Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“I can’t believe all the stuff they want you to fill out and submit. I bet a government security clearance check would require less info.”
I laughed. “Yeah, it’s a lot, but I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. And I want you to, also.” If I didn’t get it, I hoped that Tori did.
“Uh-oh.” Her voice sounded strange. “Crap.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m reading the fine print, and I think my mom makes just over the income line. Like just a thousand bucks or so.” She sounded crestfallen.
“I’m sorry. That’s so unfair. I know how much you could use the money.”
“Yeah,” she said. “In addition to letting me save my money for other necessities, like food, it might’ve also allowed me to get the hell out of here.”
“Are things still bad?”
“Really, really bad. Now two of them have boyfriends, and they’re always over here. Being loud in the living room when I’m trying to study. Eating the food I bought for myself. They spend the night and take all the hot water in the shower. And one of them walks around the house practically naked, with just a towel wrapped around his waist. How could anyone do that in a place that wasn’t his own?”
As bad as I felt about Tori’s situation, I couldn’t help grinning about that. I hadn’t minded at all when I saw Ian wrapped in a towel after he exited the bathroom last week.
“I was thinking about maybe trying something different for next semester,” Tori said “I mean, my first choice would be rooming with you if we could both afford it, but I don’t think we can. It’s just the two of us. Remember that guy in my class, Todd?”
“Is he still hitting on you?”
“Well, yeah. But he’s not such a bad guy. We had coffee the other day, and he let me vent about my roommate situation. Then he told me that he’s renting a house. It’s two bedrooms and it’s just him there. He kept talking about how much space he had and how it was too big for one person.”
Uh-oh. “Tori, you can’t be considering that. The guy keeps bothering you.”
“I know,” she said, “but I hate staying here. I keep staying late at the library to try to avoid the crowd that congregates in this place every night.“ She paused. “You moved into a house full of frat boys, so I don’t think you’re one to talk.”
She laughed while she said it, but she had a point.
After our phone call, I got back to work working on the materials for the lengthy housing application. There really wasn’t a lot of time.
I worked late into the night, and by one o’clock, I was exhausted. When my phone chimed, I grinned. As if it was a cue I had been waiting for, I turned off my desk lamp and stood up, stretching. Then I put on my nightgown and sleep shorts and climbed eagerly into bed. I wasn’t entirely sure if I was more excited about the bedding or about talking to Night Owl.
But the moment I sank onto the mattress, I was distracted by how damn good the sheets and blankets felt. The weighted blanket felt like someone hugging me at all times. It was so warm that I barely needed the comforter.
Finally, I let myself read the message.
How’s combat, Wombat?
I grinned. Sometimes it did feel like every day there was a new battle to fight. A new crisis to face. Same as always. Work. Clean. Rinse. Repeat.
It was tempting, incredibly tempting to tell him what I had been up to. And that I was a student who had a class to study for. But I didn’t know who he was, and not everybody would react like Theo had.
That made me grin, because part of Theo’s reaction had been to kiss me. I’d liked that part.
You work too hard.
Agreed. But I have to.
I get that. But did he really? If Night Owl lived here, then he was wealthy. There weren’t exactly any poor members of the frat.
You need some time to yourself.
I’ve got some right now, I pointed out. And I’m spending it with you.
Good choice. Are you in bed?
Yes, I have brand-new bedding and it’s so soft.
New bedding? Such a reckless spender.
A thought occurred. It just appeared in my room. You don’t happen to know anything about that, do you?
As always, he sidestepped whenever I tried to get personal—and possibly identifying—information out of him. I can neither confirm nor deny that.
Well, whoever it was, I’m grateful. The sheets are so silky and soft.
Do they feel soft against your pajamas or against your bare skin?
I’m wearing a nightgown. Sorry to disappoint.
Maybe you’re disappointing yourself.
I frowned. What do you mean?
Well, you’ve got clean, brand-new sheets. Why not enjoy them fully? I bet your nightgown doesn’t feel as good against your skin as those sheets would.