AllFreeNovel
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“I can’t have that life anymore. I don’t want it, either. I like coming home and hanging out with y’all. I like when you try to cook dinner before giving up and ordering takeout. I like having someone besides a four-year-old to have a conversation with over a meal. And, do you want to know the best part?” he asks, and he leans in a little closer.
“What’s that?” I ask.
“You haven’t tried to take a picture of my dick yet.”
“Stop.” I choke on another laugh. “Someone’s done that?”
“Yup. Mid-shower. Thank god the glass was fogged up, or I’d probably be on some Reddit thread that asked people to rate the size from one to ten.”
“How wouldyou rate the size?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t taken out a ruler recently to measure.”
My eyes inadvertently dart to the front of his sweatpants. The gray joggers he likes to wear to the stadium stretch over his thighs and hug his muscles. Maybe I’m imagining things, but it almost seems like Dallas parts his legs a little wider, like heknowsI’m looking.
And I am, a little bit.
I’ve seen him looking at me, and it’s only fair I return the favor.
I justknowhe’d be a ten, and that makes me feel hot all over.
“Are you sure you want me to be your roommate?” I ask
“Yes,” he says without any hesitation. “And you’re not going to pay a cent either.”
“But I?—”
“Don’t argue with me, Maven, because you’re not going to win. I don’t want your money, and that’s final.”
“What about your routines? Your schedule? I’d hate to be the extra person who throws a wrench in your plans.”
“You’re part of those routines. You spend all day here when I’m at practice. You ride with us to games and help put June to bed while I’m cleaning the dirt and grass off of me. We’d—I’d—love if you were here full time.”
I consider his offer.
I don’t want to make a snap decision, but he makes good points.
I’m here so much, my mail keeps piling up. I haven’t dusted my dining room table in days, and I stopped trying to keep my plants alive.
And, most importantly, Ilikebeing here.
I like spending time with the two of them, and over the course of the last couple months, he’s become a good friend. It’s not just a boss and employee relationship, but something deeper. He’s someone I feel comfortable around and safe to be myself—a girl who’s not sure where she’s going yet, but slowly finding her way.
“If I say yes, I think we need some rules,” I say, and he nods for me to continue. “If anything starts to feel weird, I want us to take a step back. I want us to be honest with each other and openly communicate. I really like our friendship, Dallas, and I don’t want to mess that up because I forget to do the dishes and you don’t like it.”
“Deal. What else?”
“Um.” I rub my thumb across my neck, wishing I had my necklace to play with. I lost it after taking it off for the paint room, and I haven’t found it yet. “This next part might be awkward, but it needs to be said.”
He grins and rests his elbow on the island. “Go on.”
“We’re living together as friends, not as…” I clear my throat. “Not as a couple. We’re both single, but we need to be aware of our surroundings. I like my job with you, and I like my job with the Titans. I don’t want to compromise either just because?—”
“We’re in close quarters?” Dallas finishes for me, and I nod. “We’re adults. We can find each other attractive without acting on it even if we see one another in a towel by accident. This is platonic. Another part of our business relationship, because now you’re saving yourself time and energy.”
“What about having people over? Do we need a code phrase for when we’re bringing home a… a friend?”
“I’m assuming your definition offriendin this scenario is not the kind offriendswe are.” He pauses and rubs his jaw. “I don’t want to tell you how to live your life, Maven, but I’m not comfortable having men I don’t know in the apartment. Especially when I’m not here. If you want to do things with people, I’m going to politely ask for you to not do them under my roof.”
