Page 86 of Dear Roomie
“Well, let’s put some applications in now.” She straightens up from her reclined spot on her favorite chair and grabs her laptop. “Do you have access to your resume?”
“No.”
“That’s fine. I can write one for you pretty quickly if you tell me the information. Evelyn, will you help put together a list of potential employers?”
The next two hours pass by in a daze as Chelsea takes charge of my floundering future. Between the three of us, we’re able to put in a couple dozen applications. I know it’s not enough, but it’s a start, and her version of my resume is better than anything I’ve ever put together.
I’m really going to miss them next year; I don’t know how I got so lucky with my friends.
The rain slows to a gentle patter and eventually stops completely as the sunlight dims. The sky remains covered in a blanket of looming gray clouds, threatening to unleash another downpour. Evelyn and I gather our things and move toward the door. With any luck, we’ll make it home before it gets too dark or the sky opens back up.
We only make it a few steps into the hallway before Evelyn stops me by placing her hand on my forearm.
“Jamie,” she says, then sucks her bottom lip between her teeth.
As I turn and face her, she drops her gaze to her feet.
“I-I need to tell you something,” she all but whispers. Her hand falls away from my arm and joins her other to fidget in front of her chest.
“Jesus, you sound like you’re about to tell me you killed someone. Just spit it out, it can’t be that bad.” I laugh off her odd behavior, but it sends a shiver of dread down my spine and into my gut.
She swallows and steels herself to meet my stare. “I kissed Morgan,” she blurts on a single breath before peering at the floor again.
“You did what?” I snap and jerk away from her as if the words were a slap.
Jealousy rears its ugly head, but this time, the beast is bolstered with the fiery breath of my rage. How could she do that when she knows…she…fuck. I never told either of them the extent of my feelings for him. I’ve not been subtle—she wouldn’t be apologizing otherwise—but never once did I say “Hey, guys, I’m in love with Morgan, so back off.” She would never do something like that if she knew it would hurt me. I never had a right to lay claim to him anyway, not when I was still with Tanner. That doesn’t keep her confession from hurting; it does, however, soothe the raging beast enough that I no longer want to claw at her face.
“I’m so sorry, Jamie,” she rambles. “I was a bit tipsy, and you were engaged, and Morgan said anything between the two of you was over because of the whole Tanner thing, so I figured I would shoot my shot. It was beyond awkward. No sparks, nothing…”
“Evelyn—” I try to stop her stream of words, but she keeps going.
“We both agreed it was best if we forgot it ever happened, but I couldn’t keep it from you. Especially not now that you’re single. I’m so sorry, Jamie. I—”
“Evelyn. It’s fine,” I say, and I’m shocked by how much I actually mean those words.
“Really?” She looks up at me with a glassy but hopeful stare.
“Yes. Like you said, I was engaged. Morgan and I weren’t even talking to each other at that point.”
“But—”
“I promise. I’m not mad.”
It’s a lie. I am mad, just not at either of them; all of my anger is directed at myself. I’m the one who screwed everything up and lost Morgan before he was ever mine. If I could go back in time and do things differently, I would have ended things with Tanner at the beach. Dragging things out only hurt everyone more in the end.
“Oh.” Her face pinches for a moment before she shakes it off and gives me a tentative smile. “Good. How are things with Morgan?”
“Complicated,” I sigh. “He said he wants to give me time to heal.”
“What do you want?”
“Him.” I don’t even have to think about it. The only thing I want is his forgiveness and for things to go back to the way they were before. I would take friendship. Anything is better than not having him at all.
“Oh, Jamie. I’m sorry.”
“It will be fine. I’m being patient. I have to have faith that things will come together in the end.”
I’ve repeated those words to myself more times than I can count, but at this point, I’m not sure if they are true. I don’t know what happens when the princess strays from the words written on the page. Her happily ever after was promised with the prince, not the knight, and now that she’s gone rogue, nothing is certain. All I can do is pray that she’s still the hero in this tale because the villain never gets true love in the end.
