Chapter Eleven EVERLEIGH

Chapter Eleven

EVERLEIGH

This man has a lot of nerve, claiming me as his girlfriend to deter a woman who is clearly still not over him, only for him to steal my food and take a gargantuan bite, because these men I live with? These football-playing, elite athletes?

Their stomachs are endless pits, and they don’t eat the best. I mean, we’re young and all, but they need to treat their bodies better and give them the proper fuel to perform at their very best out on the field.

I’ve lived with them for almost a week, but I see what they consume. Too much alcohol, too much junk food. Considering I’m majoring in nutrition, I can’t help but pay attention to what they eat and drink.

“You’re not my boyfriend,” I remind him pointedly. “Even if you tell other women that, it doesn’t make it true.”

“My bad,” he says teasingly, handing my burrito back over to me. I take it from him, scooting down the bench some so I’m out of his reach, which only makes him laugh.

Dang it, I really love the way he laughs.

“I probably shouldn’t have done that,” he says.

“No, you probably shouldn’t have.” I take a sip from the water cup I got for free inside. “It didn’t seem like that little fact stopped her either.”

“She’s pretty determined when she sets her mind to something.”

I set my food down on the wrapper I have spread out on the table, staring at him intently. “How long were you two together?”

He grimaces. “Define together.”

“Nico.”

“Everleigh,” he deadpans right back at me.

“Were you and Portia actually dating?” I wrinkle my nose. She may have been rude, but she was absolutely beautiful. I can see why he was with her.

Men. They’re such simple creatures sometimes.

“Sort of? Kind of? It’s not usually my thing, seeing a woman exclusively,” he admits. “But I tried to with her, and it was an epic fail.”

I would love to know what made this particular woman so special. Was it her looks?

Of course it was. She’s gorgeous and exudes confidence, with no fear in showing off her curves in all the right places.

I am nothing like the curvy Portia, with her long blonde hair and perfect makeup. My hair is a boring brown, and most of the time I wear no makeup because I’m too busy to remember to put it on, and standing next to her earlier like that, having her refuse to shake my hand, she made me feel less than.

That kind of hurt.

“How long were you two seeing each other?” I’m repeating my question, but changing the way I say it to see if he’ll actually answer me this time.

“A month? Maybe? Yeah, no. More like a couple of weeks. It didn’t last long.” He shrugs, staring off into the distance for a moment. The wind ruffles his dark hair, making pieces flutter around his forehead, and I have the sudden urge to push his hair out of his face.

Which is the dumbest idea ever, so I keep my hands clutched together in my lap.

“What happened? Why did you two break up?”

“There was nothing really to break up, but I ended things with her because she’s not a nice person.” He returns his gaze to mine, pinning me in place with all that intensity I see shining in his eyes. “And I realized it pretty quickly after we started seeing each other. She was the first girl I’ve actually dated in a long time, and now she’s also the last girl I’ve been exclusive with.”

At that last statement, a full-body shudder seems to take over him, and he’s got a playful expression on his face. Like I’m supposed to find that funny.

“You have a hard time committing? Is that why? Is she mad at you because you might’ve—cheated or something?” I’m taking stabs in the dark. Meaning I have no idea if that’s what he did or not.

Nico actually appears insulted. “What? No way. I’m not a cheater.” He shakes his head.

“Sorry, I just—she was pretty hostile.”

“Because no one ever told her no until I came along. That’s it. Simple as that.” His expression turns firm, his jaw tightening, and I remain quiet, his mood effectively shutting down the conversation.

It is obvious things didn’t end well between them and Portia is still holding a grudge. And maybe Nico is holding a grudge too. Does he regret that they broke up? Does he miss her?

I have so many questions, yet I know I’m not going to get any answers.

“That’s why you told her I’m your girlfriend?”

“I didn’t call you my girlfriend.”

“You implied it.”

“Sort of.”

“There’s no sort of about it. You definitely implied that we’re together.” A thought hits me. “And we live together, Nico.”

His smile is slow. “I really like it when you say my name. And you don’t say it often enough.”

I blink at him, annoyed that for the briefest second, I fell under his spell. Yet again. “You need to stop weaving your magic on me.”

“Weaving my magic? What are you talking about?” He actually sounds confused.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” I jab a finger at him. “You flirt. Excessively.”

“Define excessively.”

I roll my eyes. “All the time. Be real right now. You’re very aware of the power you have with women.”

“Power? You make it sound like I’m a total asshole who wields his supposed power over unsuspecting women.” Now he sounds offended.

“I didn’t mean it like that .?.?.” My voice drifts, and I throw my hands up, frustrated. “Now you’re just twisting my words.”

We’re quiet for a moment, and I nibble on my burrito, my appetite disappearing. I feel like he just turned it on me and made me feel like the bad guy, which isn’t cool.

“I shouldn’t have told her we were together,” he finally says, blowing out an obviously frustrated breath. “It was just a knee-jerk reaction on my part, pulling you close to me and making her think we’re a couple. I haven’t seen her in months, and I didn’t want her getting any funny ideas.”

“You definitely gave her a funny idea,” I mumble. “Making her think we’re together.”

“Wait a second. Do you think that’s a funny idea?”

“She definitely found it impossible to fathom.” I roll my eyes, trying to play it off because I don’t want him to know that it kind of hurt my feelings, how she reacted.

Like he’d never go for someone like me.

“She’s just jealous. Portia can’t stand the thought of me choosing someone else over her. That’s all.” He reaches out, settling his hand on my arm. “I’m sorry I put you into that position. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

The moment his fingers connect with my skin, I feel it all the way in the pit of my stomach. Lower even. He streaks his thumb back and forth across my arm, and a shiver steals through me.

I think he felt it. That’s probably why he removes his hand from my arm so quickly.

“It’s fine,” I tell him, desperate to brush this entire moment off. “Seriously. I hope Portia leaves you alone forever.”

“Me too,” he says, but his tone is full of doubt.

Matching the doubt that’s churning inside me.

His phone buzzes, and he reaches for it, reading the text that’s on his screen. “Coop’s at Charley’s. Everyone is. They want us to go there too.”

“Us?”

“I told him we were together.” Nico keeps tapping at his screen. “I let him know we’ll be there when you finish dinner.”

“I have to work tomorrow. It’s my first day at the café,” I protest.

He lifts his gaze to mine. “What time do you have to be there?”

“Five thirty in the morning.” He winces at my answer. “They open at six.”

“Damn, that’s early.”

“I know.” But the pay is good, and I like the fact that the earlier hours mean I won’t have to work late at night.

“Don’t worry. We won’t stay long,” he reassures me.

I smile and nod but don’t say anything. His using the word we is misleading. There is definitely no we going on.

There’s just me.

We walk into the darkened bar fifteen minutes later, everyone greeting our appearance with a constant stream of “Nicooooooo” said in varying deep voices. I take a step back as people surround us, most of them his teammates and a few hangers-on. I shift to the side, eager to move out of the fray, when I feel a hand pulling on mine.

I look over my shoulder to see that it’s Sienna wearing a friendly smile on her face. She tugs me into a quick hug, keeping me close as she murmurs in my ear, “Walking in with Nico, I see. Look at you moving fast.”

I pull away from her to stare deep into her eyes, wanting her to see the sincerity in mine. “It means nothing, Sienna, I swear. He just took me to Hector’s. Insisted I try their burritos.”

“Oh, he loves that place, and I get why. The food is amazing,” Sienna says with a reaffirming nod. “What else is going on between you two?”

“Like I said, that’s it.” I glance around the bar, ignoring the men who are carrying on around Nico like he’s some sort of god. He’s got that dazzling smile on his face, the one that makes everything inside me shiver, and I notice the various women on the fringe of the group are watching him carefully, all of them wearing hopeful expressions on their faces. Probably wishing one of those guys—specifically Nico—would notice them. “I desperately need a drink.”

“Good thing you showed up at a bar.” She hooks her arm through mine and leads me over to a tiny table she must’ve been sitting at. There are at least four empty glasses sitting on top of the table, meaning someone must’ve been sitting with her. “Have a seat.”

I settle in, pushing some of the glasses away. “Did I interrupt you?”

“Not at all. I was sitting with Gavin.” She arranges the glasses so they’re all in a line in the center of the tiny table. “We were just catching up.”

Uh-huh. I don’t call her out on it, though, because I don’t know her that well, and I don’t know enough about the history between them either.

A server appears at our table, a woman about our age, and she smiles at Sienna. “You want another one?”

“Yes,” Sienna says with a firm nod. “And my friend just showed up.”

The server turns to me. “Hey, friend. What are you drinking tonight?”

“A rum and Coke, please. Heavy on the rum,” I tell her.

“Coming right up.” She takes off toward the bar.

Sienna leans across the table the moment the server is gone, her tone eager. “I want all the details.”

“There are no details to share that are interesting.” I hesitate. “Well, there was one thing that happened.”

“Spill it.”

I tell her the story about Portia showing up and Nico pulling me close and slipping his arm around my shoulders. How he told Portia that we were involved, and how rude she was toward me.

“Oh my God, I hate her so much,” Sienna interjects at one point. “Like she is seriously the worst.”

Her opinion about Portia doesn’t surprise me. “You know her?”

“I remember her hanging around last spring. Nico and my brother were roommates but living in an apartment back then, and it was tiny. When I would come over, it seemed like she was always there. Sitting in Nico’s lap. Trying to take all of his attention so he couldn’t hang out with his friends like—ever. Plus she’s freaking mean. I know she didn’t like me being there, and the feeling was mutual.” Sienna shakes her head. “She was awful.”

“She was so incredibly rude toward me. Like I don’t think I’ve ever had someone act that way toward me before.” Her behavior was so blatant. She did not give a single crap about my feelings whatsoever.

“What did she do when she found out you and Nico are together?” Sienna bursts out laughing before I can even explain myself. “No offense, but that is truly the craziest thing, what he did. Like, why would he say that to her?”

“Right? He wasn’t even thinking straight. He just—did it. Next thing I know, his arm is around my shoulders and he’s pulling me into him.” He is as solid as a rock. Firm and muscular, and as hot as a furnace.

“I’m sure that was a hardship.” Sienna’s mischievous smile has me rolling my eyes, but I’m also smiling along with her.

“It was terrible,” I agree, both of us laughing. “When he did that, I’m pretty sure it only made her madder. Trust when I say she wasn’t discouraged about this news.” I’m startled when the server reappears quickly, setting our fresh drinks on the table in front of us before she takes the old ones and stacks them on her tray.

“Need anything else?” she asks brightly, even though she’s walking away from us.

“No thank you,” Sienna answers, holding up her drink toward me. I do the same. “Cheers to the dumb things men say.”

“Cheers.” We clink glasses and both take a drink. It’s strong, heavy on the rum just as I requested, and I take another drink, needing the liquor to mellow me out. I’ve been tense since the moment I walked into the house and Frank tried to get me to cook him dinner.

Speaking of Frank, I glance to my left to see him sitting at the bar with a couple of his teammates, his gaze stuck on me. The second I catch him staring, he looks away, his cheeks turning ruddy, and a sigh leaves me. Sienna notices, of course.

“What’s wrong?” She glances over her shoulder, spotting Frank. Her expression is sympathetic when she faces me once more. “If it makes you feel any better, he used to have a raging crush on me too.”

“Really?” Another sigh escapes. “He’s so nice, but—”

“He tries too hard, and he’s constantly up in your business. Right?” I nod at her assessment. “I finally had to tell him I wasn’t interested in him like that, and from the way he reacted, you’d have thought I kicked his puppy repeatedly. He was so disappointed. I think he even used that exact wording. ‘You disappoint me, Sienna.’”

“Yikes.” I can’t imagine having the balls to tell Frank to his face that I’m not interested. I don’t like confrontation, and the last thing I ever want to do is hurt someone’s feelings.

“He pushed me to it. He comes on so strong, and he wouldn’t let up. Constantly turning him down or saying I was busy wasn’t working. He didn’t take the hint.” She shakes her head, sipping from her drink. “He has a reputation. He’s done this countless times before to other women. I just wish he’d find someone who was totally into him so they can fall in love and produce little Dollars together.”

I start laughing at the image. “Little Dollars.”

“Maybe we could call them fifty cent. When they’re first born, they’d be quarters. Maybe dimes.” Sienna is laughing too. “Seriously, I like him as a friend, but that’s about it.”

“Same.”

“How do you feel about Nico?”

“He’s just a friend too.” No way can I tell her that I think he’s hot. It’s fairly obvious that he is, so there’s no point in mentioning it. “That’s all he can be.”

“And why do you say that?”

“Because we’re roommates. I can’t mess around with a guy I live with.”

Her smile is a little dirty. “So you’ve thought about messing around with him.”

“No, I have definitely not.” I clamp my lips shut, cutting myself off. I’m protesting too much. The bigger the reaction, the more she’s going to think I most definitely have thought about it, and damn it .?.?.

I have.

“He’s not forever material, anyway. None of them are.” Her expression immediately turns glum, and she’s watching someone from across the room. I don’t even have to check on who it is. I already have my suspicions.

“Who are you crushing on?” My voice is gentle, and I take a huge gulp from my drink, wondering if the alcohol is making me braver. We’re delving into private territory, and we barely know each other. Though sometimes isn’t it easier to confess your truths to a virtual stranger?

“No one,” she says way too quickly.

“Come on, now. You can tell me.”

She blows out a frustrated breath. “Fine. I’m madly in love with Gavin, but he barely knows I exist.”

This time I do look behind me to check on who she’s staring at, and yep, there’s Gavin, along with Nico and Coop. All three are standing by a table full of students, smiling and nodding as the students seem to gush over them.

“I’m sure he knows you exist,” I tell her when I’m facing her once more.

“Only as Coop’s little sister and nothing else.” Oh, she sounds down in the dumps. “He doesn’t really see me, you know?”

“Are you so sure about that?”

“Positive. I basically threw myself at him a couple of years ago when I first started here, and he turned me down. We’ve been ‘just friends’”—she uses air quotes—“ever since.”

“Ouch.” I finish off my drink in one last swallow, realizing that Sienna has barely touched hers. Though she had a head start, so I shouldn’t feel too bad. “That was kind of a long time ago, though.”

“Yeah. I was eighteen and way too confident.” Now she’s the one gulping down her drink. “I was trashed that night and positive he could feel the vibes between us. I’m fairly certain that’s how I phrased it to him.”

“And I’m guessing he was kind and thoughtful and said he could never touch you because you’re his friend’s sister,” I say.

“That’s exactly what happened, and I was devastated. I essentially avoided him for a year. Then I started coming around to Coop’s again when he was with his friends, and now I think we’re at peace. Sort of.”

“What do you mean by sort of?”

“He keeps talking to me. Like one on one. Seeking me out all the time. It’s confusing.”

“Men are confusing.”

Sienna holds up her glass, and I clink mine against hers again. “Amen.”