Page 17 of Accidental Roommates

When he’s gone, I get my phone out to call Nikki. I should’ve had Dax do it, but part of me wants to hear her voice. As angry as I am with her, I still miss her and probably will for a few weeks, maybe longer. When you’re with someone for two years, it’s hard to say goodbye, even though you know it’s for the best.

“Hey, it’s me,” I say when she answers.

“Have you finally calmed down so we can talk?”

“What’s there to talk about? You fucked my roommate. End of story.”

“Jace, just because we’re not right for each other doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends. We have those tickets for the concert. We’re still going, right?”

“Uh, no, we’re not going,” I say, thinking she’s crazy for assuming we would. “Actually, you’re not going. I’m still going.”

The concert is in a few weeks. The hottest bands in the area will be taking turns on stage. Tickets were predicted to sell out right away so I waited in line overnight to make sure I got some. Nikki’s been looking forward to the concert for months, but there’s no way I’m giving her a ticket after what she did.

“Jace, that’s not fair. Those are our tickets.”

“They’re my tickets. I’m the one who waited in line all night. And I paid for them.”

“Then let me buy one from you.”

“If you’d waited in line with me I would, but since you refused and went out with your friends instead, forget it.”

“You’re being an ass.”

“Really? Is that what you call a guy who treated you well, bought you whatever you wanted, and was faithful to you the entire time we dated?”

“You’re being an ass about the tickets. You bought them for us which means one of them is mine.”

“That was true when we were a couple, but now we’re not. If you really want a ticket, have Carter get one for you.”

“It’s too late. They’re sold out. Even if I had a ticket, Carter wouldn’t go with me. He doesn’t like concerts. He’ll only go to sporting events.”

“And yet you still chose him over me. Why? Because he’s still on the team and I’m not?”

I shouldn’t be asking her that. It makes me sound desperate. She made her decision and it shouldn’t matter why. It’s not like there’s a chance to save this relationship. It’s over. I just need to accept that and move on.

“Why’d you call me?” she asks, sounding annoyed.

“To ask for my key back. Can you drop it off later?”

“I don’t have your key.”

“Yeah, you do. I gave you a key the day I moved in here.”

“That was over a year ago. I don’t have it anymore.”

“What do you mean you don’t have it? What happened to it?”

“I don’t know. It probably fell out of my purse, or maybe I left it somewhere.”

“You lost my key?” I sigh. “Great, so now some stranger could find it and use it to get into my house.”

“It doesn’t have your address on it. If someone found it they wouldn’t know what it’s for. Besides, I’m pretty sure I accidentally threw it out.”

“You better not be lying to me. If you still have it, I want it back. Can you at least look and see if it’s somewhere in your room?”

“Yeah, I’ll look, but I know it’s not there.”

“Let me know either way. Just text me.”

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