Page 12 of Something Forever

What the hell was that?

First of all, it definitely was my orange juice, so we are going to need to have a conversation about that. Secondly, he is so rude! Why was he being so standoffish? He barely even said a word to me and we’re going to be living together for God knows how long! Well, not for very long, I hope. Third… wow. I mean, wow. What is the guy, a male model? A firefighter? Some kind of walking cologne ad? This is worse than any other scenario — not only do I have some random guy living with me, but now I’m attracted to him.

Flipping off the lights, I drag myself back to my bedroom. The grumpy roommate will have to wait until the morning.

The next day, I wake up with my body sprawled across my bed like a starfish. It’s late in the afternoon, and there is definitely some drool on my pillow. My unemployment has officially reached depressing territory.

Get up and get your life together, woman!

With a sigh, I turn out of the bed and grab my robe, wrapping it around my body and dragging myself to the bathroom. I scrub my face, the cold water jolting me awake, then saunter into the kitchen. The first thing I do is take my orange juice out of the fridge, eyeing the jug like it’s got some bacterial disease. I put it back immediately, opting for coffee instead.

Memories of my late-night encounter with my new roommate flash through my mind, and I’m only alone in the kitchen for a few minutes before the Grump himself comes sauntering into the room. His eyes flicker briefly in my direction as he approaches the coffee machine. He pops in a pod and turns, leaning against the counter, his expression blank. As he reaches his hand to scratch the back of his head, his shirt rides up, revealing those toned muscles and dark lines that I ogled over last night.

My stomach drops at the sight.

“So, what was your problem last night?” I ask, my walls raising.

“My problem?” He raises his eyebrows and turns his back to me, picking up his coffee cup and walking over to the couch.

“You barely said a word to me,” I say with a definite edge to my voice. Much to my own frustration, I follow him, sitting in the chair across from him.

“It was three in the morning,” he grunts and spreads out on the couch, his huge body taking up what feels like half the room. “I was half-asleep.”

I huff out a breath. “Well, nice to meet you. Really, I just need to tell you that I’m sorry for whatever deal Olivia led you to believe there was, but there’s been a mistake. The room is not available.”

“You mean my room?” He narrows his eyes at me.

“It’s not your room,” I retort.

“Well, I’m living in it.”

“For like a day!” I screech, shocking myself by how upset I’m getting. I’m usually much calmer than this. “Look, I don’t even know you. You can’t live here. It’s too weird.”

“Oh, come on, love. You’ll hardly notice I’m here,” he replies, his British accent coming out stronger than I noticed it before, along with the condescension dripping in his words.

“The bottom line is you cannot stay here.”

“Why not?”

“Because! I don’t even know you. I don’t even know your name.”

“My name is Liam. Born outside London, moved to the States to live with my dad when I was in high school, stuck around here to get a couple degrees, then fucked that off. Now I’m a bartender, and I mind my own. There, now you know me.” He pushes off the couch, making a move to leave, but I stand, stopping him.

“That is not good enough. That’s barely anything,” I tell him.

He frowns down at me, his gaze pinning me into place. “That’s more than most people get.”

“Don’t you want to know my name? Know anything about me?” I cock my head to the side, trying to match the intensity of his gaze.

He sighs heavily and rubs his stubble with his hand, a gesture that seems to be common for him, and one that I find myself staring at with way too much interest.

“Alright. What’s your name, then?”

“Whitney.”

He motions for me to keep going, then folds his arms as though growing impatient.

Realizing I don’t know what to say, I let honest words tumble out of me. “I’m not really from anywhere. I grew up on the road with my mom. I just quit my job which is really unlike me because I’m a Virgo which means I rely on structure and organization and lately I feel like a total mess, which is not good because now I have a complete stranger moving into my apartment.”

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