“Understood,” I said, nodding.
“Nine months. That’s all. Her new place will be ready by May, and then you will have your space back. Oh, and Callahan, I appreciate this.”
Every muscle in my body felt tight as I stood.
“Of course, Coach.”
I made my way to the door, my mind still racing. I’d just gone to open it when I heard my name, and I turned to look back at coach.
“Just so you know, she isn’t comfortable with this situation either. Make it easy on her, where you can.”
This wasn’t going to be awkward at all, I thought to myself. I left his office, walking through the facility back to the locker room on autopilot. The guys greeted me as I walked in, but I ignored them all, grabbing my towel and heading straight for the shower.
As I stood under the hot water, I remembered that the guest room would need fresh linens and new bedding, and I’d have to make space in the fridge and freezer for her to put her food. Nine months of her living in my space. Nine months of awareness, nine months of pretending this didn’t bother me, and that having Bianca Alan in my house wouldn’t disrupt anything.
I walked into my apartment that evening after dinner with the boys, reaching for the bottle of anti-inflammatories, popping three as I made my way to the freezer where I pulled out my ice pack, shoving it onto my shoulder. I could already feel the tension building in the center of my chest. This was going to be a disaster, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.
Friday
I slidthe key into the lock and opened the door, allowing Bianca to step inside first. My condo was on the twenty-fifth floor, and I’d spent thousands on having it professionally decorated before I’d moved in.
I flipped the light on before turning to grab her bags when I heard her gasp.
“What is it?” I questioned, dropping her bags just inside the door before shutting it and turning the lock.
“It’s dark in here.”
“Uh, it’s nighttime,” I said, mimicking her voice.
“I know that. I mean, it’s just…it’s like living in a cave,” she muttered, looking around with a look of disgust on her face. “Don’t you have windows?”
Of course, it was like a cave at night, which was how I liked it. The blackout curtains that covered the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room had been the perfect addition for watching movies on the large-screen TV. They also blocked out all the lights from the city for the nights I got home late or couldn’t sleep. If I wanted them open to look out over the city, it was at the push of a button; otherwise; I had programmed them to close right at five.
I hung my keys up as she looked around, remembering what the coach had said about making it easy for her.
“It’s like no one lives here. There aren’t any photos, no art, nothing that gives this place any personal style. It looks more like someone is hiding here instead of living here. What was my father thinking?”
“Look, if this place isn’t to your liking, the door is right here,” I said, pounding my fist on the door we’d just come through. “You can leave whenever you’d like, and you can explain to your father why you left. Not going to bother me either way.”
Bianca turned around and glared at me.
“Trust me, this situation isn’t ideal for me either. If I had anywhere else to go, I’d go. But I don’t, so let’s establish some ground rules. I am not here as the coach’s daughter, and I’m not here as your roommate. I am here because I have nowhere else, and the second my condo is ready?—”
“You’ll leave. Great. We finally agree on something, although from the sounds of things, your unit will not be ready for a while, so you best get comfortable and make the best of it.”
The fire, the heat behind her eyes as she stared at me, made the room feel like an inferno. Her eyes were intoxicating as hell, and it stirred something in me I wasn’t sure I wanted to feel.
“I’ll try,” she said, glancing around the dimly lit kitchen.
“The spare room is there, the first door on the right. You can have the main bathroom right across the hall. I’ll use the one off my bedroom. Now, do your best to stay out of my space and I will stay out of yours. We will share the common areas, obviously,” I said, realizing the roughness of my tone as I repeated her father’s rules.
The apartment felt small, the air thicker as we stood there looking at one another.
“Look, I’m exhausted. These first practices do that to me. So, I’m going to bed. The bedding in your room is new and clean. Make yourself at home and keep quiet. We will go over some house rules in the morning, and I will give you directions to the nearest grocery store so you can get your food. In the meantime, if you are hungry, help yourself to something in the fridge, okay? Good night.”
It was the most I could offer right now. I didn’t wait for her to say anything. I left her standing in the kitchen, but I could feel her watching me as I made my way down to my room.
Chapter 5
