Page 21 of A Roommate for Christmas
Once they were in their cozy decorating uniforms, with Mariah Carey singing them in, they got to work putting up the tree—a fake one, but the kind that makes it almost impossible to tell—followed by Christmas lights and their shared collection of kitschy ornaments.After the tree was done, they filled the rest of the condo with wreaths, nutcrackers, festive pillows, tea towels, vintage Santa salt-and-pepper shakers, Christmas candles, chunky knit stockings, more small trees, garland, and tinsel.
Hours later, every surface was covered in holiday cheer, and Paige and Nadia sat on the couch with Christmas-themed mugs filled with extra boozy hot chocolate and gooey marshmallows, proudly surveying their hard work before Nadia had to go home to her new apartment.
“When is Carter coming back?”Nadia asked as she got up to start packing her bag.
Oh, right, Carter.Paige realized she had barely thought about him while he was gone with everything she had going on.
“I didn’t ask.”Paige shrugged.“I’m assuming tomorrow or Sunday.”
She was exhausted from their three-day holiday extravaganza and couldn’t wait to pop on another Christmas movie and fall asleep.
She opened Instagram while Nadia packed, and her stomach dropped.The first post in her feed showed Chance down on one knee proposing to Diana, with the caption: “I have so much to be thankful for this year.She said yes!”
It hadn’t even been a year.
She knew she should just keep scrolling, but she couldn’t look away.Paige couldn’t stop looking at the way Chance was beaming at the gorgeous blonde girl.She couldn’t remember him looking at her like that in any of their own photos.
And, because why not add insult to injury, she swiped through the carousel of photos and confirmed that this was indeed the largest rock she’d seen on a non-celebrity engagement ring.
How did he afford that?She wondered.Anytime I brought up getting engaged, he always had some excuse lined up about not having enough money saved up to get me the ring I deserved.But apparently his wallet is just as loose as his behavior was when it came to Diana.
Paige knew she should have unfollowed Chance after the breakup, but there was a part of her that needed to know if this assumed fling with Diana was more than just an office hookup.And with each month that passed, his Instagram stories featured more and more coffee dates, kisses in front of The Bean, walking hand-in-hand on Navy Pier, and summer getaways to his parents’ lake house in Wisconsin—a place she had only been invited to once in their three years of dating.
She hadn’t wanted to get back together with him.But she’d silently hoped the day would come when Diana would end things and he’d finally experience the heartbreak she had felt last December.
Seeing the engagement post shouldn’t be a shock.They didn’t try to hide the fact that they were serious around the office.But the finality of it felt like a punch in the gut.
Chance was living his life as if nothing had ever happened.He continued being in a relationship, only swapping one blonde for another that was five years younger.
And now, here she was nearing thirty years old with no dating prospects, a roommate who barely even acknowledges her existence, a job that doesn’t value her, and a joke of a savings account.
“Paige.”She barely registered her friend’s voice.
“Paige,” Nadia repeated.“What’s going on?What’s wrong?”
It wasn’t until then that Paige felt tears streaming down her cheeks.She turned her phone screen toward Nadia, who dropped her bag immediately and rushed to hug Paige after seeing the picture.It only made Paige cry harder.
“That motherfu—” Nadia started before getting distracted by the sound of a key in the front door.
Carter.
Startled, Paige turned away from the door, not wanting Carter to notice her red, splotchy, mascara-smudged face.
He walked inside and his face hardened the second he noticed the updated decor.
“What the hell is all of this?”Carter said, less as a question and more as an angry observation, clearly not picking up on the mood of the room.
“Well, obviously it’s Christmas decorations.”Nadia didn’t bother to hide her annoyance.“We’re actually in the middle of—”
“Take it down,” he interrupted, each word biting the tense air between them.“This looks insane.I live here too, you know.And I refuse to look at these absurd decorations for the next god only knows how long.”
Nadia turned to face him, shielding Paige from view.
“Calm down, dude.”
Carter was fuming now.
“If I remember correctly, I pay for half of the condo.So that means I get a say in how my half looks.”
