Rebel Roommate: A Brother's Best Friend Romance

by Jeannine Colette

  Yours truly,

  Wes

  I stare at the clock and see it’s way too late to call him and start this conversation, and I’m not sure if I’m ready yet, so I take the letter, fold it up, and place it under my pillow. I know I won’t get any sleep tonight, but I need to at least try.

  After class the next day, I walk out to my car and see a note on my windshield. Frustrated, thinking it’s a ticket, I grab it in a rush and go to throw it in my purse when I see my name handwritten across it. When I open it, I see Wes’s handwriting.

  I know you’ve always hated that I called you Squid, but I never told you why for a reason. Yes, I tried to play it off like it was because you were a swimmer, but it was so much more than that. It was my way of saying you were my light. Through all the darkness of my world, you were always shining brightly in my eyes.

  You see, there’s a Hawaiian squid that can produce light to help it avoid nocturnal predators. I was your predator, only your light drew me in instead of pushing me away.

  I admired you from afar for years, and my secret way of saying so was by calling you Squid. I know it’s silly, but to me, it never was. I meant it each and every time I said it. I know that light might be dim right now, but I hope it will shine brightly again, especially for me.

  I close my eyes and press it to my chest as tears run down my face. Wiping them away, I hop in my car and head back to my apartment. When “The Heart of the Matter” by Don Henley plays through my speakers, I tear up as he sings about forgiveness. Talk about a sign telling me what I should do.

  When I step in my room, my eyes open wide at the sight of lavender roses covering every surface. On my bed is one single red rose with another note.

  Please forgive me.

  With all my love,

  Wesley Delmont Knight

  I cover my mouth, wanting to laugh and cry, just seeing the name I teased him about for years written on paper.

  He’s trying, and it’s working. I pick up my phone but know it’s something I want to discuss in person. I know Chad doesn’t want me asking for help, but I don’t know where he’s staying, so I go to his room and knock on the door.

  “Yeah,” he yells out.

  I open it and stand there in silence, not sure how to broach the question. He grabs a piece of paper off his desk and hands it to me.

  “Yes, I know what’s in your room. Here’s his new address.”

  I reach for it, and he holds it firmly, making me look at him before giving it up completely.

  He lets out a breath before saying, “Just go slow, okay? I believed him when he told me how he felt about you. I just worry that, with his upbringing, he can’t be what you deserve.”

  I raise my eyebrows to him. “But he was exactly what you wanted all these years by your side. Don’t you think he can do the same for me?”

  He lets go of the paper and nods. “Touché. Go.” He points toward his door.

  I grasp the note in my hand and rush out of the apartment after grabbing my purse and keys.

  When I get to my car, I open the paper and see it’s an address I don’t recognize as one of their friends’ apartments. After inputting it into my phone’s Map app, I drive the few miles to a condo on a residential street a little closer to campus.

  I try not to worry about what’s about to happen, so I don’t overthink it. I just open the door and march straight to his condo.

  As I knock, my stomach turns with anticipation. I hear movement inside and step back, giving myself space so I don’t do something stupid, like wrap my arms around him and kiss him senseless. We’re not there yet.

  He opens the door, and instantly, my chest tightens. He’s dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt with his hat on backward. It’s so simple yet so sexy and so Wes.

  We stare at each other in silence. I rub my lips together, and he holds out his hand to mine.

  I look at it, not sure if I should take this olive branch just yet. When my eyes meet with his again, I take a tiny step forward, placing my hand in his.

  “I’m so sorry,” he says.

  “I’m not quite ready to forgive you,” I say after I take a deep breath.

  “That’s okay. I’ll work every day to prove to you that I deserve your forgiveness.”

  I take another small step closer. “You hurt me.”

  “I hurt myself more. I’ve been a wreck without you. I never knew I was capable of love until you. You consumed my every breath. I’m not going to lie. It scared the shit out of me. I tried to ignore those fears, but when Chad started in on me, it was like I was ten years old again, and my dad was yelling at me. I closed down and just left. It’s something I’ll regret my entire life.”

  My heart splits open, and I take one step closer.

  He places his other hand on my face. “I promise I’m all in. I bought this place. I’m staying here, in Berkeley, until you graduate. I know you need a place to live next year. I hope I can earn your trust again, and you’ll move in here with me when you’re ready. But just know, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here, waiting and working to earn your trust back.”

  I take that extra step and am engulfed in his arms. “I’m going to make you work for it.”

  He moves a stray piece of hair from my face. “I have no doubt you will.”

  “It’s going to take time.”

  His lips brush against mine.

  “We have all the time in the world,” he whispers.

  “It might take that long,” I say as I fall into his arms.

  He kisses me until my knees go weak, and he has to lift me up. I happily wrap my legs around his waist, where they should have been this entire time.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Nicole and I sit in the stands of the baseball stadium, both anxiously awaiting our boyfriends. Being with Wes out in the open has been a dream come true. It’s taken Chad a little bit of getting used to, but he’s coming around.

  Thankfully, Wes’s birthday was two weeks after we rekindled. There was no way Chad was going to let the day pass by without showing Wes some love, especially since he knew his parents would most likely forget, which they did.

  We originally didn’t want to push the issue with Chad, so we made plans to stay at Wes’s new condo as a half-birthday, half–housewarming celebration. Matt, Adam, Nathan, and a few other guys from the team came.

  When Nicole and Chad showed up, I noticed the way Wes stood up from where he had been sitting and bullshitting with Matt. His back was ramrod straight, and his arms were fidgety at the sides. I stood up as well and grabbed his hand, letting him know it was going to be okay. He squeezed back but kept his eyes on the front of the room.

  Chad stood quietly. The music was blaring, but everyone was silent as we waited for this quick draw of who was gonna make the first move.

  Nicole gave Chad a nudge as she cleared her throat.

  He took the hint and held up a bottle of tequila. “Thought we could toast to the old man.”

  Wes’s dimples made an appearance. “I’m only drinking if you’re drinking.”

  Chad placed a hand in his coat pocket and took out a sleeve of disposable shot glasses. “Looks like we’re gonna have a few rounds.”

  When they man-hugged, I knew it was the best birthday present Wes had ever gotten—his best friend and his acceptance. Wes has never been into material things, and having his best friend forgive him, I’m sure, made it the best birthday ever.

  “Do you and Wes have special plans for Valentine’s Day?” Nicole asks from her spot next to me as we wait for the game to begin.

  “Kind of. Wes’s furniture is finally getting delivered tomorrow, so we’re gonna have a Chinese food picnic on the living room floor. It’s pretty basic, but they have to be up early for practice.”

  She groans. “Same here. We’re staying in too. Except I have this amazing rack of lamb recipe I’m excited to try.”

  “Chad’s lucky he found a woman who can cook.”

  “I’m pretty
lucky too.” She glances down at the bracelet he gave her for Christmas and sighs. It has a charm with his baseball number—23—dangling off a gold chain.

  “You never told me the turning point of how you went from friends to lovers. I believe Chad said, ‘That’s our secret, babe.’ ”

  She smashes her lips together and grins, looking up at me like she’s about to give away her secret. “You already know I decided to play with him.”

  “As per your worldly advice a few months ago, yes, I recall.”

  “Well, God … this is so embarrassing. There is this fashion show the school does. They do it for charity. Well, Amanda read this article about how Kate Middleton got Prince William by wearing lingerie at a fashion show.”

  She pulls out her phone and scrolls through the photos for a while until she finds what she wants. When she does, she holds the phone up to me. I grab it, and my eyes practically bulge out of my head. Nicole isn’t just wearing lingerie. She has on a bra that has some serious lift action, a super-small bikini bottom, and garters. Her hair is thick with barrel curls, and her makeup is extra sultry.

  “Damn, girl. This look would make a porn star blush. You wore this in front of a crowd?”

  “I wore that one outfit in front of five hundred people, hoping that special someone would notice.”

  “Obviously, he did.” I hand her the phone back, and she shakes her head.

  “Actually, he didn’t. We went to a party after, and even though I was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, these guys kept hitting on me and asking where my garters were. One got a little too touchy, and Chad came to the rescue. When he told me it was my fault for wearing that outfit in public, I blamed him and told him it was his fault because I was crazy about him and didn’t know any other way to get his attention. Turns out, he’d been thinking about me as more than a friend too. Neither of us thought the other was interested. After that night, the rest is history.”

  My mouth is frowning, and it’s not because I’m sad. It’s what I do when I think I’m gonna cry. “That’s the sweetest story ever.”

  “Not as sweet as the brother’s best friend who fell for his Squid.”

  “I’m so happy he stopped calling me that.”

  “I’m so happy he started calling you his.” She waggles her brows.

  I let out a big, joyful laugh. “Me too.” I fall into her side, and we giggle as we look at the field and at the men we love, who are running to their positions. “What do you think they’re going to do?”

  Since it’s Valentine’s Day, the guys told us we had to be at the stadium for the game and to wear flat shoes.

  I shrug. “I’ve tried every way possible to get it out of Wes, but his lips have been sealed shut. I know for sure he didn’t come up with it though. Romantic he is not. At least, not in the traditional ways.”

  Nicole raises her eyebrows at me. “Chad, too, but I’ll save you the details.”

  I wave my hand in surrender. “Yes, please do.”

  We both laugh and then look up, surprised, as we notice Wes and Chad walking up the bleachers toward us.

  “Are you ready?” Chad says as he reaches his hand out to Nicole, and she stands.

  Wes is right behind him, and when he does the same to me, I swear my knees get weak. I’ve seen him in his uniform a hundred times, but now that I know what’s underneath it and what that body can do to me, it’s taken on a whole new meaning.

  “Hold up. You said, be ready, but you didn’t say we were going anywhere,” I protest.

  “Do you always have to be such a pain in the ass?” Wes says as he pulls me close to him.

  “Yes. Yes, I do,” I state defiantly.

  “That’s why I love you.” He softly kisses my lips.

  Chad slaps Wes’s shoulder. “Dude, do you still have to do that right in front of me?”

  Wes swirls his tongue around mine once more and then looks over his shoulder. “I had to do something before she called me a jerk or maybe worse.”

  We laugh as Nicole drags Chad away from us, and Wes takes advantage by kissing me longer this time.

  “You regretting making an honest man out of me?”

  “And here I thought, I got the bad boy.”

  “Nope. Total Boy Scout. Once I find a woman I’m in love with, I’m glued to her for the rest of her life,” he says easily.

  “Even if she wants to saddle you down with kids and all that nonsense?”

  “Hang on there, Squid. Date, then engagement, then marriage, and then ten years tops until we talk about kids.”

  I let out a groan. “The nickname is back.”

  He kisses my head and guides me down the stairs. “Only when I want to piss you off.”

  He holds my hand as he leads me onto the field. We all stand next to each other while a woman walks out and sings the national anthem in the most beautiful tone ever.

  Afterward, they line all of the girlfriends up on the baseline, giving us each a ball before the guys head to their respective positions.

  Nicole holds up the ball and whispers to me, “What do they expect me to do with this?”

  We hear the announcer say, “As a treat for the special Valentines of our players, each one of them gets to throw out the first pitch to their player.”

  I glance at Wes, who’s pulling his mask over his face, and he takes his spot behind home plate. “We get to throw out the first pitch.”

  Nicole’s eyes open wide. “All the way to home plate?”

  I grin from ear to ear. “No, that’s my job. You get to throw to Chad from home plate.” I turn to Chad, who’s standing by the pitcher’s mound.

  “Do I have to?” Nicole asks, not happy since she’s dating the starting pitcher knowing she’s going to have to throw first.

  The crowd cheers as Nicole reaches back and throws the ball, not making it all the way to Chad. She covers her eyes in embarrassment, but Chad grabs the ball and runs up to give her a hug, producing a rose from his back pocket.

  I watch as each girl throws to their player with the outfielders coming to the edge of the grass. Then, it’s my turn. The final throw to start the game. Wes hits his glove a few times and then holds it out to me. He doesn’t move any closer than he normally would stand and crouches behind the plate, like he does in the game. He nods his head slightly, telling me he knows I got this throw and I’m about to show them all up. After all, he was my teacher. I reach my arm back and bring it over my shoulder, just like he taught me. As I let go of the ball, it flies through the air and lands directly in his glove.

  I throw my arms in the air as everyone cheers around us. Wes runs up and wraps his arms around me, kissing me softly before producing the rose from his back pocket.

  “For my Valentine, the one I’ve wanted every year since I can remember,” he says.

  “You’re the Inspiration” by Chicago plays over the stadium’s speaker system, and I glance at Wes, who’s beaming from ear to ear. It’s cheesy mom music, and it’s the most romantic sound I’ve ever heard.

  “Oh, yes, I take full credit for that too.” He leans in to give me a quick kiss as I laugh against his lips.

  Chad comes running up. “Nice throw, sis. I didn’t know you could throw like that.”

  “It’s because I taught her,” Wes says proudly.

  Chad hits his arm. “And that’d better be all you’re teaching her.”

  “Oh, stop, Chad. We all know I’m the one teaching him.” I laugh.

  Wes pulls me in closer, so our noses touch. “Teaching me how to love for sure.”

  His lips crash with mine, and for the first time in my life, I have the perfect Valentine.

  I might not have known what this college coed experience was going to be. Living with my brother’s best friend was not what I’d thought it would be.

  It was better.

  So much better.

  And I wouldn’t change a thing.

  Epilogue

  Two Years Later

  “You’re late!” We
s says from inside of the house.

  I close the front door to the condo and toss my keys on the hook. I’m rushing inside with tote bags dangling from my arms.

  “I know. I’m sorry.” I rush up to Wes, who is leaning against the back side of the sofa and tapping on his watch. I give him a kiss on the cheek and then haul ass into our room.

  “You have fifteen minutes,” he calls out, rather annoyed.

  I’m undressing as I walk through the room, shucking off my shoes and leaving a trail of clothes in my wake. He won’t be happy with the mess, but we can worry about it later.

  I’m not one to run this late, but I just couldn’t leave my job at the Botanical Garden.

  When it was time to pick an internship, I lost out on my two top choices—the conservation society or the zoo—and found a spot at the Department of Labor. At first, I didn’t think I’d like it, but I quickly figured out it was the perfect place for me to be. I learned more about conservation and forestry than I would in any textbook, and I enjoyed the people as much as the education. When I graduated, they offered me a job, and I took it. It’s an incredibly low-paying job, but it’s definitely been a step in the right direction.

  “I had every intention of leaving work two hours ago, but there is a project on reexamining the underbrush of northern California fires and how the risk of wildfires might outweigh the risk to the ecosystem,” I say as I grab my black dress off the hanger in the closet and slide it on.

  My hair is still curled from when I went to work earlier, and I’ll have to touch up my makeup in the car.

  Shoes. I need shoes. Crap. Where did I put my black heels?

  I fall to the floor and start pillaging through my shoe rack, desperately looking for the stilettos I got from Nicole for my birthday last year.

  “Anyway …” I continue as I toss a slipper over my shoulder and start to dig. Man, I really need to organize this space better. “They let me sit in on the speech preparation for a big presentation that’s happening in the capital on Monday. I’ve always been passionate about the economics of conservation, but seeing the politics behind it is fascinating. It’s like a real-life version of Madam Secretary or the West Wing.” I find one black shoe and raise my arm in a successful cheer, and then I realize I have to find the other. “I mean, you should see how many people it takes to prepare …”