Page 21 of Pucking My Grumpy Roommate
Then Kate snorted. Actually snorted. And something about that undignified sound broke the tension entirely.
“Oh my god,” she wheezed between bursts of laughter. “I’ve been sexting my roommate.”
Her laughter was contagious, and despite my usual reserve, I found myself joining her. “Technically, I’m your landlord.”
“Oh, that’s so much better.” She gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. “I propositioned my landlord with detailed descriptions of what I wanted to do with his?—”
“I remember,” I cut her off, my voice rougher than I intended. “Vividly.”
That stopped her laughter abruptly. Her cheeks flushed pink, the color spreading down her neck to disappear beneath the collar of her lab coat.
“This is...” She gestured vaguely between us.
“Unexpected,” I offered.
“I was going to say cosmically improbable to the point of statistical impossibility, but sure, unexpected works too.”
I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. This was the woman I’d been texting—sharp, funny, unfiltered—trapped in the body of my chaotic roommate who had upended my carefully organized life.
“We should probably talk about this,” I said, setting my protein shake down with precision on a coaster.
“Or we could pretend it never happened and I’ll move out immediately and change my name and possibly my profession and maybe my face,” Kate suggested, only half-joking.
“That seems excessive.”
She sighed dramatically. “Maybe. But you have PT, and I have to get to the lab, so let’s just...”
“Talk about it later,” I finished firmly, nodding. “Yeah.”
“Great plan,” Kate agreed quickly, grabbing her bag and heading toward the door. “Pretending everything is normal.”
“Perfectly normal,” he echoed dryly, holding the door open for me.
I gave him a weak thumbs-up. “Have a good PT session.”
“Enjoy the lab.”
Neither of us sounded convincing.
By the time we both got home that evening, the apartment felt charged, every accidental glance adding more tension. Kate moved quietly around the kitchen, restlessly rearranging her notes, clearly avoiding my eyes. Seeing her this uncomfortable tugged at something deep inside my chest.
“Hey,” I said finally, keeping my voice gentle.
She turned, startled, gripping a notebook tighter than necessary. “Yeah?”
“You okay?”
Kate sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly. “I spent the entire day replaying every embarrassing text I sent you. So, not exactly.”
I took a slow step toward her, softening my expression to ease her nerves. “If it helps, I did the same thing. But you don’t need to feel bad about it—we’re equally responsible here.”
Her eyes searched mine, the tension in her posture easing slightly. “Still mortifying.”
“I’m not judging,” I reassured her quietly. “And for what it’s worth, I’m glad it was you.”
Her lips parted in surprise, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. Then she smiled, tentative at first, but quickly growing into something warmer. “Really?”
“Really.” I held her gaze, offering a gentle smile. “Now, can we stop avoiding each other and just talk?”
