The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

JULIAN’S POV

The drive back was silent. Not the comfortable kind of silence either.

The heavy kind. The kind that filled every inch of the car and pressed against the windows like fog.

Aria stared out the passenger window the entire time. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest, shoulders stiff, jaw set in a way that told me she was holding back a storm.

Streetlights slid across her face as we drove, flashing gold and then darkness, over and over again. I kept my eyes on the road. There were a thousand things I could say.

None of them would make this better.

When we pulled into the apartment parking lot, she unbuckled her seatbelt before the engine had even fully stopped. The door opened sharply. Then slammed shut behind her.

I followed her up the stairs, my footsteps slower but steady. She didn’t look back once. The moment we stepped into the apartment, she walked straight toward her room.

“Aria…” The door slammed. Hard. Right in my face.

For a moment I just stood there, staring at the wood panel like it had personally offended me. Then I knocked. Once. Twice.

“Aria.” No response. I knocked again, louder this time. My knuckles thudded against the door. “Open the door.”

Nothing. “Aria,” I tried again, keeping my voice controlled. “We need to talk.” Silence answered me.

I leaned one hand against the doorframe and exhaled slowly through my nose.

She wasn’t going to open it. Not tonight. Not like this.

I could force the issue. I could unlock the door. The thought crossed my mind for exactly half a second.

Then I pushed away from the door. “She needs space,” I muttered to myself.

And maybe, if I was honest, so did I. So I left her alone. Hours later the apartment was dark. Most of the city had gone quiet. Only the distant hum of traffic filtered through the windows.

I was halfway down the hallway when I heard movement in the kitchen. Soft. Careful. Like someone trying not to be heard. I stepped into the doorway.

Aria stood at the counter with her back to me, rummaging through one of the cabinets. Her hair was tied up in a messy knot. She wore an oversized sweater and loose shorts.

She looked smaller than usual. Fragile. The fridge door opened and spilled pale light across the room.

she pulled out a carton of milk and set it beside a bowl. I leaned against the wall.

“Are you planning to burn the kitchen down?” I asked casually. She froze. Slowly, she turned around. Her eyes met mine. The softness from earlier was gone.

Replaced by steel. “I didn’t hear you come in,” she said flatly.

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Chapter 16

56 vouchere

“I noticed.” She grabbed a spoon and started pouring cereal into the bowl with sharp, deliberate movements. I stepped further into the kitchen. “You slammed the door,” I said. “Very dramatic.”

She didn’t look up. “You deserved it.”

“Did I?”

“Yes.” I folded my arms across my chest, studying her.

“That’s a bold statement.”

She turned to face me fully now, her eyes flashing.

“You humiliated me today.”

My brows pulled together slightly. “I stopped someone from slapping you.”

“I didn’t ask you to.” Her words came out quickly. Sharp. Like knives thrown across the room. “I was handling it.”

“You were about to get hit.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make.” My jaw tightened.

“I’m not going to stand there and watch someone attack you.”

“That’s exactly the problem!” Her voice rose, echoing in the small kitchen. “You stepped in like I couldn’t defend myself.” She pointed a finger toward my chest. “Like I’m helpless.”

“You looked pretty helpless.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You see?” she snapped. “That right there!” Her chest rose and fell quickly as she fought to keep her composure. “I’m not your responsibility, Julian.”

I didn’t respond immediately. She kept going. “And you don’t get to act like you own my life because you gave me a place to stay.”

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to say it,” she shot back. “You act like it.” Her words were getting harsher now. More personal. “You tell me where to go. You tell me who to see. You tell me what I should do.”

“I try to keep you safe.”

“I didn’t ask you to!” The spoon clattered against the counter as she dropped it. Her eyes burned into mine. “You’re not my father.” The sentence hit like a slap. “And you’re definitely not my boyfriend.”

The kitchen felt colder suddenly. “The only relationship between us,” she continued, her voice trembling slightly now, “is tenancy.” I said nothing.

She laughed bitterly. “You’re my landlord, Julian. That’s it.” A pause stretched between us. Then she added quietly. “And if you keep prying into my life like this… I’ll leave.”

The words settled heavily in the room. I studied her face. Her shoulders were squared like she was ready for a fight. But her eyes… Her eyes looked tired.

I pushed away from the wall slowly. “One question,” I said. She sighed in irritation.

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Chapter 16

“What?”

My voice stayed calm. “Are you still in love with Luca?” The effect was immediate. She froze. Her lips parted slightly. But no

sound came out.

Seconds passed. The silence stretched long enough to feel like an answer. Something unpleasant twisted in my chest. Finally, she looked away.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Interesting response.” She grabbed the bowl and set it in the sink without eating.

“You should stop acting like you’re any better than the rest of them.” My brows lowered slightly.

“Excuse me?”

She turned back toward me. “You heard me.”

Her eyes were cold now. “You think you’re different.” Her voice softened–but the words were harsher. “But you’re not.”

I felt something tighten behind my ribs. “We’re all the same to you?” I asked quietly.

“Yes.” She crossed her arms. “It’s just a matter of time before you show your true colors.” For a moment I couldn’t speak.

Not because I didn’t have something to say. Because the words sat too heavy in my throat. I had done a lot of things in my life. But hearing that from her…. It landed differently. Still, my face stayed neutral.

Emotionless.

If she wanted a reaction, she wasn’t getting one.

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