Roommates with Benefits [COMPLETED]

Chapter 35 - The cleanup

Emma

I wake up feeling sore and lonely in my bed. It's still early, but we have the venue for a limited time and we need to clean up, so I drag myself out of bed and get ready.

There's no sign of Knightley. I stand outside his door and listen for a while before I knock. A growl lets me know he's awake.

I knock again, and he opens the door. His hair is ruffled, and he's squinting at the light. But as his eyes focus on me, he smiles and I feel my insides shred.

"Good morning," he says.

"I have to get to the venue." I keep my eyes on his face. There is no time for distractions. I'm about to remind him to get the sound system when he holds up a finger and yawns.

"One minute."

He closes the door, and I blink.

Half a minute later, he emerges again in jeans and a hoodie. "I'm ready."

"I didn't mean you have to come now. I just wanted to remind you about the sound system."

He grabs the keys from the bowl, then looks at me. "You should drive. I need a minute to wake up."

He hands me the keys and I pull on my shoes.

As we walk to the car, he places a hand on my back. As if it's the most natural thing in the world. I hold my breath as he gently steers me to the driver's side.

He makes sure I get in first and as I adjust the seat; he walks around and gets in the passenger's side. I take a moment to familiarize myself with the car. It drives so smoothly it's almost like flying. I love it.

Steeling myself, I clear my throat. "So. Is that something we do now?" I ask, eyes on the road.

Even without looking, I can tell he's tensing up.

"If you want to."

I dare a glance at him. His face is unreadable.

"You didn't like it?"

He laughs, a deep sound that burrows into my spine. He places his hand on my leg and gives it a squeeze. It's enough to make me want more.

"Princess, I liked it."

The nickname makes me blush. "I liked it too. But I'm not..." I bite my lip. "I don't know... We probably..."

He pulls his hand back. "We don't need labels. It is what it is."

"Yes." No labels. "And... Do you think we could keep it quiet?" I look over at him. "I don't know if I want Noah to know."

He nods, but doesn't look at me. "We'll keep it quiet."

As we approach the venue, I look for a parking spot.

"You can just stop here," he points to a spot out front. "I have some work things I need to deal with. But I'll be back in an hour or so."

"Ok." I leave the car running and he gets out to take my seat.

"You have your phone?"

I check my pocket. "Yes."

"Good. Call me if... there's any issue."

"Sure."

I'm a bit confused by a lot of things as he drives away. I could have driven myself. In fact, I know he hates when others drive his car. Noah's bitched about it plenty of times. And he still let me drive. And telling me to call him... What was that about?

I shake my head. Maybe he's still half asleep?

I head inside and find Hannah already there with Freja, Sam, and Teresa. Even Avery has been roped into helping. It doesn't look too bad, but we still need to set things straight so we don't have to pay the cleaning fee.