Chapter 4

Maya's POV

“What's wrong with your place?”

Ethan's question pulled me out of my thoughts.

Dean was still standing beside our table, looking completely at ease for someone who had just announced that he wanted to move into our apartment.

I looked at him.

He looked back at me.

Then, for some reason, the corner of his mouth lifted.

“I got kicked out.”

Ethan blinked.

“What?”

“My roommates kicked me out.”

There was a pause.

“Why?”

Dean shrugged as though he were telling us he'd misplaced his keys.

“I slept with his girlfriend.”

I nearly choked on my food.

Ethan stared at him.

“You did what?”

Dean pulled out the empty seat beside Ethan and sat down without asking.

“I slept with his girlfriend.”

“I heard you the first time.”

“Then why'd you ask?”

Ethan looked genuinely offended.

“Because I thought maybe I heard you wrong.”

Dean leaned back against the booth and crossed his arms.

“You didn't.”

I pressed my lips together, trying not to react.

Of course.

Of course that was the reason.

This was Dean we were talking about. I shouldn't have been surprised. His reputation had followed him from high school all the way to Pelt. He'd always been a flirt, and apparently getting older hadn't changed that particular part of his personality.

Still, hearing him casually admit that he'd slept with his roommate's girlfriend was different.

Especially after seeing him kissing another woman only minutes ago.

I lowered my gaze to my plate.

Maybe this was why he was always in trouble.

“Are you serious?” Ethan asked.

“Very.”

“Does your roommate know?”

Dean gave him a look.

“That's generally how you get kicked out.”

Ethan rubbed his forehead.

“Jesus Christ, Dean.”

“What?”

“You couldn't find another girl?”

Dean's eyes flicked toward me.

It lasted barely a second, but I noticed it.

My stomach tightened.

“I wasn't exactly planning it,” he said.

“Right. Because these things just happen to you.”

“They usually do.”

Ethan groaned.

I kept my eyes on my food.

This conversation was ridiculous.

Everything about it was ridiculous.

And yet, I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Dean was apparently homeless.

Well, not homeless.

Temporarily without a place to stay.

There was a difference.

At least that's what I told myself.

“So where are you staying tonight?” Ethan asked.

Dean shrugged.

“I don't know yet.”

“You don't have another friend you can stay with?”

“I do.”

“Then why are you asking me?”

“Because I don't want to stay with them.”

Ethan stared at him.

Dean stared back.

“You're unbelievable.”

“I've been told.”

Ethan sighed and leaned back against the booth.

For the first time since Dean had approached us, his expression became serious.

“You know you can stay with us.”

My head snapped up.

Us?

Dean's gaze shifted to me.

I froze.

Ethan seemed to notice my expression because he immediately looked at me.

“Maya?”

I swallowed.

“Yeah?”

“Would you be comfortable with Dean staying at the apartment for a while?”

My brain stopped working.

There were probably several reasonable ways I could answer that question.

No came to mind first.

Then yes.

Then absolutely not.

Then why would he even ask?

I looked at Dean.

He was watching me.

Not Ethan.

Me.

His eyes held mine with that same unsettling confidence he'd had earlier, the kind that made me suddenly aware of my own breathing.

Heat crawled up my neck.

I looked away.

“It's our apartment,” Ethan continued. “So I don't want to just agree without asking you.”

I swallowed again.

The thought of Dean staying with us shouldn't have bothered me this much.

He was Ethan's brother.

I'd known him for years.

He wasn't a stranger.

But that was exactly the problem.

He wasn't a stranger.

I knew what his voice sounded like when he was angry. I knew the way he smiled when he was about to tease someone. I knew that he hated being told what to do and that he had a habit of pushing his hands into his pockets whenever he was trying to look casual.

I knew too much about him.

And somehow, after tonight, I was painfully aware that there were things I didn't know.

Like why he'd been staring at me while kissing another woman.

Like why he'd chosen to come over to our table.

Like why the idea of him being inside our apartment made my heart beat faster.

I picked up my cup and took a sip of water.

“It's fine.”

The words came out quieter than I intended.

Ethan's eyebrows lifted.

“Really?”

I nodded.

“Yeah. He can stay.”

Dean didn't say anything.

For a second, I wondered if I had imagined the faint smile spreading across his face.

Then he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.

“Thanks, angel.”

My fingers tightened around the cup.

That nickname.

He hadn't called me that in years.

Not like this.

Not with that look in his eyes.

I forced myself to smile.

“Don't mention it.”

Ethan clapped his hands together.

“Great. Settled, then.”

He looked far too pleased with himself.

Dean leaned back again.

“I'll grab my stuff later.”

“Later?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah.”

“You mean you haven't even packed?”

“I didn't exactly have time. He threw my bags out the window.”

I stared at him.

“Seriously?”

Dean looked at me.

“Very.”

Despite myself, a laugh escaped.

His smile widened.

There it was again.

That feeling.

That strange flutter beneath my ribs that I had spent years pretending didn't exist.

I quickly looked down.

This was a terrible idea.

Dean staying with us meant seeing him every morning.

It meant sharing a kitchen.

Sharing a living room.

Running into him when I came home from class.

It meant hearing his footsteps in the hallway and knowing that he was only a few rooms away.

And, worst of all, it meant I wouldn't be able to pretend that whatever existed between us was something I had imagined.

Because Dean would be there.

In my home.

With me.

For who knew how long.

I picked up my fork again, hoping food would distract me from the thoughts running through my head.

It didn't.

Across the table, Dean was still watching me.

“You know,” he said casually, “I'm looking forward to living with you, angel.”

My fork slipped slightly between my fingers.

Ethan didn't seem to notice.

Dean did.

And the smile on his face told me he knew exactly what he'd done.

I suddenly had a feeling letting him stay was going to be a very bad idea.