The room is a decent size, but the contrast to the rest of the house is apparent. A simple bed and desk are the only furniture and there isn’t a single thing hanging on the wall. He strips off his t-shirt and holds it in his hand. “So…”

“Sooo,” I mimic, and he grins.

“You said you wanted to talk to me or was that code for get naked because you’re still fully clothed?”

“Oh, right.” I walk around his room to avoid staring at him, taking in details about him. Detail one, his phone is on his desk so maybe he wasn’t ignoring me. Detail two, there are no less than five half-empty Powerade bottles also on the desk, but no laptop or books. “Sorry to just drop in. I tried to text.”

“It’s a party. No need to RSVP, sweetheart.”

“My roommates still think we’re together.”

“Yeah, I got that from the death glares they were sending me and Maureen.”

“Sorry if I ruined your date for the night.” I turn to face him so he can see I mean it. He’s dropped his jeans and only wears a pair of wet black boxer briefs that do nothing to hide… well, everything. I quickly turn back around, heat flooding my face. “I’ll go down there and tell them the truth. This whole charade has gone on long enough. You must think I’m crazy.”

His phone rings, cutting off any response he might have been about to say. He picks it up and looks at the screen, his brows pulling together as he says, “Sorry, I gotta get this. Can we talk later?”

“Of course.” I move to the door. “Is there a bathroom up here I could use?”

He points. “Across the hall.”

“Thanks.”

He nods as he puts the phone to his ear and answers.

I let myself out and find the bathroom. Inside, I splash my face and search for the words to try and explain this to my roommates, but I’m at a total loss. The little bit of ground I won tonight is going to be pulled out from under me when they find out I made the whole thing up.

Why couldn’t I have just owned up to my one night with Nathan? Looking back, I don’t think it’s possible that my roommates could have possibly disliked me any more than they already did just because I got drunk and slept with the first person who was nice to me. I think it’s because I could see it in their eyes—acceptance. They couldn’t believe he was with me and dammit, why wouldn’t he be? I’m pretty fantastic.