Roommates With Benefits [BL]

Jeremy’s face lit up, his smile broadening into something boyish. The change made him look younger, less like the polished version of himself that usually hung around Damien.

”I’ll wait.”

”You don’t have to.”

”I know.”

”...”

”I want to.”

There wasn’t much I could say to that, so I just handed him his coffee. The warm paper cup transferred easily into his hand, the steam still rising between us for a moment.

”Fine.”

His smile grew wider. It was an easy victory, and I could read it on his face.

”I’ll be over there.”

He gestured toward a table by the window before settling in, looking like someone who really didn’t mind waiting an hour for anything. The soft light from the window framed him perfectly as he sat, phone already in hand, posture relaxed and completely unbothered.

The moment he sat down, bam! Three pairs of eyes landed on me. Mine. Joey’s. Maya’s.

Actually, it was mostly theirs. I was busy avoiding theirs, suddenly finding the espresso machine fascinating again. The polished chrome reflected a slightly panicked version of my face, which felt unfairly accurate.

”So,” Maya started.

”So,” Joey echoed.

I sighed. ”What?”

The word came out flatter than I intended, already bracing for whatever was coming next.

”Who,” Maya corrected. ”Is that other hottie?”

”Jeremy.” I responded.

Joey frowned, tapping his chin thoughtfully. The motion left a faint smudge of muffin crumb on the corner of his mouth that he didn’t seem to notice.

”...He looks kinda familiar.”

”He’s one of Damien’s friends, I guess.” I replied.

”The one you tutored?”

”Yep.”

Joey’s eyes narrowed, then widened, nearly popping out of his head as a look of horror crossed his face...the kind that said he just made a connection he probably should’ve figured out earlier. The transformation happened so quickly it was almost impressive. ”Oh my God.”

”What?”

”That’s Jeremy Abernathy.”

”Yep, how did you know that?” I asked.

Maya groaned, dropping her forehead on the table for a moment. The soft thud of her head against the wood sounded like pure secondhand embarrassment. ”Oliver.”

”What?”

”You seriously don’t pay attention to the Elites, do you?”

”I actively avoid it.”

”The Abernathy family owns Abernathy Group,” Joey explained, leaning in like he was revealing top-secret info. ”They’re one of the biggest corporate families in the country.”

His voice dropped into that tone reserved for gossip too important to say loudly.

”...Okay?” I said, slightly confused as to why that was important.

”They’ve been competing with the Lockwoods for decades.”

I blinked. ”...Seriously?”

The word came out quieter than I meant, carrying more surprise than I wanted.

”Seriously.”

Well, that was awkward, like the unease that settles in when you think you can finally relax. The weight of new information felt like an uninvited guest at the table.

Maya stole a glance at Jeremy, who was quietly reading something on his phone while occasionally looking my way to smile at me, blissfully unaware that he was the subject of an intense whispered conversation twenty feet away.

The soft afternoon light still framed him perfectly, as if the universe was making things visually inconvenient.

”He’s handsome.”

”Meh.” I said, boredly.

”And he’s looking at you.”

”Yeah, because he also has eyes.”

”No,” she said, patient like she was explaining something to a slow child. ”He’s looking at you.”

Joey nodded.

”Like... really looking.” He emphasized the last two words, lending more weight to them than the rest of his sentence.

A slow realization crept over me. ”...Is it that obvious?”

The question felt smaller once I said it, like something I already half-knew.

The two of them chimed in unison.

”Yes.”

Fantastic. Just fantastic. The quiet confirmation weighed heavy, making it harder to pretend I didn’t notice that Jeremy liked me.

Joey leaned in closer, dropping his voice like he was sharing a secret. The soft jazz in the background felt a little too loud for the mood shift. ”You know his reputation, right?”

”...Should I?”

”He’s like the biggest campus heartrob...after your husband of course. But the other difference is, Jeremy dates around, like a lot.”

”...How much is a lot?”

”He doesn’t usually make it past a week.”

I nearly choked.

”A week?” The words came out sharper than intended, oddly louder in the quiet café.

”Maybe two if he’s feeling extra romantic.”

”What the fuck?” Maya said under her breath, a mix of amusement and mild judgment in her tone. ”I’ve kept leftover food longer than that.”

I stared across the café. Jeremy looked up. Caught me staring and smiled. Then waved, completely unfazed. The casual ease of his gesture made everything feel even more complicated.

I awkwardly waved back before quickly looking away, suddenly finding the napkin dispenser far too fascinating. The metal surface reflected a slightly flustered version of myself, which felt like an unwelcome commentary from the universe.

”...He didn’t seem like a fuck boy to me when I was tutoring him.”

Joey shrugged, casual but with a knowing expression I didn’t appreciate. ”People say he’s a nice guy. They also say he’s a serial flirt, he’s like a fucking god when it comes to talking your underwear off.”

”Both can be true.” Maya said with a nod.

I rubbed the back of my neck. ”Well...” The small, uncertain sound trailed off, unsure how to finish.

”What?”

”It doesn’t really matter what he’s like.”

”Why not?”

”Because I’m not interested either way.” I replied.

I was sure of that, the clarity settling somewhere solid in my chest even with everything else up in the air. The quiet certainty felt like a small anchor amid the afternoon’s growing complications.

Joey nodded approvingly.

”Good.” Joey said, the word carried a quiet note of relief. ”Because Damien is your one and only true love.”

Maya pointed a finger at me like a warning. ”Still be careful around him.”

”I will.”

”If he gets weird, tell me and I’ll throw coffee at him.”

”Thanks for the offer, ma’am.”

The café settled back into its easy rhythm. Customers drifted in and out, orders were taken, milk steamed and coffee beans ground under the familiar hum of machines, all happening along the easy Saturday-afternoon flow that made chaos feel manageable.

I caught myself reaching for my phone again. Still nothing. My empty lock screen stared at me with the indifference of a device that had no new messages to share.

I reopened Damien’s last text anyway.

Damien😈: Behave while I’m gone.

Yikes... would taking his friend out for a celebratory hangout, count as ’behaving’?

Across the café, Jeremy watched me from over his coffee cup. Not in a creepy way. Just... patiently. Like he really didn’t mind waiting. It felt kind. Maybe too kind. And somehow, that made me feel even guiltier, guilt settling beside everything else I was already dealing with today, uninvited but definitely at home now.

I told myself it was just lunch. Just a tutor and his former student grabbing a bite. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Nothing Damien would get upset at...right?

But the fact that everyone around me seemed to read Jeremy’s intentions clearer than I did made one unsettling thought quietly settle in the back of my mind.

What if I wasn’t as good at reading people as I thought?

Or what if Jeremy was just good at hiding them?