Fake Roommate

by Rebel Hart

  Sydney must have seen her, too, because a few seconds later, I saw Sydney flying through the crowd toward the front door with Henry hot on her heels.

  “Uh,” I looked back at Taylor just long enough to say, “Sorry. I gotta go,” and then went after them.

  I slipped and slid my way through the throng of partiers until I was finally able to rush outside. I saw Nina, Sydney, and Henry standing at the bottom of the walkway that led up to the house. Henry had his arms crossed, and Nina had her head buried against Sydney’s shoulder.

  I rushed toward them. “What happened?”

  Sydney glared past me toward the house. “Kai just wanted to fuck.” She petted Nina’s head. “It’s okay, honey.”

  Sydney looked over at Henry, and Henry looked at me. I looked at Nina, sobbing on Sydney’s shoulder, and rage poured into my body. I looked back at Henry. “You with me?”

  Henry cracked his knuckles. “Yeah, I got your back.”

  “Good.” I turned around to head back into the house when I felt a hand grab mine. I turned back, and Nina was staring up at me, teary-eyed. “Nina…”

  “You were right. I’m sorry.” She sniffled, and I could tell that she was barely holding it in. It broke me.

  I held out a hand and set it on her head. “Oh, hey, you don’t have to apologize.”

  Behind Nina, Sydney made a motion with her arms that told me to hug Nina, and Henry nodded in agreement. I wasn’t sure it was the right move. The last thing I wanted for Nina now was for her to feel like another guy was trying to move in, but she was upset and needed comfort, and I felt horrible that I hadn’t managed to protect her from Kai.

  I decided to risk it and wrapped my arms gently around Nina. I was relieved when she relaxed against me. I rubbed her back and looked at Henry. “Go kick his ass for me.”

  “No.” Nina looked up at me. “I don’t want any more drama. I just wanna leave.”

  I nodded at her. I’d do whatever I could to make her feel better. “Okay.”

  Sydney stepped up and put a hand on Nina’s back. “Wanna just go grab something to eat?” She looked at Henry. “We can do that, right?”

  “Yeah, of course. Whatever we need to do.”

  Nina looked up at me sadly before setting her head on my chest. “Yeah. Let’s do that.”

  If it weren’t for the fact that she was heartbroken, I’d be happy for the closeness. I wanted to get closer to Nina, but never this way. If I could give up my own happiness for her to not feel so shitty, I’d do that ten times over.

  I kept an arm wrapped behind Nina’s back while we walked back to the car and held the door open for her so that she could climb in. As I was walking around to the other side to climb in, Henry grabbed my arm.

  “You okay?”

  “You mean other than the fact that I want to go kick that guy’s ass until he can’t move?” I peeked through the window into the car, and Sydney was turned around in the passenger’s seat, sweetly caressing Nina’s cheek. “She’s really heartbroken.”

  “Yeah,” Henry said. “Kind of makes you wonder how many chicks we’ve done that to.”

  I didn’t even want to think about that. “I’ll never do it again.”

  “You and me both.” Henry nodded in. “I’ve found mine.”

  I looked in at Nina. “I think I have, too.”

  Henry nodded. “But you know—”

  I held up a hand. “I know. I’m not gonna push anything. She needs time and a friend right now. That’s what I am.”

  Henry smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. “When it finally happens, it’s gonna be good.”

  I nodded. “I hope so.”

  Henry climbed into the driver’s seat, and I got into the back. The second I was inside, Nina slid a little closer to me and put her head on my shoulder. Sydney smiled at me. I nodded at her, and she nodded back before turning back around in her seat.

  We rode in silence to a restaurant well off of campus. Henry was smart enough to know that Nina needed some distance from the campus, and the restaurant he brought us to was known for comfort food. We got a booth, and to my surprise, when Sydney and I picked different sides of the table, Nina slid in next to me. Whether there was more going on with her feelings, too, or whether she just trusted me to comfort her, I wasn’t sure, but I was happy for it.

  I flipped open Nina’s menu in front of her and turned it toward the back where all of their pasta was listed. I’d noticed in our month together that Nina was partial to good pasta. It didn’t really matter what was available for dinner at the dining hall. If there was any kind of pasta there, especially if it had a white sauce, that’s what Nina would get every time, without fail.

  “Their alfredo is really good,” I said, pointing to the picture of the dish. “Their beef stroganoff, too.”

  Nina nodded. “They both look really good. I don’t know which one to get.”

  “You get one, and I’ll get the other,” I said. “We’ll share.”

  Nina looked up at me with shock on her face at first, but then she smiled warmly. “Okay. Thank you.”

  Sydney and Henry both smiled at the sight before them, and I didn’t argue. If Nina and I eventually got there, I’d be happy, but for now, the goal was to make her feel better.

  After we ordered our food and drinks, the waitress brought over a basket of bread. Sydney immediately took one out and set it on Nina’s appetizer plate. “That’s Kai’s head.”

  Nina picked up the piece of bread and tore it in half. I reached to my left and got the plastic container of sugars and sweeteners for coffee and slid it over to her. “Thank you,” she said, before lifting it up and smacking it down on top of the bread until it was flat and crumbling. When it was demolished beyond anything recognizable, I swapped her plate for mine so that she had a clean one again. She took another piece of bread from the basket and ate it. She noticed our concerned gazes and smiled. “Oh. I don’t want to eat him. I just want comfort carbs.”

  Sydney giggled. “That makes perfect sense.”

  We talked casually about different things until our food came. As promised, I slid some of my beef stroganoff onto Nina’s plate, and she spooned over some of her alfredo. The more the meal carried on, the happier Nina seemed. When we had finished our meal, she was nearly back to normal. She still had a weary, exhausted look in her eyes, and I knew it would be some time before she was totally over what happened, but I was glad she was better for the time being.

  We ordered a chocolate lava cake to split after our main course and enjoyed the chocolate and each other’s company. The waitress didn’t bother us, and we might have been happy to sit there in comfort forever if Henry’s phone didn’t go off at eleven o’clock.

  “Crazy count is in an hour,” Henry said.

  “You keep an alarm on your phone for it?” Nina asked.

  Henry shrugged. “Yeah. It helps. Sometimes I’m deep in my studies or something, and when my alarm goes off, I know that if she isn’t there already, I get to see Sydney soon.”

  Nina smiled. “That’s so sweet.”

  Sydney put her head on Henry’s shoulder. “Yeah. I got pretty lucky.”

  At that exact moment, Nina turned and looked up at me. I didn’t know how to read the look, apart from the timing. She opened her mouth and then closed it again. She looked back at the remains of the lava cake. “This was really nice, you guys. Thanks. I feel better.”

  “I’m glad,” Sydney replied. “You can take the rest of the cake.” She chuckled. “You can have it for breakfast.”

  Nina laughed. “That’s the college life for you.”

  Henry sighed. “Well, let’s get back before Monica starts doing her rounds.” A waitress passed, and Henry flagged her down. “Excuse me, can we have our check please?”

  “Sure. Just one, or two?”

  “One,” I said. Henry shifted like he was going for his wallet, and I slid mine out first. “Nope. I’ve got it.” Henry opened his mouth to protest, but I motioned to
ward Nina, and he smiled and relinquished. Fortunately, neither Sydney nor Nina seemed to notice, and I was finally able to use some of the money I’d been saving for Henry. I handed over my card. “Thank you. A box for the cake, too, please.”

  She took my card and smiled. “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

  “Thanks,” Nina said, grinning at me.

  “Of course, Sadie,” I replied, and Nina’s smile grew.

  “Sadie?” Henry asked.

  Sydney was smiling widely at me. “Nina’s middle name.”

  “Ah.” Henry nodded at me, impressed. “Nice.”

  The car ride back to campus was much more relaxed. Nina still opted to rest her head on my shoulder, and Henry and Sydney held hands as much as they could without obstructing Henry’s driving. Sydney prattled on for most of the car ride about a variety of subjects, but most of them were far from my mind. We parked and went to the elevator, and it wasn’t until we were on the fourth floor that we realized we didn’t discuss who’d be going where. Normally, it wasn’t a question, but these were special circumstances.

  Sydney looked at Nina. “Do you want me to come with you, sweetie?”

  Nina looked at Sydney, then up at me, and then back at Sydney. She shook her head. “No. I’ll be okay. See you for breakfast in the morning.”

  Sydney nodded. “Okay.” She gave me a look that said, “Take care of her,” and we climbed off the elevator and waved goodbye until the doors closed.

  Nina led the way to her room, and fortunately, Monica was nowhere around as we entered. With her back turned, I took a final moment to appreciate how amazing she looked in her dress. What a shame that such a beautiful look was squandered on a douchebag.

  Nina pulled off her jacket and purse and set them on the desk. She slumped down on her bed. She was back to looking anguished, but there was some confusion mixed in that I couldn’t place.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  She nodded with her head dropped low. “Yeah. Except for the fact that I’m beginning to think I’m gonna be a virgin forever.”

  The comment shot through me like a blazing arrow. Virgin? I knew that Nina was innocent, but I assumed that there had been at least one guy before. I immediately felt bad for all those times I let my attraction get the better of me when we were trying to fool Monica. Someone who hadn’t had sex at all deserved to be treated better than that. Then again, I didn’t try and jump in bed with her after a few words at a frat party, so I supposed I was still okay.

  I crouched on the ground in front of Nina and put my head in her lap. “I know that this sucks, like, a lot, but thank god you know now. He can’t hurt you anymore, and this would have been a really shitty way to lose it.”

  Nina looked at me. “Yeah, but maybe better than never losing it.”

  I shook my head. “No way. First of all, you’re a ten. It’s gonna happen, and when it does, it’s going to be someone who deserves it. That person is going to make sure it’s really special and perfect for you because that’s what you deserve.”

  “Thank you for taking such amazing care of me tonight,” Nina said, and I allowed her to side-step the topic. If that’s what she needed to do, then that’s what needed to happen. “Sorry if I ruined your night.”

  I pulled my hat off my head and set it on Nina’s. “Are you kidding me? I mean, apart from what happened to you and the fact that it’s going to be really difficult not to knock that guy’s lights out on Monday, I had a great time tonight. Hanging out with you. Going to dinner with my two closest friends and Sydney.” Nina laughed at the joke, but then she looked at me as if she was trying to discern something from me. “What, Sadie?”

  She shook her head. “I’m glad that we’re friends.”

  The word friends carried a weight that I wasn’t sure how to take. Was she friend-zoning me? Was she afraid that I was friend-zoning her? I wanted to ask, wanted to fix it either way, but that wasn’t what Nina needed. I tapped her leg. “Me too.”

  There was a knock on the door. “Count,” Monica called from the other side.

  I quickly jumped into Sydney’s bed and pulled the covers up over my head. I heard Nina stand up and walk over to the door, opening it. “Hey, Monica. How was the ball?”

  “It was okay. It ended earlier than I thought it would,” Monica said.

  I imagined all the Fall Ball dressed guests that showed up at NewSem about an hour in.

  “Yeah. I think a bunch of them came over to NewSem,” Nina replied. “I told you to come by.”

  “It’s not really my thing.” There was silence, and then, “She asleep already?”

  “Yeah. Crazy night,” Nina replied.

  “All right. Well, sleep it off. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Good night.”

  “Night.”

  The door closed and locked, and I was glad I didn’t have to whip out the voice memo of Sydney’s voice that I’d been using to verify count up to that point. I folded the blanket back and sat up in the bed.

  “I’m gonna take a shower,” Nina said.

  “Okay. Do you need anything?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No. Thanks again for everything.”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  I watched in silence as Nina collected some of her PJs and went to the bathroom, and once the shower was running, I changed into more comfortable clothes myself and climbed into bed. I turned my back to Nina’s bed but stayed awake until I heard her climb into bed and quietly fall asleep. I flipped to my back and let my mind run over the night—Nina’s sudden closeness, the way she said the word friend, the pleased look on Taylor’s face when she saw Nina. I had so many more questions than answers, but there was one thing I knew for sure. Kai wasn’t going to be a problem anymore. Nina and I may be just friends for now, but she’d get over him eventually.

  Maybe it was officially time to end things with Taylor, just in case, but if I did that and Nina and I were only destined to be friends, it could be a mistake. I looked over at Nina and sighed. Anything that felt that real and heavy couldn’t just be one-sided.

  At least, I sincerely hoped not because I was definitely falling in love with Nina.

  19

  Devon

  It’d been about a week since things went crazy at NewSem. Nina and I went back to being roommates, just like we’d been before, but there was a new closeness between us that was difficult to ignore. We hugged before she left for her class in the morning, we texted each other throughout the day, and I’d gotten into the habit of going down to her room not just an hour or two before the count, but almost immediately after I got back from class. On Wednesday night, I ordered takeout, and we watched a movie that we’d both mentioned wanting to see. I’d consider it near-perfect if it weren’t for two things.

  There was a tension between Nina and me that was difficult to surmount. It was a burning desire emanating from both of us to take things to the next level. I saw it in the way I’d catch Nina staring at me or the way she didn’t pull back when we sat too close while studying. It was in the way she smiled at me and the constant leaping in my heart every time she was around. It was the worst during the movie. We propped my computer on my bed and sat on hers, and eventually, we got under the covers. We were shoulder to shoulder, and I could feel her accelerated heart rate through her skin. When the movie got to a particularly racy scene, I could sense the same arousal in her that I felt myself, and I nearly jumped on her, but I abstained. I was giving her time to get over Kai, even if she seemed to be back to her normal self. Resisting Nina was getting increasingly more difficult, especially with her leaning into the attraction between us more than I expected.

  The second issue was Taylor. I’d been avoiding her ever since I left the party on Friday, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with her. She had been looking for me, I knew, but I had questions. Was she a girl who just didn’t like being rejected? Was there something more to her relationship with Nina that both made her smile when Nina seemed so hurt
? Ducking her came to an end when she cornered me on Thursday afternoon when I was headed to the Dean’s Club.

  “You’ve been avoiding me,” she said, almost more amused than she was annoyed. “Mind telling me what I did wrong?”

  “It isn’t you,” I replied.

  “Oh my god,” she growled. “Please don’t hit me with the, ‘It’s not you, it’s me,’ cliche bullshit.”

  I was stammering for any explanation that I thought might work and ultimately decided that honesty, or partial honesty, was the best policy. “It really is me, though. My friend’s going through some stuff, and I just want to be there for her.”

  “You mean Nina?” Taylor asked before crossing her arms. “Did something happen?”

  I still didn’t quite know the nature of the relationship between Nina and Taylor, so I was careful not to say anything too personal. “It’s complicated. She needs a friend right now.”

  “Doesn’t she have Sydney?” Taylor asked.

  “Yeah, but we’re close, too. I’m just being a good friend,” I said.

  Taylor lifted an eyebrow. “So, it has nothing to do with me?”

  That was a difficult question to answer. At the end of the day, no, it didn’t have anything to do with her. I had feelings for Nina even before I started dating Taylor, so she just got caught in the crosshairs of my mess. “No. It’s not you, Taylor. I think you’re great.”

  She smiled. “Then can we go out on Saturday? Maybe get lunch?” She poked my chest. “Big third date. You know what that means?”

  She winked, and it was hard not to wince in response. It wasn’t as if I wouldn’t sleep with Taylor under other circumstances, but I was falling for Nina, and with us getting closer and closer, I was thinking of cooling things down with Taylor, if not stopping them altogether.

  Taylor pouted. “I knew it. It is me.”

  “It’s really, really not,” I said.

  “Then Saturday. Let’s go out.”

  I sighed. I didn’t have my thoughts together for the time being. Her relationship with Nina aside, Taylor deserved an explanation for why I wanted to cut things off. If I could just get myself together and let her down easy, it should be fine.