4

CHAPTER 4

Theodore~

“Mom, you can’t do that!”

My voice cracked and pitched higher than I meant it to. I cleared my throat, forcing myself to breathe through my nose before I completely embarrassed myself. Jesus Christ. How could she possibly think this was okay? Sharing a dorm was one thing.

Sharing a dorm with him?

“Theodore,” my mom said patiently, like I was five instead of nineteen. “You guys are brothers.”

“We can never be brothers, Mother.” The words slipped out harsher than intended. My jaw clenched as panic clawed its way up my spine. How do I suddenly become brothers with the guy who fucked me less than forty-eight hours ago?

It hadn’t even been two days.

She sighed, rubbing her temple. "Noah has nowhere else to go right now. The apartment he was subletting fell through, and with the semester already started, dorms are full. You’ve got that big single room all to yourself. It’s temporary. Just until housing sorts something out.”

“My room is built for one person.” The lie slipped out smoothly. Technically, there were two narrow beds shoved against opposite walls—a standard double-occupancy setup the university never bothered to reconfigure when my last roommate transferred. But no way in hell was I admitting that. “There’s barely enough space for my gear bag and skates. Adding another person? Another hockey player? It’s not happening.”

“Theodore.” Her tone sharpened. “I already spoke with the housing director. They confirmed there are two beds. You don’t have a roommate this year. Noah moves in tomorrow. End of discussion.”

She turned and walked deeper into the house—Jeff’s house. I trailed after her like a kid who’d lost an argument at ten.

“Mom, please. Just… think about it. We’re on the same team. Captain and new winger. Now roommates? It’s a recipe for disaster.”

She paused at the kitchen island. “You’re both adults. You’ll figure it out. And honestly, honey? I know I have never been this excited about anything since your father... This marriage… it’s good for both of us. Can’t you give a little?”

Guilt twisted in my gut. She looked softer than usual tonight—happier. The lines around her eyes had eased in a way I hadn’t seen in years. What kind of son refuses his mother the one thing making her glow?

I exhaled hard through my nose. “Fine. I’ll… try.”

My only real hope now was that Noah would put his foot down with his dad. Tell Jeff it was a bad idea.

*****

Bad news.

He couldn’t.

I stood outside the house near the driveway, trying to gather what little sanity I had left. The evening air was cool, but my palms were sweating. My heartbeat thudded so loud it felt like it echoed in my ears.

Footsteps approached.

“Hey.” He whispered quietly. 

I turned.

Noah stood a few feet away, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. For the first time since I’d met him, he didn’t look smug or amused.

He looked tense.

“Hey yourself,” I replied, crossing my arms defensively.

“Look—” he started.

“See—” I said at the same time.

We both paused.

Then, unexpectedly, we laughed. It was awkward. “You can go first,” I muttered.

He nodded once and shifted his weight. “Look, I really didn’t know who you were. I swear. If I had known you were my new captain… or that our parents were—” 

He ran a hand through his hair. “Trust me. The last person I’d choose to hook up with is my captain. And definitely not my soon-to-be stepbrother.”

There was no mockery in his tone.

Just blunt honesty.

“I don’t want to ruin this for my dad,” he continued. “He hasn’t looked this happy in years. Your mom makes him… different. In a good way.”

I nodded in agreement. “She deserves that,” I muttered. What kind of son would I be if I couldn’t compromise a little?

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly.

Another pause.

“So,” he continued carefully, “we can just… put this behind us, right? It was one night. We were drunk. It doesn’t have to mean anything and we can just forget about it?”

Forget the way he’d kissed me like he was starving? Forget how my name sounded when he groaned it against my throat? Forget the way our bodies had locked together like they’d been waiting for years?

But I nodded anyway. “Yeah. We can do that. Pretend it never happened.”

He studied me for a beat, then extended his hand. “Cool, Cap?”

I stared at his palm—long fingers, faint scar across the knuckles from some old fight or check. The same hand that had gripped my waist like it owned me.

“Cool, Winger.” I forced a small smile and shook.

Then footsteps echoed from the doorway.

“Everything good out here?” Jeff called.

We dropped each other’s hands immediately.

“Yeah,” Noah answered smoothly.

“Perfect,” my mom added, stepping beside Jeff with a hopeful smile. “I knew you boys would work it out.”

“So, I will move in tomorrow night. Just to give you enough time  to process and perhaps clear the room, captain?” 

“You can call me Theodore”. 

“I’d rather not”.