“I can’t wait,” I said.
Her eyes were still tracing over my face before dipping down to give my arm and hand the same scrutiny. My nails were bare. If I ever got them painted, the nail polish chipped off within a few hours. I’d learned it was pointless to try and keep pretty colors on my nails.
I knew my nails didn’t look like hers. Hers were exquisitely done. She wore a couple sparkly rings on her fingers, matching bracelets around her wrist.
I tucked my hands away so she couldn’t keep staring at them.
“You are stunning.” She blinked, as if she wasn’t aware of what she’d just said. Retracting her hand, she straightened herself up, tucking some hair behind her ear. “Like, holy shit. Your hair is so sleek and black. And long. You have literal almond eyes. Sorry. I’ll get myself under control. And I’m not coming onto you, but you are really beautiful.” Her eyes grew distant before snapping back into focus. She laughed. “I’m straight. Palma. That’s my name, which I already told you.” A nervous hitch came next from her. “I’m totally messing this all up and you’re probably scared of me. I swear I’m normal. Sane. Well, I don’t know if I’m totally sane. Bad breakup recently. Like three days ago recently. We’d been together all through undergrad and he swore we could do long distance. I stayed, obviously. This is graduate housing. He went back home at the end of the summer to start working for his father’s company. He lasted two days. Can you believe that? Two daysback home before his dick was inside his old high school sweetheart. I want to call her something like Fanny Mae, but the bitch has a cool name. I’m not saying it. She doesn’t deserve that.
“She totally knew about me too. And he’s a piece of shit. I hate them both equally. Well, I hate him more. He didn’t even tell me he’d cheated on me. One of her friends sent me a video of them. Can you believe that? Avideo? And it washer friendwho sent it? Like, was it all a plan to break us up so she could get him back?” She laughed. Harshly. It hitched on a high note. “She’s welcome to him. I’m sure they’ll get married. Have kids. He’ll cheat on her the whole marriage, but she won’t care at first. She’ll be set. My ex comes from serious money, so yeah, she won’t care that he’ll do disgusting things to his mistresses while she gets it missionary or the occasional doggy-style. And oh my god, I have to stop talking.”
I was quiet for a bit, because, yeah. Processing. “What’s his name?”
She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Ugh. That’s the worst part. Brad Grundle,the fifth. It’s the ‘the fifth’ part that I can’t stand. Like they’re royalty or something. Pretentious. We’re all from the same town and we’re in the south, and I don’t know why I told you that either. Look at me. Whew. A bucket of TMI.” Another nervous laugh came from her.
I dipped my head down. “New rule of dating. Only date a guy up to the ‘the thirds.’ Fourths, fifths, and anything beyond is banned.”
Her eyes rounded on me before a laugh ripped from her. As soon as it did, another one followed. Deeper. More authentic. She kept going as tears came to her eyes.
My lip curved up.
“You—” She wiped at her eyes, her shoulders still shaking. “That’s hilarious. Where were you when I started dating Brad?”
If they dated all through college and he’d graduated while she was now in graduate school, I would’ve been a senior in Cincinnati. A flash of blood, sounds of screaming, and the smell of burnt toast and sulfur clogged my nostrils.
I gave her a small smile. “Probably in high school and planning my escape.”
She laughed, relaxing. “That’s right. The email I got about you said you’re still in undergrad? What’s your major?”
“Senior year. Psychology. I decided I wanted a change of scenery for my last year.”
“Psych. Nice. Feel free to analyze me. Maybe you can help me.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ll just analyze myself. From what I hear, the license to analyze doesn’t happen until much later. You know, when we’re full of graduate school debt and need to hear ourselves talk.”
She laughed again. “How’d you swing graduate housing? Do you have early acceptance for a grad program already?”
I didn’t want to answer those types of questions. “Just lucky, I think? I had to leave where I was in the dorm. There was a situation with another girl on my floor. She—I’m sure the school is just scrambling, finding an open slot.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Yeah, but ...” A strand of her hair slid free from where it had been tucked behind her ear. She didn’t notice. “You know, it doesn’t matter. You must’ve won the lottery of housing because this is one of the best to get into. I should know. I’ve been gunning for a place here since Mr. Dollumn brought up being his grad assistant to me. We have the most space, with parking, and we’re on campus. We’re basically rock stars.” She chuckled again. “Or that’s how we’re going to enjoy it until we have to go out into the real world and learn how to survive on crackers and ramen because we’re suddenly poor. But that’s the way of it, right?”
I gave her a weaker smile. “Sounds like. Yeah.”
She gestured behind her. “Well, as you can see, this is my room.” She moved past me, indicating the living room and kitchenette. “We share the house as a whole, so there’s another actual living room and kitchen on the first floor, but we get this cute little sitting area and we’ve got enough space so we don’t have to go downstairs for our first cup of coffee or snacks. Though, roommate request, please don’t watch a movielate at night here. Keep it in your own room or use the first floor living room for that. I’m usually in bed by nine or nine thirty every night and trying to sleep by ten or so. Early morning sessions.”
She moved through the sitting area, opening a door on the other side of the kitchenette, and stepped back. “Here’s your room. You can claim the bathroom out here as your own. I have a little one attached to my room, so I’ll keep to that.” She indicated the door that’d been immediately to my right when I first entered the space.
She went over, opening it to show a tiny bathroom. Averytiny bathroom. “Still. Lap of luxury for us considering where we’re living. Am I right?”
“I think it’s nice.”
She frowned at me before disappearing into her room. A second later, she emerged, sliding on a coat. She zipped it up, pulled her hair out, and flipped her long tresses behind her. “Anyways.” She took two steps and opened a drawer in the kitchenette. A folder was inside. She handed it to me. “That’s all yours. Wi-Fi information. Codes. Your fob. Not sure about a mail key, unless they might’ve just kept your mail where it was? There’s other information in there. We have our own resident adviser. A Pete guy, but I’ve only met him once. I think he’s a PhD student, so good luck getting a hold of him if you ever need him. I added my number, along with the guys’ and our emails. Not sure if you need our socials. If so, we can share that later. I didn’t include Niko since I don’t know it myself.”
She grabbed the coffee mug, pulling some creamer out from a little fridge on the floor, then moved to the closet. Reaching inside, she tugged on one of the backpacks. “Okay. I’m off. I’ll be back this evening. Nine or so. You have my cell if you have questions. Text, please. If you call, I won’t answer. And bye! Welcome to the house.”
She left, and I was alone in my new place.
A queen-sized bed. A desk. A closet with a dresser inside.
