Oh God. Maybe he didn’t forget about the kiss after all.
I veer for the kitchen, angling my face in a way so my hair covers half of it. I’m acting like an idiot, but it seems that kiss shattered my protective shield, revealing the bumbling mess that I am. It was so much easier to pretend I wasn’t attracted to him when I had all that hate going on.
“What you got there? It smells good.”
“Tex-Mex. I got plenty if you’re hungry.”
He jumps from the couch. “Yeah, I’m starving.”
Great. There goes my plan to make a plate and eat in my room. If I do so now, he’ll know I’m avoiding him. I can’t give Troy that kind of leverage. Never show weakness.
“All right then.” I grab plates and utensils. While I’m unpacking all the food, I feel his gaze staring a hole through my face. “What’s up, Troy? Got something on your mind?”
“You’ve been living here for three weeks, and this is the first time we’re going to sit down to have a meal together.”
“We have busy schedules. And there’s also the fact that we don’t like each other very much.” I give him a lunatic grin, but Troy’s face remains serious.
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s the case anymore,” he says casually as if his words don’t make my heart skip a beat.
“You can’t possibly tell me that after everything I’ve done, you like me now. Come on. You had a chicken run in your room all thanks to me.”
He finally cracks a smile, making my erratic heart go haywire. It doesn’t know if it should speed up or stop beating altogether.
“The room looks perfect though. I think you’ve made up for your mistakes.”
“Well, you sure haven’t made up for yours. I can’t open my bathroom door anymore without a slight degree of apprehension.”
He twists his face into something like remorse. “I’m truly sorry about that. I specifically told those pledges to stay clear of the second floor.”
“You can’t trust frat boys, that’s for sure.”
“Where is that comment coming from? Do you have a feud with someone from Greek Row as well?” He quirks an eyebrow.
“Not me per se. A friend of mine does.”
He narrows his eyes. “Hmm. And you’re the type of person who lets others’ opinions sway yours?”
“If you’re implying that I’m a sheep without a mind of my own, you’re mistaken,” I snap.
“Ah, there’s the Charlie I know. I was beginning to worry you’d left me for good.”
That makes me pause a beat. “What? You like when I’m mean to you?”
“Oh yeah, I live for your testy barks.” He chuckles.
“You’re crazy.”
I pull up a chair, making sure I skip one so there’s plenty of space between Troy and me. We eat in silence for a moment, and I begin to relax. He doesn’t remember the kiss, or if he does, he wants to forget it happened too.
“This is pretty good,” he says.
“Yep.”
“Not as good as your kiss though.”
I choke on my food as it goes down the wrong pipe.
“Are you okay there?” Troy glances at me, half-amused, half-worried.
Lost in a fit of coughing, I reach for the glass of water. When the danger of suffocating on fajitas is gone, I dare to look at him. “You remember we kissed?”
He turns in his chair, leaning his good elbow on the counter. “Charlie, no drug on earth would make me forget that.”
Oh my God. What the hell does he mean?
“Is this a joke?” I ask.
He sits straighter, furrowing his eyebrows. “What?”
The doorbell rings, interrupting our conversation. Damn it, I wanted him to answer that. The butterflies in my stomach are wide awake now and wreaking havoc in my belly.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he tells me.
I stare at my plate, suddenly no longer hungry. My mind is spinning like a top. What the hell is going on here? Troy must be concocting something. It’s the only explanation for why he would say he would never forget our kiss.
I mean, I know he’s attracted to me. I’ve seen plenty evidence of that. That must be it then. He just wants to get me to sleep with him before he gives me the boot.
A female voice jars me from my inner thoughts. I turn in my seat to find a beautiful Barbie in our home. Her attention is 100 percent on Troy, but I don’t need to have a good look at her face to recognize her. She was in a few photos with Troy on