EDITED VERSION: Chapter Four

I woke up the next morning with a slight headache and my legs all tangled up in my blankets because I apparently also left my boots on. Groaning, I reached for the glass of water and the two Advil that mysteriously sat beside my laptop on my desk. Chugging the contents to the bottom of the glass, I put it back down beside my laptop. When I caught sight of my laptop, I felt as though I had forgotten something. Peering at my desk, I studied everything on it, from notebooks to pencils, to my phone. I paused when I saw my phone. Kieran and I had a fight last night before I went out.

Oh, crap. Kieran. I was supposed to Skype him when I got home.

Bolting from my bed, I removed my smeared makeup and powered on my laptop and went on Skype.

It took a couple of tries but I finally got Kieran to answer my calls. "Kieran, thank God. I'm so sorry. Last night was sort of hectic and once I got home, I passed right out."

Kieran didn't look amused. He sat in his computer chair, leaning back, playing with the rim of the baseball cap he was wearing, "So, you get mad at me for not talking to you because I was out partying, yet you did just that last night. How is that fair?"

"I wasn't partying, Kieran," I shook my head a little. "I was meeting Darian's brother. We barely had anything to drink."

Four beers were nothing to Kieran. But to me, I could get tipsy off of one. Not that Kieran didn't already know this.

Kieran leaned forward in his computer chair and his eyes narrowed. "If you were just meeting Darian's brother, why are you wearing that?"

I looked down and noticed I forgot to change out of my lace bodysuit that Kieran absolutely despised. I leaning back on my chair I pulled the hoodie that was on my bed and threw it on hastily. "I just want to look nice."

Kieran scratched his head with his cap. "So, looking nice equates to you look like a strippe-"

"Hey, Audrey?" Nathan swung open the door without knocking. His hazel eyes fell onto mine that was beginning to produce tears. "Are you-"

"Who is that?" My boyfriend demanded; his expression not very amused.

Nathan's eyes landed on Kieran's angry face that filled my computer screen. He mouthed, sorry, and left the room quietly.

I winced at his tone, "That would be Nathan, Darian's brother."

"Oh," was all Kieran responded with. "He spent the night?"

Taking a deep breath, I said, "Kieran? I have something I need to tell you."

My boyfriend stilled at my tone. Way to go, that was probably the most horrible way to start this conversation.

Staring at me intently, Kieran waited for me to continue. Tiredly running my hand through my tangled hair, I said, "Last night at dinner Nathan informed us he was having difficulties with the place he's living in. The owners want to move back in and he has no place to go."

"What does that have to do with you?" Kieran snapped instantly.

"Well," I began slowly. "You know we were going to get another roommate down the line, because of the extra room, but that room is now going to Nathan."

Kieran let out a breath, his jaw clenched tightly. "He better be gay too."

"He's not gay too, Kieran, it doesn't just run in the family," I snapped just like he had done moments before as if he would act like a child about this. We have been together for over a year and basically best friends since the ninth grade. I wouldn't leave him for just about anybody — especially if that somebody was Nathan.

I propped a knee on my chair, wrapped my arm around it, and began to chew on my thumbnail. "Kieran, it's just temporary and I would never leave you for my roommate's brother. Do you know how absurd that is?"

Rubbing his jaw, Kieran stated, "I think we need to break up."

"What?" I nearly yelled, dropping my arm from my knee. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, Audrey, I am." Kieran snapped through the screen. "Clearly this long-distance thing isn't working out, seeing as it hasn't even been a month since you moved and you're already cheating on me."

"I am not cheating on you!" I argued, both sadness and anger laced in my voice. "I wouldn't do that to you. I'm just trying to help my friend help his brother."

"Whatever," Kieran said, placing his cap on his head once again. "I'll talk to you later."

With that being said, the screen went black. I sat there for a moment, stunned at Kieran's response to Nathan moving in. I didn't expect him to take the news well, but I hadn't expected him to break up with me as a result. Tears pricked my eyes but I refused to let them escape. I would not let Nathan nor Darian see me cry and I would not let Kieran's insecurities break my heart.

After blinking away my tears and changing out of my clothes into something far comfier and more appropriate for my new relationship status — Adidas sweats and a hoodie. I walked out of my room and into the kitchen to have some breakfast.

"Jesus Christ, you look like a zombie," Nathan mused, laying on the couch with an arm slung over the back, and a blush pink towel twisted on top of his head.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you using my towel for your hair?"

Darian's brother shrugged nonchalantly. "Couldn't find the spares, so I worked with what I got."

"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered under my breath, going to the kitchen counter to get some coffee.

Nathan feigned an exasperated scoff. "That's not the thanks I was looking for."

Pushing the START button on the coffee maker, I turned around. "And why would I be thanking you?"

"Who do you think left you the water and Advil?" Nathan smirked, making me want to smack him in the face.

I shook my head. "Well, thank you for that, but I will not thank you for using my towel." And ending my relationship, I added silently but shook the thought. I wasn't going to blame Nathan for Kieran's issues.

Taking my now steamy cup of coffee, I sat at the kitchen table. Nathan got up from the couch and sat across from me. "Who was that you were talking to?"

"My boyfriend," I responded quickly, wanting to escape the conversation of my love life with him. But also feeling a twinge of heartache when I realized he was no longer my boyfriend, rather my ex-boyfriend.

Nathan arched his brow, "He seems mighty jealous of me living with you," he pondered a bit, tapping his fingers on the table. Out of nowhere, he snapped his fingers, "Maybe I should pretend to be gay, just to get him off your back."

"Were you listening to our conversation?" I asked, anger bubbling up. "Why would you even bother?"

"I was curious," he shrugged, "I thought you were still a little bit drunk, given you were in a room talking aloud with nobody in it."

Ignoring his remark, I asked impatiently, "Where's Darian?"

"Out to get more shampoo, I think," Nathan gave me his signature smirk. "It's just me and you, princess."

"Yay me," I responded with fake enthusiasm, taking another sip of my coffee. When I placed it down on the table, I noticed there were faded bruises that danced on Nathan's knuckles. Without even thinking anything of it, I let go of my coffee mug and touched Nathan's hands. "What happened?"

Stunned by my question, Nathan jerked his hands back and wouldn't meet my gaze. "It's not easy being a bartender, princess. Lots of fights I have to break up."

I nodded my head and didn't press the conversation further. I knew there was more to the story, but I wasn't going to force him into a conversation he didn't want to indulge in.

Thankfully, Darian came through the front door to break the silence. He looked at Nathan and me and sighed. "Dude, you know how hard it is to find your precious shampoo?"

Darian's brother chuckled. "No worries, little brother, Audrey's shampoo worked out just fine."

I rolled my eyes and Darian shot his brother a pointed look. "When you move in, no using anyone's shampoo other than your own, capiche?"

"I'm a peach," Nathan responded batting his eyelashes innocently.

My roommate sat with us at the kitchen table and handed his brother the bottle of shampoo. "I said capiche."

Nathan shrugged with a look that said, duh. "Yeah, so did I."

Not being able to fight back my laughter, I got up from the table so the boys wouldn't see my reaction. Living with these two was definitely going to be entertaining.

After Nathan left, I decided to go to my evening class a little early so I could stop by the library and explore. Maybe if I focused enough on school, I wouldn't think of Kieran. But that became increasingly hard because the more I tried not to think about it, the more I'd actually think about it.

As I rounded the corner, my cell phone rang and I quickly made an effort to answer it so I wouldn't get in trouble for making excessive noise in the quiet section of the library. It kept ringing as I fumbled to figure out what pocket it was in, seriously, why did everyone in my life insist on calling rather than texting? Finally, I found it in the bottom of my bag. "Hello?"

"Audrey, oh my gosh, I am so sorry I haven't called you sooner," I instantly recognized my best friend's voice.

I smiled at the sound of it. "Don't sweat it, Abby. I know you're busy with your siblings. How are they doing? How are you doing?"

"Ugh, don't get me started on the five little gremlins," Abigail groaned. "I'm good, but anyway, I'm calling about you. I heard about the breakup."

My heart sunk and I sat at the closest study cubicle I could find. "I'm fine. I just think Kieran is being stubborn, he'll come around at some point."

"For sure, he's an idiot to leave you," my friend agreed and then quickly added, "But is it true you're living with not one but two new hotties?"

I rolled my eyes. "I live with one roommate; his name is Darian. But last night Darian's brother asked if he could stay with us until he found his own place. Kieran is just blowing it out of proportion."

I looked up at the big clock that hovered over the librarian's desk and jumped up. "Shit, I'm going to be late for class. Can I call you back?"

"No problem," Abigail answered, not sounding upset, which I was grateful for. "Talk to you later."

Without wasting another second, I started to run to my class, which was all the way across the campus.