Roommates With Benefits [BL]

For a few moments, I was completely speechless.

Standing in the alley behind the bar with my phone pressed to my ear, I found myself staring at a pile of empty delivery boxes next to the dumpster, as if they had become the most interesting things in the world.

Dianne...of all freaking people!

I’d spent the last few days fixating on Damien’s parents, his tuition, his frozen bank accounts, and the lingering worry that he might get kicked out of Hawthorne because his family had decided to make his life a nightmare.

And now, it seemed the universe thought I needed another rich evil person in my life.

I let out a tired, frustrated sigh, ”What the hell do you even want?”

There was a brief pause on the other end before Dianne chuckled. It wasn’t an offended laugh; she sounded genuinely amused.

”Still as charming as ever, Oliver.”

”I wasn’t trying to charm you.”

I closed my eyes in frustration. The last time I’d dealt with Dianne, she’d been surrounded by so much wealth it made me worry about whether my shoes were clean before I spoke.

The Lockwood family had a way of making everyone feel small.

William was intimidating because he wanted you to know he could crush you. Evelyn was scary because she could smile elegantly while doing it.

But Dianne? She was a different story. She didn’t need to remind anyone of her power; she just acted like everyone already knew.

”What do you want?” I asked again, slower this time.

”I’d like to talk to you.”

”We’re talking.”

”In person.”

”Fuck no.” I said, wondering how on earth she even got my number.

Her laughter rang out again. ”You’ll come.”

I frowned. ”Excuse me?”

”You care about Damien, don’t you?”

My jaw clenched. ”That doesn’t mean I’ll meet you.”

”It means you will.” The certainty in her voice irked me more than if she had yelled.

”I don’t take orders from your family.”

”I’m not giving you an order.”

”Sounds suspiciously like one.”

”I just want to talk.”

”Well, I don’t fucking want to.” I stared blankly at the brick wall across from me. ”Then we’re done here.”

”Oliver.”

I heard a soft clink in the background, like she was setting down a cup. ”There’s a restaurant called Bellamy’s a few blocks from the university. Eight o’clock.”

I let out a humorless laugh. ”Not a chance.”

”I’ll be there waiting for you.”

”That’s unfortunate.”

”You’ll come.”

”You really enjoy hearing yourself talk, don’t you?”

”I’ve been told I have a nice voice.” She said.

I rubbed my forehead, feeling the tension rising as another quiet moment passed.

Then her tone softened. ”If you care about Damien as much as I think you do, you’ll come.”

That hit a nerve. Not because I wanted it to, but because it struck a raw spot inside me, my stomach twisted in knots. I hated that she knew exactly how to push my buttons.

”Eight,” I muttered at last.

”Eight.”

”I swear, if this is some kind of trap—”

”It isn’t.”

And just like that, the call ended and I stared at my phone in disbelief. ”Great.”

I shoved it into my pocket and gazed up at the sky. ”Just great.”

Somehow, I had created a social life where meeting the enemy for coffee felt like a regular Tuesday.

Arriving at Bellamy’s after bidding Maya and Joey goodbye, I found it was exactly the type of place I expected Dianne to pick.

It was classy without being flashy, which somehow made it even more pricey.

The entrance featured dark wooden doors, warm golden light, and large windows that revealed almost nothing inside, after all, rich people liked their privacy, even while enjoying pasta and making regular peoples lives even more miserable.

As soon as I stepped inside, I became acutely aware of the lingering scent of the bar on me.

I’d changed after my shift, but it seemed the smell of alcohol had decided to cling to me.

The hostess gave me a polite once-over, her gaze quickly sweeping from my worn sneakers to my slightly damp hair.

”Good evening.” I said.

”Hi. I’m meeting someone.”

”Name?”

”Dianne Lockwood.”

Her expression didn’t flinch. Of course it didn’t, I figured she heard the Lockwood name at least twenty times a week on the business news.

”She’s waiting for you.”

Following the hostess through the restaurant, I spotted Dianne almost right away. She was seated at a corner table beneath a soft pendant light, dressed in a dark, perfectly tailored outfit that likely cost more than my rent.

Her hair was flawless, her posture straight, and a cup of coffee sat in front of her, untouched.

She looked like she was there for a board meeting rather than to confront her brother’s boyfriend.

”Oliver,” she said, smiling as I approached.

”Dianne.”

She motioned for me to sit. ”It’s been a while since we met, how have you been doing?”

”Yeah, can we skip the polite nonsense? That would be great.” I said rolling my eyes as I sat.

Her eyebrow arched. ”Feisty as always.”

”I’m having a rough week.”

”I noticed.”

”Then you can imagine how thrilled I am to be here.”

She smiled, and a waiter suddenly appeared, moving with the quiet efficiency that only expensive restaurants seem to master.

Dianne glanced at him. ”We’ll have the grilled chicken for him and the pasta for me.”

I just stared. ”Did you just order my food?”

”Yes.”

”I can order my own food.”

”I’m sure you can.”

”Then why didn’t you let me?”

”Because you would’ve said no.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. How annoying was that? In just five minutes, she had figured out something I wanted to keep hidden.

”I can handle myself.”

”I don’t doubt that.”

The waiter left, and I leaned back in my chair. ”Now talk.”

Dianne neatly folded her hands on the table. ”I’ll start with something you probably won’t believe.”

”Sounds promising.”

”I don’t care that Damien is with a man, his sexual preference has never been something I focused on.”

I looked at her, stunned. She continued before I could respond.

”My parents do care a lot about it, but I don’t particularly.”

I sighed, ”How generous.”

Her expression didn’t change. ”Damien is an adult. His sexuality is none of my business.”

”Then what is?”

”You.”

And there it was. My shoulders tensed as Dianne took a slow sip of her coffee. ”Damien was always expected to inherit the Lockwood Group. It’s been his future since he was a child, he was raised for it, educated for it, and shaped around it.”