Page 3 of Tapped By My Roommate
The better to impress his hookups.
Restless, I turned on the television and called up my Amazon movie queue. I had about a half dozen Godzilla movies in my library. I picked one at random, an older one with dubbing. These originals were classics in my opinion, but they tended to annoy roommates and girlfriends, so I saved them for while I was alone. I’d seen them so many times I didn’t really need to sit and watch. I let it wash over me while I continued to work on my paper for my animal care class. It was a case study involving an injured animal of my choice. I had to outline a course of action, from approaching and handling the injured animal to treatment options to continuing care.
I’d chosen a bearded dragon—because I loved lizards. And because I knew reptiles better than any other species, though I’d had some experience working with a variety of wildlife at the rescue center. So it seemed fitting to listen to Godzilla in the background while I typed away, creating a plan to treat a bearded dragon in distress.
My mind flitted to my own lizard—a green iguana named Zilla who was still with my ex-girlfriend. Our breakup had been ugly, and I’d needed to leave quickly—without most of my belongings or Zilla.
When I went back, Tess had already changed the locks.
She’d refused to arrange a time for me pick up my things or collect Zilla, despite my attempts over the past three weeks. She knew how to care for Zilla in the short term—but I knew she wasn’t keeping my lizard because she really wanted her. It was all about punishing me.
The night of our breakup, Tess had humiliated me at a party by insulting my interests, my clothes—even my behavior in bed. It’d been too much, even for an easy-going guy like me.
Leaving her had been one of the few times I’d taken a stand.
People pushed me, and most of the time, I bent. I hated conflict. It tied my stomach up in knots, had done so ever since I was a young child watching my parents yell at one another. There wasn’t a week that went by that they didn’t fight bitterly, calling one another names, slamming doors. Yet, they stayed together, feeding on one another’s misery.
It was a miracle that I’d lasted with Tess as long as I had. Six months that reminded me of my parents and everything I didn’t want in a relationship. I was starting to think a relationship might not be in the cards for me, anyway. Not if they were all going to play out like that. Rhett might have the right idea with hookups, but I couldn’t imagine that working for me.
I pushed aside thoughts of Tess, of what I’d left behind, of what I still needed to do. But my mind refused to focus on my paper. It was nearly done, in need of some proofreading before I turned it in, but there was time for that later. I closed my laptop, gaze drifting to the television where Godzilla climbed a skyscraper.
I smiled to myself. This was the best part of the movie, watching lasers shoot out of Godzilla’s eyes, hearing the terrifying monster sounds—utterly ridiculous in this old classic movie. Such terrible effects. So comforting in their familiarity.
I made some popcorn and tried not to think about how lonely it felt to sit in this empty apartment, knowing what Rhett was doing right now. That he was out there, connecting with someone—if only physically. And why not? He was one of those guys: good-looking, physically fit, extroverted. I’d be willing to bet no one ever pushed Rhett around. He wasn’t an asshole, but he was assertive. I’d been to the bar where he worked a time or two, and he was confident, sure of himself in a way I’d never be. I’d watched him flirt with the customers, always knowing what to say to make them smile or laugh—or even reach out to touch him.
Rhett had the kind of charisma I’d never have. He knew how to have fun, knew how to enjoy life. To be so free, to just go out and have sex…it was difficult to imagine what that would be like.
I was too afraid to be like him. Afraid to take life by the horns.
Afraid to face Tess and retrieve my belongings. The rest of my funny T-shirts that she’d hated. My childhood collection of Godzilla figurines, including my original 1954 Godzilla action figure, and my Bakugan transforming figures. My bowties passed on to me by my grandfather when he’d died.
And, most importantly, Zilla.
I wasn’t like Rhett, but that needed to change. Not for the sex Rhett was getting on the regular, or his easy way with people. But so I could face down my ex, ensure Zilla’s safety, and look myself in the mirror again.
2
RHETT
Icounted tips on my end of the bar, pocketing the extra sixty bucks for the night. It was decent for a weeknight—and it was the minimum I needed to make on a regular basis to cover my bills. A couple of business cards were mixed in with the dollars. I appreciated those a whole lot less, but at least one was wrapped in a twenty. I checked the card. Misty Reyes, VP of finance, Hayworth Bank. I remembered her. Dark hair and eyes, looked to be mid-forties but dressed like she was still twenty-one. She spent a lot of the time at the bar, sipping fruity cocktail drinks and flirting with me.
I tossed the biz card in the trash with the other one. I wasn’t here to pick up dates—and even if I were, I was into men. I’d had a girlfriend in high school, and I’d liked her, even had sex with her…but I’d just been doing the easy thing. Once I’d gotten to college and hooked up with a man for the first time, I’d never looked back.
“Will you teach me how to get more tips?” Keri asked.
She was a relatively new hire, and she sounded exhausted. Her tip jar was only a third full, and she’d spent half the night trying to keep up.
I smiled sympathetically. “You’ll get there once you’re going faster. Get their orders right, get them quick, and smile. You’re a woman, so that’ll automatically get you some tips from horny guys.”
She rolled her eyes. “All your tips are from women then?”
“All? No. Most? Yes.” I smirked. “I have perfected the art of the flirty smile.”
“Oh really? Can I see it?”
Keri was leaning forward eagerly, as if I were about to perform a magic trick. I called up my smile—it was as easy as snapping my fingers at this point. Unlike my genuine smile, which showed a lot more teeth and gums, this one was a bit crooked, a sexy little smirk that lifted the right corner of my lips and made my dimple pop. “Enjoy your drink,” I said in a husky voice.
She collapsed into laughter. “Oh man, that’s good. Did you practice that in the mirror?”
