Throughout their mini-study session, she realized one of two things.
One.
Charlie Harrison reminded her of a Golden Retriever. Random things caught his attention and their study talk would turn into what she thought about living off campus and if she liked watching hockey. Each time she'd give a short answer and direct him back to his work, each time more exhausting than the next.
And then two.
She enjoyed their time together more than she cared to admit. Her afternoon flew by and when he said he had to leave for hockey practice she sat in silence at the coffee shop, feeling oddly more alone than she ever had.
Charlie was a bundle of energy and brightened whatever room he walked into so when he left she felt as if something was off, missing even.
She fell onto her couch in the communal living room with an exaggerated sigh. She was not going to be thinking of Charlie Harrison anymore.
She burrows her head farther into the pillow with Matt Damon's face on it. She knew she was supposed to make dinner and get showered, but the idea of making food made her chest feel all heavy and her eyes prickle with tears.
She couldn't explain it, but she felt off. Her morning had been fine, but now that she was home, she was paralyzed in this haze of anxiety and numbness.
She didn't know why, she only knew she usually couldn't shake it once it started.
"Wow, your day must have sucked," Bella says from the kitchen right before taking a huge bite of an apple.
Lorelei turned so she was facing the ceiling. "Quite the contrary actually."
Bella tilts her head to squint at her roommate. "So you're wallowing on the couch because you had a good day?"
"Yes."
Bella rolls her eyes. "God. You're so weird."
Lorelei gives another sigh even more exaggerated than the first. "Is Casey up and moving yet?"
"Yeah, but there's a boy in her room."
Lorelei sits up. A boy? She'd just left a boy's room that morning and a boy was in her room now? She never brought guys over.
Bella tightened her sneakers, already knowing what Lorelei wanted to know next. "And no, I have no idea who he is."
Lorelei and Bella might have been the most estranged of the roommate dynamics, but at least Bella was nice to her... for the most part.
"And I'm not going to describe him," Bella finishes as she straightens.
Lorelei stands. "You have to tell me if he at least has a handlebar mustache."
Bella gives her roommate an annoyed glare. "I'm going over to Bellamy's."
"Blink once for yes, twice for no. Bella. Bella–" Bella was already halfway out the door. "How am I going to be able to estimate the threat level? Bella–" The door slams shut.
Lorelei glances at the half-eaten apple on the counter and then beside it a water bottle she'd never seen before.
Most of her roommates preferred colors like pink and yellow so the grey and black water bottle stood out.
Lorelei picked it up. The name Damien was written on the bottom of it in a black sharpie.
Just then, Casey's door opens and the water bottle goes sailing across the living room. Her instinct told her to throw and think later instead of simply setting it back down on the counter before Casey saw her.
Luckily, it lands on the couch and is hidden by the Matt Damon pillow by the time Casey is in the kitchen, a dark-haired guy behind her.
"Hey," he says, nodding to her in greeting.
"Lorelei," Casey says, smiling ear to ear. "This is Damien. Damien, Lorelei."
"Pleasure meeting you finally," Damien says with an award-winning grin. "Casey was just raving about how you're her favorite roommate."
Lorelei snorts. "And how much did she pay you to say that one?"
"Just a twenty," Damien laughs.
Casey rolls her eyes and motions to the door, "I thought you were leaving, not exposing me."
He returns his focus to Casey. "Of course, of course," he starts towards the door and at the last second spins and grabs her hand. "You, madam, I'll see later."
Madam?
Casey's long lashes flutter and her chest rises. "Yes, you'll see us."
Us? Lorelei's head tilts. Did she just say us?
"We'll see you guys at eight then," he says, releasing her hand and opening the front door.
WE?! Who is we?
Casey is all giggles and nods until the door is closed and the boy is safely on the other side of the wall. Then she's squealing, jumping up and down, and clapping her hands together. She spins on Lorelei, eyes wide. "I'm going on a date with Damien!" Her hands go to her heart. "Tonight. Oh no–I have no idea what to wear. Oh my gosh. I should have asked what we were doing. I was just so excited!"
Lorelei nods. "So when you were using words with a plural connotation you just meant you and Damien, right?"
Casey goes silent.
"And by us you meant you. That you were going on this date alone and not with a friend, correct?"
Casey's smile fades as she bites her lip. "He asked for it to be a double date and I said you were free."
Lorelei's jaw slacked. She couldn't believe it.
"Geez, Lorelei, relax, Damien's a business major and I'm sure his buddy is too. I spent all of yesterday with him, he's a really good guy–"
"Absolutely not," Lorelei shakes her head as she backs away. "I'm not going."
"Lorelei, I really think I like him and he asked about a double date and I was nervous if I said no he'd think I didn't want to go out with him."
"Ask Daisy or Bella,"
Casey sighs. "You know I can't do that. Bella is seeing Bellamy now and Daisy is pining over Charlie Harrison of all people."
The mention of Charlie's name has Lorelei's interest peaked. "Daisy, our roommate, Daisy? She has a thing for Charlie?"
"I know," Casey sticks out her tongue like the thought is a sour lemon in her mouth. "I tried to tell her that was a horrible mistake, but ever since she heard about him and Sam's breakup she's really focused on getting him to like her."
Lorelei's hands go to her hips. "Huh, interesting."
"Basically what this means is I have no one else to bring with me for the double date but you unless you're secretly seeing someone on the side you have neglected to tell me about."
"No, I–" Lorelei stops herself to calm the stress in her voice. "I mean, you really have no one else?"
"Mira is taken now. Sophie is... crazy. Dehlia is a lesbian. Danny is sick–"
"Okay, okay, I get it." Lorelei holds up her hand. "I'm the only one."
"I heard his friend that he's bringing is nice too," Casey adds in an attempt to make things better.
Lorelei puts a hand to her temple, rubbing it to ease the tension. "What's the name of his friend that he's bringing for the double date?"
Casey opens her mouth just to shut it again.
"Casey."
"Lor, I was really excited when he asked so I don't–"
"You're killing me."
"But I–"
Lorelei turns her back against her friend with her hand up. "I don't want to hear it."
"Damien's just so–"
"Why can't you just tell him you want to go on a date alone with him?" Lorelei asks, spinning on her roommate. "Who even does double dates anymore?"
Casey's head lulls back so she's groaning at the ceiling. "You're infuriating."
"There is no way this isn't a terrible idea."
Casey steps forward, grabbing Lorelei by the arms. "Look, Lor, I actually see a future with Damien and I wouldn't ask you to come with me if I didn't think Damien meant more to me. It's just one night and you can make fun of his friend or insult his intelligence as much as you want, I just panicked and told Damien you'd be free and I really don't want to cancel this date," she says in one breath. "Can you please do it for me? Just this once?" She flutters her lashes again, looking up through them. "Pretty please." Her lip sticks out now. "Because you're my best friend?"
Lorelei's shoulders sink. It was obviously a terrible idea, but one date couldn't cause that much drama and pain, could it? It was just a few hours after all. "Fine,"
"Really?"
"I guess–"
Casey didn't even wait to hear the rest of her sentence, she was already jumping up and down, blabbering about what they were going to wear and how great it was all going to be.
Lorelei desperately wanted to find Damien's water bottle and smack her own head repeatedly with it.