Dirty Roomie

by Alycia Taylor

  I was just about to speak when both my phone and Gary’s phone rang at the same time. We both laughed. “I’m just going to step outside,” I said while he reached for his phone and I did the same for mine. I quickly hurried out to the hallway to answer a call from a number I didn’t recognize.

  “Hello, Silas speaking,” I said.

  “Silas!” The voice boomed. “I’m glad I got you. It’s Garren. Garren Knead. I am so sorry about not being here this week—one of those last-minute things—but when I called my secretary, she said that you had called. One of my meetings got canceled this morning, so I figured I’d give you a shout. How are you?”

  “I . . . I’m good,” I stammered. “Uh, thanks for calling me back.” I had no idea what to say. Was he contacting me with good news or bad news?

  “Look, I don’t have much time to talk. But I wanted to talk to you before anyone else did. It’s happened to me before where I’ve taken too long to get back to someone, and another agent snapped them up, and I won’t let that happen with you.”

  “You’re still interested?” I asked. I was not sounding nearly as cool as I would’ve liked, but I couldn’t help myself. Hopefully he was used to dealing with first-timers, and hopefully, they were all bumbling idiots in the beginning.

  “Of course I am. Now, here’s the deal. I want to work with you, and I want to sign you. In fact, I want us to move soon on all of this. I don’t believe in wasting time. I’d like to record an album with you.”

  I held onto the wall for support. I couldn’t believe what he was he telling me. Even though I’d been hoping for this news ever since he’d handed me his card, I’d been too afraid to really admit it. I’d been gearing myself up for failure just in case.

  “An album?” I choked. I took a deep breath. I really needed to pull myself together otherwise he was going to change his mind. “That sounds amazing,” I said.

  “Wonderful! Now, I’m actually not based near you, as you can see from the details on the card, so I’m going to need you to move to us so that we put this album together.”

  “Move?”

  “It doesn’t have to be permanent, but just while we record this album. Don’t worry; I’ll make sure you are all set up. Anyway, I have to go, but I’m going to get my secretary to call you this soon to make arrangements. I’m looking forward to doing business with you, Silas. Can I just ask if we officially have a deal?”

  “Oh, we most definitely have a deal,” I said.

  I walked back into the office feeling dazed. Gary was finished with his phone call and was looking at me strangely. I could only imagine how shocked I looked at that moment.

  “Everything okay?” he asked as I took a seat.

  I nodded. “Uh, yeah. Just . . . well, I just got some news.”

  “I can’t tell from the look on your face if that’s good news or bad news.”

  “It’s good news. It’s just . . . well, I guess I just never thought this day would come. I sang at a pub last Saturday, and there was an agent there.”

  Gary smiled. “Silas Aarons, are you going to tell me that an agent finally snapped you up?”

  I grinned. As the shock began to wear off, I finally allowed myself to feel excited. I nodded enthusiastically.

  “Yeah. That was him now. He wants to sign me. Not just that, but he wants me to move to come and stay near him while I record an album. It’s all happening so fast. Well, I suppose it’s not really fast. I’ve been working on this for years, but I just still can’t believe it’s happening.”

  Gary whistled. “Wow, Silas. I’m so happy for you. So, I take it that’s a no to my offer then?”

  I looked at him apologetically but was pleased to see him laugh.

  “I’m sorry,” I started to say.

  “Sorry? Don’t worry, Silas. You’re great at this, and we love you here, but you’ve always had this dream, and you have to go after it. We can always find someone else. I have a list of guys that want this job. You were great at this, but your heart was never truly in it.”

  I smiled sadly. “That’s true. I always wanted to like it more than I did. And I loved you guys.”

  “Well, I’m sad to hear that you’re going to be leaving, but I want you to know that we will always have a job for you if you need one. I still think you’d make a great project manager, so if things don’t work out or you don’t end up enjoying it, then you must just come straight back to me. Okay?”

  I nodded gratefully at him. Coming back was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was nice of him to ask me anyway. I smiled.

  “Absolutely. Look, I’m happy to still work today. Or until I leave.”

  “I’m sure you’re far too excited to work today. Also, I think you should be celebrating, not working. Go on and talk to the guys, and then head home. You deserve to go and enjoy yourself.”

  “You sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. Now, you won’t forget us when you become famous, will you?”

  I laughed. “I doubt I’ll become famous. But if I do, I’ll write a song about you all.”

  He chuckled. “I like the sound of that. Thanks for everything you’ve done for us, Silas.”

  I walked out the office feeling overwhelmed by everything. My heart was beating fast as I made my way over the guys. I was excited, and grateful for this huge opportunity. But I couldn’t help but feel sad that I was going to have to leave Riley behind for a while. I didn’t want to be without her, but I had to go off to pursue my dream. She’d want me to, anyway. It just wasn’t going to be easy saying goodbye.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Riley

  I was sitting at home and working on one of my drawings. When I’d first started the project, I’d been excited, but lately I wasn’t so sure if it was what I wanted to do. I took a walk to the local bookstore and tried to imagine my name on the spine of the books. It was a good thought, but it didn’t full me with passion like it thought it would. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. Why was I now so confused about what I wanted to do with my life? My illustrations were good, and even though I had never shown anyone my stories, I was confident that they would be liked. But did I really want to hole myself up day in and day out while I produced more and more books for the public? Why did the thought make me feel lonely? I sighed as I looked at my little character. He had changed since my first illustration of him. He now had so much more personality, and so much more detail. I loved that my tattoo served as a constant reminder of a dream I had always had. But something was nagging at me. I just couldn’t figure out what it was. I was so lost in thought that I barely noticed Silas walking into the room. When I did, I looked up at him in surprise.

  “Wait, what time is it?” I asked. “Is the day really over already?” How long had I been sitting there? It had only felt like an hour or two.

  Silas chuckled. “It’s still early. I was told to come home.”

  “Oh really? Don’t tell me they still haven’t figured things out on site? Your boss could’ve told you before you went in, at least.”

  “Oh, no, the project is back on. I . . . I sort of don’t work there anymore.”

  “What? What happened? Did you quit? I know you didn’t get fired. Your boss likes you way too much for that.”

  “We need to talk,” he said and took a seat down at the table. He noticed my drawings and smiled. “Wow, Riley. These are incredible. You’ve done so much! I love them.”

  I sighed. “Thank you. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m just not as excited as I was when I first started them. Anyway, enough about me. What’s going on with you?”

  “Well, Garren called.”

  “Garren?”

  “The agent.”

  Realization dawned on me, and my heart rate began to increase. The look on his face said it all. He had an agent now. I knew it.

  “Oh Silas . . . it’s good news, isn’t it?”

  He grinned. “He wants to sign me. He wants to record an album with me. He cal
led me up this morning when I was in the meeting with my boss. Which is kind of ironic really because my boss had literally just offered me a permanent position within the company.”

  I chuckled. “I take it you didn’t take his offer.”

  “I couldn’t. As much as I like the guy and as much as I actually liked the job, I just couldn’t give up on my dream. I still can’t believe this is happening.”

  “Oh, I knew it would. Didn’t I tell you to stop worrying?”

  He smiled. “You sure did,” he said. I noticed that he kept looking down instead of keeping eye contact with me. I knew that something was going on. He seemed happy but hesitant at the same time.

  “Why do I get the impression that something else is going on?”

  He sighed. “Because there is. So, like I said, he wants to create an album with me. But he wants me to move to an apartment near him to record it.”

  I should’ve known something like this was going to happen. I felt a wave of disappointment and sadness wash over me. I wanted him to tell me that he wasn’t going to go because of me, but at the same time, I knew I couldn’t expect that of him. Even if he did say that to me, I wouldn’t let him stay. This was his dream, and I had to be happy for him. I was happy for him. It was me that I was sad for.

  “Wow. So you’ll be living the big city life. That’s so exciting, Silas. That’s huge news!”

  “I know! It’s massive. I’m excited, obviously, and still extremely shocked. But there is a huge part of me that wishes I didn’t have to go. I love it here.”

  “I love having you here too,” I said honestly. “But this is your dream, Silas. It’s not that far anyway. And plus, it’s not like we won’t stay in contact. I’ll have you know that I happen to be an excellent correspondent.”

  He laughed. “I expect letters daily.”

  “So, looks like I’m going to have to find another housemate,” I said. “Any idea when you’ll be going?”

  He shook his head. “No idea. They’re calling me back soon, and I have a feeling it’s all going to happen quickly, but right now I have no clue. But please don’t rent out my room!”

  “What do you mean? I can’t afford this place on my own,” I said.

  “Yeah, I know, but I will continue paying. I don’t think I’m going to be away too long, Riley. And when I come back I want to come back here.”

  “You do? Won’t you want to stay somewhere else? I mean, you’re going to become a famous artist now.”

  He laughed. “Or I could crash and burn. But let’s say I do become famous; wouldn’t this be the sort of house you’d expect a famous singer to live in?” he said and gestured around the room.

  I chuckled. “Well, it certainly is extravagant.” I looked back at him and smiled. “You really want to come back here?”

  “Are you kidding me? I don’t even want to leave here in the first place. So, I do think we should celebrate though. How about dinner tonight?”

  I sighed. I wanted to go out for dinner with Silas more than anything, even more so since I had limited time with him. But I’d promised Paisley that I would see her and I didn’t want to let her down. I hadn’t spent nearly enough time with her lately.

  “I wish I could, but I’m seeing Paisley.”

  “Tomorrow night?”

  I smiled. “Tomorrow night is perfect. I actually have the weekend off as they’ve asked me to work a few more shifts next week instead. I’m not complaining!”

  “It’s a date then,” he said and grinned at me.

  “You do realize I demand a bottle of champagne when I go on dates, right?” I teased. I felt both happy and sad that we were going out on a date just before he was going to leave. I would have to stop myself from getting too close to him in order to avoid too much sadness when he left, but it wasn’t going to be easy. I probably shouldn’t even go on a date with him, but I knew there was no way I was going to say no.

  “Well, I hope you know that I kiss on first dates,” he teased back.

  “We’re in luck then. Champagne and kisses go a long way,” I said and smiled at him. We locked eyes, and I gulped. Why was this feeling between us so strong? Did he feel it too? I quickly looked back down at my drawings and started babbling about how frustrated I was feeling with my artwork at the moment. I was desperate to change the subject.

  “You’re so good at this though. Are you sure you don’t just have cold feet? Because I am certain that other people are going to love your work as much as I do.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I’m certain. I love it, but I feel like there’s something else I should be doing.”

  “What did you want to do when you were younger?”

  I was surprised when a memory came back to me that I had almost forgotten. “I wanted to help teenagers that had a tough life.”

  “Really? That’s what you wanted to do? That’s an unusual dream for a kid to have.”

  I shrugged. “Yeah. It’s what I wanted to do when I was a teenager, myself. I . . . well, the thing is, I didn’t have the greatest childhood. My parents were never there for me. I didn’t really understand it as a child, but it was very difficult for me as a teenager. That’s not the best time to realize that your parents are not like all the other parents out there. I used to be so jealous of my friends, especially when they complained about their parents. I used to look at them and wonder how they could be so ungrateful. My parents did nothing for me. The only thing they cared about was themselves. They had a lot of problems, and I know they didn’t like having a kid.”

  “Riley, I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “Ah, it’s okay. I mean, I’m an adult now. I’m over it. I guess I always wanted to help teenagers that were going through a hard time. I always wished that I had someone that I could talk to. My friends at school just didn’t understand what I was going through. I tried to tell them, but it was no use. In the end, I just kept it all to myself.”

  “Have you ever thought of incorporating your illustration and your writing toward this?”

  I looked up. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not sure. But maybe starting a school using art and language to help with troubled teens. Obviously, it needs a little more thought than that, but wouldn’t that be such a great way to help people? Some people just need a creative outlet to get them out of their problems. They need a place that they can escape to. A safe place. A fun place. You would be amazing at something like that.”

  And just like that, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I stared at Silas in complete shock as the idea began to formulate in my mind. The more I thought about it, the better the idea became. There was still a lot to consider, but the basic outline was now planned in my mind, and I was surer of it than anything.

  “That’s it,” I said to him. “That’s what I want to do.”

  He grinned. “Really?”

  I nodded. “Really. I can’t believe I have never thought of something like this before. You’re a genius.”

  “Well yes, I am,” he said and chuckled.

  “The only problem is that it’s going to take money to start a school. A lot of money. I don’t have that sort of cash on me.”

  “But it’s a dream to work toward at least. That’s something.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. That’s something. So, this is what it’s like to feel passionate about a career? I like this,” I said and giggled. “Thank you, Silas.”

  I generally didn’t talk about my childhood, and very few people knew about my parents. It wasn’t something I liked to think about, much less talk about, and I didn’t ever want anyone to feel sorry for me. I had raised myself, and because of that, I had always felt like I didn’t need anyone. But speaking to Silas had felt good. I didn’t realize how good it was to open up to someone. I felt a lot closer to him than I did with some people that I had known for years, or even my whole life. I hated the thought of him going, and I knew without a doubt that the house would not be the same without him. I looked at him and smile
d. Despite this, I was happy for him. Nobody deserved a lucky break more than he did.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Silas

  “Hello, Silas speaking,” I said as I answered the phone. I’d battled to fall asleep the night before from all the excitement and had slept in that morning. That was the problem with my battles at night; I always had to make up for it in the morning. I was still half asleep when my phone rang and woke me up. I didn’t even look to see who it was that was calling me. I almost asked them why they were calling so early when I saw that it was already nine-thirty. Although, nine-thirty on a Saturday morning was still relatively early to call someone.

  “Silas, it’s Annie here. Garren’s secretary. He said you would be expecting my call. Sorry about calling you on a weekend. I’ve already been at my desk for two hours, so I didn’t realize how early it was until I looked at the clock.”

  I sat up. I immediately felt completely awake. If I had been hung over, I could imagine her words would’ve caused me to turn sober too. That was how big the shock was to hear who it was. “Hi, Annie, thanks for calling. And it’s not early at all, I’ve been up for ages,” I lied. I wasn’t sure why it even mattered, but I didn’t want her to think that I was lazy. I felt the need to get her to like me.

  “Wonderful. Looks like the two of us will get along great then. Not many early birds around here. They’re all night owls who sleep the morning away. Now, Garren has asked me to make some arrangements with you. You’ll realize soon enough that he’s not one to mess around. When he wants something done, he wants it done immediately. Which, to be fair, is pretty nice in this line of work. If there was ever the right agent to find you, it was him. I’m not just saying that because he’s my boss. He really knows what he is doing. I’m excited to hear your songs, Silas. Garren said some great things about you, and he honestly doesn’t just sign anybody up. He obviously has great faith in you.”

  I liked Annie. She was direct and to the point, with a bubbly personality to match. “I’m excited for you to hear them too. I’m still in shock that all of this is happening.”