Page 4 of A Roommate for Christmas
The girls were sprawled out on their couch in their pajamas with three rolls of sushi and a carton of edamame on the coffee table in front of them.The Pilates class had kicked them in the butt and they weren’t planning on moving the rest of the night.
“For a woman madly in love, you sure are a cynic when it comes to dating shows.”Paige laughed.
“I mean, it’sbecauseof Linus I’m so judgmental!”Nadia said.“All these men just seem so childish and immature.Except Nate.Nate passes the test.”
“Well, I’m sure Nate would be thrilled to know he made your cut.Do you think if you and Linus did this you would have picked each other?”Paige asked.
The premise of the show had always fascinated her.Singles meeting and getting to know each other behind a wall was certainly an interesting way to fall in love.But Paige wasn’t sure she bought into love without physical attraction.
“Erm, I want to say yes, but as you remember it was my extreme beauty that made Linus come over and talk to us at the bar that night,” Nadia said as she batted her eyelashes at Paige.
Paige had only a vague recollection of that evening, thanks to an extremely boozy Long Island Iced Tea.She and Nadia had been in Chicago for a year and a half and took advantage of the bars and clubs on most weekends.They were twenty-three, single, and not looking for anything serious.But everything changed that night.
The girls were standing at the far end of the bar, giggling as they brought up memories from their college escapades.Nadia had noticed the group of guys across the bar looking in their direction, pointing out the one with the glasses in the button-down.
To be fair, they were both looking pretty hot that night.Paige had gone for black jeans and a black leather jacket, which made her dirty blonde hair seem a bit more blonde than it really was.Meanwhile, Nadia had chosen a black miniskirt with a tight bodysuit—a look that accentuated her bigger-than-average boobs.
She had just gotten her jet-black hair cut into an above-the-shoulder bob and was wearing red lipstick.There was no way men weren’t going to stare at her.
Sure enough, after twenty minutes of stolen glances, the cutie in the glasses found the nerve to walk up to her and ask her for her number.He had no weird pickup lines or gimmicks, just an old-school and arguably romantic approach.
And that is how Nadia met Linus Eriksson, her boyfriend of six years now, and honestly one of the best guys Paige could have chosen to date her lifelong best friend.
“Hey, Paige, speaking of Linus, I actually want to talk to you about something,” Nadia said, lowering the volume on the TV.Her expression screamed,I-hate-that-I’m-about-to-say-this.
“Linus asked me to move in with him while we were on our trip last week.He’s dropping major hints at a proposal over the holidays, and he really wants us to start building more of a life together,” Nadia said, then exhaled loudly as if she’d been holding her breath.
Paige had known this conversation was imminent, but it didn’t make it any easier to finally face the reality of their changing circumstances.
Nadia had been her roommate since freshman year of college.And since Paige was an only child, Nadia had become like a sister to her.Living with Nadia was comfortable and fun.She felt like home.And in this last year of heartbreak, having Nadia had been her saving grace.
Paige didn’t quite know what to feel in this moment.There were so many mixed emotions.She was sad for herself because she would be losing the privilege of having her best friend living just down the hall.But she was genuinely happy for Nadia.Nadia loved Linus, and Linus loved her.They were so happy together, and after dating for six years, it didn’t come as a shock to Paige that they were ready to take this next step in their relationship.She knew it was finally time for the sun to set on her and Nadia’s roommate era.
And besides, Linus only lived a twenty-minute walk from her condo, so the move would hardly be taking Nadia away from her.
“Nads, I’m so, so happy for you!Truly.”Paige wrapped her in a big hug.“When are you planning on moving out?”
Personal feelings aside, Paige did have a sinking feeling in her stomach.Nadia moving out meant she would lose her monthly rental payment, even if it wasn’t all that much compared to other apartments in the area.
Paige started doing the mental math and figured that while she’d take a slight hit by covering the full mortgage payment, she should still have enough tucked away from last year’s bonus and the upcoming holiday bonus to make ends meet and stay on course for quitting her job in January.
“Well, I know I already paid rent for November, but, uh, Linus wants me to move in this weekend.”
“This weekend?!”Paige almost dropped the piece of sushi between her chopsticks.“So tonight is really the end of an era.”
“I know, I’m sorry it’s so quick, and please don’t even think about sending back my November rent.Consider it my parting gift,” Nadia said as she pulled Paige back into a hug.“Ugh, I’m gonna miss you!”
“The feeling is mutual,” Paige replied, a lump forming in her throat.“Promise we can still continue our cozy Christmas traditions?”
One of the things that made the girls such great friends and roommates was their similar taste in just about everything—including cheesy Christmas movies and over-the-top decorating.Even after Chance’s Christmastime confession last year had dampened Paige’s holiday spirit, Nadia pulled out all the stops to bring back her cheer.
“Oh, please.If you think Linus is about to sit down for a five-hour Christmas movie marathon featuring only Lacey Chabert, then you’ve lost your mind,” Nadia said.“Keep plenty of popcorn and hot chocolate with the mini marshmallows stocked in the condo.”
Paige laughed at the mental image of Linus in an ugly Christmas sweater lounging on the couch watching predictable Christmas rom-coms.And she was comforted by the confirmation that her best friend really wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter 2
PaigespentmostofFriday afternoon at work scrolling through old photos of her and Nadia on her phone and Facebook account.
