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)
Luke
Sorry. I just got off work.
Harper
Constant state of your life.
Luke
No shit.
Harper
Are you going to swing by? For a little while.
Luke
I’m exhausted. I wouldn’t be any fun.
Harper
Matteo is here.
Luke glared at her text. The woman knew his one weakness. He’d like to spend some time with Harper. She was fun to hang out with. But he’d love to see Matteo. Watch the man smile. Hear him laugh. Daydream of witty conversations they could share.
Having an actual conversation with him was too much. He couldn’t handle that. Not after the long day he’d put in. It was enough to stand within his aura and bask in his happiness.
Luke
I don’t believe you.
As if she’d expected that response from him, a picture of Matteo standing with a group of other college students, red Solo cup in hand and a wide grin on his face, instantly appeared in their chat.
Fuck. He was there.
And he was so hot. Black jeans and a button-down shirt that was open at the throat, revealing all his nice, dark skin that looked so very kissable.
But Luke was in no shape to go to a party. He was a sweaty, greasy mess. He would need to jump in the shower and find some clean clothes prior to running over to campus. None of that sounded appealing.
His nice, comfy bed sounded very appealing.
Luke resumed his walk to the house while typing a response to Harper.
Luke
I can’t tonight. I’m exhausted.
Harper
Your life needs to be more than work and school.
Luke
Tell that to all my bills.
Harper
I thought you were going to ask your landlord if he needed help with odd jobs for a discount on rent.
Luke
It’s only been a week. I thought it was a good idea for us to get used to each other first before I begged for a discount on an already stupidly cheap rent.
Luke was sure this was one of the sucky parts about being poor. It wasn’t just about always scraping by and wondering how he was going to pay the next round of bills, especially if an emergency popped up. He always had this feeling of lagging his friends or holding them back because he couldn’t afford to do the same things they wanted to do or he was always tired because he had to work more jobs than they did to make ends meet.
FOMO was constant.
It wasn’t Harper’s fault, though. She wanted him to feel included and to enjoy his time at Ravenwood. She also helped as much as his pride would allow her to.
Harper
I get it. Would you like me to snap a few more secret pics of Matteo for you?
A slow smile spread across Luke’s lips, and the tension that had crept into his shoulders dissipated in an instant.
Luke
You know that’s wrong and creepy.
Harper
Got it. Just two or three. No more.
Luke
Love you. Be safe.
Harper
Get some sleep! See you on Monday.
Their texting carried him right up to the sidewalk leading to the house. He sighed as he tucked his phone into his pocket. The dim front porch light was on, along with a couple of other lights on the second floor. The house was enormous and creepy in the pale moonlight, but it felt more like home with every night that he spent there.
Sleepy Hollow Road had become a haven from the chaos of the world. No one was making demands of him, and his roommates gave him plenty of space to exist in the silence. The rooms were beautiful, the food was good, and he always had easy access to the washer and dryer for clean clothes. What more could he ask for?
If he could live in this peace and quiet for a few more weeks, recharging his depleted mental batteries and socking away his paychecks, he might feel up for a frat party or some other outing with Harper.
Better yet, he could take her out to dinner. Nothing too fancy, but somewhere nice enough to have faux leather-covered menus and servers. Just as a thank-you for sticking by him through all the shit. That was an excellent idea.
Luke slid his key into the lock and opened the door, only to choke and gasp as a wall of something smacked him in the face. He stumbled back a step and sucked in a deep breath of fresh air before making another attempt. Maybe he was wr—
“Aaachhooo!”
“Achoo! Achoo!"
Within a matter of seconds, his nose was stuffed up, his throat was itchy, and his eyes watered so badly he couldn’t see. What the fuck was wrong?
A cat.
No! Catsssss.
Cats must have sneaked into the house when everyone had gone to bed. Fucking neighbors.
The way his allergies were going absolutely haywire, the first floor had to be filled with cats. At least there was no way they could get into his room. He always kept the door shut, and the window locked.