Dorm Room 210 [Original]

EXCLUSIVE SAMPLE CHAPTER

Upgrades:

More romance

Fresh plotlines

Darker themes

More PDA

A polished re-write

The Dinner

I stare up at the ceiling while flipping my phone, shower running with Noah's r&b music in the background, re-playing Rachel's messy outburst and battling the angst coming with it.

It's been three days, and like all my problems, the more I think about it, the more I become concrete. I've said nothing to no one, believing soon enough Rachel will out my interference and I'll get the blame. After all, I've been warned to leave it alone — I deserve it.

The door to the bathroom clicks open and Noah comes out dressed in a clean pair of blue jeans and an open-buttoned black shirt. Well, sort of open-buttoned. Gold chains style across from button to slot, coming all the way down like a loose ladder. Curious, I sat up properly against the window.

He laughs when he sits on his bed and puts on a pair of lace-up leather shoes. "You really like that window bench."

"Did you do that?" I motion at his shirt.

He smiles. It's starting to become one of my favourite things to see. "I did. I have to put a tank underneath or else it'll show skin. And it's cold," he adds with a short chuckle.

"Well, it deserves to be in the closet."

He drops his foot on the ground. "Oh, so you don't want to see me with it on?"

"I didn't say that. I just meant..." It's taking me longer than I like to avoid saying the wrong thing. 

"You know, the closet. It's filled with all of our pieces. You should hang it up in there once you're done wearing it."

"Oh, the closet." He tries to mask the humour spreading across his face.

I frown at him. "Yes. The closet."

"I thought you just wanted to see me with my shirt off."

"Why would I say that?"

"Why would you say what?"

I give him a blank stare from across the room, debating whether I should throw a pillow or a sewing machine and wipe the smirk off his face. It has to be harmless teasing because Noah doesn't just come out and say stupid things like this, not when he's dating Nikki, but my tipping point is on the edge of becoming disastrous.

"So, you're coming with me tonight I take it."

I gesture at my black satin bishop top and high-waisted crepe pants. "Clearly."

Noah's eyebrows pinch together. "Are you feeling okay? You're not usually snappy."

"And you're not usually a tease." I wince the second the words leave my mouth. "Joker. I meant that... you don't usually joke around and..." I sigh. "Sorry. I've got a lot on my mind."

I expect him to laugh and tell me he gets it, anything to break off the dense atmosphere wrapping around us like knotted string.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asks.

"I'm not sure how."

"Does it involve this dinner? I told you, don't come. He's only inviting you for ulterior motives, get some dumb information about me and leave you feeling like shit."