All Chapters of The Rogue Next Door: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Maya The Ethics study group turned out exactly the way I expected. Which was to say… It was a complete disaster. Six students. One assignment. Seven different interpretations. And somehow every single person sitting around the table sounded convinced they were right. Professor Harris had assigned a paper on war and peace rhetoric, and after nearly an hour of discussion, I was honestly less confident than when I walked in. One guy insisted the entire paper was about governments manipulating citizens. A girl across from him argued it was about moral responsibility. Another student claimed the whole thing was philosophical nonsense designed to make students suffer. Honestly? That last one felt the most accurate. I rubbed my forehead and glanced down at my notes. They weren’t helping. Across the table, Cole looked equally miserable. For someone who usually carried himself with endless confidence, it was strangely comforting to see him completely lost. He stared at a highl

Maya The second Logan walked out of the study room, my stomach dropped. Not because of Logan. Not entirely. Because now there was nobody left to distract me from what had just happened. The room suddenly felt too quiet. Too small. Too real. And Cole was still standing there. Looking just as stunned as I felt. God. He kissed me. Not flirted with me. Not teased me. Not cornered me in a hallway and made me blush until I wanted to scream. He kissed me. And somehow the worst part wasn’t that he’d done it. The worst part was that for one terrifying, wonderful, completely irresponsible moment… I kissed him back. I could still feel it. The warmth of his hand on my arm. The way everything else disappeared. The way my brain had completely stopped functioning. I hated that I remembered every second of it. “Cole,” I said, my voice coming out quieter than I intended. “What are you doing?” His jaw tightened. For a second he just stared at me. Then he laughed once. Not bec

Maya Apparently, a hockey win means my house becomes public property. I didn’t agree to this. I don’t remember signing any paperwork authorizing ten giant hockey players to invade my living room, eat all my food, and argue like their lives depend on a game that already ended three hours ago. Yet somehow that’s exactly what’s happening. The television is blasting highlights from tonight’s game. Half the team is crowded around it, loudly debating a penalty call. One guy keeps insisting the referee should be investigated. Another is acting like the missed call personally ruined his childhood. And somehow Bree has inserted herself directly into the middle of the conversation. Naturally. She’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, pointing at the screen and passionately arguing with people whose names she learned approximately forty-five minutes ago. At this point, I’m pretty sure she’d survive being dropped into a stranger’s wedding and leave with three new best friends. I escape

Maya I should probably stop watching them. Honestly, I know I should. The problem is that every time I look away, something happens that pulls my attention right back. A comment. A look. A challenge disguised as a joke. And somehow, despite having a house full of athletes crammed into my living room, my eyes keep finding the same two people. Cole Ryder. Logan Hayes. The Rogue and the King. Which sounds absolutely ridiculous when I think about it. They’re just two college guys. Two athletes. Two overgrown children with way too much confidence and an unhealthy addiction to competition. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. The hockey players have completely taken over the living room. The football guys aren’t much better. At some point Marcus helped himself to a second plate of pasta without asking. Jake somehow ended up in an argument with one of Logan’s teammates about whether football players or hockey players were tougher. The answer changes every thirty seco

Maya By the time my shift finally ends, my feet are killing me. Monday nights are usually slow, but somehow that makes them worse. When the restaurant is busy, the hours fly by. When it’s quiet, every minute drags. Every glance at the clock feels like a personal attack. Normally, I’d spend those last few hours thinking about homework or worrying about bills or mentally planning the rest of my week. Tonight? My brain has been stuck on one person for nearly five straight hours. Cole Ryder. Which is incredibly annoying. Because the more I think about him, the less sense he makes. There’s the version everyone on campus knows. The Rogue. The football captain. The guy with the reputation. The guy girls talk about when they think nobody’s listening. Then there’s the version I keep seeing. The one who sat with me in the hospital waiting room chaos. The one who gave up his bed after Tessa’s emergency. The one who listened when I talked. The one who kissed me like he forgot the res