Roommaid

by Sariah Wilson

  TV and books had always been my refuge. I suspected that I watched more TV than what other people would consider normal. I mean, if Netflix were a person, I would totally invite it to my wedding. When I discovered that Tyler had a DVR, I nearly shrieked with joy. I left a blue Post-it note on his door asking if I could record my shows. As long as they didn’t interfere with his.

  I sighed as the elevator doors shut behind me. Working all day was hard. I felt like somebody in my life should have told me this. It wouldn’t have changed my choices, but at least I would have been more prepared.

  Pigeon had started greeting me when I came into the apartment. She still kept her distance, but I figured this was good progress because I needed her to love me so that I could stay.

  But today, she wasn’t there. I dropped the package off in the kitchen and headed into my room. To my surprise I found Pigeon there, lying on the foot of my bed. This was new. I said hello to her and then kicked off my shoes, making sure that I immediately closed the closet door after to keep her out. I changed into some yoga pants and a T-shirt and went back to the kitchen to try and cover my tracks. Pigeon decided to accompany me, just out of arm’s reach.

  I was unpacking the pan when I heard a loud thumping noise. It had come from Tyler’s bedroom.

  My first panicked thought was, Oh no! He’ll know what I’ve done to his pan!

  The second excited one was, Tyler’s home!

  Not knowing how much time I had, I rubbed the pan with oil and put it on the stove, heating it up until the oil soaked in. I found myself holding my breath, hoping he didn’t catch me before I finished. I willed it to hurry up.

  There was another loud sound, more like a crash. As if something heavy had fallen over.

  “Tyler?” I called out. I waited a beat or two, no response.

  Pigeon whimpered next to me.

  Okay, now I was worried. This seemed strange. I called Tyler’s name again. Still nothing.

  What if we were being robbed? The likelihood seemed small, with Gerald downstairs. I went down the hall to Tyler’s room, knocking on his door.

  No answer.

  What if he had fallen and hit his head? What if he was in dire need of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and I was just standing on this side of the door like an idiot? I knocked, again saying his name. I tried the doorknob. It wasn’t locked.

  “Tyler?” I pushed the door open slowly.

  The first thing I noticed was that there was an incredibly beautiful woman with thick black hair lying on his bed, studying a bridal magazine like it was a textbook.

  The second thing I noticed was that she was wearing lingerie so revealing that I wondered if she’d accidentally mistaken Tyler’s bedroom for her OB-GYN’s office.

  I realized why Shay wasn’t Tyler’s type. Because his type was an exotic model–looking creature who didn’t resemble real human women in the least.

  She wore earbuds, which explained why she hadn’t heard me earlier. She was in the process of removing one while I said, “Sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt your . . . whatever this was.”

  I quickly closed his door and ran for the safety of my room. That would teach me to go into his bedroom without an invitation. I cursed the part of my brain that lit up at the words invitation and bedroom. I reminded myself I’d just gotten an eyeful of a half-naked woman who was living proof that nothing would ever happen between Tyler and me.

  My door opened behind me and my heart jumped into my throat. It was the Other Woman, wearing one of Tyler’s dress shirts and looking like she’d just stepped out of the pages of a magazine. She seemed to be about the same height as me, until I saw that she was wearing heels. She had high cheekbones and large, dark eyes. Perfect bee-stung lips.

  While I’d always been confident in my appearance, I suddenly felt like the dowdy, ugly stepsister.

  “You are the roommate?” she asked. Her low, husky voice surprised me. Her Russian-sounding accent was thick.

  “Yes. Hi. I’m Madison. Sorry for busting in on you like that, but I heard a noise and . . . anyway. Hi. Nice to meet you.” I held out my hand.

  She stared at my hand with contempt and I wasn’t sure if I’d done something to offend her. Other than bursting in on her in what we were agreeing to call underwear.

  “I am Oksana. From what Tyler said I thought you would be . . . attractive.” She dismissed my entire presence with a single glance. “I see that I have no reason to worry.”

  My mouth was wide open and I could only gape at her in response. I lowered my hand. Had that really just happened? Had she come into my room to call me ugly and say I wasn’t a threat?

  “Where is Tyler?” she asked, now bored with me and my inability to challenge her.

  “I don’t know.” Which was true. I didn’t know where he was at that particular moment in time. New York, the airport, on his way home. Too bad he wasn’t here, protecting me from his she-devil of a girlfriend.

  “You will tell him I was here.” She gracefully turned and walked away. I heard his bedroom door close.

  I could only imagine writing that Post-it note. Did our current roommate relationship extend to me informing him that mostly naked women lounged in his bed while he was away? Clearly, this was none of my business, and if she wanted him to know she was here, she could leave her own note.

  I turned to Pigeon, like she might have some answers for me. But she was hiding under my bed and I understood the inclination. I kind of wanted to hide, too.

  But I had chores to do. Mean Russian supermodels could show themselves out. I went into the kitchen and got the broom and dustpan from the pantry. I started attacking the corners like they were at fault.

  Why would Tyler date someone like that? He seemed so nice. Maybe I had misjudged him.

  I heard her heels and looked up to see her strut past the kitchen, like the hall was her own personal catwalk.

  Just to be obnoxious I called out, “Bye, Oksana!”

  She didn’t respond and walked out.

  I went back to my sweeping and tried to empty my brain out and forget the last five minutes had ever happened.

  In large part because of how jealous I was currently feeling.

  I finished the chores, watched an hour of TV while eating the spaghetti I’d made for myself, and then graded some tests. Feeling exhausted, I decided to turn in early.

  As I got ready for bed, for reasons I didn’t quite understand, Pigeon brought her stuffed animal and blanket into my room to sleep in my bed. After my earlier encounter with Oksana, I didn’t mind having the company. It also made me feel good that Pigeon was starting to feel more comfortable with me. I needed that win. I did worry that when Tyler got home he might be looking for Pigeon, so I left another note on his door before climbing into my bed.

  As I tried to fall asleep, I was still attempting to actively not think about my Oksana encounter and failing miserably when something she’d said came rushing back. Something not horrible or dismissive.

  From what Tyler said, I thought you would be . . . attractive.

  It was meant to be an insult, but that meant Tyler had told her about me. And that based on his description she thought I would be attractive.

  And if I followed that through to its logical conclusion, that meant Tyler thought I was attractive.

  The words flitted through me, leaving me feeling happy and light. He thought I was with Brad and he had an evil girlfriend and thanks to his rule we couldn’t be together, but Tyler thought I was pretty.

  I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as I drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning that smile was still there. I got up, showered, and got ready for my car-buying trip. I went out to the kitchen to grab some cereal. While I was sitting at the island eating, I heard Tyler greeting Pigeon and my heart skipped a beat.

  He came into the kitchen with a “Good morning!” His hair was still wet; he must have just gotten out of the shower as well. He had on a dark-blue T-shirt that
lovingly showed off his muscled arms and made me wonder about the muscles I wasn’t seeing.

  I so wanted to leap over this counter, tackle him, and make out with his face. I decided to use polite words instead. “Morning! Welcome back.”

  Then I almost choked on my cereal when he reached up for his coffee mug, exposing an expanse of skin that showed me exactly what the shirt covered. I was so glad I was already sitting down as I lost all feeling in my knees.

  “So I have a question for you,” he said, and every part of my body tensed in anticipation. He knows. He knows I replaced the pan! “Does the kitchen smell like, I don’t know, dishwashing soap to you?”

  Oh crap. It kind of did. I thought I’d done a better job of cleaning it. I grimaced slightly in response. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Huh.” Thankfully he didn’t say anything about the cast-iron pan. Instead he asked, “Do you have any fun plans today?”

  “I’m going to buy a car.” I couldn’t keep the glee out of my voice, and it made him smile. “I’ve never bought a car before. I’m really looking forward to it.”

  “That does sound . . . well, I don’t know if fun’s the word I would use. Having the car is fun. Buying it usually not so much.”

  “I’ve been adequately warned. And my friend Shay is supposed to be here in a few minutes. I’m hoping to get to the lot before it opens so I can get the car I want.” This was the dealer’s busiest day of the week and I was afraid the car would get sold. My phone buzzed with a text from Shay. “Speak of the devil.”

  “Oh no,” I said.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Not really. Shay had to cancel. I’m going to try one of my other friends.” I called Delia and she didn’t pick up. Which was unlike her. I tried texting her and waited.

  “No answer?” Tyler asked.

  “She didn’t reply,” I confirmed, a sinking feeling settling in my stomach. “Which means I’m going to have to take an Uber to get to this dealership.” It wouldn’t be cheap.

  “I can drive you.”

  “What?” Had I heard him correctly?

  “I can drive you,” he said, repeating his offer. “I don’t have much going on until later on this evening, so if you want, I can go with you.”

  He’s not interested in you. He has a girlfriend who looks like a Russian Barbie come to life. He is just being your friend. Stop being so excited.

  My pounding heart didn’t listen.

  Something in my expression made him laugh. “Is that a yes?”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Um, obviously the answer was yes. Because I might have been a lot of things, but stupid was not one of them. It was, in fact, an overly enthusiastic “Yes!” It made him laugh again. So even if I was embarrassing myself, it was worth it to hear his reaction.

  “From what I’ve read online, you’ll be even better backup than Shay,” I told him. “Because you’re a man. And you’re tall.” And hot.

  Thankfully, my lips refrained from uttering that last part.

  “You don’t know any other tall men?” he asked.

  “We did discuss this as a friend group, and no, we didn’t have anybody else to ask that we thought might do it. Delia did offer to send along her giant cardboard cutout of Edward from Twilight, but I passed.”

  “Good choice,” he said with a grin. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Let me grab my purse.” I’m spending the day with Tyler Roth! I felt like a teenager again, giddy over her first crush. Not to mention that I hadn’t forgotten what Oksana had inadvertently told me and not only did it add a spring to my step, but it filled me with a confidence that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

  Tyler was holding the elevator open and I grabbed my coat from the wall. It was sunny outside, but the weather had dipped down into the fifties.

  We walked to the parking garage and Tyler showed me where my parking spot would be. It was right next to his, where his car, a classic red Mustang, sat. His choice surprised me. I thought he’d be more of a sleek-sports-car type of guy. “This doesn’t seem like you,” I said.

  He opened the passenger door for me. “It doesn’t?”

  I shrugged one shoulder as I got in. To be fair, I didn’t really know much about him. A guy who dated Oksana should be driving a Porsche or a Lamborghini. He seemed full of contradictions and I wanted to figure him out.

  He got in on his side and put on his seat belt, then started up the car. “So, I was surprised that Pigeon slept in your room last night.”

  “Me too. I think she’s coming around.”

  “I noticed this morning that she seemed calmer. I think having you there while I was gone was good for her.”

  “She’s become my little shadow. She doesn’t want me to pet her, but she watches everything I do.” And I was very fortunate that she couldn’t talk or else I’d be in trouble. While following his list and trying to get everything cleaned before he got back, I’d found out that I hadn’t fully yet learned my lesson when I used Dawn to clean the windows in the living room. It made sense—if it could clean glass bowls, shouldn’t it be able to clean regular glass, too? I’d also had a mishap of sucking up half a roll of floss in the vacuum. But the worst had been when I’d forgotten to return the lint screen to the dryer and a sock had gotten sucked in there, covering a vent and making the drum go off balance. I’d called a repair person to come out the same day to fix it and had emptied out the rest of the money I’d been setting aside for a deposit on my own apartment.

  From that point I decided not to attempt any more cleaning until I had thoroughly researched it first. I had a college degree, and five days a week I was in charge of educating and keeping twenty-five tiny humans alive. I knew I could figure out my cleaning issues if I learned how to do my new chores correctly.

  So far, so good.

  Although, to be fair, I hadn’t cleaned my bathroom yet and could only imagine that was going to be unfun.

  “I had a feeling the two of you would get along. I’m glad I’ve been proven right,” he said. “It will make traveling a little easier knowing you’re there.”

  “Speaking of, how was your trip to New York?”

  At some point he’d put on sunglasses, making it so I couldn’t see his eyes. Boo. “Tiring. A bunch of boring meetings. I’ve actually been working toward a promotion so I don’t have to travel so much.”

  “You don’t like traveling?”

  “I do. Or, I did. A few years ago I really enjoyed it but now . . . I guess I want to be around more. Be at home. Settle down a little. If I get that promotion, I’ll still be working long hours, but at least I’ll be here in Houston. I mean, I just got here and I have to turn around and leave tomorrow afternoon for Singapore.”

  “What? Now I feel bad that you’re coming with me,” I said. “Especially given that you’re not going to be here for very long.”

  “Don’t. I’m happy to be here with you. This should be fun. What about you? Do you travel?”

  “Not anymore. But I used to.” I told him about some of my family’s vacations while we compared notes of places we’d both traveled to. I told him about a restaurant in Singapore that he should check out when he got there. “It has the most beautiful view. The city skyline looks amazing. You should see it at sunset. That view is one of my favorite things in the world. You have to stop by.”

  “I will,” he said.

  “It was always one of my favorite places. Mostly because around the corner they had this massive Hello Kitty shop. I was obsessed with Hello Kitty when I was younger. Like bedsheets, towels, stuffed animals, underwear, anything you could think of, I had it in Hello Kitty form.” I hadn’t ever told anyone about that particular obsession before. Mostly because my mother had dismissed it as silly. I wondered what it was about him that made him so easy to talk to.

  “You’re talking to a guy who went through a serious Pokémon phase, so I get it. You should have seen me when Pokémon Go came out. I was a grown man in a business suit catchin
g Pokémon in the streets.”

  That made me laugh. I loved that he wasn’t too macho to admit to something potentially embarrassing with that much kid-like enthusiasm.

  Time passed so quickly that I was surprised when we pulled into the dealership. “Here we are,” I said, hoping this would go the way I wanted it to.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asked.

  “In what way?”

  “Since it is your first time, do you know your financial information? Like your credit score?”

  “It’s not great,” I told him. “I may actually weigh more than my credit score.”

  At that he laughed and my heart warmed. “But I’ve already got my financing arranged. I wasn’t raised with a lot of basic life skills, but I’ve researched this. I’m ready for whatever they throw at me.”

  “Then let’s go,” he said.

  As soon as we got out of his car, a salesman immediately descended on us. “How are you folks doing? I’m Larry. What can I help you find today?”

  “Hi, Larry. I’m Madison. And I know exactly what I’m looking for.” I showed him the car on my phone. “I’d like to see this one.”

  “A lady who knows what she wants! Follow me.” He headed over to the far end of the lot. There it was. My car.

  “Would you like to take a test drive?” Larry asked.

  I nodded.

  “Well, then let me go in and grab the keys. Do you have your driver’s license so I can make a copy?”

  “Yeah, of course.” I dug through my purse, found my wallet, and handed the license to him. When he left, I turned to ask Tyler, “Do you think I seem too eager?”

  “This is your circus,” he said. “I’m just here to watch the show.”

  That made my heart flutter. I really appreciated what he’d said. My parents would never have let me make my own choice here. They would have talked over me and selected a different car from what I actually wanted. My decisions wouldn’t have mattered to them.