Like he’s convincing himself more than Ash.

My stomach flips. Something’s up. Something he hasn’t said yet. Before I could ask the door swing open and Valerie walked in.

TBC