If all roommates are like Lucy, I don’t know why people live alone.
ELEVEN
Lucy
I lift the lid on the washer to switch my clothes to the dryer. There’s a man’s sock sitting on top. A dirty man-sock. Like maybe Miles opened the washer and tossed it in, not realizing it already had clothes in it.
Gross. Who tosses a single sock in the wash? Did the other one run away?
I close the lid and turn on the wash again.
I open the dryer and see that Miles still has his clothes in there, so I grab a laundry basket and toss them all in. I take the basket and set it on the couch. It feels too weird to go set it in his room, like I’d be entering a sacred space.
I pick up the TV remote and flip through Miles’s streaming services and find the show I’ve been wanting to start. I get it set up, then head to the kitchen to pop some popcorn from my stash. I’m assuming Miles is gone because I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning and his laundry was still in the dryer. Usually, he’s pretty good about being on top of it. He must be out testing camping gear.
With a grunt, I struggle with the popcorn package, trying to rip open the plastic. I didn’t know that stores had to theft-proof their popcorn.
Finally, I rip it open and toss it in the microwave, punching the popcorn button. I stand next to the microwave to babysit the bag while it pops—the automatic button always burns the popcorn if I let it go all the way to the end.
I pull out my phone and text my friend Krystal. She’s been a saint, taking care of Alexander for me. She lives in the country and has all sorts of animals running around her twenty acres. She didn’t even blink when I asked if Alexander could stay with her until I figured something out. But I really, really need to find out where I can keep him here. I would talk to Miles…but I also keep hoping I’ll miraculously have a windfall and I’ll be able to get my own place, where I can make a home for my dog and me.
Alexander is the best boy there ever was…but he’s not exactly inconspicuous. And most people don’t want a giant dog ruining their backyard.
Maybe I should get a weekend job. It’s not like I have a roaring social life anyway. The more I work, the faster I can afford a place, especially with the low rent Miles is charging me.
Krystal texts back a picture of Alexander lying on the rug by her fireplace, and it makes me smile. So cute. He’s a precious little thing, and I miss him.
“Wow, that smells good!”
Miles’s voice makes me jump, and I bang my elbow against the counter and yelp.
I turn around to look at him with wide eyes. He’s standing in the entryway with his keys in his hand as he slips his shoes off.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“That’s okay. I like to have a little heart attack in the evening. Really livens things up!” I say over the popping popcorn.
Miles grins and hangs up his keys. “Next time, I’ll honk the horn when I pull into the garage.”
I shake my head, smiling as I pull open the microwave before it’s even beeping. It smells delicious.
“What?! I didn’t know the next season was even out yet!” Miles exclaims as he points at the TV, where I haveLove & Liescued up.
“It’s the season finale!”
“Wait for me!”
He disappears down the hall, and I pull out a bowl from beneath the counter. My heart speeds up to an uncomfortable rate, where it feels like it’s pounding in my throat. Maybe his scaring me really did something. Or maybe I’m slightly excited about doing something like watching a show together. Gosh dang it, I think I’m lonely, which is absolutely appalling. I really do need to get my dog here. I won’t be so desperate for someone to want to spend time with me.
But the thing is, I never lack for people who want to hang out with me—I just have a hard time finding peopleIenjoy spending time with.
Luckily, Miles is turning out to be one of them.
I grab a can of Mountain Dew from my shelf in the fridge and sit down on the couch.
Miles hurries into the living room and plops down on the opposite end from me.
He freezes when he sees the basket of laundry on the couch. “Is that mine?”
