My Ex’s Roommates: Chapter 47

I fixed my lipstick and slipped out of the bathroom, hoping no one had noticed my long absence. I started down the long hallway to the main room of the restaurant with a smile on my face. I couldn’t help it. Dylan had surprised me and I felt giddy over it. Even though things weren’t perfect, he’d reminded me that I had three men who cared about me, even if they couldn’t show their parents or the rest of the world when we were in public. He’d reminded me that it was worth suffering through a shitty dinner.

A large figure filled the hallway ahead of me but with the dim lighting I didn’t see that it was Jake until he was too close for me to pretend like I’d forgotten something and go back to the bathroom. I braced myself for the awkward moment we had to pass each other but I kept my eyes straight ahead, not wanting to make it worse than it was.

Instead of letting me pass, though, Jake blocked my way. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest and the same smile I’d once been stupid enough to believe was more than surface level. “Harper.”

I took a deep breath and looked up at him, unsure of what to expect to feel. I’d been with him for two years. Even if it hadn’t been good, two years was a long time. Whatever I’d been afraid of didn’t happen. Instead of the ghost of the sting of rejection or bitterness, I just felt like I didn’t want to be there. I didn’t care about him and all I wanted to do was get back to the awkward dinner with the three men I did care about.

“Are you shy now? You can speak to me, babe. Your guard dogs aren’t here.”

I frowned. “My guard dogs?”

“Yeah, it looks like you won my old roommates over. They used to hate you so I’m kind of surprised. The shit they used to talk about you… Now they’re watching over you like a bunch of mother hens.” He inched closer. “Were you that hurt, babe? Did they have to help take care of you after everything? Is that why they can’t stop looking at you? Scared that you’re going to shatter over seeing me again?”

I didn’t mean to laugh but it was outlandish. He was an idiot. How the hell had I not noticed in the two years we’d dated? “Sorry, no. We just became friends while talking about football and this one asshole who tried to fuck us all over. Nothing as silly as crying over you.”

He didn’t like that answer. He got closer, caging me in with an arm on either side of my head. “You don’t need to pretend like you aren’t still hurting over me. You just ran to the bathroom to cry as soon as you saw me.”

I rolled my eyes and held my ground. “If you knew what just happened in that bathroom, you’d feel really stupid right now. I’m sorry to tell you, Jake, I’m not upset over you. I’m annoyed that you’re keeping me from my dinner, but other than that, I don’t feel anything for you.”

“I know you, Harper.” He tugged at a piece of my hair. “You don’t just get over the man who took your virginity. Why don’t we put the past behind us? I’m in town for the night… I could slip away.”

Ew. Not just ew, but ew. My face must’ve matched my thoughts because he actually leaned away. “No, thank you. I’d rather stick a bunch of poison ivy up my vagina than even think about touching you ever again. Plus, just because you aren’t busy tonight, Jake, doesn’t mean I’m not. I have plans. Plans with a man who isn’t thoroughly disappointing.”

Speaking of one of those men, Silas’ deep voice filled the hallway. “Get the fuck away from her, Jake.”

I took the chance to slip under Jake’s arm and hurry to Silas. I went up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek before whispering. “Let’s go before he makes a scene.”

Silas gripped my waist and searched my face. “Are you okay? Did he touch you?”

“I’m fine. I promise.” I saw his eyes go back to Jake, who was standing there, watching us in silence, and I cupped his jaw to make him look at me again. “You’re not going to make me walk back to the table by myself, are you?”

He shot one last glare at Jake and then gripped my ass hard before planting an intense kiss on my mouth. Once he had finished marking me as his, he pulled back and nodded. “We can go now.”

I held his hand as we walked back to the table and I couldn’t help the smile stretching my lips. “Dylan’s got plans for later. He’s going to make you watch a repeat of what he just did to me in the bathroom.”

Stumbling a step, Silas raised an eyebrow at me. “You trying to get fucked right now?”

I hushed him as we got closer to our group. “These days it feels like that’s what I’m always doing. Thankfully, I have three willing men hanging around.”

His hand slid down to my ass again and he growled against my ear. “Oh, we’re more than willing, princess. Just wait until we get home.”

The rest of the dinner wasn’t nearly as painful as I’d been afraid it would be. Casey kept shooting me conspiratorial looks and wagging her brows when she thought no one was looking. Dylan was sitting with the biggest self-satisfied smirk on his face. Silas was failing to keep his hands to himself under the table. If Jake ever went back to his table, I didn’t notice. Especially not when Carter insisted on showing everyone that he could indeed slice the top off a bottle of champagne with a sword. It showed the vast reach of his family’s money that he was allowed to try. The fact that the restaurant had a sword just waiting around for the moment also showed me just how far from home I really was.

I leaned over to Silas and smirked. “If someone brought a sword out at a place back home things would’ve gone very differently.”

Terry snorted from across the table and then tried to play it off with a cough. Samantha elbowed him before rejoining her conversation with Carter’s mom.

Carter pulled off his party trick and several waiters appeared with champagne glasses to catch the golden liquid being spilled. Flashing me a proud grin, Carter held my gaze and made the toast. “To battles and the women we fight them for.”