Dirty Roomie

by Alycia Taylor

  She giggled. “Just kidding. Okay, I was going to keep this going, but I’m actually just too excited not to tell you. I have three things to tell you.”

  “Three?”

  “The first thing I want to tell you is that I love you.”

  I laughed. “I love you too. But I already knew that. I want more news.”

  “More news than me loving you?”

  “You’re infuriating; you know that?”

  “I know!” she said and laughed. “Okay, well my first big news is that the cowboy movie is having its first screening tonight.”

  “What? Seriously? I had no idea that was happening so soon?” I said. “That’s where we first met! When did they tell you this?”

  “I got the invitation late last night. The screening is tonight—for friends and family and various other media.”

  “Does that mean we’re going?”

  “Yes! Will you come with me?”

  “Of course! Where is it?”

  “In New York!”

  “What? Seriously? And they only told you this last night?”

  “No. They told me like ten days ago. But with everything going on I didn’t even see the email. Also, my agent tried to call me twice, but I never got back to him. I emailed back yesterday to apologize, but they were fine with it. They knew that I’d been going through a rough time. Anyway, they organized our flights for tomorrow.”

  “Blaire, that’s so exciting. Ooh, we’re going to New York!”

  She laughed. “Yeah, and for a couple that hasn’t been going for all that long, we’ve already done a lot together. Wyoming, Seattle, and now New York.”

  “I’ve never been to a movie screening before. So, what’s the third thing? Didn’t you say you had three things to tell me?”

  “There was another email from my agent. He says I must come and see him next week. There’s a new movie that they want me to be in. It’s a big part too. He reckons I’ll be perfect for it.”

  “Blaire, that’s wonderful!” I said.

  I looked at her smiling face and realized that she hadn’t spoken to me about her acting career in a very long time. I hadn’t given it much thought, but I now wondered if the reason she had been so quiet about it was because she felt bad about my own career.

  “Blaire, you mustn’t stop talking to me about your acting,” I said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just because I’m not fighting anymore doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear about your career. I want nothing more than to hear about it.”

  She smiled. “Thanks, Ryan. I guess I did feel bad talking about how good things were going. But I wanted to tell you, anyway. I knew you’d be upset if I didn’t.”

  “You got that right. And don’t feel bad. I want things to go well for you. And, as I said, I’m starting to kind of like the feeling of not fighting. My poor body went through more than most people’s bodies go through their whole life. It’s actually nice not having someone punch me every day.”

  She laughed. “There are better things you can do to your body.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

  “Oh, like this,” she said and took off her panda shirt. She had absolutely nothing on underneath.

  She stood up and took her shorts off and then walked over to me and sat on my lap. She grinned at me.

  “Oh, this is way better than fighting,” I said and leaned in to kiss her.

  We made love in the living room, and then laughed as we couldn’t find our clothes. Blaire’s were lying on the floor near the kitchen table, and mine had somehow managed to fall under the sofa. Afterward, we took a shower and spent a day out in the city together. I was slowly starting to get used to the fact that people took photos of us when we went out. We were both a little bit famous in our own right, and we generally had a few people asking us for autographs or following us. I knew that it was only going to get worse once Blaire’s movie came out, but I didn’t mind. I’d stopped caring so much about what the public thought of me, anyway. And if people were taking photos of me holding hands with Blaire, then I didn’t mind. It was clear that I was in a good place in my life.

  We got home around two in the afternoon and packed for our trip to New York.

  “I cannot believe we are only going for one night,” I said to Blaire. “I feel like a celebrity. Who goes to a city for one night?”

  She laughed. “We do.”

  We arrived in New York City that evening and headed straight to our hotel to get ready. Blaire put on a dark green dress, and wore her hair down and curled at the edges just as she had done when we’d gone out dressed smartly for hot dogs. She looked breathtaking.

  “You look like a movie star,” I said to her.

  “And you look like my leading man,” she said.

  I wasn’t much of a suit wearer, but I was dressed as smartly as I could on such short notice. I had on black jeans, a crisp white shirt, and a black jacket.

  “You know, as much as I like that outfit on you, I also can’t wait to get it off you,” she said and grinned.

  “You shouldn’t say things like that to me. Now I want nothing more than to throw you on the bed. Ooh, maybe keep the shoes on later,” I said and grinned at her.

  She smiled. “I can do that. But first, we have a little movie screening to attend. And, I have a surprise for you.”

  “For me?”

  “Come with me.”

  I followed her downstairs and wondered what on earth she could mean. But when I entered the lobby, I grinned at the people in front of me. Reed was standing there with little Trinity, who was dressed in a dark green dress too.

  “Trinity! This is a surprise. And you look beautiful. How did you know what color to wear?”

  She giggled. “Blaire told me. Daddy took me to get a dress this morning. Are you happy to see us?”

  “I’m so happy to see you!” I said and looked at Blaire. “It’s so nice of you to bring them.”

  “Trinity is my sister; there’s no way I wanted her to miss out on this.”

  “That’s true!” I said.

  “But they’re not the only ones who I invited,” she said, and when I turned around to where she was looking, I saw my father walk in.

  “Pop! Wow, you scrub up well,” I said.

  “Thank you. As do you. Well, your shoes could be better,” he said, and we both laughed.

  “And, that’s not all,” Blaire said to me.

  “What? Who else is here?”

  “I didn’t invite these two personally. But of course Sloan had to be here. She’s the main star.”

  I turned around and grinned at Sloan and Brady. I hadn’t seen either of them since Wyoming.

  “Sloan, it’s so good to see you again,” I said and went forward to kiss her on the cheek. “Hey, Shotgun!” I said to Brady.

  Brady laughed. “Hey, Knuckles. Wow, three brothers in one room together. That’s a first.”

  “You’re looking good, Brady. You look happy.”

  He smiled and looked toward Sloan. “I am happy.”

  “Are you enjoying Wyoming?” I asked Sloan.

  “It’s the best place in the world. It’s going to be so weird to see this movie. I mean, this is where it all began for me.”

  “You still in the acting world?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “That was my biggest role. Leading lady. But that’s where it ends for me. I thought it was what I wanted in life, but it’s not. I want to live on a farm and ride horses all day.”

  I laughed. “Your life is like a movie.”

  “And I see you finally got together with Blaire,” Sloan said. “I remember a time when you wouldn’t admit that you liked her.”

  “Is that so?” Blaire asked, coming forward.

  “Oh yeah,” Sloan said. “And yet, he wanted to know all about you.”

  She laughed. “I didn’t know this.”

  “It’s all lies,” I said. Then I grinned. “Well, do you blame me
?”

  Blaire blushed and quickly changed the subject. Then she looked around the room and smiled. “Okay everyone, how about we all go and watch a movie?”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Blaire

  The screening of the new movie had gone even better than I had expected. I’d been so nervous to share the experience with Ryan and his family, especially since I had no idea how the movie had come out. But I had always thought that the movie was going to be good, and I’d been right. The movie was incredible. Sloan was incredible. As her first leading role, everyone was riveted by her outstanding performance. The whole time I kept wondering how she could stop acting when she had so much talent, and I wondered if the movie was going to make her reconsider her decision. But when I asked her at the end, she told me that she still didn’t want to go back to it. She was happy with Brady on the farm. She had plans to help him with the business and to start giving horseback riding for children. She seemed content.

  It had been so nice to see everyone, and little Trinity had been beside herself with excitement. We’d all gone out for dinner after the screening, and then I’d enjoyed one of the best nights of my life with Ryan in bed. It was a whirlwind experience, and I was looking forward to meeting with my agent the following week. It was time for me to start working again. And after our movie, Whispers in the Wild I knew that I could finally start expecting better roles to come my way.

  I was back home now, sitting at a little café that had just opened up nearby. It was in an open courtyard, and the sun was streaming down onto the table. Summer was starting to leave us, so the sun felt glorious on my back. I ordered a cappuccino and waited for Katie to arrive. I hadn’t seen her in ages, and I couldn’t wait to catch up.

  A woman walked by with her friend, and the two of them stopped to look at me. I quickly looked down at my cappuccino, but when I looked up again, they were still watching me.

  “Uh, hi, I’m so sorry to bother you,” the one girl whispered. “But are you Blaire Kaplan?”

  I smiled. “I am. Nice to meet you.”

  The one girl squealed, and the other girl poked her in the ribs. “Sorry, we’re ridiculous. But we can’t help ourselves. Anyway,” the girl whispered. “I don’t want to make a scene and ruin your day but is there any chance we can get a photo with you? We can just pretend like we’re old friends who haven’t seen each other in a while.”

  I laughed. I wasn’t used to fans being this aware of my privacy, so this was nice. Perhaps it was because they knew what I had recently gone through with another fan. They sat down, and we got the waiter to take a few photos of us.

  “You’re beautiful,” one said.

  “As are you,” I said to them. It wasn’t a lie; they were both gorgeous girls. I was reminded again of how important it was to be true to myself. Being in the public eye meant that people would be watching and imitating me. I was definitely going to order something delicious over lunch.

  “Thank you again. Can I just ask you a question?”

  “Of course.”

  “Are you married to Ryan Maxwell?”

  I laughed. “No. That was all made up. Don’t believe everything you read. They even doctored the photo so that it looked like I was wearing a wedding ring. I tried to get them to release another statement, but they wouldn’t do it. So I’ve just left it. I figured the truth will eventually come out. It always does somehow.”

  “That’s crazy. They made it seem so real. But you are going out with him?”

  I nodded. “I am. I’m a lucky girl.”

  “He’s gorgeous,” the girl said.

  “He certainly is.”

  They walked off giggling, and I noticed that they got a table not too far away from me. At that moment, Katie walked in and chuckled.

  “You’re popular,” she said as she sat down. “I saw them with you and decided to just wait until they were gone.”

  “Oh, they were nice girls,” I said and waved it off. “It’s so good to see you again Katie.”

  “I know! It’s been ages, hasn’t it? Well, at least it feels like it’s been ages. So much has happened since we last saw each other. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t make the screening of the movie. I feel so bad about it, but I had to get this project done by the end of the day. The client was very strict with her deadline. Trust me though: I spent the whole night moaning. Poor Chris got the brunt of it.”

  “Don’t be silly; it was such short notice for everyone. Don’t worry.”

  “Thanks, Blaire. How did it go?”

  I grinned. “It was really cool. The movie is great, and the crowd seemed to love it.”

  “I always knew it would be.”

  “Yeah, and you weren’t wrong. It’s a very emotionally driven movie, and it was nice to see the reactions from everyone. There were quite a few tears in the end, even from some of the guys.”

  “Was Sloan there?”

  “Yep, with Brady. She is looking so good. She seems very relaxed. Remember you used to tell me that she seemed nice but that she was just too high strung for your liking? Well, that part of her has all gone. You’ll probably see her flashed all over the media today.”

  “And she doesn’t want to get back into acting?”

  “Not at all. She’s found her happy place. Brady is a great guy, so I’m not surprised. Then again, he’s a Maxwell. I can’t wait for you to see the movie. It should be out soon.”

  “Do me a favor, watch the movie with me. I didn’t make the screening, but I’d least like to watch it with you for the first time.”

  “That’s a deal!”

  The waitress came around to take our orders, and I quickly scanned the menu while Katie ordered. She’d been to the café the day before with Chris, so she knew what to expect.

  “Uh, I’ll have the bacon and cheese griller with sweet potato fries, thank you,” I said.

  Katie looked at me. “You really have changed, you know that?”

  I laughed. “I went for a run this morning. Life is all about balance.”

  “I completely agree. Speaking of life, how are things going with you and Ryan?”

  “Things are going well. Almost too well. Is this how it was with you and Chris in the beginning? I keep expecting something to go wrong. But he’s just so easy to be with. Nothing seems forced with us.”

  “That’s exactly how it was with myself and Chris. I told you not to worry about it, Blaire. I always knew that you’d find a guy that made you feel the way that Chris makes me feel. It’s a strange feeling, isn’t it? But mostly because it just feels so right. You almost wonder how you could’ve lived without it before.”

  “That’s exactly what it’s like. And I think that because we went through so much together in such a short space of time, we’re now so grateful for a more normal sort of life together. At least, as normal as life can be for us. Plus, he’s pretty delicious to look at, so that helps.”

  She chuckled. “And how is he doing with the whole no fighting thing? Has it been hard on him?”

  “He’s handling it well. I thought he’d battle more, to be honest. I mean, we both knew fighting was his life. But he’s actually enjoying the time off. I think his body is thanking him for the break,” I said as I thought back to how he had been lately. He’d looked more peaceful than ever before, and I could see that he had come to terms with what had happened.

  “I’m glad. I felt so bad for him. Do you think he’ll still be involved in fighting after this? Or do you think he’ll go into something completely different?”

  “We haven’t talked about it much yet. But I personally don’t see him leaving. Nick wants him to stay and train some of the other fighters, and I think that’s what he’ll end up doing. But I guess only time will tell.”

  “So,” Katie asked, “is this it? Is he the one?”

  I grinned. “I honestly could not imagine my life without him. He is most definitely the one.”

  “I’m happy for you, Blaire. He’s a great guy.”

/>   “Does he get the best friend approval?” I asked.

  “Oh yes. He has my approval.”

  “I’m glad. I’m not sure I could be with a guy that you didn’t like. Oh, and I forgot to tell you. I spoke to my agent yesterday. I still need to pay him an actual in-person visit, but we did talk on the phone yesterday, and he has a new role for me.”

  “Oh good. You see? I told you not to worry. I knew the roles would come your way.”

  “And guess what? He wants me to play the lead.”

  “Blaire! That’s incredible. I knew this would happen, though. You always were the most talented person I knew. You were born for this.”

  “Ah, Katie, that’s nice of you. I wasn’t so sure at one stage in my life. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get a lead role. But my agent says the part is mine. And the movie sounds amazing.”

  “And so it begins,” Katie said. “This is the start of your big movie career.”

  “I hope so.”

  The food arrived moments later, and we chuckled at the size of my sandwich.

  “Oh wow, this is way bigger than I thought it was going to be. Also, I think I just saw one of those girls take a photo of me. This is probably going to make the headlines tomorrow. BLAIRE EATS SANDWICH THE SIZE OF HER HEAD.”

  Katie laughed. “You better still make time for your best friend when you’re super famous,” she said.

  I grinned. “Are you kidding me? How could I ever forget you? We’ve been through it all together.”

  “Also, you promised that you’d babysit. I haven’t forgotten that.”

  “Good. I want to. I’m telling you, Katie, I’m good with children.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. So, can I mark you down for about nine months from now?”

  I looked up at her. “What? Are you serious? Are you pregnant?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I am.”

  “And you’re only telling me now? You let me harp on forever about my job and about Ryan while sitting on such big news. How long have you known?”

  “I found out the other day. I’ve been dying to tell you, but I didn’t want to tell you over the phone.”

  “Katie! That’s incredible. I’m so happy for you. You and Chris are going to be the best parents. If there was ever someone that was born to be a mother, it’s you. How’s Chris taking the news?”