Stay by Paige Prince Read Free Book Online Page B

every night at my apartment. He’d also somehow managed to score his very own drawer for clothes as well as precious, precious closet space.
    It really was the most sensible thing to do. Having him stay at my place saved money and gave us unlimited access to each other while he was in town. Drawer and closet space meant he didn’t have to pack such a large bag and I never had to break out the iron—which I was pretty sure sat in the back of the utility closet, still in its original box—when he had to put on one of the suits that made my mouth water. Win-win, really.
    “But it’s not a relationship,” Mel asked when she noticed his toothbrush in the bathroom and T-shirt in the laundry.
    The only response she received was in the form of a middle finger aimed in her direction.
    It wasn’t a relationship. It was convenient. It was fantastic, mind-blowing sex. It was fun. But it was most definitely not a relationship.
    I’d go to my grave denying it.
    Our first big fight occurred when we were Skyping while he was in Michigan or New Jersey or Canada. Somewhere up north where it snows and my southern ass would never be caught dead.
    Keith was Evan’s roommate again—apparently they roomed together often since not many people could handle Keith’s energy level—and, as usual, he kept sticking his face into the camera and butting into our conversation. It wasn’t bothering me so much, since I figured he likely missed his girlfriend something fierce.
    Normally, Evan would just brush off Keith’s antics with an eye roll and a few choice curse words, but that night he seemed more on edge than usual.
    “I’m hungry,” Keith declared. “Are you hungry, Evan? I’m gonna order pizza. Hey Charlie.” He leaned down over Evan’s shoulder to put his face in the camera’s field of view. “Want some pizza?”
    Evan’s face was already an impressive shade of red by then, but when Keith got into his personal space for the millionth time in less than half an hour, he turned purple. “Would you please just get the fuck out? I’m trying to have a conversation with my girlfriend, goddammit!”
    I flinched back from my laptop as though Evan could jump out of the screen. Keith visibly recoiled into himself and nodded solemnly. “Sorry, bro. I’ll get out of your way. Just a little hyper tonight. I’ll…be back in a while.”
    With that, he turned and walked away. The sound of the closing door was so quiet, I barely heard it.
    We sat in silence for a full thirty seconds before I finally asked, “What the fuck was that about?”
    He sat back in the chair and rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know. I just… I’m tired of being on the road. Tired of always having to babysit him. Tired of being away from you.”
    The sound of screeching tires sounded in my head. Back the truck up. “What did you say?”
    “I said I’m tired of being away from you.” Picking something up from the desk, he started fidgeting with whatever it was, no longer looking at me on screen. “I know we’ve only been together for two months, but this time with you has been really awesome. And I want to spend more time with you. Get to know you better. Meet your family.”
    I need to sit down. Oh wait, I am sitting down. Maybe I need to lie down.
    “M—Meet my family?”
    Evan looked confused. “Why wouldn’t I want to meet your family? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when you’ve been dating someone for a little while?”
    I wondered if it was too early for a glass of wine. Or a bottle. “We’re not together though. We have fun. We go out. I told you when this started I wasn’t looking for anything serious. I meant it.”
    What I now realized was a pen in his hands dropped to the desk with a soft ping . He rubbed a hand over his face and up into his hair, grabbing a fistful in what I assumed was frustration. “Charlotte. I have a key to your place. A drawer. Closet space. Shampoo in your shower. We basically live together while