Make a Wish (Spark House #3)(15)

“But I can’t eat a candle.” He drops his messenger bag on the couch. “Do I have a spare suit here? I forgot to bring one with me for tomorrow, and I don’t remember if we just talked about me leaving clothes here or if I’ve actually done it.”

“I know you have dress pants and a couple of shirts, but I’m not sure about an entire suit. You do have boxers, though.” I know because sometimes I use them as sleep shorts after I wash them.

“Cool, that should cut it.” He riffles around in his bag and pulls out his Nintendo Switch, setting it on the coffee table.

Chad is a huge gaming nerd. He works in IT and is part of a thousand different online gaming communities. He basically carries his Switch with him like it’s an appendage. “Why are you setting that up? Aren’t we going out for dinner?”

“Yeah, but you always pass out early, so I figured I’d get in some gaming after you’re lights-out.”

“I go to bed at ten. It’s not that early.”

“Babe, some preschoolers stay up later than you.”

“That’s untrue.” And it also makes me sound lame.

“Okay, maybe not preschoolers, but for sure middle-schoolers.”

“I have to be up at six, and I need solid sleep.”

“I’m just busting your balls, babe. I think it’s cute that you can’t stay up past midnight to save your life.” He leans down and kisses my temple. “It’ll make you the perfect roommate when I move in here.”

I sit up straighter. “Move in?” It would be great if my voice came out an octave or two lower.

He grins. “Yeah, you know. Eventually. I’ve still got a few more months on my lease with Marv, but I think him and his girlfriend are getting pretty serious. Don’t worry, I’ll give you some notice before I rearrange your furniture to make room for my gaming stuff.”

Chad lives with one of his coworkers. They’re not particularly tidy or good about washing dishes, which is the reason he comes here most of the time. Also, Marv’s girlfriend is over a lot, and she is the opposite of quiet behind the bedroom door. While I’m glad she and Marv have a very active sex life, I don’t want to know every time she has an orgasm.

“This isn’t a frat house, Chad. You can’t take over my living room with your gaming stuff.”

“Is that a formal invitation to move in?”

I bite the inside of my cheek. We’ve only been dating for a few months, and moving in seems like a pretty huge step in the commitment arena. “Uh, I’d need to see real, consistent proof that you can pick up after yourself.”

“I always pick up after myself.”

I point across the room to the end table where he left an empty box of cookies from one of his post-dinner binge-and-gaming sessions from last week. I left them there on purpose to make this exact point.

“That’s one empty box and the exception, not the rule.”

I raise a finger. “Ah, but that’s where you are wrong. There are also three pairs of your socks stuffed under the couch and two hats under the side table.”

“Really?” He crosses the room and checks under the couch. “Score! I’ve been looking for these! Mind if I toss them in with your next load?” They’re covered in dust bunnies, and I haven’t bothered to move the couch when I’ve vacuumed the past couple of weeks.

“You can put them in with my gym clothes, but dust them off first.” I tack on, “In the garbage can, not right here.”

I didn’t realize when I gave him the spare key a few weeks ago that he would keep it. He was getting off work earlier than me, and we were going out for dinner with friends. It made sense for him to come to my place to get ready instead of back to his place and then here. And up until now, I felt we were a little too new to be considered serious, but maybe he’s on a different page than me, or the kind of guy who’s all in right from the start.

He disappears into the kitchen, his footfalls fading as he continues down the hall. Maybe he’s going to put a load in the washing machine. Or at the very least, toss his socks in the hamper. Chad is fun to hang out with, but he’s still in bachelor mode, and I’m firmly entrenched in adulthood and taking care of my personal space. Unlike Chad’s apartment, mine has matching furniture that doesn’t include a gaming chair.

He returns a minute later, minus the dirty socks. “You still working on that assignment you needed to finish tonight? We have half an hour before we need to leave for the pub, and I can entertain myself if you need me to.” He motions to his Switch.

“I’m almost done, just finishing up the last question.”

“No problem, I’ll get changed. You need anything while I’m up?”

“I’m good. Thanks, though.” I tip my chin up as he bends to press his lips to my cheek on his way to the bedroom.

He returns a few minutes later wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He plops down on the couch and starts setting up his gaming station while I finish my assignment. I’ll need to read it over one more time before I turn it in, but at least it’s done. I close my laptop and set it aside.

“What are the chances you can get away this weekend?” Chad asks, eyes on the TV and the game he’s currently playing.

“We have a wedding on Saturday, so it’s all hands on deck. I have the weekend at the end of the month off, though, why?”