His clothes aren’t fancy but the way he pulls them off, you’d think they were designer. Maybe they are, how the hell would I know? He’s got on a white tee with an unbuttoned denim shirt over it. His sleeves are pushed up to the elbows, revealing his smooth flawless skin and his fair arm hair.
I try my best to keep my glances on the down-low but I’m curious. I want to study him, see more of him. If only he’d take that damn hat off, then I’d be able to see the whole picture. Glimpse the colour of his eyes, finally see if his hair matches the fair hair from his arms.
I slowly sip the rest of my drink as the group continues to chatter away. I decide that I’ll leave after my drink. I came, I got the information I needed, now all I have to do is think it over. I look around as the noise around us becomes louder, where has the time gone?
I bid my goodbyes, claiming I have an early start in the morning. While Katie’s drastically sad that I’m leaving, I suspect she’s feeling the wonderful effects of her fruity cocktails, everyone else understands. It’s not really lying when I fully expect Gabby to call in the morning, apologize for not being here and then demand my answer about Luke.
The more I sat there with the hot male-mate candidate, the more I couldn’t think straight. Better to leave now than later.
When I arrive home it’s quiet. I flick the lights on and make my way to my bedroom. I spot Whiskey’s furry body in the middle of my bed. Great, even my cat’s not bothered about spending time with me.
The longer I sit alone in the silence the more it cements in my mind just how much I need a roommate. And while I don’t necessarily like Luke, I trust my new friends with their opinions.
4
Hayden
Iraise my fist and rap my knuckles against the apartment door. I hear the locks moving on the other side of the door before it’s swung open.
“Hey.” Tash smiles and suddenly I’m finding myself less apprehensive about this whole arrangement. This hadn’t been anywhere near what I had in mind when I decided I wanted to find a new place to live.
When Gabby suggested it, she made it annoyingly difficult to argue with her. I didn’t have a leg to stand on, the rent is cheap, it’s a nice enough area - close to work. I couldn’t exactly tell Gabby that I didn’t want to move in with Tash because I found her attractive.
To me, living with someone you’re attracted to but not being able to do anything, reeked of bad luck. And blue balls. But if I’d told Gabby that, she’d have been over the moon and start playing matchmaker. But I didn’t need help, if I wanted Tash - or any girl - that badly, I’d find a way to charm them.
“I’m so sorry, come in.” The pixie in front of me pulls the door open wider. I pick up my boxes from where they were resting on the floor and enter the apartment. Tash closes the door with a quizzical look set on her face. “Is that all your stuff?”
“Yeah, I like traveling light.”
“Okaaaaay. I didn’t realize people actually did that but to each their own.” Her reply makes my eyes wander. She leads me through the entryway and into a main living area. I see what she means now. The couch is completely covered with throw blankets and cushions. So much so that I can’t tell what colour the couch actually is. Knick-knacks and photographs line all the surfaces. But instead of feeling cluttered, it’s homely. Comfy.
I peek my head around the corner into the adjoining room. It’s a large kitchen that’s decked out and immaculately clean. I wonder if my new roommate, the five-star chef, cooks at home. I suppose if I spent all day at work cooking, I wouldn’t want to then come home and cook some more. My dreams of restaurant quality food and leftovers die on the spot.
“Oh, I forgot to ask if you were okay with cats. Well, I assume you are otherwise Gabby wouldn’t have made the arrangements.” She moves over to a ginger furball taking up residence on one of the armchairs.
Which is exactly what Gabby did, made arrangements. Yet again, pulling on the strings of all her puppets commanding them to dance. I mentally sigh because it’s a bit late to back out of this whole ordeal now, as I stand in Tash’s living room with my duffle and a handful of boxes in tow.
“I’m a vet. So, to answer your non-existent question, no, I don’t mind cats.” I watch her face carefully as she tries to hide her surprise. Yeah, class clown Luke actually has a proper job. I should be insulted but I get that reaction a lot, more times than I’d care to admit. Tells me a lot about what people see when they look at me.
“Oh wow, that’s handy. Well, this here is Whiskey. I only got her last week, but we’ve become fast friends. Haven’t we girl?” She continues scratching behind the cat’s ears causing Whiskey to purr.
“Girl? And you named her, Whiskey?”
“Yeah. You got a problem with her name?” She jumps up from the floor armed with a raised eyebrow looking ready to go twelve rounds. Wow. She’s a feisty little pixie. I have to admit I didn’t see that one coming. And look at me judging someone on looks alone - just the thing I hate.
“No, ma’am. So, uhh, where’s the bedroom?” I shift the boxes in my arms again, as if just remembering they’re still there.
“Oh crap, sorry! I got distracted. You’ll probably notice that I do that a lot, and no, it’s not an annoying habit. It’s an adorable feature.” She bounces past me and leads the way down the hall. She stops at the door on the left and pushes it open.
“This one’s yours. That window overlooks the west, it has an en-suite attached, and I hope you don’t mind that it’s furnished. I already had most of it, but Gabby left a few bits as well. Whatever you don’t want just let me know and I’ll get rid of it for you. Although...” She inspects my three boxes pointedly, “I’m guessing you’ll want the furniture left where it is if that’s all you’ve got..”
“Yeah, that’s awesome. Gabby had mentioned you had furniture. Is there anything else I should know? Any alarm codes or house rules of sorts?”
“Well, now that you mention it, yes. The alarm code is two-seven-seven-four. But on another note, keep your shit tidy, don’t be keeping me awake all night, don’t be a T.V. hog, no drugs, no wild parties, be nice to Whiskey and never, ever leave my kitchen a mess. Got it?”
“Wow, it’s like living with mom and dad all over again.” I joke.
She ignores me and continues on with her rampant little speech. Is it weird that I’m mildly aroused right now? “The perks of being my roommate; I keep my shit tidy, I’m usually asleep by 10 when I’m not at work. I will only really use the T.V. in the living room for the music channels or for movie marathons. Also, I don’t do drugs, I’m not a partier, I work most nights as a chef. I’ll often experiment cooking new dishes at home before I add them to the menu at work so there is literally always food in the kitchen, which you are free to help yourself to.”
