Page 39 of Keep Me
“Stop it.” Another laugh, but the voice was too muffled to make out what was going on.
Stepping away from the door, I stared at it. Was Britt in there with someone else? Was that the real reason she was ghosting me?
Fuck.
I glanced down at the gold doorknob when it turned, bracing myself for the deep-blue eyes that would greet me when I looked up. When I did, I couldn’t hold back my frown.
Amber eyes glistened at me as a girl I’d never seen before kicked something behind her.
With her shoulder peeking out of her shirt and hickeys scattered across her skin, it was obvious there was a guy with her. I wasn’t curious enough to check his state of undress, but I figured he’d probably be naked.
Dropping her chin, her face turned from amused to pissed off. “Can I help you with something, or did you come here to stare at me, because I’m a little busy?”
A large hand cupped her shoulder, and she shook it off, giving the guy behind her an equally pissed off expression.
I stepped back and broke into a hesitant smile. “Hi. I’m, uh, guessing you’re Britt’s new roommate?”
She blew out an annoyed breath. “Seriously?” She rolled her eyes, groaning as she shook her head. “Is Britt the mecca for obsessed jocks or something?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Look, I get Britt’s hot, but the number of guys she’s attracting is starting to make me think I can’t answer the door without a full face of makeup on, and honestly, I should be able to walk around naked so my moisturizer can sink in without having to worry about random guys seeing me.”
“I can help,” the guy from behind said. Still looking at me, the girl rolled her eyes.
“S-sorry.” What else could I say to that? First, we hadn’t even been back a week, and Britt already had guys coming to her dorm with flowers? It had to be her brothers, right? They were all athletes, so I assumed they’d fit the bill.
Screw it. I’d wasted enough time trying to figure out what Britt was thinking and talking to everyone but her.
“Can I come in? I’d really like to speak to Britt.”
I stepped forward, and she closed the door a little.
“Britt’s not here. She’s at the gym.”
That was it. The girl was ready to shut the door, but right before she could slam it, I pushed my foot through the gap, making it impossible to close. When she felt the jam, she looked down at my sneakers and grumbled, “Can you please move your foot, oh floppy-haired one.”
“I just wanted to ask when she went to the gym. It’s not the usual time she goes.”
“What are you? Her stalker? Am I going to have to report you to campus police? Have you met the guy that monitors this building? Todd. He’s huge, and he’ll take you down if you aren’t careful.”
“I’m not her stalker.” I bit my tongue, knowing that getting on the wrong side of her wouldn’t bode well for any future times I’d need to be here. “I’m her best friend. I know her routine from last year because we have the same classes. On Sundays, she usually skips the gym because she watches the Catfish game virtually with her family.”
“You aren’t stopping me from thinking you’re her stalker, you know? What’s your name?”
“Matty.”
“I’ve lived with her for a month, and I’ve never heard of you.”
It felt like a dagger to my chest. Normally, I would’ve been one of the first names she mentioned on campus. Now, I was barely making it as a footnote. How was that possible when all I wantedto do was talk about her? Also, Britt had been here for over a month? She’d turned the location off on her phone a couple of days after the wedding, so I had no idea.
“It’s fine. I’ll just talk to her when she gets back. Do you know when that will be?”
“What do I look like? Her assistant? I don’t even know her last name, for crying out loud. How the hell am I supposed to know when she’s decided she’s done enough squats to make her ass look like a shelf?”
Okay. Well, this wasn’t going to plan, and I had no doubts this girl would tell Britt about this, which would only make things much worse if she was trying to avoid me.
“Brennon.”
