Friend Zone (Friend Zone Series Book 1)

by Nicole Blanchard

  Help yourself to anything you need. -Liam P.S. I’m a jerk.

  Tears prickled the back of my eyes and then I gasped as the coffeemaker gurgled to life and began to drip hot, fresh coffee into the pot. The scent perked my groggy brain right up and it was ready and willing to forgive Liam all his transgressions. I hadn’t had time to process everything, but coffee was always the way to my heart and he knew it. I filled a thermos from his cabinets and relented by taking a slightly overripe apple and a granola bar. His pantry was pathetically bare—men, I scoffed inwardly—and I decided I’d grocery shop that afternoon. Who cared if I wouldn’t have any money left? I’d need ice cream after I met with my building super this afternoon anyway.

  The dryer beeped as I polished off my first cup of coffee and poured a second. I quickly dressed in my school-issued scrubs and packed a second plain pair to use for work afterward. I pulled back my hair into a serviceable ponytail and scrubbed my face with warm water and a hand towel. I made do with what little makeup I carried with me in my purse, a little concealer, some eyeliner and called it good.

  I packed the snacks in my bag along with my change of scrubs and paused by the front door. I gave half a thought to waking Liam up, then I glanced at the clock. I wouldn’t have time. Besides, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to say.

  * * *

  I dragged myself into work after a long round of clinicals and an endless morning of classes. It was only the thermos of coffee I’d filched from Liam that kept me going. It didn’t taste good after about the third reheat, but it kept my eyes open long enough to keep the patients I saw to alive and take notes during my lectures. The only negative was it constantly reminded me of him, what he’d done, that I’d see him in just a couple hours. I hated being on the outs with him. It felt unnatural.

  He’d texted me once during the day, but I still hadn’t replied. I was putting it off. The therapist who I’d been required to see after my mother’s disappearance and my father’s death told me I had an avoidant personality. I thought she was a quack at the time, but maybe she’d been onto something. I’d happily put off this confrontation, oh, forever.

  Which is why I was at least looking forward to work. A lot of people looked down on elder care, but it soothed me. It reminded me of my dad’s last days in hospice, of Grandma Dorothy and the good men and women who cared for them. I liked being that person for someone else’s family. Eventually I’d like to go into critical care, but for now this paid the bills and gave me purpose.

  “Good morning, Mr. Williams,” I said as I pushed through the door to my favorite patient’s room, but it was empty. I knocked on the attached bathroom door. “Mr. Williams?”

  My heart began to thud dully in my chest. Had he left? Had he…passed away?

  I couldn’t bear the thought of it. I began to speed out the door when it pushed open and Mr. Williams, a thinly-built man with a shock of white hair and watery green eyes, lit up when he saw me.

  “Charlotte!” he exclaimed and I smiled. He was the only person, after my dad, who I let call me by my real name.

  “Mr. Williams. You scared me. I thought you’d left.” I stepped into his embrace and inhaled the scent of Old Spice and antiseptic. My insides unclenched.

  “You couldn’t run me away, sweetheart. Who else would play chess with me and let me win?”

  “No one,” I said fondly as I got out the board and began setting up the pieces. “Did you take your medicine?”

  He scowled, but we both knew it was only for show. “You should know better than to torture an old man.”

  I tutted at him and retrieved his medicine from the pharmacy station. “Bottom’s up!” I said and his scowl deepened at my cheerfulness, but he complied. “Now let’s see if I can beat you again.”

  “Not a chance, missy.”

  “Did you have a good weekend?” I asked as I carefully considered my opening move. It wouldn’t matter what I did. Despite his age and my teasing, Mr. Williams was a shark at chess and I’d only ever beat him once and that was only because he’d just had surgery to repair his hip and had been on some serious pain killers. I chose a pawn at random and immediately regretted my decision when his beard twitched.

  He mimicked my move, but I had no clue what he was planning. A chess genius I was not. “It was boring here without you to keep me company,” he said. “What did you do?”

  “I went to visit Liam’s family near Jacksonville for the weekend.” I moved another pawn, but he struck and captured it with a masculine laugh.

  I felt the tension leech from my shoulders the longer we played. I told him about Grandma Dorothy and her new fluorescent orange blanket. He had a similar one, this one an unearthly yellow, draped over the foot of his own bed. I even told him about the trouble with my apartment and how Liam had a hand in me losing it.

  Mr. William’s had three-quarters of my pieces by the end of my update. “Don’t be too hard on him. He sounds like a good friend from what you’ve told me. He’s probably madder at himself than you are at him.”

  I thought of the note he left me, the coffee he’d made. “I know that, but it just sucks all around.”

  “I know it does, but you can find another place to rent. You won’t be able to replace a friend so easily.” With that sage advice, Mr. Williams moved his bishop and crowed, “Checkmate!”

  I frowned at the board. “You’re diabolical,” I said, then began cleaning up the set.

  “You’re getting better. One day you may even beat me.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Williams, it’s nice of you to say, but we both know I’m hopeless.” I smiled at him and lifted the chess box in greeting. “Rematch next week.”

  “You got it,” he said as he settled into his hospital bed and turned on the TV to the news. “You’ll have to update me about you and your young man.”

  “We’ll see,” I said over my shoulder.

  I finished my rounds with Mr. William’s words fresh on my mind. I knew it wasn’t Liam’s fault for what happened, not really. Andrew had used the spare key a couple times before to get a spare set of scrubs for me when I was tied up in class or get something of his he left. It wasn’t completely unreasonable for Liam to give him the key. After Andrew blew up at us…after the kiss…suffice it to say we were both distracted.

  The girls weren’t much help when I texted to let them know what was going on. They both lived in the same complex and had noticed all of the commotion that morning. I didn’t get a chance to reply until I finished my shift.

  Ember: OMG!!! That rat bastard! Do you need me to come over and help you clean up? I’ll see what I can sneak in and salvage since they won’t let you in. If you don’t have a place to stay, you can crash here.

  Layla: Tequila Tuesday at my apartment next week. Not optional! I’ll even provide the tequila this time. Let us know what the super says or if we need to put a hit out on him.

  I sent them both thank yous and promised to keep them updated. I didn’t have a good feeling about my meeting with the super, but I headed there after work to get it over with. I’d feel better once I knew my options…I hoped.

  * * *

  I knew the meeting with the building manager wasn’t going to go well when he had me wait for half an hour in the small lobby on the first floor of my apartment building. I never liked to linger there because it always smelled like spoiled milk despite the heavy rose-scented air freshener they had plugged in to every available outlet. By the time he called me back into his office, I was tired, nauseous, and ready to put my feet up after a long day of clinicals.

  “Ms. St. James, thank you so much for your patience.”

  “Of course,” I said as I took a seat opposite the ancient desk in the middle of the cramped office.

  Despite the comfortable bed in Liam’s spare room, I hadn’t been able to close my eyes and turn off my brain. It was like everything that could go wrong, had. And I didn’t get a good feeling about this meeting. I didn’t know if it was leftover nerves from t
he day before or what, but there was a knot of tension in my stomach that no amount of chugging water would make go away.

  Mr. Jergan, the building manager, was in his late forties or so with a shiny pink head and the remnants of hair he trimmed fastidiously around its rim. His mustache matched the salt and pepper of what hair remained and was trimmed razor straight. It twitched as he sifted through paperwork.

  “I have some unfortunate news about your unit. It appears the sink in the bathroom had been blocked with a washcloth and overflowed all over the unit.”

  I swallowed around the lump in my throat and fought the urge to cry in frustration. If he got away with this I was going to kill him with my bare hands. “I understand. An ex-boyfriend of mine used the spare key to get some belongings, or so he said. I never had any idea he’d do anything like this. I don’t have renter’s insurance, so he’s cost me everything. Please, can you help me?”

  His expression was unforgiving and my heart sank. “Seeing that the damage, though accidental, was at the hands of someone you’re responsible for we’re holding you liable for the damages. You’re going to have to forfeit your deposit, you understand.” His mustache twitched again and I focused on it as I considered my response.

  “Sir, I can appreciate your position, but there has to be another apartment you can lease me in the meantime. If not here, then at some other building?”

  “Currently, all of our units are full. Normally, we’d offer another for your use per the terms of your lease, but there are none available here or at another property. We will make our best effort to have the unit repaired in a timely fashion, but we won’t be able to offer you accommodation in the meantime. I do apologize for the inconvenience. You’re more than welcome to retrieve the rest of your belongings as soon as the maintenance crew has given me the all-clear.”

  Numb and disbelieving, all I could do was nod. “Do you know how long it’ll take for my apartment to be repaired?”

  He leaned back in the seat and tapped his thumbs on the armrests. “Hopefully within in the next two months, as long as the contractor stays on schedule.”

  It felt like the breath was knocked out of me. I couldn’t afford a hotel for that length of time. Without the return on my deposit, I couldn’t afford a first and last deposit either. Not without dipping into my overseas fund and I was reluctant to sacrifice my dream. But I’d have to if I couldn’t figure out an alternative.

  “If you’ll sign and date these papers here, we’ll get you all taken care of.”

  I glanced at the papers as he handed them over and decided I wasn’t going to let him screw me. I took them and stood abruptly.

  “Erm, Ms. St. James—”

  “Thank you so much, Mr. Jergan. I’ll give these a once over and return them to you once I’ve signed them. I hope you have a wonderful evening.”

  Without another word, I spun on my sensible white sneakers and marched out of his office and to the garage where I’d stored my car. I’d managed to use the bus to get it this morning before clinicals. Practically vibrating with frustration, I jabbed my key into the ignition and forced myself to drive carefully through the maddening evening traffic. College kids, liberal amounts of alcohol and unfettered free time did not mix well. Especially at a school like FSU with its notorious reputation for an epic social life.

  I was still livid as I stalked through the grocery store closest to Liam’s duplex. I practically sprinted down the aisles loading my cart with comfort food. Aside from the brief respite of chess with Mr. Williams, it had been a hell of a day. I paid for the groceries and bundled them into the car.

  Despite my pleas otherwise, traffic had cleared by the time I left the grocery store and I made it across town to the duplex in record time. Liam’s truck was parked in the driveway and a light shone in the living room. I didn’t want to be mad at him anymore, I decided. I missed my friend and it had only been a day. There was no more avoiding him.

  I weighed down my arms with the bags because I’d rather lose circulation in my arms than have to go back for two trips. It was a stupid decision because it meant I didn’t have a free hand to open the door. I sighed and kicked it with my foot and wondered if sleeping in one of the empty rooms at the adult care facility was an option. The last thing I wanted was for things to be awkward between us.

  He came to the door without a shirt on and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. He froze at the sight of me for a second, then took half of the bags in one of his hands causing his muscles to bulge. Needing to keep my distance from him was practically impossible now that we were living together.

  “Thanks,” I croaked and purposefully shifted out of the way and closed the front door behind me, the remainder grocery bags slapping against my leg along the way. I slumped against the wall with a frustrated growl, let the bags drop to the floor, and squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe if I clicked my heels together the world would go back to normal when I opened them again.

  “Guess your meeting with good old Mr. Jergan didn’t go very well.” I heard the rustle of the bags as he carried them to the kitchen and then returned for the ones by my feet.

  “You can say that again,” I told him without opening my eyes. An epic headache started to beat a wicked tattoo in my temples. “Apparently because Andrew technically had access to my place because he had a key, his damage was my fault. So I’m out my apartment and a deposit. I don’t exactly have a ton of money, so I’m pretty much screwed here because it’ll take me forever to save up first and last month’s rent for another place unless I dip into my overseas savings.”

  “That’s fucked up,” he said, and I was glad he didn’t try to comfort me. One show of sympathy and I might have broken. “You know I can help you with the money, if you want.”

  But we both knew it was mostly a kind gesture. Liam was a broke student saving for vet school like I’d been saving for my volunteer gig. I sighed. “I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”

  I kept my eyes squeezed shut. Just a few more minutes. Maybe it was the headache, maybe it’s because I didn’t want to see him feeling sorry for me, but mostly it was not wanting to stare at him like a psycho.

  “I wasn’t kidding when I said I was a jerk,” he said. “You wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for me. I can’t say I’m sorry enough, but I can help you. You can stay here with me.”

  At that, I cracked open an eye. He’d taken everything out and had begun putting things away. “You can’t be serious.”

  He leveled me with a look that clearly said how stupid he thought that statement was. “Of course I’m serious. If it makes you feel more comfortable, we can put a time limit on it. However long you think it would take you to save up money for first and last for a new apartment. If you can forgive me that is. Even if you can’t, you can stay here as long as you need to and I’ll keep my distance, I swear.”

  It was the way he held himself apart that broke me. This is Liam. I knew he meant what he said. If I wanted to use his generosity to stay here and not talk to him again he’d let me. Because that’s just who he was. I pushed off the wall and crossed to the kitchen where I wrapped my arms around him. “I forgive you. Please don’t blame yourself anymore.” I was aware of his bare skin beneath my cheek, the thump of his heart in my ear, but I tried to focus on him, on not fucking things up more than they already were. “I’m sorry for being pissed off. It was just too much.”

  His arms came around me and I felt his sigh of relief. “You don’t ever have to apologize to me, Char. It was my fuck up. Just tell me we’re okay.”

  “We’re okay.” I felt such relief in his arms that I knew I made the right decision. I could never stay mad at Liam for long anyway and I knew he’d never do anything like that intentionally. “I really don’t want to put you out any more than I already have, but I have nowhere else to go right now.”

  “You aren’t putting me out. I’m offering. Understand?” When I didn’t answer right away he tipped my chin up with a finger and
prompted, “The correct answer is ‘yes, Liam’.”

  I tucked myself back against his skin. Just one more minute. “Are you so demanding and obnoxious with everyone or am I just lucky?”

  I felt him smile against my hair as he leaned down and pulled me closer. “I save it all up just for you. Besides, you’re not the only one in dire straits. My manager at the bar wasn’t too thrilled with me this weekend. I got fired.”

  “What?!” I screeched. “Liam, no. You can’t be serious.”

  “Don’t worry, shortstack. Jobs like those are a dime a dozen, but it’ll help me out to have you here for a bit while I look for another.”

  I pulled back to frown at him. “Well now I feel like a little shit for being upset yesterday. You have every right to be mad at me, too.”

  He shrugged and moved away to open the fridge for a beer. “Why don’t we just call it even? You can have the spare room, we can split everything else and maybe we’ll both get what we need. You get your overseas thing and I don’t have to spend any of my college fund for vet school.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry, I plan on putting you to work.” He threw himself on the couch and turned on the TV. “Cooking, cleaning. The usual.”

  Laughter bubbled out of me until he didn’t join in. “What? Wait, are you serious?”

  “Of course not. We’ll split the rent and bills. Don’t be a slob and we’ll be fine. It’s not like it’s forever, Charlie.”

  Too exhausted to think of an alternative, I plopped down on the couch beside him and propped my head on a pillow against his thigh as he flipped through shows on Netflix and sipped his beer. After selecting one, he began sifting his fingers through my hair until I purred in the back of my throat.

  “That feels good,” I said sleepily.

  “Just relax for a while. Everything will work out.”

  Maybe everything had worked out for the best. It wouldn’t be a good idea to act on my attraction to Liam now, not when we would have to spend the next few months together. If one of us caught hard feelings and things ended badly, I’d be forced to move again and I’d have to sacrifice the volunteer opportunity.