Page 5 of Dear Roomie
“This is obviously a mistake. So what’s it going to take to get you out of my apartment?”
For the second time in only a few short minutes, I’m struck by this woman’s audacity. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone with such an unashamed sense of entitlement.
“Our apartment,” I clarify with a clenched jaw. It’s all I can do to keep my tone pleasant.
“No, not ours. Mine,” she says without making the same effort.
“I signed the lease too.”
“I don’t care what the fuck you signed, you aren’t staying here.” She crosses her arms over her chest and stares at me with a look that says she’s serious.
“Where do you expect me to go?” I don’t anticipate an actual answer; I’m hoping she will realize how ridiculous she’s acting.
“I don’t give a fuck where you end up, you just can’t stay here.”
“No, James, I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her. I always try to be a good roommate, but I’m not going to let her steamroll me into sleeping on the streets. “What’s so bad about this, anyway? Sure, it might not be exactly what either one of us expected, but this isn’t really the worst thing in the world.”
“Oh.” She lets out a bitter laugh that sounds far too ugly for someone so beautiful. “I see how it is. You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“What? No, of course no—”
“Don’t even try to deny it,” she interrupts. “I bet you planned this from the beginning in some twisted attempt to force some poor woman to act out your sick fantasies.”
“Jesus Christ, why would you even think that? No, just no.” I run my hand through my hair as I try to figure out how to salvage this situation. “We clearly got off on the wrong foot here. Hi, James. I’m Morgan. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.” I stick out my hand for a handshake, and she eyes it like I offered her a handful of trash.
“Go fuck yourself, Morgan,” she hisses as she storms past me toward her room. “Don’t get too comfortable. My dad will make this right,” she shouts over her shoulder and then slams her bedroom door.
My shoulders slump once she’s gone. I think I would have preferred a couple. There’s nothing I can do about it now, though. I try to shake off the encounter as I resume unloading things. One thing is for sure, though. I won’t have any issues forgetting I ever thought James was attractive. She may look like an angel, but that woman is a devil in disguise, and she’s going to make my year a living hell.
Chapter 4
James
The door slams behind me, and all of the fight leaves my body. The armor of self-righteous indignation crumbles away, letting loose the raw panic that had been locked away underneath.
What the actual fuck did I just do? In what world is provoking a strange man behind closed doors a good idea? I’m lucky Morgan responded the way he did instead of with anger or violence. Things could have gone so much worse, and for what? My own ego?
I’m such a fucking idiot.
My heart grows erratic, and my breath comes in shallow gasps as panic claws its way through me, tearing through my carefully constructed walls with ease.
I stumble toward the bathroom and run through one of my coping strategies.
Ten…
Nine…
Eight…
Seven…
Six…
Five…
Four…
Three…
