Page 18 of A Roommate for Christmas
“Ooh, coffee is a great idea.I’m gonna force myself out of bed to make a cup.I’ll text you later.”
Paige got up and pulled on a sweater.She redid her bun so she wouldn’t look like she had just rolled out of bed ten seconds ago, and wiped the remnants of her mascara that was smudged under her eyes.
She opened her door and was shocked to find Carter sitting at the kitchen island with a coffee from the café down the block, scrolling on his phone.
“Good morning,” Paige said, more out of habit, not because she meant it.
“Yo.”Carter didn’t even bother to look up at her.
Well, at least this morning I get the decency of a two-letter reply instead of zero.
Paige figured she would take advantage of Carter’s seemingly neutral mood.
“So, Thanksgiving is this week.Will you be here?Or are you going out of town?”Paige asked.“Because if you’re staying here, you’re welcome to join me and my—”
“I’m going out of town,” Carter said, cutting her off.
“Cool,” Paige replied.“Super cool.”
She opened her mouth to ask him a follow-up question only to see him get up and turn to go back toward his room.
“Something wrong with the kitchen?”Paige asked sarcastically.
“Just prefer to have my coffee in peace,” Carter replied with a smirk.
Really?!
Did he really think he could get away with patronizing her like that?She couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Why are you so freakingrude?”
The look in Carter’s eyes told her he was enjoying the rise he got out of her.
“Look, Paige, I told you I’m not here to make friends and play house.I just need a nice place to crash, and this seemed to fit the bill.”
He took another step in the direction of his room and then turned back around.
“Oh, and by the way, hope you enjoyed Sunda last night.”He stared at her with another smirk on his face.
“What?How did you kn–”
“I was sitting at the bar when you walked in.Green is a nice color on you,” Carter said before retreating to his room and closing the door.
Oh my god, he noticed my outfit?Paige thought.Wait, don’t let his compliment distract you.He’s awful, remember?
Paige almost forgot why she’d come out of her room, but she made her way to the Nespresso machine to get her coffee fix.
But as she waited for the machine, she couldn’t help thinking about the fact that her hot as hell roommate had been secretly checking her out from the bar last night.
***
The next few days were more of the same with Carter.Just their regular hallway pass-by where neither of them really acknowledged the other.
After Carter’s Saturday morning confession, there had been hardly any interaction between them, and each time Paige saw him, he looked increasingly grumpier.
She was glad to avoid his moody attitude, but there was a small part of her that longed for a sliver of his attention—a fact she would never admit to Nadia.After the confirmation that he had eyed her from across the restaurant, she found herself craving his stare.
Thanksgiving, which was one of Paige’s favorite weeks of the year, was just a day away and the exact distraction she needed from this unwanted Carter craving.
