Loveless (Osemanverse #10)(109)
‘I need more room,’ said Rooney. ‘I’m like a whole foot taller than you.’
‘Um, firstly, that’s a lie, you are only a few inches taller –’
‘At least six inches.’
‘And secondly, I need more room because I have way more clothes than you.’
‘You’re both going to be sleeping in the same room loads anyway,’ Jason muttered, rolling his eyes, and Pip shot him a look that mixed embarrassment with alarm while Rooney immediately went bright red, opened her mouth, and began to protest.
Rooney had still been spending nights out of our room. The first time it happened after the play, I was scared that she’d gone back to heavy drinking and clubbing with strangers, but when I eventually confronted her about it, she timidly revealed that she was spending all of those nights in Pip’s room. And the clothes she kept leaving there were a bit of a giveaway.
She’d spend nights in our room too, though. Lots of nights. It wasn’t like she’d replaced me, or I was less important.
She was one of my best friends. I was one of hers. And we both understood what that meant now.
Once Rooney had finished berating Jason for bringing up her sex life and Jason had tactically retreated towards the bathroom, I watched as Rooney and Pip stood together in the doorway. Rooney gently touched Pip’s hand with hers, and Rooney leant towards her and whispered something I couldn’t hear that made Pip grin wide.
I stepped away to peer inside another of the bedrooms. This one had a big sash window, a sink in the corner, and whoever lived here had stuck polaroid photos all over one of the walls. The carpet was kind of odd – it had a bold red pattern that reminded me of Gran’s curtains – but I didn’t dislike it. I didn’t dislike any of it.
It wasn’t fancy, or anything. But I could really imagine myself living here. I could imagine all of us here, starting a new academic year, coming home and slumping on the sofa next to each other, chatting in the kitchen in the mornings over bowls of cereal, crowding into the biggest bedroom for movie nights, falling asleep in each other’s beds when we were too tired to move.
I could imagine all of it. A future. A small future, and not a forever future, but a future, nonetheless.
‘What d’you think?’ asked Rooney, who’d come to stand next to me in the doorway.
‘It’s … OK,’ I said. ‘It’s not perfect.’
‘But?’
I smiled. ‘But I think we could have fun here.’
She smiled back. ‘I agree.’
Rooney returned to continue arguing with Pip over the largest bedroom, but I just stayed there for a moment, looking at what might be my future living space. After months of sleeping next to one of my best friends, I was a little nervous about going back to a solo bedroom. Sleeping in a silent room with just my thoughts.
I had time to get used to the idea, though.
Until then, we would keep the beds together.
AVEN (The Asexuality Visibility and Education Network): https://www.asexuality.org/
What Is Asexuality?: http://www.whatisasexuality.com/
Aces & Aros: https://acesandaros.org/
AZE, a journal publishing asexual, aromantic, and agender writers and artists: https://azejournal.com/
AUREA (Aromantic-spectrum Union for Recognition, Education, and Advocacy): https://www.aromanticism.org/
Indian Aces: https://www.facebook.com/IndianAces
Asexual resources at the Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevor project.org/trvr_support_center/asexual/
This book was the most difficult, frustrating, terrifying and liberating thing I’ve ever made. So many wonderful people helped me through this journey: Claire Wilson, my incredible agent, who has received more than her fair share of emotional emails. My editor, Harriet Wilson; my books’ designer, Ryan Hammond; and everyone else at HarperCollins who has worked on this book – thank you for your tireless efforts and support for my stories, despite me needing to extend almost every single deadline I was given. Emily Sharratt, Sam Stewart, Ant Belle and Keziah Reina for their editing, insight, and beta-reading, often under very speedy time constraints. My writer soulmate, Lauren James, who has put up with the brunt of my woes regarding this book and helped me so much with structure and pacing. My friends and family, in real life and online. And my readers who have cheered me along. Thank you so, so much, everyone.
And thank you to all who have picked up this book. I really hope you’ve enjoyed this story.
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