RoomHates by Carmen Black (series like harry potter TXT) 📕

a proper bed to roll around in. And some privacy. Josh’s apartment is so small compared to my old place. And we have to share the key. Not to mention, his roommate recently broke up with his girlfriend and rather than going out and drinking until the early hours of morning, like the bros, all he’s wanted to do is obsess over her previous text messages and try to understand what it all meant and if there were any hidden messages in the current ones. Because, you know, women are complex.

I drop my bag down next to the couch and plop myself into it. Women aren’t that complex. Honestly, I don’t think any of her messages had any secrecy written in between the lines. I think she just wanted to be rid of him, but how can I tell Josh’s roommate that without sounding like a jerk? I had my own things to go through and relationship advice was not my strong suit.

I lean back against the cushions and sigh while staring up at the ceiling. It’s Friday night and I wonder what the bros are getting up to. Not like it’s any of my business. I wonder if they are passing Millie around. If they miss me at all or maybe they’re just happy to be rid of me. Maybe they can move another bro in and have a big orgy. Maybe they’re using my old room as the orgy room.

I push my hair away from my face. It’s not my problem anymore. I take out my phone and wonder if I should message Charlie and Lauren. They invited me to a party earlier today. At the time, I wasn’t interested. I was actually wanting to drown my sadness with some ice cream and old rom coms, but now that I was back in this hell hole, I kinda wanted to escape.

I should be more grateful.

It’s really nice that Josh is allowing me to stay here during all this. I’m sure it’s a big hindrance to him as well since he can’t use the living room and kitchen however he wants. I’ve been trying to look into apartments so I don’t have to inconvenience him anymore, but everything is all taken. There’s nothing available until at least January, and all those places look shady.

“Hey,” says Josh while coming out of his room. “What are you up to? Did you just get home?”

I nod. “Yeah. Nothing much. Just worrying about life.”

He chuckles and sits down next to me. “It’s Friday night. Worry about life later.”

I smile at him. “Are you up to anything tonight?”

He shrugs. “Roommate is gone so I want to take advantage of the silence.”

I burst into laughter. “Yeah, I hear you there.”

“Has he been going on about his girlfriend?”

I nod while laughing. “Way too much.”

“Well, apparently he’s at a party tonight. She’s supposed to be there. He’s on a mission to win her back.”

I groan. “Oh no.”

“Yeah, I think he’ll fail, too.”

“I guess it’s just you and me tonight.”

Josh smiles, bobbing his head as he holds my gaze. “I guess so. We could watch a movie if you want. Maybe have some drinks.”

“Sounds nice,” I say while watching him get up and walk over to the refrigerator. He opens the door, hitting it against the dinner table. Everything’s pretty small in the apartment. Even my leg bumps against the table. There’s hardly any space to cook, which is why the kitchen is so clean. I haven’t cooked anything the whole week. Even getting a glass of water is annoying. Josh pulls out two bottles of tequila and I laugh. “You planning on drinking all that?” I ask while he falls back into the couch, handing me a bottle.

“Maybe just a bit,” he says while taking the remote and switching on the tiny TV across from us. He switches the channels until he finds an old black and white version of Frankenstein.

“You into old horror?” Josh asks before taking a long swig from the bottle.

I shrug. “I can be.” I hold the bottle my hands, but I don’t take a swig. I’m just not in a drinking mood. I really haven’t been since the tailgate party.

Josh moves closer towards me. His leg rubs against my thigh while his hand lightly strokes mine. I move my hand away from him. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should be loving every minute of this. I should be throwing myself into his arms, especially after what the bros did to me. But I guess it’s just that. After what happened with the bros, I really don’t want anything to do with romance. I just want to wallow in my self-pity and heal my aching heart. Maybe I can date next semester after I feel a bit better. Maybe it can be Josh.

But I’m just not in the mood now.

Josh puts his arm around my shoulder and it’s hard to watch the movie, knowing that maybe this is going somewhere I don’t want. I’m tempted to stop everything and tell him now is not the right time. But I could be reading into something that isn’t even there. This could just be nothing.

“You’re not drinking,” says Josh.

I glance up and notice he’s staring at me and not the TV. I open my mouth, but whatever I am about to say is swallowed by his mouth pressing against mine. I still in his arms while he moans against me. He tries to push his tongue into my mouth, but I keep my lips firmly close. I try to push him away. Tequila is emptying all over my clothes and the couch. I pat at his shoulder but he doesn’t budge. His teeth nip at my bottom lip and I take that opportunity to quickly turn my head away.

“Josh, stop,” I say while trying to shove him off me. For such a small man, he’s actually quite strong. He takes my hands and pins them next to me as he climbs onto