Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“You’ve got…a lot of space,” Matteo managed without sounding too underwhelmed. “But it’s private! You don’t have a roommate sleeping in here with you, right?”
“Yes! Everyone has their own room. The demons rarely come up here.”
“Demons?” Matteo chuckled.
Fuck!!! That was a slip.
“Oh, just a playful nickname for my roommates. They’re not actual demons. I tease them because they’re so nice.”
He would not survive this. Matteo’s cuteness and his closeness, not to mention his wonderful smell, were scrambling what was left of Luke’s poor, overcooked brain. It was rotting porridge and would ooze out of his ears soon.
“We should get to studying,” Matteo said.
“Yes.” Luke gazed around the room again. Problem. There was only the full-sized bed, dresser, and nightstand. No additional chairs, couch, or even a desk and chair. Just the bed.
“You don’t mind me sitting on the bed with you, do you?” Matteo asked, standing beside Luke at the foot of the bed.
“No! No, it’s fine with me.”
“Cool. I usually sit on my bed to read. The hard part is always not dozing off for a quick nap.”
“Okay. I promise to help you stay awake.” Luke flashed Matteo a smile, but it was tense and awkward, which was fine because Matteo’s smile appeared nervous as well.
They moved to opposite sides of the bed and sat. Luke kicked off his shoes and dug through his backpack for a book. Any book, really. He knew deep down he wasn’t going to retain a single word he read while sitting next to Matteo. He was simply going through the motions, so that Matteo would stay longer.
What was the plan?
Matteo had already broached the topic of dating. Luke needed to gather the courage to ask Matteo out on a date. That wasn’t hard. He could do this!
They shifted the pillows against the wall to cushion their backs and set their books on their bent legs. Luke had a dry tome on the history of migratory habits of birds from Canada. It looked like Matteo had some book on battles from the Peloponnesian War or something like that.
Did he need more proof than that? They were perfect for each other. They both studied boring things! In their recent conversations, Matteo had admitted that he was a business major with a minor in history.
Luke stared at the words in front of them without comprehending any of them. He checked—twice—that the book wasn’t turned upside down, giving away that he couldn’t concentrate for shit.
“Matteo?”
“Luke?”
They spoke at the same time.
“S-sorry, you go first,” Luke stammered.
“Oh. I was wondering…would you like to go out with me sometime? For like coffee or dinner. On an actual date.”
“Yes! I mean…” Luke winced. He shouted that in Matteo’s face. Couldn’t he try to act a tiny bit cool? Hell, no! “Yes, I would love to go out with you.”
Matteo’s face lit up like the sky on the Fourth of July. “Really?”
“Yes, definitely. I was just going to ask you the same thing, but I didn’t think you’d consider going out with me because you’re so hot and I’m such a dork. Why would you—”
Luke’s rambling was cut off when Matteo’s soft lips pressed to his, swallowing up the rest of his words. A warm, gentle hand cupped his cheek, holding him still as that perfect mouth touched his. Luke’s heart froze for a moment and then exploded in a flurry of flips and jumps, like it had started its own floor routine at the Olympics.
Matteo was kissing him.
Hot, sweet, funny Matteo was kissing him!
Oh, shit! He was supposed to be kissing him back!
As Matteo pulled away, Luke leaned in, chasing him and extending the kiss, which ended up being Luke kissing Matteo’s teeth as his companion opened his mouth to laugh.
Luke jerked away. His face was on fire. Part of him wanted to hide, while the other part wanted to run and crow to all the demons that he’d kissed Matteo.
“Sorry,” Luke mumbled.
“Don’t be. You’re adorable.”
He shook his head, his eyes dropping to the few inches of open space between them. “I am not. I’m a giant dork who talks to birds.”
“That’s precisely what makes you adorable.” Matteo removed his hand from Luke’s cheek and touched his chin before placing his hand on the mattress between them. “You’re kind and gentle with small creatures. You look out for their best interests, while not attempting to train them to be some kind of performing pet for your amusement.”
“Thank you. I’m impressed that you want to befriend them after they chased you that day. Most people would want to stay away from them completely. You’re brave.” He glanced up in time to see Matteo give a little deprecating roll of his eyes.
“Yeah, well. I was kind of hoping it was a misunderstanding. When you’re talking to them and feeding them, they have such unique personalities. If I didn’t at least try to make friends with them, I’d miss out on all that.”