stay. // c. parayko

Nine.

It was move in day for Declan and I hid out at Colton's while she and Robert unpacked everything.

"She told everyone about my family, Beau. You know how hard I was trying to keep that a secret." I was deep cleaning Colton's bathroom and talking to my roommate. The guys all stared at me while I got it spotless.

"Are you cleaning the apartment?"

"Not our apartment."

"Stop cleaning and just deal with it. But your brother says hi. He says not to do bad drugs and use protection."

"What's a condom?"

"We went over this, Henley." I could hear him sigh, not impressed with my joke.

"Bye Beautholemew."

I put the cleaning supplies away and joined the boys in the living room.

"No more cleaning?"

"Do you want to move in with us next year?" I laughed at Joel and Jordan. It was pretty obvious that they hated cleaning but wouldn't hire a cleaning crew either.

"I don't know what I'm doing this summer, let alone next season."

"You're coming to Coachella with us."

"Have tickets been bought or do I need to use my brothers connections? Wait don't you guys want to be playing at that time?" I sat on the arm of the recliner Colton was lounging in and was pulled back onto his lap.

"We aren't making playoffs. Colton bought your ticket but if you want to use your connections for cool experiences, that would be awesome."

"I'll get on that."

"Since our bathroom is spotless, I feel like we should wine and dine you."

"We'll leave the sixty-nining to Colton." Joel and Jordan hi-fived each other. "We're going shopping. I'll text you with the details."

"What are you plans for the summer?" My boyfriend asked.

"I haven't decided which coast I'm going to spend it on but I'll probably split it between the Hamptons and LA."

"You have houses in both places?"

"Grandparents left the one in the Hamptons to me and my siblings when they moved to Finland. They only visit once or twice a year." If I was lucky, I got to see them four times a year. Since all the grandchildren had graduated high school they went back to where my grandmother was born

"So about next season," Colton started to say, "Do you want to move in with me?"

"No. Not really." I had given it some thought since Declan moved in. He didn't seem to like that I didn't have to think about it.

"Why not?"

"I don't really have that much faith in us. I just. We kind of had a weird start to our relationship and I just. I want you to stay around and I think not living together right away might help that."

"Hen, I'm not going anywhere."

"Colton things get hard and that's exactly what you do. You're a fucking flight risk sometimes." Or all the time, really. "It seriously scares me that you're going to just stop talking to me for a few days and show up at the bar with some new girl to hurt me."

"I'm sorry for what I did in the past." He said quietly.

"You always fucking leave, Colton. Stay for once."