Chapter 11 – Distractions

Chapter 11 – Distractions (Eli POV) Avoidance worked… until it didn’t. By Thursday, my whole routine was unraveling. Sure, I’d managed a few days of slipping out before Dante woke up, hiding in the library until midnight, pretending everything was fine. But the problem with avoiding someone who lived ten feet away was that absence didn’t erase them. It made them louder. Every glimpse across the quad, every overheard laugh with his teammates, every time I passed the gym and caught sight of his broad frame through the glass—it all pressed against me harder than if I’d just faced him head-on. And worse, the memory of almost refused to die. So I decided I needed a distraction. Something, someone, anything that wasn’t six-foot-something of tattoos and contradictions. Enter: Caleb. He was in my Lit Theory seminar. The kind of student professors adored—sharp answers, neat notes, confident voice. He even managed to wear cardigans without looking like he’d raided his grandfather’s clo

Last Updated : 2025-09-02

Chapter 12 – Cracks Show

Chapter 12 – Cracks Show (Dante POV) Jealousy isn’t supposed to be my thing. I’ve played quarterback long enough to know how to keep my cool. Teammates drop passes, refs make bad calls, fans scream like the world’s ending—none of it rattles me. I’m built to take hits and keep moving. But apparently one lit-class cardigan-wearing idiot leaning too close to Eli Summers could throw me completely off my game. The image stuck in my head. Eli laughing at something the guy said, eyes bright, shoulders loose in a way they never were around me. It burned hotter than any missed pass. I told myself I didn’t care. That it didn’t matter who Eli studied with, who made him laugh, who earned that spark in his eyes. Except it did. By the time we sat down for our next tutoring session, my patience was already shot. The library was nearly empty, just the rustle of pages and the faint hum of the heating vents. Eli spread his notes across the table, his usual chaos of highlighters and scribbles.

Last Updated : 2025-09-02

Chapter 13 – Breaking Point

Chapter 13 – Breaking Point (Eli POV) Some people thrive on confrontation. They get energy from it like arguments are a sport, something to win. I was not one of those people. After Dante stormed out of the library, the silence he left behind was worse than any shouting match could’ve been. His words clung to me all night. Lit-boyfriend. Comfortable. Jealous. I’d spent hours replaying it, trying to convince myself it was ridiculous. That Dante had no right to even think that way, let alone say it. That I wasn’t responsible for his… whatever that was. And yet, the sting lingered. Not because he was wrong, but because a part of me wanted him to be. By the next morning, I was wound so tight that Jamie noticed the second I slid into our usual table in the dining hall. “You look like someone stole your cat mug,” she said, stealing my toast without asking. “Worse,” I muttered, stabbing at my eggs like they’d personally offended me. Her eyebrows lifted. “Roommate drama?” I hesita

Last Updated : 2025-09-04

Chapter 14 – The Vulnerability Slip

Chapter 14 – The Vulnerability Slip (Dante POV) Anger usually sharpened me. On the field, it made my throws faster, my focus brutal. But after Eli’s words you don’t get to care anger didn’t sharpen. It hollowed. I threw myself into late practice that night. Extra drills, extra reps. My arm ached, sweat stung my eyes, and still I couldn’t throw hard enough to drown him out. Every snap of the ball replayed his voice in my head. Every slam of my cleats echoed that look on his face, the way his lips curled around the words that gutted me. By the time I got back to the dorm, I was exhausted and raw. The room was dim except for his fairy lights, glowing faint gold across the cinderblock walls. Eli sat cross-legged on his bed, book open in his lap, voice low as he read aloud. His tone was softer than his usual chatter—measured, rhythmic, like he was speaking only to himself. But it filled the room anyway. I froze in the doorway. For once, he didn’t notice me right away. His curls hun

Last Updated : 2025-09-04

Chapter 15 – Midnight Truce

Chapter 15 – Midnight Truce (Expanded) (Eli POV) Sleep didn’t come easy anymore. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard his voice from earlier—rough, unguarded: Keep going. Not the usual clipped commands, not the smirk or the grunt that meant “I’m tolerating you.” Something else. Something softer. It was unnerving. I lay on my side, back to him, staring at the glow of my fairy lights against the wall. The room was thick with silence, except for the faint sound of his pen scratching across paper. Normally, that noise annoyed me. Tonight, it was grounding. Like proof he was still there, within reach. Finally, curiosity won. I rolled over. Dante was still at his desk, hoodie tugged loose around his shoulders, head bent over a notebook. His jaw was set, but his expression wasn’t the usual armor. It was… thoughtful. Raw in a way I wasn’t used to seeing. “Homework?” I asked quietly. He looked up, startled, as if he hadn’t realized I was awake. The lamplight caught the blue of his e

Last Updated : 2025-09-06

All Chapters of The Quarterback's Roommate : Chapter 11 - Chapter 15

Chapter 11 – Distractions

Chapter 12 – Cracks Show

Chapter 13 – Breaking Point

Chapter 14 – The Vulnerability Slip

Chapter 15 – Midnight Truce