Free Friend Zoned (Barnett Bulldogs #2) by Jennifer Sucevic

really do.  “I’m sure he does.”
    Huffing out a breath, I give her my best narrowed eyed glare.  “He has an extra bedroom because his roommate Dylan just moved in with his girlfriend.” I ground out, “So, I’ll be staying in Dylan’s room for the weekend.”
    Her eyes widen before she flutters her long dark lashes all innocent-like at me.  “Of course… wherever else would you sleep?”
     
    Chapter Six
     
    Throwing my bags into the backseat of his truck, I slide in next to Sam. “Thanks again for picking me up.”
    His hair is all shiny and wet from his after-practice shower.  “No problem.  This weekend will be fun.”  There’s a slight pause as his eyes cut quickly to mine.  “Sure you don’t mind laying low tonight?  With a game tomorrow, I need to hit the sheets early.”
    “Of course not.”
    He doesn’t seem to believe me.  “You could always head out on your own, if you want.  Just because I’m making an early night of it, doesn’t mean you have to.”
    “No, I’m good,” I reassure again.  I’m not really in the mood to go out anyway.
    Biting his lower lip, his eyes stay focused on the road in front of him.  “I figured that we could have dinner, maybe watch a movie afterwards.  What do you think?”
    Actually....
    “That sounds perfect.”  This week has been exhausting.  Chilling at Sam’s for the night sounds really good.  Plus, I’m sure we’ll end up going out tomorrow night.  Especially if the Bulldogs pull off another win.  Then Saturday night will be crazy.  And it’s not just the team that will be celebrating.  The entire university will turn out to help.
    “Good.”
    Once we get back to his place, I dump my bags in Dylan’s room before changing into a pair of comfy black yoga pants and a well-loved t-shirt.  Then I pad out in bare feet to where Sam is cooking in the small kitchen.
    “So what are we doing for dinner?”  I was thinking we would probably order some take out but Sam already has a whole bunch of ingredients spread out on the counter.  Eggs, bacon, heavy cream, noodles, parmesan cheese, and garlic.
    Looks interesting.  And, yeah, incredibly fattening.  Which I’m assuming means that it will taste delicious.  Because those things unfortunately go hand in hand.  “What are you making?”
    He wields a knife in one hand while chopping garlic on a cutting board.  “Fettuccine carbonara.”
    The easy way he flicks his wrist as he cuts up the garlic has me thinking that this isn’t the first time he’s done it.  A big pot filled with water boils away on the stove.  A large skillet is heating on a burner with chopped bacon.
    “Fancy.”
    Continuing with his prep work, he gives me a little smirk.  “May sound fancy but it’s actually pretty easy.  It’s something my grandmother used to make.”
    I nod.  “Is there anything I can help with?”
    He points to the refrigerator.  “Want to put together the salad?”
    “Sure.”  Going the the fridge, I pull out lettuce, a cucumber, shredded cheddar cheese, and a bottle of lite ranch dressing.  There’s a ripe, medium sized tomato already sitting on the counter.
    “Croutons are in the cabinet if you want them.”
    Um yeah, I want them.  Because who can eat salad without crunchy little croutons?  As I finish preparing our salads, Sam drains the noodles before adding the bacon and garlic.  Then he dumps the egg, cream, and parmesan mixture over the noodles before tossing it all together.  Feeling impressed with his mad cooking skills, I inhale a huge breath as my tummy rumbles in anticipation.
    “Oh my god,” I breathe, “that smells soooo good!”  It really does smell heavenly.  Other than stopping over to have dinner at my grandparent’s house, I don’t get home cooked meals very often.
    “Tastes even better,” he says with a grin before carrying two heaping platefuls to the small table in the dining room.
    I literally can’t wait to dig in.  I’m