Alle Kapitel von PUCKING MY ROOMMATE : Kapitel 131 – Kapitel 140

CHAPTER 131Raphael sat in the idling driver's seat of his truck, the heat blasting dry air onto his boots, his hands clamped so hard around the leather steering wheel his knuckles were white.He'd taken Alex back home after breakfast at the diner and Liam wasn't there. He'd gone to the hockey arena but it was also in vain. Now he was back in the apartment's parking lot.Raphael dropped his head back against the headrest, closing his eyes as a heavy, bone-deep exhaustion washed over him. He was so fucking tired. His brain felt like sludge. He’d spent hours straight trying to hold a grieving, falling-apart human being together, and now... now Liam was gone. Gone to god knows where, hating his guts, convinced Raphael was some lying piece of shit.How the hell did everything get this ruined? Raphael thought, rubbing both hands violently over his face until his eyes stung. I'm just trying to keep everyone afloat. I'm just trying to do the right thing.The sharp, loud buzz of his phone on

CHAPTER 133Raphael took the stairs two at a time, his boots hitting the concrete hard enough to echo down the narrow stairwell. His heart was hammering against his ribs, his breath coming in jagged, burning gasps. His hands were shaking so bad he almost dropped his keys twice before he finally shoved the right one into the deadbolt and threw the apartment door open."Liam?" he called out, his voice cracking, desperate. "Liam, please!"The apartment was dead silent.The air inside was heavy, smelling like cold takeaway and stale sweat. The lights in the kitchen were off. In the living room, Alex was sitting on the edge of the couch, wrapped tight in Raphael’s grey fleece hoodie. He looked up, blinking slowly at Raphael’s disheveled frame."Raph?" Alex murmured, his voice scratchy. "What's wrong? Why are you breathing like that?"Raphael stood in the entryway, running both hands violently through his hair, tugging at the roots as he stared blankly around the empty space. "He’s not her

CHAPTER 135"And I'm telling you, girls don't like that shit, Marc," Liam was saying, a genuine, throat-deep laugh spilling out of him as he pushed open the heavy double doors into the arena locker room. He had a large iced coffee in one hand, his gear bag slung over his shoulder, looking more rested than he had in weeks. "You were bugging her like a fucking creep. It was pathetic.""It's called being caring and present! Playing the long game." Marcus argued, grinning as he followed right on his heels, dropping his own bag with a heavy thud onto the wooden bench. "And when I stop dropping all those numerous texts, my abscense will be felt! That's how you play the game cap!"Liam laughed again, shaking his head as he stepped toward his stall—and then his eyes hit the corner bench.The smile died on Liam’s face so fast it was like someone had sucked all the air straight out of the room.Raphael was sitting in his stall, still in his gray sweatpants, his skates sitting unlaced on the flo

Chapter 137The key turned in the lock, and the heavy front door swung open.The silence inside the apartment hit Raphael like a physical punch. It smelled like stale coffee, cold air, and that cheap, suffocating body spray Alex had been wearing. It made Raphael’s stomach turn inside out.Liam stepped in first, dropping his gym bag by the entryway bench. His eyes swept over the living room—the crumpled throw blanket on the couch, the empty glass on the side table, the absolute scene he just let Liam walk into.Panic flared hot in Raphael’s chest.Don't look at it, Raphael thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. God, please don't look at that couch."I—I know the place is still a mess," Raphael stammered, his voice sounding entirely too loud. He kicked off his boots, tripping over his own laces. "I didn't clean it up yet. I was... after you didn't come back last night, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even think straight, Liam. I was just sitting here staring at the door. I'm so fu

Chapter 139 They walked back down the dark hallway, the floorboards cold under their bare feet. When they stepped back into the bedroom, Raphael stopped. He looked at his own empty bed across the room, then over at Liam’s. After everything that had just spilled out in the kitchen—after the awkwardness, the secret, and the weird, hysterical laugh about bread—that six-foot gap between their mattresses looked completely absurd and definitely not needed. Liam pulled his blanket back and climbed in, propping himself up against his pillow. He looked over at Raphael, who was just standing there in the middle of the floor, staring at his own bare feet like he was afraid to move. Raphael swallowed hard, his throat tight. "Can I..." Raphael started, his voice barely a breath in the quiet room. He looked up, meeting Liam’s eyes. "Can I lie with you tonight? Please?" Liam didn't say a word. He just shifted over toward the wall, lifting the corner of the heavy duvet as response. Raphael didn