Roommates With Benefits [BL] Chapter 33: Oliver Reyes vs. The Aftermath

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My face felt like it was on fire. My legs were sort of working, but they were definitely sending in their complaints. I tried to step out of the closet without making direct eye contact, all while wrestling with the thought that just a few seconds earlier, Damien Lockwood had kissed so fiercely that it nearly scrambled my brain for life.

My lips were still buzzing.

Which was, frankly, incredibly rude.

I briefly pressed my hand over my mouth, then quickly pulled it away, realizing that was a terrible idea. Instead, I rubbed my face, silently hoping the floor might open up and swallow out of pity, but the floor, just like everyone else in that room, wasn’t on my side.

"Wow," lanie said, standing next to , her grin practically radiating joy as soone who’d just witnessed sothing magnificent. "You’re so red! That must’ve been so seven minutes."

I nearly choked and that only made her laugh harder. Great.

Seriously, why was everyone so amused? Why was my misery so entertaining? What had I done to deserve this room full of people so thrilled about watching my ntal breakdown?

anwhile, Damien stood there looking perfectly composed, which felt downright offensive. His face was all calm and detached, icy blue eyes revealing nothing, like he hadn’t just kissed in a closet hard enough to ss with my whole reality.

anwhile, I looked like I had gone through sothing traumatic. Emotionally, still up for debate.

lanie tilted her head slightly, her blonde hair cascading over one shoulder, watching with a knowing look that clearly said she had plenty to say about what she’d just seen.

I opened my mouth, then closed it. I had no defenses left. My brain was running on fus, desperately trying to keep up.

Behind us, Joey was laughing so hard his whole body shook, the kind of laugh that seed to have skipped the sound barrier entirely, one hand on soone’s shoulder for balance, his eyes glistening.

"I hate all of you equally," I inford the room, mustering what little conviction I had. "Without exception."

No one cared. The party rolled on in loud, chaotic waves, with people tossing playful jabs our way as if they’d found so hidden treasure.

"Round two!"

"Get married already!"

"Damien finally found soone who talks more than he does!"

That last one hit a little too close to ho.

I pressed my fingers against my forehead and took a slow breath.

lanie moved a little closer, her expression soft and genuine, a change from her teasing deanor.

"Well," she said lightly, "for what it’s worth, I still think you’re really cute."

My brain short-circuited for an entirely different reason.

"Oh," I said, smartly.

A stellar response. Clearly a grand showcase of my skills. She chuckled softly, not in a an way. "You’re kind of adorable when you’re flustered."

When was the last ti soone had flirted with like that? Not just joking, but genuinely, with a warm smile? I honestly couldn’t recall, and the fact that it was happening right now...when my nerves were already shooting off the charts, felt like the universe was playing a trick on .

The chaos in my head quieted just enough for to work up a small, slightly crooked smile.

"Thanks," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "I think."

"You think?" she teased.

"I’m processing a lot of information at the mont. My gratitude function is slightly delayed."

That made her laugh again, warm and easy, and sowhere beneath all the chaos, I realized that her laughter was nice. It felt normal, uncomplicated, nothing that sent my heart racing.

Unlike...well, you know.

lanie pulled out her phone, eyebrow raised. "So are you going to...like, give your number, or are you planning to spiral emotionally for the rest of the night instead?"

I blinked, a pretty girl asked for my nimber. Right...normal...simple. A pretty girl interested in , asking a direct question. This should be easy. This made sense.

Unlike—out of nowhere, I felt a warm pressure against my lower back.

I stiffened instantly.

A hand. Firm, brief, guiding. It settled against with a casual confidence that felt unnervingly deliberate.

Damien.

I didn’t turn to look; I didn’t need to. My body, having spent the last two weeks cataloging his every motion without alerting , recognized him before my mind could even catch up. It was imdiate, definitive, and information I really didn’t want to receive at the mont.

He moved in closer, which was a choice, given the crowd around us. A deliberate, unnecessary choice.

Too close, then I caught Damien’s gaze drifting toward lanie.

It was the kind of look that held intensity. asured and cold, but also sohow possessive in a way that felt completely unwarranted toward a girl he didn’t even know. It said mine without needing to articulate a single word.

Damn dude, if you like her so much...why don’t you ask her out and see who she picks instead of being weird?

lanie’s smile didn’t fade, but it did shift slightly, recalibrating as she sensed the change in his focus, her warmth pulling back just a notch.

The tension in the air between us thickened.

He had nine rules to back that up, one of them prominently displayed. He had given a blanket once, and we had both agreed to pretend it never happened.

So why did his hand on my back feel like a declaration?

I shoved that thought into a deep pit of denial and locked it up tight. Not unpacking that tonight. Probably not ever. We were leaving it right there.

I cleared my throat, handed lanie my phone and got her number with the urgency of soone trying to finish a transaction while a natural disaster unfolded in the background.

"There," I said. "Now you can keep watching my ntal breakdown live."

"I’m genuinely looking forward to it," she replied, her smile back, warm and direct, completely ignoring Damien, which was comndable.

"Oliver."

Damien’s voice was low and quiet, right beside my ear. I stiffened, would you believe it if I said this was the first ti he said my na?

I felt it all the way down my spine before my brain could comprehend it. I turned toward him with the careful hesitancy of soone approaching sothing they weren’t sure about.

"What is it?"

His expression was a hard mask. It rarely gave anything away, yet tonight it seed to reveal a bit more without changing at all.