I sat down at the counter and picked up a slice of pizza. It was well past lunchtime now and I was starving. I had finished my slice by the time they walked back into the kitchen.
“Ugh, I have to share my pizza with her too? This is the worst.” Rob laughed and sat down next to me. “Just kidding. Have all the pizza that you want. James caught me up on the whole illicit student professor affair thing. So apparently now I won’t say anything that will embarrass him. And I’m sorry that I thought you were a prostitute.”
“It’s fine,” I laughed.
“Thanks for helping get the troll back under her bridge. I owe you one. I tried to get rid of her for years. But I just made fun of her all the time. She was so stuck up. She always had the craziest reactions to stuff. If I had mistaken her for a hooker, I’m pretty sure she would have had a heart attack. I always thought I’d be the one to make her run screaming. I’m sure sucking her husband’s cock made it easier for you to be victorious, though.”
“What did we just talk about?” James said.
“Dude, chill. I’m sure Penny and I are on the same page here.”
I started laughing. James was right. Rob was like the exact opposite of him. I wasn’t even sure how two people so different could be related. But they were cute together. They balanced each other out somehow. I liked seeing James out of his element. If he couldn’t control me, he definitely couldn’t control Rob.
“See, she thinks I’m funny.” He grabbed another slice of pizza. “So what do you two usually do on a Friday night?”
Last Friday night we went to a Halloween party. And James ended up punching one of my friends in the face.” I decided to leave off the fact that I had wound up in the hospital. It was a better story without it.
James pressed his lips together.
Rob laughed. “Sounds fun. I bet we could find a good Halloween party to go to tonight.”
“Or we can stay in. Penny and I have been practicing what it would be like if we were under house arrest.”
“That sounds awful. Did you say you were only 20, Penny?”
“Yeah.”
“So a bar is out. Crashing a college party it is.” He rubbed his hands together.
“I think it’s probably best if I stay away from college parties for awhile,” James said.
“Oh, because of the whole rapey thing?”
James made a face. “I need to go shower. Maybe you can give him a tour, Penny?”
“Sure.”
“And stop saying inappropriate stuff to my girlfriend, Rob.”
Rob shrugged. “I don’t think I’ve even said anything that inappropriate.”
James kissed my cheek. At the same time he shoved Rob’s shoulder.
Rob laughed as James disappeared into the bedroom.
“He really likes you,” Rob said, grabbing another slice of pizza and standing up.
“Why do you say that?” I knew how much James loved me. But I was curious why his brother thought he did.
“He only gets super defensive around girls he likes. And if you’re wondering, he wasn’t like that with the troll.”
I laughed. “I don’t understand why he ever went through with marrying her if he didn’t love her.”
“That’s because you haven’t met my parents yet. James is the prodigal son. And thank God he took the bullet, because they would have forced her on me next. I’m surprised they haven’t called me already, saying that she’s single.” I must have made a face because he added, “I’m just kidding, they’re not demonic. How about that tour, Penny?”
“Right.” I quickly stood up. “Are you thirsty?” I walked over to the fridge and grabbed a cherry coke.
“No, I’m good.”
I could feel him staring at me as I poured the soda into a glass and added the can into the recycling bin.
“Are you living here?”
I felt my face blushing again. “Um, yeah. Kind of. He just asked me to move in. But I haven’t moved all my stuff in yet.”
“So I guess that makes us roomies.”
“I guess so. Have you already walked around?”
“No, not really. But this is the kitchen obviously. The living room and the dining room.” He pointed to the rooms that were open to the kitchen.
“Mhm. And that’s James’ bedroom through that door.”
“Well, your room together right? Or are we sharing?” He flashed me a smile.
“Oh, yeah, our room. And if I wasn’t sleeping in there, we have two guest rooms. So we wouldn’t ever have to share a room. In any situation.” What am I saying? I wished James hadn’t left me alone with his brother so soon. I was so nervous.
He started laughing. “You’re fun to mess with. I like you already. Okay, show me my room.”
I walked past him toward the hallway. Could I be any more awkward? “I guess you have your choice of rooms. There’s this one.” I opened up the first door in the hallway.
“That bed probably isn’t big enough for both of us. I really like to spread out when I sleep.”
“I’m not…”
He started laughing again. “I can see why James fell for you.” He walked out of the bedroom.
“That’s the guest bathroom.”
“Sweet,” he said and poked his head into the room for a second and then turned back to me.
“And the other bedroom.” I pointed to the third door.
He opened it up and looked inside. “Damn, same sized bed. I guess we just weren’t meant to be.” He winked at me.
“I guess not.” I still heard the shower running. Come on, James. I was running out of rooms to show Rob, and I wasn’t sure what he was going to want to talk about next. “That’s a game room I guess. It has a pool table and a bar.”
“Now that’s my kind of room.” He opened up the door and started laughing.
I walked in after him. Oh fuck. James and my clothes were still strewn all over the room. I hadn’t even thought about cleaning them up. My face had to be scarlet.
“I’m guessing this is yours?” Rob was holding up a lacy thong on his index finger.
Oh my God. “Of course it’s mine.” I grabbed my thong out of his hand.
“I didn’t realize how kinky my brother was.”