Page 58 of Dear Roomie
I barely register the servers coming to deliver food and drinks to go along with the performance, too focused on the display in front of me. Six knights battle for glory in a tournament of skill. They start with a series of games that display their physical abilities and precision before moving into a joust, which transitions into one-on-one combat. It’s as if all of my favorite shows have come to life in front of my eyes. I find myself cheering along with the rest of the crowd, even when our knight is defeated by green’s. At least ours wasn’t the one who betrayed the queen.
The show comes to an end, and my cheeks ache from how much I’ve been smiling. James doesn’t rush us out the door, letting me scour the gift shop even though we both know I can’t afford to purchase anything.
She watches me with an expression I can’t quite place, her emerald eyes shining and her lips curving into a smirk as I look at the swords and dragon statues in the glass cases. Her smile grows when I catch her gaze, causing my heart to flip over in my chest. Mine matches, a toothy grin I couldn’t restrain if I wanted to.
Together, we walk back through the desolate mall toward her truck. The sky is dark, the sun having slipped past the horizon while we were inside. James doesn’t turn her music back on as we start the drive back toward Athens, leaving us to sit in a peaceful silence.
I stare out the window, watching the world blur by with a full feeling in my chest. Today was something I never could have hoped for. Through sheer force of will, James managed to make today okay—no, she made today great.
We pass the exit for Athens, and I sit up a little straighter in my seat.
“Where are we going?”
“You didn’t really think that’s all I had planned, did you?” she says with a smirk.
“I don’t need anything else. Today was perfect. I have no idea how you managed to organize that on such short notice.”
“You might not need anything else, but you are going to get it.” The corner of her lip twitches upward, but she doesn’t give me any more details.
With a resigned sigh, I settle back into my seat and pay more attention to where we are going. The truck bounces as we turn down a long gravel road and stop next to a large field. She jumps down from the cab and then roots around in the back seat, looking for something.
“Are you coming?” she asks, grabbing whatever it is she was looking for and taking it to the bed of the truck.
I unbuckle my seat belt and scramble to get out of the cab to follow her. Crisp fall air bites at my nose and cheeks. I definitely didn’t dress to be out in this weather.
She doesn’t look my way as I approach, too busy arranging a pile of blankets into a nest in the bed. She gives a satisfied huff and nestles into the pile, wrapping herself in them to fight the cold. I stand there, frozen and unsure. This feels like a bad idea, like a repetition of past mistakes, only this time, we don’t have the excuse of alcohol to blame. She must feel my hesitation because she sits up with a raised eyebrow and pats the space next to her, inviting me in. I hesitate for another second but climb into the truck and lie down, leaving as much room as possible between the two of us.
“Did you enjoy the show?”
“It was great. How did you know I would like it?”
She lets out a full-bellied laugh, shaking her head as if my question is the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard.
“Morgan, I think one of the first things you ever told me about yourself was how much you love this stuff. Literally every show we watch together has to do with knights and damsels in distress. It’s pretty obvious. This summer, I’ll take you to the Renaissance Festival. You will love it too.”
My stomach gives a small twist at her words; she’s still planning on seeing me this summer. Even after this whole roommate thing ends, she wants me around. The chill of the night vanishes from the warmth that builds in my chest.
“You’re right, that was a dumb question.” I run my hand through my hair as my cheeks warm. “So, what’s the plan now? Where are we?”
“This is Habersham Farms. Grandma Anne is friends with the owner, and he lets me come by whenever I want, as long as I give him a little heads-up. It’s one of the darkest places in the Athens area, and there’s almost no light pollution here. I thought stargazing could be fun, although if you hate it, we can leave.” She bites her lip and looks down at her hand when she finishes rambling.
“This is amazing. Thank you, James, for everything.” I lie back with my arms behind my head and watch the sky. James was right—the stars out here are stunning. I’ve never seen so many dotting the sky.
“Can I ask you a question?” she asks in a small, hesitant voice.
“Sure,” I tell her with a sigh. I have a feeling I know where this is going.
“Why do you hate your birthday?” Her voice is barely above a whisper.
I let the silence hang between us for a moment before answering just as quietly. “Because it’s lonely.”
“Why?” She turns on her side to look at me fully, propping her head up on her arm.
My focus stays locked on the sky. This isn’t going to be an easy conversation, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get through it if I can see my pain reflected in her eyes. I want to tell her, though, and that shocks me. For the first time, I want someone to know everything about me, good and bad, and I want to know the same about her.
“I didn’t always hate my birthday or the holidays,” I start with a heavy sigh. “Growing up, we never had a lot, but my mom and dad always went out of their way to make everything feel magical.
“For birthdays, Mom would always bake us a homemade cake—lemon for me and chocolate for Laura. Dad would leave work early and bring us a boxwrapped in newspaper. We knew what was in the box—it was the same every year—but that didn’t stop the excitement. We always got a new book and either a puzzle or board game, and after dinner, we would open the new game and play together from dinner to bedtime.”
