Page 68 of Roommating

His deadpan delivery and straight face betray nothing, but I see right through it and nearly collapse to the ground with gratitude. As hopeful as I am for Marcia to find her third-act person, this has nothing to do with her date. It’s because over the last six days, Adam and I have had no opportunities to be alone together and finish what we started in the elevator. In the meantime, I’ve suffered through his relentless teasing, like purposely brushing his arm against mine every time he walks past me. And drawing attention to his mouth by biting or licking his lips whenever I happen to look his way. Not to mention waiting until the last second to put his shirt on before work. He knows how badly I want it—wanthim—and is having way too much fun torturing me.

Pretending that I’m not about to explode with need, I ask him where she’s going on her date.

“The lobby bar at the W,” Marcia says, stepping from her bedroom into the living room.

My eyes nearly pop out of my head at the sight of my seventy-two-year-oldroommate wearing a sexy black V-neck wrap dress and suede boots that come three-quarters to her knees. She’s fully made up and her hair is freshly blown out. “Wow… you look… wow. Your dress! And your hair looksamazing!”

Her cheeks turn pink. “Thank you. I had a blowout at Drybar earlier.” She fluffs her hair.

I manage to temporarily shelve my anticipation over having sex with Adam. “Tell us about your date!”

“Her name is Sharon, but actually, I need to talk to you both about something else first.” Her face clouds over.

Worry swirls in my gut. “Is everything okay?” Did she have another health scare? I glance at Adam. Did she somehow find out we had sex? I swallow hard.

“Nothing to panic over, I promise.” She gestures for us to follow her into the kitchen.

I pour myself a glass of water. “Anyone need anything? Cheetos, Adam?”

He scoffs. “Why do you assume I want Cheetos, Sabrina? Maybe I’m in the mood for something else, like pretzels or carrot sticks.”

“Would you like pretzels or carrot sticks?” I ask in my most patient voice, like I’m speaking to a child.

“Nah. Cheetos are good.”

I mumble, “Surprise, surprise,” before grabbing the bag from the pantry and joining them at the table.

When we’re all settled, Marcia says, “First off, I want to thank you both for listening when I asked you not to treat me like a sick old lady. I have an active life and intend to keep it that way for a long time.” She takes a breath and raises and lowers her shoulders as if bracing for her next words.

My heart races.

“That said, I’m not a young woman anymore, and I can’t pretend otherwise,” she says, glancing between us.

Adam crosses his arms. “What’s this about, Grams?”

Marcia clasps her hands together. “I had a follow-up with my doctor today. We talked about my incident and how to avoid another one. She prescribed new blood pressure medication to hopefully curb some of the side effects I’ve experienced in the past, like swelling of my feet and dizziness upon standing.”

“That’s good,” I say, hoping to ease the tension in the air.

She nods. “Unfortunately, my sugar levels are also a bit high. Not diabetes level but high enough to warrant monitoring. She asked if I’ve been under any extra stress lately and I said not that I know of. But when I mentioned living with two young people, she… well, she wasn’t thrilled.”

I frown. “Why?”

She lets out a deep exhale. “She thinks sharing a small apartment with two roommates a third my age might be a bit too much.”

Adam and I exchange wide-eyed glances.

“I argued having Sabrina around to help with some of the housework, shopping, and pet care this past year has actually made my life easier.”

My cheeks lift as her words warm me up like a mug of hot chocolate on a winter day. “I’m glad you feel that way.”

The sound of paper crackling steals my attention and I turn to see Adam opening and closing his grip on the Cheetos bag while his focus remains on his grandmother.

She continues. “I do. But withbothof you here…” Her face contorts as if the words are causing her pain. “It’s been… well… crowded and a bit intense. Lots of activity in such a small space.” She licks her lips and blurts, “You know, I hate to say it out loud, but I might be tooold for this living arrangement. The late-night comings and goings. The TV on late at night. Which brings me to the reason for this talk.” She turns to Adam. “I love having you here. Bonding with you after all these years… over music and politics and everything else… means the world to me and I want it to continue for years to come. But this was supposed to be a temporary living situation while you considered your next steps. Have you considered your next steps?”

Adam drops the Cheetos bag on the table. “Not really, but if the doctor says having two roommates is too much, one of us needs to go.” He leans over and kisses Marcia’s cheek before rising from the table. “We’ll figure something out. Don’t worry.”

She frowns up at him. “I would never leave you without a place to stay so there’s no imminent rush, but maybe it’s time to give it some thought.”

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