The Roommate

LXIII: Camgirl 101

Blake

Blake slammed the door to her apartment, and immediately cringed. She didn't like it when people did that, but

fuck

she was angry.

Angry at Liam, angry at the situation, angry at that guy, angry at herself. And she was angry about being so fucking angry at all.

She was also relieved to finally be home. Her paranoia wasn't gone, but she was sure no one had followed her, and now she was safe.

Groaning as she walked into the main living area, Blake set down her bag next to the kitchen island and turned to pour herself a bowl of cereal. Her hands were still a little shaky.

She yelped, jumping when she saw Sophie at the counter already doing that, dressed in a little pink romper Blake couldn't remember seeing before.

Wow, she looks adorable in that

, Blake thought even as her heart threatened to hammer a hole through her chest.

Sophie raised an eyebrow at Blake, then offered her some Cinnamon Toast Crunch, "Yikes. Bad final?" Blake sighed, accepting the cereal. She went to grab herself a bowl, but Sophie was one step ahead of her, handing her a bowl, then the milk.

"The final went great, actually," she said, "Pretty sure I aced it. It was after the final that didn't go so well."

Sophie nodded as Blake finished pouring her cereal. Once she finished, Sophie took the box and the milk to return them to their place, and Blake forced it out.

"Someone recognized me."

Sophie tensed, shoving the cereal back into the cabinet and whipping around. She stepped a bit closer, gaze intense as she met Blake's eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Blake's throat grew tight, eyes a little hot. She tried to reign it in, not wanting Sophie to think her reaction was because of what had happened. It was just really nice to have someone that cared as much as Sophie.

Liam cared.

Blake frowned, forcing that thought down. She gave Sophie a half-smile.

"Thank you. I'm as alright as I can be. We got away from him pretty quickly."

Sophie cocked her head, "So Liam was still with you?"

Blake frowned at Sophie's tone, "Yeah?"

Sophie snorted, then grinned, "Yikes. Did the guy that recognized you make it out of there without anything broken?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sophie frowned, "You've seen the way he looks at you, right? I'm pretty sure that relaxed, thoughtful air of his would be gone in a second if anyone scared you or made you uncomfortable like that. And didn't he do something kind of like that when you first met and were just friends, anyway?"

Blake reached for her bowl of cereal, then reconsidered and gripped the edge of the counter, afraid she might accidentally fling her food everywhere.

"I don't need him to protect me. I can handle cree--that kind of thing on my own."

Blake tried not to refer to anyone who recognized her as a creep. By that logic, Liam would have been a creep. If it was someone she didn't know, however, that was what she had to do, even if they were a nice person who just had the impulse to say hi. Defenses needed to be up, and paranoia turned on. Chloe had taught her that—Camgirl 101.

"I know," Sophie said as she got Blake a spoon, apparently completely oblivious to, or just ignoring her tone, "But it's nice not to have to deal with stuff like that alone, right?"

Blake took the spoon and tried not to glower at her roommate.

She just doesn't understand. No need to get angry with her.

It was just so easy to get angry right now.

Blake shoved a spoonful of cereal into her mouth while she thought of a way to make Sophie understand without sounding like a bitch.

Liam and I agreed to this, and he didn't honor that. This is something I need to do myself.

Before Blake could think of the right way to say that, however, the main door opened. Blake tried not to frown or rolled her eyes as Marie walked in.

That her roommate was smiling and walking with a little spring in her step made that difficult. Seeing Marie so happy right now made Blake want to be even angrier.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she drew in a slow, deep breath with her belly, trying not to give any outside sign of it.

"Blake, you alright?"

Ugh.

Opening her eyes, Blake forced a smile to her lips as Marie walked into the kitchen and opened her water bottle, rinsing it in the sink before getting out the Britta and refilling it.

"Blake got recognized on the way back from her final," Sophie said before Blake could respond to Marie's question.

Marie's eyes went wide. The concern in them immediately made Blake feel like shit for being so angry at Marie just for being happy.

I guess I'm not alright. Not because of that, though. Because of Liam.

Maybe a little because of that.

"Are you okay? Did they try--"

"I'm fine," Blake half-lied.

"Liam was with her," Sophie said.

Blake's eyes went wide. For a moment, she wasn't sure whether to be angry at Sophie's insistence that Liam's presence made everything better, or terrified that Marie might ask why he was with her.

Swallowing hard, Blake tried to smooth her expression as she looked toward Marie.

The blonde frowned at her for a moment, then nodded.

"Oh, right. I forget you two have classes together."

Then Marie smirked, "Did the guy make it out of there in one piece?"

"That's what I asked," Sophie echoed.

Blake frowned at both of them, "I don't need Liam to deal with crap like that."

Marie shrugged, "I know, but Liam's big. It must have been reassuring having him there at least."

Then the blonde rolled her eyes, "And I remember how worked up he got a few times when this guy his friend Tasha was seeing was being a dick or not treating her right—I can only imagine how he would have reacted to someone physically being there."

Blake frowned at that. She was still annoyed that neither of her roommates seemed to get it, but relieved at least that this hadn't raised a huge red flag for Marie and turned into an interrogation.

"He got...pretty intense," Blake said slowly, "I can't imagine Liam actually hitting someone, but he got up in the guy's face, then pulled me out of there."

Blake didn't think she'd given too much away, but even so, a wave of relief washed over her when Marie snorted, shaking her head, "Yeah, that sounds about right. I—"

Marie paused biting her lip, "I'm glad he was with you. I know it was probably scary anyway, but I feel like him being there made it a bit better, at least."

Blake gritted her teeth even as she forced a smile.

Why don't they fucking get it?

She wanted to just walk into her room, scream into a pillow and then angrily munch her cereal, but thought Marie might find the abrupt end to their conversation weird if they did.

So now I have to make small talk when I don't want to

and

mislead my roommate because of Liam. Great.

Blake knew that wasn't fair, but she didn't really give a fuck at the moment.

"You sure that's not weird?" Blake asked, forcing out the next few words, "Isn't that more like...boyfriend stuff that friend stuff?"

Behind Marie, Sophie's eyes widened as she stuffed a spoonful of sugary cereal into her mouth.

Marie, however, just shrugged, "With anyone else, probably, but with Liam..."

She shook her head, "I told you about Tasha, but there was also a girl from his high school that he went to prom with and still talks to occasionally. She was having issues with a boy, and he would get so upset over it, it was kind of cute. I think the over-protective stuff is just a Liam thing, or something from where he grew up or went to school—his friend Matt can be the same way apparently."

Marie smiled for a moment, which made Blake's stomach twist, then arched an eyebrow at her, "Have you met Tasha, by the way?"

Blake snorted, almost laughing at the question, and found herself with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, she came up and joined us at lunch one time after class. Any self-esteem issues I might have eventually gotten rid of are now just permanent after meeting her."

Sophie raised an eyebrow, "Is she a bitch, or just really hot?"

"Unfairly hot," Marie said, rolling her eyes.

"Huge boobs," Blake said, "But not

too

big, and they're real, and I think pretty perky, which is really unfair."

"Nice ass and legs," Marie added, "And abs."

Blake blinked, "Fuck, she has nice abs, too?"

Marie took a deep breath, "Yeah. I met her when it was starting to get hot, so she was wearing a crop top and low-rise jeans. Somehow, I don't think the cold stops her from wearing that type of stuff, though."

"Fuck, it's supposed to be big real titties or abs," Blake moaned, "Not both."

"And don't forget her eyes," Marie said.

Sophie cocked her head, looking between them, "What about her eyes?"

"Hypnotic," Blake said.

"Kind of like Liam's," Marie said, "But even lighter and more hypnotic. They're like...almost violet."

"Wow," Sophie said, "She sounds like a lot."

"She is," Blake said.

Marie opened her mouth, then bit her lip, cheeks going red.

Blake raised an eyebrow. She could have used this as an opportunity to escape, but found herself curious.

"Marie?" she asked.

Marie studied Blake for a moment, cheeks growing darker.

"I know I shouldn't care anymore," she said, "I'm happy with Lexi, and things with me and Liam are over, but...do you know if he's fucking her?"

Blake's eyes went wide.

"Liam? Fucking who? Tasha?"

Marie nodded, biting her lip again, face bright red.

Blake should have laughed at the idea, but for some reason, it worried her.

He and I just had a fight. Our first one. And there are only two days left until he leaves for break. And Tasha lives in the same town as him, doesn't she?

Blake pushed that thought away. She was still mad at Liam, but thinking like that was going too far.

"I don't think so," Blake said, "She was as flirty with me as she was with him when I met her. I think

she's

fucking someone, but it's not Liam. I don't think he's seeing anyone. Tasha did say something about how it's too bad he likes relationships, though, or she would have gone for it. Not sure if she was joking about that."

Marie made a face, sticking her tongue out, "Bleh. Yeah, that's basically what happened when I met her. At least Liam's not with her, though."

"Why would that matter?" Sophie asked.

Marie blinked at the question, then shrugged, "Makes me feel just a bit better about myself, I guess? Knowing Liam didn't just start fucking someone way hotter—or someone he might have already had a bit of a crush on—right after he and I were through."

Blake's stomach dropped, chest growing tight.

"Yeah," she said, feeling like an absolute bitch, "That would suck."

Blake couldn't move. She felt paralyzed, feet nailed to the floor. Silence stretched, and to Blake, the only way she could describe it was awkward as hell.

"I don't know, Marie," Sophie said, breaking the silence, "Your girlfriend's pretty hot. Imagine how crushed Liam's ego would be if he saw her."

Blake nearly let out an "Oh, thank fuck" as Marie laughed.

"Yeah," she said, "I guess she is. That would be kind of funny."

Blake swallowed, grabbing her cereal in one hand and her bag in the other and headed for her room, "I'll talk to you guys later. Got a show to get ready for."

As Blake opened the door, Marie called after her, "I'm glad you're okay, Blake. Let us know if you need anything, okay?"

It took everything Blake had not to slam the door behind her.

Her hand shook once she let go of the doorknob, and she had to control her breathing, moving slowly as she set down her bag and her bowl of cereal. Once those were out of the danger zone, Blake grabbed a pillow, mashed it against her face, and screamed into it as she flopped down on her bed.

Fuckity fucking fuck.

She'd almost been able to put today out of her head. For a while at least. Blake knew it would have come back if she was alone with her thoughts for too long, but now...

Blake took a deep breath as she tossed the pillow aside.

Now she felt like shit for sneaking around with Liam, was angry at Liam and herself for what had happened earlier, was angry at her roommates for not thinking she could handle an encounter like that by herself,

and

now she had a little stupid paranoid voice in her head telling her that Tasha was going to seduce Liam over break and fuck his brains out if she didn't just go and forgive him and have really,

really

good make-up sex with him this instant.

Which she couldn't. He'd broken one of their rules.

I can trust Liam, though,

Blake reminded herself, forcing thoughts of him and Tasha away. It was harder than she would have liked.

I'm

the one that I need to make sure Liam can trust. Not the other way around.

Feeling like absolute shit, Blake sat up and went to prepare for her show, even though it was hours before she was supposed to be online.

Maybe I'll start early. A little extra money might make me feel better at the very least.

A/N: What do you think about Blake's reaction? What about her roommates'? I know everything has seemed great between her and Liam, but if everybody was perfect, this would be a pretty boring story.