“Fuck no.” Gerard shook his head back and forth. “Luckily he can change all of that with one call to his Dad.”
“That money train is going to run out eventually.” I sighed and cranked up the truck. “He isn’t doing a damn thing to make it any better either.”
“Nope. He was talking about buying his girlfriend a ring the other day…” Gerard’s words trailed off.
“You gotta be shitting me.” My eyes opened wide. “They’ve been together like two months!”
“Yep…” Gerard chuckled under his breath. “I guess it’s true love.”
I remember when I thought I knew what that looked like, so I guess I can’t judge, but fuck—he’s going to regret it.
The next day
I was looking forward to sleeping away as many of the forty-eight hours as possible once I got back to the apartment, especially after such a hard shift with another one in front of me. That wasn’t easy, of course, when my bed was the couch in the middle of the living room. It certainly wasn’t restful when Billy started up with his girlfriend. Somewhere between round two and three, I managed to give Billy my share of the rent and ask him to keep it down. He didn’t, so I popped in some earplugs, covered my head with a quilt, and finally managed to pass out when Gerard went to bed for the night. Gerard woke me up at some point the next morning to tell me that he was heading downtown to run some errands. I didn’t hear any noise from Billy’s room, so I took out the earplugs and dozed off again. I was just about to enter dreamland when a knock at the door pulled me back to the land of the living. I was somewhat surprised when I realized the gorgeous brunette at the door was Billy’s little sister, Rachel.
“You gave the rent to Billy?” Her eyes reflected a hint of panic. “Yesterday?”
“Yeah. Why?” I raised my eyebrows inquisitively. “I’m sure he’s in his room if you want to see him.”
“I—don’t think he is.” She looked down at the floor.
“Hold on.” I left the door open and stomped down the hall towards Billy’s bedroom.
I knocked on Billy’s door several times, but there was no response. I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye and turned my head to see Rachel standing at the end of the hall with a perturbed expression on her face. My gut told me something wasn’t right, even if I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. I grabbed the doorknob and found it unlocked. When I pushed the door open, I was greeted by an empty room, drawers hanging open, and a closet that looked like it had been pillaged. I stepped into the room to investigate, and it didn’t take me long to understand that Billy wasn’t there—based on what I saw, it looked like he left in a hurry with no intention of returning. His furniture was there, but the necessities and the few valuables he had were gone. I walked back into the hallway with a purpose in my step.
“Okay, what the fuck is going on here?” I came to a stop several feet from Rachel. “Where’s your brother?”
“He eloped.” She looked down and exhaled sharply. “He left our Dad a voicemail…”
“Oh fuck.” I shook my head back and forth. “That—fucking prick.”
“You really gave him the rent money yesterday?” She lifted her head slowly, and I saw the look of panic return.
“Yeah, and I’m guessing you’re asking because he didn’t give it to the landlord.” My jaw tightened involuntarily.
“No.” Her eyes closed, and she grimaced.
Okay, I shouldn’t take my anger out on her. She obviously didn’t know he was going to skip town with our rent money.
“I can’t believe Billy eloped…” I walked into the living room and quickly cleared my stuff off the couch.
“You’re not the only one.” She sighed as she sat down.
I was angry, but I was also slightly distracted by the beautiful brunette in front of me once the initial shock wore off. The years had turned Billy’s little sister into a gorgeous young woman. I remembered her as a bashful teenager that blushed every time she tried to talk to me. Billy used to joke that she had a crush on me. She might not have had the curves to capture my attention back then, but that was no longer the case. Even in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, they were mesmerizing. Her soft, pouty lips looked so enticing that it was hard not to think about kissing them—and imagining them being spread for something else. It had been a long time since those kinds of dirty thoughts went through my head within minutes of meeting someone—although Rachel wasn’t a total stranger. She was, however—Billy’s sister—and he was one of my best friends, even if I didn't feel like he deserved that title at the moment.
“Okay, so Billy eloped and stole our rent money.” I exhaled sharply. “Fuck!”
“I came to talk to the landlord about getting him out of his lease, but I didn’t know he had roommates.” She shook her head back and forth. “That makes it a lot more complicated.”
“I’d prefer not to be homeless.” I chuckled under my breath. “I’m sure Gerard feels the same way.”
“Gerard? He lives here too?” It looked like the color drained from her face the instant she heard his name—and more of that color vanished when she repeated it.
“Yeah, he’s been here longer than I have. You must not talk to your brother much.” I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“No, I usually only see him when he stops by to ask our Dad for money.” She exhaled sharply. “Okay, so maybe this isn’t the worst thing in the world. If you two can cover the rent this month, that’ll give you some time to find a new place…”
And put a hole in my bank account—especially if we have to cover Billy’s part of the utilities as well.
“I gotta talk to Gerard.” I leaned forward and put my head in my hands. “Fuck—this sucks.”
“I’m sorry…” She sighed. “Billy has never been very responsible—I think someone’s at the door.”
“That’s gotta be Gerard.” I looked towards the door as it opened. “Assuming that Billy didn’t change his mind.”
“Right.” Her lip trembled slightly. “Gerard…”
I get the feeling there’s something between them that I don’t know about.
3
Rachel
Shocked didn’t even come close to describing what I felt when I realized I was about to come face-to-face with Gerard again. I definitely wasn’t prepared for that. Prepared or not, it didn’t seem like I had a choice, because I was stuck between him and the door that was opening. The door slammed, and he walked towards the living room. My whole body tensed up. I didn’t know how he would react—what he would say. I didn’t know if he would be as shocked to see me as I was to see him. Liam was my first high school crush, but Gerard was more than a crush—he was the guy who took my virginity—the only guy I had ever been with. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years, but those memories came flooding back the instant I heard his name. We weren’t in love—not exactly—but he meant something to me once. One night of passion that I would never forget—and then my phone was silent. He never called me again. I got over it, or so I thought until I heard his name on Liam’s lips.
“Gerard. Come in here, man. We need to talk.” Liam motioned with his hand.
“What’s up man—oh!” Gerard’s eyes got wide as soon as he saw me. “Rachel!?”
“Hey…” I forced out a greeting but immediately looked away when his eyes focused on me.
My stomach twisted into a knot, and I was glad that Liam did most of the talking once Gerard sat down. I would have just stumbled over my words and struggled to make eye contact. Gerard was pissed when he heard what Billy did, and like Liam, he had to go check Billy’s room to make sure that he wasn’t just hiding in there with his girlfriend. Gerard had given his share of the rent money to Billy as well, so it appeared that my brother had stolen from both of them when he skipped town. I started to understand why it was such a rash decision—and why he was so eager to stay in Las Vegas after he eloped. My brother had money in his pocket, and it was apparently enough to throw away his friendship with Liam
and Gerard. If their current attitude was any indication, they weren’t going to be very forgiving if he ever came back. I couldn’t blame them. I had been over my brother’s shit for years, but he had never resulted in outright thievery—not that I was aware of at least.
“Well, fuck.” Gerard stood up and walked to the kitchen. “I’m getting a beer. Anyone else want one?”
“We may not have a fridge tomorrow, so we might as well drink all we have.” Liam exhaled sharply. “You want one, Rachel?”
“Um, I probably shouldn’t…” I started to decline, but Gerard walked back in with three bottles and put one down in front of me.
I guess I’m having a beer—before noon. At least I don’t have to work today.
“I should have known something was up.” Gerard twisted the top off his beer and took a sip. “Billy never has his share of the rent money on time, and the money usually just sits on the table for days after we give it to him.”
And here I am having a normal conversation with Gerard like he’s an old friend, despite having a knot in my stomach that doesn’t want to come untied.
“That’s true.” Liam nodded. “I didn’t even think about that. I was half-asleep.”
I’ve got to regain my focus—I came here to collect rent money. I can’t let the fact that my former crush and the guy who took my virginity are the ones I need to get it from.
“I know this is a crappy situation, but I talked to the landlord.” I took a sip of my beer and put it down. “If you can come up with the money, he’s not going to throw you out. That will buy you another month at least.”
The faster we reach a resolution, the faster I can leave—then I never have to see either of them again.
“He’s gotta give us notice anyway.” Gerard shrugged. “It’s not our name on the fucking lease.”
“It’s not Billy’s name either.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “My dad signed for the lease.”
He better not be suggesting what I think he’s suggesting. My brother made this mess, but my Dad doesn’t deserve to get screwed because of it.
“He should know better,” Gerard grunted and took a sip of his beer. “I should have known better, too. Fucking Billy, I swear to god. I would have never moved in with him if I knew he was going to pull this shit.”
“Can’t deny that this is a nice place, even if I’m sleeping on the couch.” Liam sighed. “It’s too nice for the two of us to afford without a roommate.”
“Yeah.” Gerard nodded. “I tried splitting the rent with Billy for a couple of months, but if Liam hadn’t moved in, I would have been looking for something a hell of a lot cheaper.”
“Some cheaper places won’t kill our bank account to rent.” Liam sighed again. “I’d rather just do that than pay half the rent and utilities to stay here another month.”
Okay, this is falling apart fast.
“Maybe you can find another roommate.” I blurted the words out before I really thought about them. “Just for a month?”
“Well, the rent is due tomorrow.” Gerard raised an eyebrow. “That’s short notice, plus we already paid this month’s rent—not that it got where it was supposed to go, but we still paid it.”
“Honestly, I’m going to be in a bind if I have to shell out another stack of cash.” Liam shook his head back and forth.
“What if I move in? I could pay a little extra to cover some of what Billy stole, and then you’ll have another month to figure things out.” Those words came out before I really thought about them as well.
That’s a terrible solution. Why did I even suggest it? I’m living with my Dad for free until I graduate from college…
“Interesting.” A slight grin formed on Gerard’s lips. “We do have a spare room…”
“Yeah.” Liam sipped his beer, and I saw a hint of a grin forming on the edge of his lips as well. “Your Dad’s name is on the lease.”
“It is…” I grabbed my beer and took a quick sip.
“Okay, I’d be willing to give it another month if you want to move in.” Gerard nodded. “We could catch up—it’s been a while since we’ve talked.”
We didn’t do very much talking the last time I saw you.
“It’ll be a stretch but fuck it.” Liam shrugged. “We can take some time to find the right spot and not worry that we’ll come home to find our shit on the curb after work one day.”
I finished my beer and left, already regretting my suggestion, but I couldn’t really take it back once I put it on the table. I might not have been in love with Gerard, but it still hurt when I realized that he wasn’t planning to call me again. It made me put my guard up around other guys and question their motives even when their words sounded genuine. I had never really associated my hesitation with Gerard; I just called it being responsible. After seeing him again and letting those memories surface, it was clear that he was the one who caused me to retreat into my shell.
Maybe there was a part of me that needed closure, or perhaps I was just trying to help my Dad without ruining his vacation. I did feel some degree of responsibility for what Billy had done. He was still family, even if he was an asshole, and someone was going to clean up his mess. I stopped by to talk with the landlord on the way out of the building, and he said he was fine with the arrangement if I was living there since it was my Dad’s name on the lease. I could tell by the way he reacted that he really just wanted to get paid—whether it was for one month or all six.
Hopefully, it’ll just be a temporary thing. I move in, get them through this month, and then they can find another roommate before the rent is due again. That would fix everything.
Later that day
“Hey, Dad.” I picked up my cell phone when it started to buzz, and I saw my father’s face pop up on the screen. “How was your flight?”
“It was good—no issues at all.” I could hear the tension in his voice, and I already knew he was more concerned about the issue with Billy’s apartment than checking in with me. “Did you talk to Billy’s landlord?”
“Yeah, I took care of it.” I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.
“Really? You were able to get him to cancel the lease?” The tension in his voice turned to surprise. “That’s awesome!”
“Well…” I exhaled sharply. “Not exactly.”
“Uh oh. Is everything okay?” The tense tone returned immediately.
“If the landlord cancels the lease, the last six months will be due immediately. That’s a lot of money…” My voice trailed off.
“I was afraid of that. Okay, I’ll figure something out. Let me get to my hotel, and I’ll see if I can wire you some money.” He grunted, and I heard his footsteps as he started walking.
“It’s handled. You don’t have to send me any money. Did you know that Billy’s old high school friends, Liam and Gerard were living with him?” I was basically stalling because I didn’t want to tell my father how I had handled the problem.
“No, I didn’t realize he had roommates. I guess that explains why he’s only a little short each month.” Dad grunted into the phone again.
“Yeah.” I sighed. “If the lease gets canceled, they’re going to have to find somewhere else to live—pretty quickly considering that the rent is due tomorrow.”
And the fact Billy stole their rent money, but that’s not something I want to burden my father with right now.
“They shouldn’t get screwed over because of him.” My father sounded like he was contemplating something, and his words got a little slower.
“No…” I tensed up as I prepared to tell him how I had solved the problem. “That’s why I’m going to move in with them—just for a month.”
“What!?” His tone shifted to confusion. “No, that’s crazy. I’ll pay to cancel the lease. You don’t have to do that.”
“Dad, that’s a lot of money. If I pay Billy’s share this month, they should be able to find another roommate before the rent is due again.” I paused, waiting for him to flip out.
That would be easier, but—I’m paying a little more than Billy’s share since he ran off with their money, and I’d rather not have to get into that right now.
“Nah, let me handle this one. You do enough for me as it is. I have to find my own place one day…” That was the truth at least, even if it was a little earlier than I planned.
“I don’t know.” There was a slight grumble in his voice. “I’m not sure I like the idea of you living with two guys, even if they are your brother’s friends.”
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” I shook my head back and forth.
“Okay, I trust you…” His words trailed off.
“Yep, so trust me to handle this, and you enjoy your vacation.” I tried to put a little cheer in my voice.
“I’ll try. I love you, Rachel.” He exhaled sharply.
“Love you too, Dad. Go have fun!” I chuckled under my breath.
While I do the exact opposite… Damn it, why couldn’t it have been anyone other than Gerard?
4
Gerard
Gerard
“So, are you going to tell me what that’s about?” Liam looked over at me once Rachel left.
“What do you mean?” I walked in with another round of beers and handed him one.
“You and Rachel.” He motioned towards the spot she was sitting. “She looked like she had seen a ghost when you walked in—your reaction was similar.”
“Oh.” I nodded and sighed. “I guess you could say we have a history.”
“Seriously?” Liam’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You—banged Billy’s little sister?”
“Well, I’m sure you noticed that she’s not exactly the girl we used to see every time we went over to his house in high school.” I shrugged and sipped my beer. “It was a couple of years ago anyway. I doubt it meant anything to her.”
Blaze & Bind: A MFM Firefighter Romance (Surrender to Them Book 10) Page 2