Roommate Material: A Valentine’s Day Romance

by Nicole Casey

  “It’s no trouble,” I assured her. “Of course, you can always sleep in my bed, if you want.”

  Tia’s face turned a bright red. She picked nervously at her nails, worrying her plump bottom lip with her teeth. I swallowed at the sight, wondering what it would be like to worry her lip on her behalf.

  “I can sleep on the couch,” I added. Tia visibly relaxed, shoulders slumping a bit. Teasing her was turning out to be a lot of fun.

  “I mean, if you’re sure it’s no trouble. To order something, that is.”

  “I promise, it’s totally fine. Molly seems to like you, which means you’re all good in my book.”

  “So, in terms of rent,” she started, getting to the point. “I’ll admit I don’t have very much. I’m not sure if Molly told you, but I’m starting a new job tomorrow. It’s going to be a little while until I can really pitch in.”

  “That’s cool. Where are you working?”

  “Richardson & Sachs.”

  Something in my mind snapped. There was no way this was a coincidence. Tia was working at the same rival law firm that my ex did? Life couldn’t be that cruel, could it?

  “Oh,” I mumbled stupidly. “What do you do there? You a paralegal or something?”

  Tia frowned at this, a little indignant. She crossed her arms defensively against her chest, standing with a hip popped out to the side. “No,” she said firmly. “I’ve been hired as a junior associate.”

  “You’re a lawyer?” I asked, sounding a bit more surprised than necessary.

  “Women can be lawyers, you know.”

  “No, yeah. I know. That’s cool,” I rushed over my words.

  “Money’s a little tight for me right now,” she went on to explain. “I’m still trying to pay for law school, and my move to New York was really rushed. But I promise I’m good for the money.”

  I scratched behind my ear, thoroughly taken by this woman. Smart, gorgeous, hard-working. Molly was right. This was a career woman, not some young thing I could dazzle easily.

  “If you need me to sign a lease or something, I’m happy to do it,” Tia continued, sounding as official as ever.

  “Sure,” I said. “How about I take you out to dinner? We can sign the papers over a glass of wine and–”

  “Dinner sounds great, but…” she hesitated. She bit her bottom lip again, the image of her nervous little gesture etching itself into the back of my eyes. God, I wanted so badly to kiss those attractive lips. “I’m not… I’m here in New York to work, not to hook-up. I hope you understand.”

  Ah, crap. This was going to be harder than I had thought.

  “Of course,” I lied. “I completely understand.”

  3

  Tia

  Alex hadn’t been lying about shipping a brand-new bed for me. It had arrived within hours of him placing the order over the phone. He had been talking to someone on the other end, speaking in a low, charming way that had me entranced like a snake to its charmer. I had to admit that turning him down last night had taken all the guts I had, because hot damn was he fine. When he opened the door for me yesterday, I swear to God I almost passed out. Alex was classically handsome, what with his square jaw, trimmed blond hair, and ripped muscles on every inch of his sculpted body. I had never fainted before, but for a few seconds there, I was worried that I’d make like an old-school Hollywood diva and fall into his arms.

  But I knew his type: rich boy alpha males who love the thrill of the chase but turn cold once they’ve got what they want. And yes, he was doing me a huge favor by letting me stay in his spare bedroom, but I couldn’t afford a single night of fun over a secure place to stay. I couldn’t allow myself to cave, wouldn’t allow myself to give in to the temptation and risk losing yet another place to stay. But boy, did I really, really want to.

  I imagined what it would be like to have him hold me in those massive, strong arms of his. All night, I was plagued with thoughts of his weight against me, pinning me to the mattress as he had his way with me. I wondered what it would feel like to drag my fingers over his taught skin, to count his sculpted abs with my fingers and dig my teeth into his broad shoulders. I bet that his lips would feel great against mine, the heat of our bodies spurring us on as we explored our deepest, darkest wants.

  I awoke that morning with a bit of a start, hair clumsily falling over my face as the scent of frying bacon and freshly brewed coffee wafted into my room. I threw on a pair of grey sweats and a bright yellow t-shirt that was three sizes too big –my favorite pajama shirt– before finally leaving the comforts of my new room and shuffling down the long hall. I poked my head around the corner, watching silently as Alex moved about the open-concept kitchen. He was cooking up a storm, piles of pancakes and toast stacked on plates on the kitchen island. Was I still asleep and dreaming? I had to pinch myself on the forearm to confirm that I wasn’t. There was no way Alex could eat all this by himself, so the logical conclusion that I landed on was that he was making breakfast for me. It felt like a grand, romantic gesture that left my heart skipping in my chest.

  “Good morning,” he greeted in that sexy, low voice of his. He had a face and body for film and a set of vocal chords meant for radio. I could listen to him all day.

  “Good morning,” I whispered. “Is this… You didn’t do all this for me, did you?”

  “No,” he chuckled. God, I don’t know why his grin made me feel so freaking bubbly. “I cook breakfast every morning. Figured you’d like some so you’ve got plenty of energy. For your first day, that is.”

  Oh. Oh, right. That’s today.

  Excitement filled me to the brim, leaving my fingers and toes tingling in my state of anticipation. It was happening. My life as a lawyer was finally happening. I was going to do great things. I promised that I was going to solve every case, never back down, never look back. All my sleepless nights of studying, preparing for and acing tests, working three different part-time jobs to help put me through college was finally about to pay itself off.

  I joined Alex at the kitchen island, resting my elbows on the dark black granite surface. He placed a plate in front of me with a wickedly handsome smile.

  “Help yourself,” he said.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled as I picked up the fork sitting next to me to pluck a fluffy pancake up from its pile. “So where are all your other housemates? They going to join in on this feast?”

  Alex chuckled, a knowing look in his eye. “I don’t have any. I live alone.”

  “You live alone,” I echoed, amazed. “But how do you afford this place all by yourself?”

  He winked at me mischievously. “Trade secret,” he teased.

  “You’re not secretly a mob boss or something like that, right?”

  He threw his head back and laughed, boisterous and confident. I felt myself smiling, his laughter contagious. “No,” he answered, “I promise I’m not.”

  “Just full of secrets, then.”

  “I like to keep an air of mystery.”

  “Why?”

  “I think it makes me more interesting. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  I snorted, trying to suppress the stupid little giggle that threatened to bubble from my lips. Alex was surprisingly funny. I watched as he reached for the pot of coffee and poured me a mug.

  “How do you take your coffee?” he asked.

  “Two creams and two sugars, please.”

  “You like it sweet, huh?”

  “Yeah. I’m not a fan of bitter stuff.”

  “Duly noted,” he hummed to himself.

  “What?”

  He shook his head. He grinned again, clearly enjoying himself. “Nothing.” He started to eat his breakfast, consisting of a mountain of fluffy scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, a single pancake with a generous bath of maple syrup, and a mug of black coffee. I was keenly aware of the way he watched me, his eyes dark with an intense focus. I could tell he was studying me, tracing my figure with his eyes. He looked deep in thought, doing his best not to look as inte
rested as he did. It wasn’t working. The way he watched had my stomach doing giddy little flips, excited to know that I was the object of his full attention. I had made myself perfectly clear yesterday that I wasn’t looking for anything relationship-wise, but this didn’t seem to stop him from undressing me with his eyes.

  In the corner of my eye, I happened to catch the time off of the microwave’s built-in clock. It was 7:45AM.

  “Ah, shit,” I hissed. “I’m going to be late.”

  I rushed to my bedroom, basically flinging my unpacked suitcase onto the bed. My clothes were a wrinkled mess, but considering the hectic day I had yesterday, who could blame me? I didn’t spend much time throwing together an outfit, slipping into a simple navy work dress. The fabric hugged my body, cinched at the waste with a fabric belt to accentuate my figure. It cut off just above the knee, which I sincerely hoped wasn’t too risqué for my first day at a major New York-based law firm. I managed to find a pair of comfortable black flats, which I slipped on quickly before grabbing my purse which I had left on the floor the night before. I returned to the living room, brushing my mess of curls with my fingers. It was just going to be one of those days where my hair was going to be wild no matter what I tried.

  Alex’s eyes catch mine, his lips parted slightly in wonder. He brought his coffee mug up to his lips, attempting to hide his bewildered expression. I did a little twirl, teasing him in kind.

  “Do I look okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” he coughed. He sounded uncomfortable. “Good. Real good.”

  I sighed, trying to remain calm. I was so excited I felt like I was about to burst. “Wish me luck,” I said as I rushed out the front door. “We’ll talk more about this whole living situation when I get back.”

  “Sounds good,” he called after me. “Good luck!”

  Richardson & Sachs wasn’t difficult to miss. It was a towering building with level after level of glass windows, reaching far beyond what I could see on the street below. I entered the building through the massive rotating doors, immediately greeted by the receptionist in the front lobby.

  “Hello,” she greeted. There was a tiny heart-shaped box of chocolates sitting out on her desk, no doubt an early Valentine’s gift from her partner. “How may I help you?”

  “I’m Tia. I’m supposed to start today.”

  “Ah, yes. Harold, your boss, was supposed to give you a tour of the offices, but I think he got called away to an important meeting.”

  “Oh,” I mumbled, slightly disappointed. This was the Harold Richardson of Richardson & Sachs. I was really looking forward to meeting with him.

  The receptionist pressed a button on her intercom. A few seconds later, a young woman–probably no older than I– hurried from around the corner. She had beautifully wavy black hair, a curvaceous, hourglass figure, and she wore her lips an attention-grabbing ruby red. This woman was wearing a bright yellow dress and expensive Louboutins that screamed look at me I’m here. Her posture, her expression, everything about her screamed command and control. She glared at me, inspecting me up and down.

  “This the new girl?” she snapped.

  “Er, hi, I’m Tia,” I said, sticking my hand out to shake.

  “I don’t care,” she stated firmly. I took my hand back, thoroughly shocked. Had I done something to offend her?

  Shit. Not a good start.

  “I’m Eliza,” the woman continued. “Listen up, newbie, because I’m not going to repeat myself.” She started walking back the way she came, leaving me no other option to follow on her heel. Eliza walked with purpose, beautiful locks swaying as she stepped. “Research is up on the fourth floor, billing and receivable is on the third. Firm partners get the corner offices on the top floor, and you’ll notice that one of them is empty.” Eliza stopped abruptly. She turned, jabbing an accusatory finger into my shoulder. “I’ve heard about you. Top student at Harvard, right?”

  “Y-yes, I–”

  “We may be colleagues here, but don’t get it twisted. You’re my competition. I’m going to be partner one day, and I’m not going to let some pretty airhead who got lucky get in my way. We clear?”

  “I–”

  “Good.”

  This wasn’t what I had been expecting. The sharp hostility that practically radiated off of Eliza’s person had me feeling small, isolated in a world that I thought I was prepared for.

  “This way,” she snapped, wagging a finger at me. She gestured toward a small cubical. “This will be your desk. One of the other junior associates will get you settled in.”

  “When is Harold going to be free?” I asked, asserting myself.

  Eliza rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t know. You feel free to interrupt him to find out, though. I’m sure he’d love it.” And with that, she walked off, leaving me in a dazed state of confusion.

  No, this wasn’t what I had been expecting at all.

  By the time the day was over, I was thoroughly exhausted. I left the building with my head hung low. This was only the first day, but I already felt so defeated. None of my coworkers seemed willing to help me. I didn’t get to meet with any of the name partners, and I had felt like a puppy lost at the dog races. Everybody was too busy, too ambitious to take a second to even consider me. I sighed, slinging my purse strap over my shoulder, trudging out in bitter silence.

  Somebody to my right whistled. I turned to find Alex leaning against the building, a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. I tried to smile, to wipe the worry and tiredness from my face.

  “You look like shit,” he chuckled. He handed me the flowers, which I accepted hesitantly. They smelled wonderful, sweet and warm.

  “I feel like shit,” I admitted, casting my eyes down. “What are you doing here?”

  “Just wanted to see how your day went. Rough day, I take it?”

  “Yeah,” I grumbled. “Though, to be honest, that doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

  Alex’s cool smile melted away, replaced with concern. “How about I take you out to dinner?”

  “Alex, I told you I’m not–”

  “I know, I know,” he said quickly. “Just think of it as one roommate welcoming the other, okay? A mini welcome to the building party.”

  At that very moment, I saw the familiar bright yellow of Eliza’s dress in the corner of my eye. She halted, glared at me, and then shot Alex one of the dirtiest looks I had ever seen. She noticed the flowers in my hand and muttered something under her breath –probably nothing pleasant, either.

  “Sure,” I finally answered, “let’s go to dinner.”

  “Excellent. I know a fantastic place around here.”

  Eliza rolled her eyes, jealousy clear on her face.

  4

  Alex

  I promised myself that I was going to be the perfect gentleman. I held the door open for her, I pulled her chair out to let Tia settle in, and I let her choose the wine. André, the restaurants maître-d, hooked me up with a great corner table closest to the window, which looked out into the busy street. While I was never one for mood lighting, the gentle glow of the nearby fireplace and the lights of the city skyline set a relaxed and warm atmosphere. Tia had looked so stressed and dismayed when she walked out of Richardson & Sachs that I couldn’t help but bring her to one of my favorite restaurants in an attempt to cheer her up.

  “And then she was like ‘you’re my competition,’ and I’m pretty sure she called me an airhead at some point,” Tia ranted angrily. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Sorry. I kind of went off on you there.”

  “No, it’s cool,” I chuckled easily. “Although, I was pretty sure you weren’t going to like it there very much.”

  She frowned at my comment, confused. “What would make you say that?”

  “My ex works there. I think you had the pleasure of meeting her.”

  “Who is it?” she gasped.

  “Eliza.”

  Tia shot me an incredulous look of disbelief. “No,” she stated. “No, I don
’t think so.”

  “Are you telling me who I did and didn’t date?”

  “I just… You two don’t…”

  “Don’t what?”

  “Match,” she answered. “She’s so competitive and… Well, mean. You seem way too nice to ever date a woman like that.”

  I shrugged my shoulders, smirking. “Yeah, well, the heart wants what the heart wants. We dated for about two years.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  I laughed, pleased by her adamancy.

  “How did you two meet?” she asked, taking a sip of her red wine. It’s a cheap bottle of Montoya Cabernet, but she seemed to be enjoying it. I didn’t want to kill her buzz, either, so I drank it in silence.

  “We fought a case together. Well, against each other,” I explained. I reminisced momentarily of the first time I fought Eliza in court. The client she was representing was a real asshole, but just because a person’s an ass, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve legal representation to keep their butts out of jail.

  “You’re a lawyer?” she gawked.

  “Did I not mention that?”

  “No.” She pressed her pretty lips into a thin line, suddenly clamming up a bit. “Where do you work?”

  “I’m a senior associate with my father’s firm. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Peterson Holt & Tult? Terrance Peterson’s my father.”

  Tia’s jaw fell open as she slammed her hands down on the table, rattling the cutlery and glasses on its surface. “No freaking way,” she gasped. “Are you serious? That’s one of the top law firms in the city!”

  “I know.”

  Tia slumped back into her seat. “Why didn’t you just tell me that?”

  “I didn’t want you to think any less of me,” I admitted. “All my life, people sort of judge me because of who my family is and the wealth that they have. I worry that most people assume I get everything in life without working for it. I wanted you to get to know who I was first, I guess.”

  I didn’t know why I was telling her this. It was just super easy to talk to her. And the way she watched me intently let me know that she was actually listening. Not like Eliza, who used to nod along. She heard me, but she never listened. Maybe that was the difference. Maybe that was why it was so easy to open up to Tia, even if we had only known each other a day. She seemed genuine and bright. She was ambitious, yes, but she was kind and sweet in a way Eliza never had been. Eliza was always looking for another stepping-stone, another situation she could take advantage of to improve her own status.