My Ex’s Roommates: Chapter 11

I walked into the house and had to stop myself from slamming the door. I was angry and frustrated and more than a little hurt. I’d tried to reach out to some of the friends who hadn’t blatantly bullied me but it’d gone horribly. Only one of them even bothered to answer me and it was just to inform me that they’d all talked and decided I wasn’t a good fit for them. I wasn’t a good fit. She’d even asked that I lose her number. I couldn’t understand why they were blaming me for Jake’s choices. The only thing that made sense was that they were never my friends to begin with and had just hung out with me because of Jake. That hurt.

I wanted to cry but I’d done that enough. It just felt like as soon as I fixed one thing, two more went wrong. I’d talked to Coach Hogan and brought him around to my side. But after that massage debacle on the field, the guys on the team kept telling me that they pulled their groins, too, in an attempt to embarrass me. Top that off with my friends not ever really being my friends and I felt like crap. I was on a collision course with my bed and I wanted it to happen as fast as possible.

I could hear the guys talking in the living room and recognized that they were talking about one of the plays they’d been running at practice that morning. With no permission from my brain, my legs carried me closer.

“I say we just scratch the whole thing. It worked well with Jake but I’m not the same quarterback as Jack. We can’t keep trying these same plays and getting nowhere. The team looks like shit and I swear to god I saw Hogan have a stroke today. Everything is fucking falling apart.” Dylan sounded stressed, his voice tight.

“We can’t throw out the whole playbook.” Silas sighed. “Dylan, come on. Let’s just look at it again.”

“I say we quit football and college and we use my inheritance to buy an island.” Carter, ever helpful, was the first to see me. “We can bring our new roommate with us. Since she seems so interested.”

I frowned at him but didn’t bother replying as I spotted the playbooks spread open on the couch and coffee table. I recognized the play they were looking at and a spark of electricity went through me. Old muscles that I hadn’t used since my brothers went away flexed as I thought of the issues I’d noticed with that particular play.

“Do you need something?” Silas closed his playbook and scowled. “These aren’t open sessions, princess.”

I ignored his attempt at prodding me, too, and looked up at Dylan. “Switch forty-eight and fifty-seven. Fifty-seven won’t work because he insists on running full speed all the way down the field and it makes it look like you’re not getting your passes to him. Forty-eight is slower. He’s also a powerhouse. He’ll have farther to run once he catches the ball but it won’t be easy to stop him.”

They all stared at me in silence, mouths slightly ajar.

“You’re not the same quarterback as Jake, but that doesn’t mean the plays won’t work. You can do everything he does. Not unless you relax, though. You’re throwing with so much tension that you’re shortening your passes. If you learn to loosen up your muscles before you throw, you’ll be playing the same ball as Jake.” I pushed my hair out of my face and sighed. “Take it or leave it. I don’t know why I’m trying to help the team anyway. This place has turned on me so what do I care if we can’t show our faces after this season?”

I left them sitting there and went up to my room. I dropped my bags on my bed and flopped backwards next to them. What a shitty day.

Before I got too comfortable, my phone rang. I saw it was Barry and quickly answered it, eager to hear from my brothers. “Hello?”

“Harper?”

I sat up and chills erupted down my spine. It was Barry and he’d only ever called me once before, when Danny had been assaulted. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I’m sorry to scare you, Harper. Your brothers asked me to call you and let you know they won’t be able to be in touch for a few days. Prison’s on lockdown.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding and ran my hand over my face. “Why?”

“Rumors of weapons and riots. We got some inmates transferred up from Florida and it isn’t going well.” He sighed, sounding tired. “The warden’s locking everything down while we sort it out. Your brothers are fine, though. I’m sorry I scared you.”

“No, it’s okay. Thank you for letting me know. Is… Are they okay?” I shook my head at myself and tried again. “I mean, are they doing okay? In general?”

“Honestly? Your brothers handle themselves. After that incident with Danny no one messes with them.”

“Thank you, Barry. Thanks for all that you do.”

“Don’t mention it.” He laughed. “Really, though. Don’t mention it. Your brothers will call you as soon as they can, kid. Hang in there.”

I hung up and dropped the phone on the bed beside me. I didn’t like knowing they’d be out of contact for a while. I logically knew that there was nothing I could do for them but I always felt better knowing they could reach out to me.

“Everything okay?” Dylan stood in the doorway with a frown on his face. “You looked upset when I walked by.”

I stared at him for a few seconds, just wondering what it would be like for him to hug me. It was a strange thought but I realized he was about the same giant size as my brothers and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been hugged.

“Harper?”

I stood up and walked over to him. “Can you hug me?”

He looked taken aback. His arms even came up in a defensive way, like he was afraid I’d latch onto him.

My face flamed as I felt the familiar sting of rejection. “Sorry. That was weird. I just… Forget it. I’m sorry.”

He swore under his breath and then stepped into my space to wrap his arms around me. He took a deep breath as he tightened his hold and pinned me in a tight squeeze. “Sorry, Harper. I was just surprised.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on tight, breathing in his warm scent. His big body was so hot against mine that I could feel all of my muscles relaxing. I knew I needed to let him go and stop clinging but I couldn’t force myself to step back just yet. “I don’t think I’ve been hugged in a really long time. Since even before Jake left.”

“Do you miss him?”

I considered his quiet words and felt a sense of relief when I realized I could answer honestly. “No. I miss my brothers.”

He hugged me even tighter. “Can you go see them?”

I let out a huff of laughter and watched goosebumps erupt across Dylan’s neck. I suddenly became very aware of all the places our bodies were touching and just how much he wasn’t like hugging my brothers. I could feel him against my stomach, not hard but definitely not soft. Instead of pulling away, I stayed there, just feeling him. Curiosity and loneliness had me reluctant to end the hug.

“Harper?” His voice was lower, deeper when he said my name.

I heard footsteps on the stairs and forced myself to pull back. Clearing my throat, I grabbed my door and started easing it shut. “Thank you. Um… Goodnight.”

I shut the door and pressed my forehead against it. I didn’t know what was wrong with me but I knew something was.