“The wedding is going to be absolutely perfect, Tar. I can’t wait, and I’m so happy for you,” I tell him, my throat thick with emotion as it hits me that my best friend has found so much happiness. No one deserves it more. He reads my face like a book as he claps down on my shoulder and nods, his eyes shiny.
“Thanks, man. I’m so glad you’ll be a part of it. So what’s going on with you? How’s work?” Shit, I haven’t had a chance to tell him about Tania moving in.
“So, remember Tania from work? I mentioned liking her and asking her out, but she said no because she doesn’t like to date coworkers?”
“Yeah, and you are still mooning over her, of course I remember. What about her?”
“She had a huge issue at her apartment and found herself almost homeless. There wasn’t anyone else who could let her crash, she doesn’t have many people. So, we’re living together temporarily. With her two cats.” His jaw drops comically.
“When the hell did this happen?”
“Last night was her first night, she’s in the guest room you’ve crashed in a couple of times. It all happened quickly.” He nods slowly, like he’s processing and trying to figure out what he wants to say.
“And how are you feeling about all of this? Are things weird because she knows you like her?”
“Surprisingly not weird at all, we had a great time together last night. She loves art like me. Her cats are hilarious. I’m not sure how I feel, it’s a lot. I still like her so much, even more now that I’m getting to know her a little better. To be honest, I’m not sure if she knows I still like her, so maybe it’s a non issue in her mind. She probably thinks I’ve moved on, especially since she said to give her a heads up if I wanted to bring anyone home tonight so she could make herself scarce.” I laugh humorously. “Little does she know. I couldn’t tell her no when she was about to become homeless with nowhere to go, but it’s fucking painful to be around her, Tar. I might be misreading her, but it seems like she’s affected by me too. She just doesn’t want to cross that line from friendly coworkers into more to avoid any mess, and I have to respect it.”
He runs a hand through his hair, and I can see his wheels turning, trying to find a solution where I don’t get brutally hurt.
“At least it’s temporary,” he finally says. “I’m sure she’ll find a place soon, and then you won’t be in pain in yourown apartment. I’m glad it’s not weird and you two had fun last night.” He’s so diplomatic.
“It’s nice to not be alone in the apartment. Her, the cats, just relaxing together over dinner and TV make it feel more like a home than it ever has. Even if she won’t cross the line we can at least be good friends. I’ll get over her at some point, I hope. Seeing you with Lyra has me wanting to find my person,” I tell him quietly. He is the only person I can talk to like this, besides maybe Rosa. I know he understands.
He rubs his chin thoughtfully. “You know, a little over a year ago in this very place, a wise friend told me to just keep showing up for the woman I liked, and to not be a creep about it. That she would come around as she got to know me. So allow me to give that advice back to you. Keep being a good friend to her, let her get to know the real you. Hopefully it’ll make her see that you are absolutely worth taking a risk for.”
“My mom basically said the same thing, before this whole living situation even happened. Tania met her making a delivery, and now my mom is loving the idea of her and me together. I’m almost afraid to tell her she’s now my temporary roommate.” He shakes his head laughing.
“Jesus, she and my mom are relentless with this shit. It’s sweet, though.”
“Their hearts are definitely in the right place,” I agree. Our conversation continues for another hour or so, catching up while we devour some arepas.
We wrap up our night when we both start yawning, since we both have work in the morning. When I get into the apartment, I stop dead in my tracks as I take in the scene. Tania is passed out on the couch, long lashes brushing the tops of her cheeks, her full lips parted, dark hair tumbling like a shiny waterfall over the couch’s arm,her breaths even. My breath is caught in my throat at how gorgeous she is, and she’s somehow here in this apartment with me. The cats are cuddled around her, Bravo reality madness playing on the TV. An empty glass and her open laptop are on the coffee table. Her thin blue shirt has ridden up, showing a sliver of golden skin that makes my heart start to pound. When I go over to gently check on her and have her go to bed, I accidentally bump her laptop awake. The screen lights up to her browser showing apartment listings. It’s the other tab heading next to it that grabs my attention. It says NY Defense Attorneys on it. I’m not going to snoop, but why is she looking up defense attorneys?
I gently touch her shoulder before brushing her hair back from her face. My fingers graze her neck as I do, and that zing from the contact shoots through my entire body. She starts to stir, making a cute little whimper of protest as she shifts on the couch.
“Hey, sleeping beauty, why don’t you head to bed?” Her eyes drift open and then widen when she sees me.
“Hey, how was your night out?” Her voice is low and husky with sleep as she blearily sits up.
“It was great. You need to check out my friend’s bar sometime. The best drinks and arepas. Did you get to relax a little?”
“I mostly tried to apartment hunt and get some research done for someone. While watching wonderfully trash TV, of course.”
“Obviously that’s the only way to apartment hunt and do research,” I tell her with a smile. She smiles back, relief in her eyes that I don’t question her further about what she’s researching and who it’s for. “Any apartments catch your eye?” She blows out a frustrated breath.
“No. Any of the ones that look like they’d be perfecteither don’t allow pets, are way too far away from work, or are out of my budget.”
“You’ll find one. In the meantime you can stay here as long as you need.”Please don’t leave, I think to myself. She nods, looking away a little shyly before turning back to me.
“Thank you,” she says softly. “I’m getting a second wind now. Want to watch a little TV before bed?” My chest swells painfully at knowing that she wants to hang out instead of going to bed.
“I’d love to.” I flop down on the couch with her and we watch more Bravo, laughing our heads off at the antics.
Chapter 7
TANIA
Carlo and I fall into a rhythm over the two weeks I’ve now stayed with him. There has been zero luck finding a new apartment, but I don’t get the sense he is in a hurry for me to leave. Whether I actually want to leave is equally uncertain. I am always up first to get coffee going for us and feed the cats, then shower and everything before he needs the bathroom. Some days we carpool to work, and no one blinks an eye at us arriving together. We take turns picking up groceries and cooking dinner. He makes the most phenomenal Salvadoran food for me, and his mom drops off food as well. She could not possibly be less subtle in her glee that I’m living with her son, and has made it clear she wants to pamper us a little. In her exact words, she wants this roommate situation to be as easy and stress free as possible, so of course she wants to save us from cooking. I’m not as adept as them in the kitchen, but I try to contribute my share with the easier pasta recipes and chicken dishes I’ve learned. There’s only one dish I’ve learned that my grandmother used to make, always tellingme how it was my parents’ favorite. Classic garlic shrimp served with fragrantly spiced rice was what they all made when they wanted to feel a little fancy at home. I decide that tomorrow night I’m going to stop at the store to get the shrimp and a few other things I’ll need to surprise him with a nice dinner.
