Troublesome Roommate

by Chloe Grey

  “Miss Page,” I greeted her. “Please have a seat. Mr. Bond will see you soon.”

  Odd, I thought as I watched her return my smile. She looked familiar, like I had seen her somewhere recently.

  She didn’t sit on one of the couches. Instead, she idled in front of my desk, looking at me and smelling of expensive floral perfume. I awkwardly took my seat.

  “How is he treating you?” she asked me.

  Huh? Had she mistaken me for someone else? It couldn’t be.

  “Who?”

  “Him. Kevin.” She didn’t turn around to gesture at my boss.

  “Kevin? What do you mean?”

  She kept looking at me with those vivid green eyes. “I hope he treats you well. He’s a good guy with a good heart. You seem nice enough.”

  As I stared at her, the buzzer on my desk rang. She noticed it, smiled at me once more then went into his office.

  Kevin got up and met her halfway like he does with every client. But then he leaned forward and kissed her right cheek.

  I shouldn’t care and mind my own business, but my whole body tensed and a gnawing feeling appeared at the pit of my stomach.

  Why should I care? We were nowhere near a relationship. A friendship, though... I would consider him a friend, and I hoped he felt the same.

  Was she a good friend of his? It seemed like it by the way with his hands are on her hips and her hand was on his arm. And I noticed it too when I first saw her. She was very attractive, someone in his league, and they looked around the same age.

  I shouldn’t stare. I shouldn't care. I should get back to work.

  But I kept looking. They sat down and started talking. Kevin was smiling, a real genuine smile, unlike the ones he gave me recently. He leaned back in his chair as he talked to her.

  They talked for an about an hour, which wasn’t the usual time he gave to a client. I stared at them for at least half of the meeting, juggling between doing my work and glancing up at them.

  When they were finished, Kevin escorted her to the door, kissed her on the right cheek one more time, and watched her depart. She gave me a smile as she walked past me. I wanted to hate her, but her smile showed no malice or jealousy, which I was seething in right now.

  My dumb mouth opened before I could stop it.

  “Who was that?”

  Kevin looked at me like I should know this. “A client. Why?”

  “You seem close with her.”

  He furrowed his brow. “She’s a long time client with us.”

  I shrugged as if it was no big deal. “Okay.”

  “Did you see the woman who just left?” I asked Sam as she settled beside me. She had cleared up all her work already. She was a quick and efficient worker, and I strived to be like her.

  “Who?”

  “Miss Page.”

  “Oh, her!” Sam giggled. “Yeah, Emma and her dad have a long term business relationship with us.”

  I was about to ask why she had giggled, but she continued.

  “That lucky b-iatch. She and Mr. H were a couple once.”

  I jerked up on my chair. “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah. I heard they broke up last year, so that’s why I assumed Mr. H is single. Luckily they still seem like good friends, so there’s no unnecessary interference with our business relationship.”

  “Oh,” I said.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Nothing.”

  She gave a smile that told me she knew it wasn't nothing. But she didn’t pursue the subject, which I was thankful for.

  Chapter 19

  “She’s the ex I told you about.”

  I turned my gaze away from the trail of raindrops running down the car window.

  “What?”

  “The woman from my two o’clock.”

  “Oh, okay.” I went back to staring out the window.

  “You can stop being mad now.”

  “What?” I turned to him. “I’m not mad.”

  “You haven’t looked at me since we left the office.”

  “So?”

  “You didn’t thank me when I opened the car door for you.”

  I yawned, hoping he would be fooled. “I’m just tired. Long day at work.”

  He looked at me for a while, which was bad because he should be concentrating on the road. “Are you free tonight?”

  My heart went crazy. I wanted to start working on my novel tonight, but going out with Kevin again made me giddy inside. “Yes, sort of. Why?”

  “Come with me to the mall later. You need some new clothes.”

  I frowned. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing? It’s what I’m supposed to wear.”

  “Audrey, you’ve been recycling your work clothes.”

  Heat started seeping into my cheeks. “You know?”

  “Of course, I know. I live with you. I’ll get you some new clothes.”

  That was a relief, sort of. I despised clothes shopping with a passion because my anxiety goes mad. Choosing clothes that would look nice on me was tough and stressful when everything looked bad on me. I usually bring Zane along to help because he’s the exact opposite of my brain, reassuring me that I looked good in everything, and he also picked the colors when I was indecisive.

  “I will pay you back when I—”

  “Audrey, it’s fine.”

  “Thank you, Kevin. For everything. I don’t deserve your kindness.”

  Or you, I added silently.

  ZANE SANG PRAISES AS I carefully chose my outfit for the night. “You’re going on another date. Finally!”

  “It’s not a date, Zane.” I told him. “Neither was the other night at the board game cafe. He’s just helping me get stuff.”

  “Same thing,” he smiled at me like he was a proud father. “I’m glad you’re going on dates again. I mean it’s no harm, not like you are committing or anything. Have fun with it.”

  I wanted to tell him we’d already been on a real date and fucked afterward, but there were some things you don’t tell your best friends. Well, you do, but when the guy you fucked was your best friend’s ex-best friend and current roommate, it kind of complicated things.

  He eyed me. “Are you sure you’re not going to wear the black dress your mom got you a couple of years ago? I assume he’s taking you out to dinner too. Trust me, if you wore that, he would have a boner throughout the whole date.”

  “No, I’m not wearing that,” I mumbled, putting on a striped black and white T-shirt and jean shorts.

  Zane looked me up and down. “That’s fine too. Casual, but still showing your nicely toned legs and juicy booty.”

  “Creep,” I muttered, and he laughed.

  “I’m heading to Jason’s later, so if I don’t come back tonight, you know what I’m doing.”

  I got my hair ready, tying it into a ponytail. “Okay.”

  “If you do happen to get cock tonight, please...” He trailed off into silence as I looked at him.

  He raised his hands like I was pointing a gun at him. “I’m just saying, cookie. You never know. But if you guys do get, you know, hot and sweaty, do return the favor and give me the juicy details.”

  “In your dreams,” I said, but he was already out the door. I heard him say something to Kevin so he must already be waiting for me. A moment later, the front door closed, leaving just Kevin and me.

  “It’s nothing,” I told my reflection in the tiny mirror. “We’re not going on a date. I’m not leading him on. This time it’s strictly going out as friends. No kissing him after. No nothing.”

  I sighed when I turned to my side and caught sight of my lazy attempt of a ponytail. Undoing my hair and letting it fall down my shoulders, I debated whether to tie my hair into a waterfall braid like I had on the first date.

  Even though it wasn’t a date, I still wanted to look pretty for him. Eventually, I redid my hair into a simple side ponytail, knowing I would regret it later.

  I got ready to walk out of my room when I caught sight of
my opened makeup kit on my desk. Just a little wouldn’t hurt. I applied a bit of eyeliner and lip gloss and checked myself out in the mirror two more times before finally heading out.

  Kevin was leaning on the front door, his phone in one hand, the other buried in his pocket. My date—er, friend—was wearing a denim jacket with his sleeves rolled up, a white T-shirt, and long chino pants. And for the first time since I met him, his hair was down, and I briefly wondered if Zane had been jealous when he saw Kevin’s perfect fringe. My date— I mean friend, goddammit—caught sight of me and dropped his phone in his pocket.

  “Let’s go,” he said, his tone even. He opened the front door and held it for me.

  “Thank you,” I muttered, slipping on my flats and breathing in his intoxicating scent as I walked past him.

  There was no fancy Michelin restaurant this time. We went into a simple Asian place. I ordered some pho noodles when he informed me that it was pretty decent. I eyed the alcohol menu but decided against it, opting for a glass of water instead—at least whenever I was with Kevin.

  Dinner was nice except for the waitress who was openly flirting with Kevin.

  “Here’s your pho,” the waitress said, setting his bowl in front of him. She straightened her back. “Can I get you anything else, sir?”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “Could I get some chopsticks?” I asked her. She must have forgotten to give me chopsticks when she had handed me my dish.

  She looked at me for a second. “Sure.” She turned back to Kevin. “Are you sure you don’t need anything else? How about some drinks? We have Chinese herbal tea that is popular among our patrons.”

  “No, thanks.” Kevin’s gaze was still on me. “I’ll drink my broth.”

  “Okay,” she said, her smiled a little strained. She glared at me for a split second before stalking away to hopefully retrieve my chopsticks.

  I relaxed when Kevin started a conversation, first asking more about me. I told him about my childhood a little although it wasn’t anything interesting at all. I was relieved when the topic shifted to him. He talked about his interests like the huge international football tournament that was ongoing and about pool which he wanted to learn after watching a live pool match. I found myself leaning forward and clinging on to every word he said even though I had negative interest in football or pool.

  “You box?” I asked him, surprised, when he told me he had won his most recent boxing match. I studied his facial features, expecting to find a minor cut hidden somewhere or something, but his skin was flawless as usual.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I started boxing when I was a kid. Nothing serious. Just a few casual matches here and there to wet my toes and keep my cardio up.”

  “That’s pretty cool,” I told him. “If you have a match next time, tell me so I can come and cheer for you.”

  “You would do that?”

  “Of course.”

  I finished my pho and lifted the bowl to my lips, downing the thick and tasty broth.

  “So how about you?” I asked him, setting my empty bowl on the table and grabbing a napkin to wipe my lips. “Do you have any siblings?”

  Kevin was staring at my lips. “I’m an only child.”

  “Sucks, huh? I mean, it would be nice to have a little brother or sister. Someone you can mess with if you’re bored.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah.”

  “You told me your mom is a chef. What about your dad?”

  His jaw clenched. “I don’t have a father,” he said, looking away.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “It’s fine,” he told me. But I knew it wasn’t when he leaned back in his chair and said nothing else.

  I felt really bad so I did what I knew would get people laughing by telling him the story of Zane breaking his arm by tripping over a rubber ducky on the pavement.

  Kevin exhaled through his nose when I was done and the edges of his lips twitched. Soon he was talking again, and I succeeded in loosening him up because our laughter filled the restaurant.

  “LET’S GET YOU A VARIETY of blouses. Both short and long-sleeved. You only have a pink and a black, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Was it that obvious? I had hoped people wouldn’t pay attention to what I was wearing every day. Had Sam noticed? I never saw her wearing the same clothes at work.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t get too much,” I said when I caught a glimpse of the price tag of the bright yellow blouse Kevin had handed me. He grabbed it back. “I don’t need a lot.”

  “Nonsense.” Kevin picked up blouse after blouse and threw them on his shoulder. “Clothing you know you will use are good investments. I think we have enough blouses. Let’s look for some pencil skirts, and then some dresses you can wear.”

  “Shouldn’t I try the blouses on first?”

  “No, you know your size, right?”

  “Yeah, but, I mean, I want to see if they would look good on me or not.”

  He looked at me like I had said something stupid. “These will look good on you, Audrey.”

  The bill came to a staggering nine hundred and thirty-three dollars. Kevin paid using his card and carried the bags for me despite my protests.

  We walked towards the exit.

  “Are you going to call her?” I asked him. He stopped at my question and I almost ran smack into his back.

  “Who? The waitress?”

  “Yeah.”

  The woman had snuck her number on a slip of paper with the bill, and so far, Kevin hadn’t thrown the damned paper away yet, or better yet, burn it. It was still in his right pocket.

  He turned around. “Should I call her?”

  No. Fuck no! I shrugged. “It’s up to you. It’s none of my business, I’m just asking.”

  “No, I’m not interested,” he said, and my shoulders dropped with relief.

  Why do I care so much?

  “How about these?” he said, moving past me and stopping in front of the shoe section. “You could use an extra pair of high heels.”

  “I’m good,” I said way too quickly.

  “You sure? I bet you bought yours at a thrift store. These are much better quality.” He noticed my expression and shrugged. “I’m being straight with you.”

  “No, I don’t want new heels.” I tugged on his wrist. “Come on, let's go.”

  “How about these?” He walked in the opposite direction of the exit and to the perfume section, dragging me along with him because I was still gripping his arm.

  “Kevin, it’s fine. I already have one. I’m wearing it right now!”

  “Yeah, I know, but this will be amazing on you.” He picked up a circular glass bottle. “Chanel Chance Eau Tendre. Fruity, feminine and floral. Perfect for you.” He sprayed the test bottle on his wrist and brought it up to his nose. “It has an underlying jasmine undertone too.”

  He raised his hand to me, and I sniffed. It smelt good... and expensive.

  I eyed the bottle nervously. “How much is it?”

  “It’s fine. I will pay—”

  “Kev, I’m not going to ask you to pay anything else for me. You have done more than enough.”

  He sighed and placed the bottle back. Honestly, I was surprised he gave in so easily; I was prepared for a fight. “It would be super sexy on you, though.”

  “Super sexy?”

  “Yeah. I mean yours is good, but this is on another level.”

  Chance Eau Tendre. I repeated the words in my head so I wouldn’t forget the perfume name. I might come back here and buy it when I get my paycheck.

  “Can I help you?”

  We both turned around to see a saleswoman smiling at us. Well, smiling at Kevin.

  “No, it’s fine,” he told her. “We were just leaving.”

  Her smile stayed in place. “We have a special promotion right now. Thirty percent off selected items and the Chanel you were just holding is included in the discount.” She waved behind her to another row of expensive
looking bottles. “You can test these women’s perfumes. I’m sure you will find a suitable one for your girlfriend.”

  Girlfriend? Why would she assume that? I glanced at Kevin, only to realize I had my arm wrapped around his elbow and we were close together, practically touching. I blushed a deep red and let go of his arm.

  “It’s fine,” Kevin said. “Thank you.”

  He started towards the exit and I followed right behind, wishing we were hand in hand instead.

  Wistful thinking, but even someone like me deserved to dream.

  Chapter 20

  I watched Kevin as he took off his denim jacket.

  “Kev, I don’t know what else to say but thank you.” I clutched the shopping bags against my chest. “But you don’t have to do this anymore. You’ve already given me too much.”

  He walked past me and sat in my spot on the couch. Well, it was probably his spot now because he had sat there way longer than me in the past week.

  “Is Zane home?”

  “I don’t know.” I peeked into our room. No one. I dropped the shopping bags beside my bed.

  “Zane!” I called out, walking back to the living room. No answer.

  “He’s probably with his ex,” I said, shuffling my feet. “You know, I could clean your room for you once or twice a week. I could also wash and fold your clothes. I mean, it’s only fair when you cook for me and do all these things.”

  He chuckled and ruffled his hair up, sweeping his fringe to the side but still looking sexy as hell. “Audrey, you already help me enough. Honestly, I don’t know how I can live without you.” He froze, realizing what he had just said. “I meant at work. You relieve a huge burden off my shoulders.”

  I must have experienced more awkward silences since meeting him than in my entire life.

  “I—” I started, not sure if I should really speak my mind. Fuck it. “I wish we could be, you know, be a thing. I like you, Kevin. But...” I looked at him, desperately trying to tell what he was thinking. He looked back at me, hands in his pocket.