I Belong With You

by Ashelyn Drake

  “Agreed on both accounts.”

  That can only mean they’re asking me first because they think I won’t be foolish enough to say no. No other paper would hire me for an editorial position at my age and level of experience. They know I won’t jeopardize my job over this. “I get it.” I stand up.

  “Emily, please don’t take this the wrong way. Terry and I love you. Your job is safe here. Trust me. You can say no to this, and honestly, that’s why I’m asking you in private instead of sitting down with both you and David.”

  Now she has my attention. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve seen you two interact, and before this week, I would have said you’d both jump at this opportunity. But something’s changed between you. I don’t know what, and I don’t need to. It’s your life, but I’m sensing some tension, and if that will prevent you from writing a solid piece with David, then I’ll understand and we’ll drop this idea.”

  She’d really shelf the idea if I were uncomfortable working with David? I shouldn’t be surprised. Aria is great, and she’s always thinking of people’s feelings. “What would you tell Mr. M. if I said no?”

  “I’d come up with another great plan for increasing our readership and pitch that to him instead.”

  She really is the best, but I can’t let her do that for me. “You’re right. Something did change this week, but not what you’re probably thinking.” After David and I broke up and not much changed between us at work, rumors started that we were still together but keeping it a secret. Neither David nor I bothered to clear up the rumors. People would think what they wanted to anyway.

  “Okay, so I’ll come up with a plan B.”

  “No. You don’t have to. What changed is that I have to move out of my apartment. David has a spare room and offered to be my roommate.”

  “Oh.” Her head jerks back. “And you said yes,” she continues. “In that case, I think we better wait on this idea and see how things work out with your new living arrangements.”

  Her words hit me hard. She clearly doesn’t think this is a good idea either. My whole world suddenly feels like it’s spinning out of control.

  Chapter Four

  David

  Emily was strange for the rest of the workday. She wouldn’t tell me what she and Aria talked about either, which I found very odd. All she said was she couldn’t leave early. I didn’t press, not wanting to make things any more awkward between us.

  I pull into my parking spot in the garage below my apartment complex, and Emily’s Altima takes the spot next to me. Each resident gets one parking spot per bedroom in the apartment, though we don’t have assigned spaces. I cut the engine and get out of my Impala. Emily’s car is filled with boxes, so I open the rear passenger door and start hauling out a few.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Emily says, stepping out of the car.

  “What, you think I’m going to stand back and watch you carry all this upstairs by yourself? That’s crazy.” And not at all how I was raised. My parents made sure I always offered a hand at home.

  “Well, don’t go nuts. We’re going to have to make multiple trips.”

  I look at the number of boxes. “I think you’re right. Do you know three of these are labeled ‘shoes’? That can’t possibly be right.”

  “It’s not. There’s another in the trunk.” She laughs, and for the first time since Monday, she seems like herself. Maybe seeing that my apartment complex is in a good part of town and close to work brightened her spirits.

  I balance two large boxes in my arms and use my hip to shut the car door. “Ready?” I ask.

  Emily eyes me over the two boxes she has in her arms. “Lead the way.”

  I bring her to the elevator at the end of the row we’re parked in and use the corner of the bottom box to press the button.

  “Nice move,” she says.

  “Tricks of the trade.” I have no idea why that comes out of my mouth. I’ve never worked as a professional mover before. Luckily, Emily doesn’t question it. When the elevator arrives, we step inside and I press the button for the fourth floor.

  “Is it always this quiet?” Emily asks.

  “At this time of day, it’s not bad. When six o’clock rolls around, it’s a different story.” Most people in the building seem to be on the same schedule. Luckily, it’s not my schedule, so I usually don’t have to deal with long waits for the elevator.

  “Good to know. How long have you been in this building?”

  “About four years now. My sister and I moved in together straight out of college. And before you ask, we’re twins and we actually get along really well. I was kind of sad when she moved out to pursue a new job opportunity in California.”

  “California?” She shifts the boxes in her arms, making me wonder if taking two boxes was one too many. It’s possible she was trying to match what I was doing.

  “You okay with those?”

  “Yeah. So, your sister—what is she doing out in California?” Her voice is strained, but I can tell she doesn’t want help.

  “Acting. She got in with this director and was commuting to New York for a while. Then he moved out to California, and he asked her to go with him.”

  “Oh. Were they romantically involved, or was it strictly professional?”

  That’s what I want to know. “Monica never confirmed or denied either way, so your guess is as good as mine.”

  The elevator opens, and I step off first since Emily doesn’t know where she’s going yet. I lead us down the hall to the right. I always found it odd that we never came back to my place when we were dating, but I guess that was part of her keeping things on her terms. “We’re 405.” I stop walking a few feet from the door when I realize my key is in my pocket.

  “What’s wrong?” Emily asks. “Did you forget your key?”

  “Sort of. It’s in my pocket. Rookie mistake.” I should have taken it out before I loaded myself up with boxes. “I’ll just put these down and open the door.”

  Emily puts her boxes down instead. “My arms need a break. Which pocket?” she asks.

  She wants to fish the key out of my pocket for me?

  “Do you have something in your pocket you don’t want me to find, or are you being shy?” she teases.

  She has to pick this moment to flirt with me again? The last thing I need is to get an erection when her hand is in my pocket.

  “I’m going to need an answer in the next three seconds or I’ll just dive into both at the same time.” She mimes plunging her hands into my pockets.

  “My right. Your left.”

  “Front or back?” she asks.

  “Front,” I say, trying to picture my grandmother in her bathing suit—anything to keep from concentrating on Emily’s hand in my pants.

  She steps around the boxes to my right side and slides her hand inside my pocket. I keep my body as stiff as possible, not wanting to move and make her hand graze anything it shouldn’t. Even if I’d like it to. She grabs my keys and pulls them out.

  “Got it.” She holds them up. “Now, which one is it?”

  “The silver one next to my car key.”

  “What are all the others for?” she asks, getting the apartment key and inserting it in the lock.

  “My parents’ house. Their front door and side door. When they go away, I check on the house for them.”

  “That’s sweet,” she says, pushing the door open and stepping aside to let me go in first.

  I walk into the apartment and place the boxes on the kitchen table to the left. Then I grab one of the boxes she left in the hallway while she grabs the other. After we put them down, I ask, “Do you want a tour first, or should we go get the rest of your things?”

  “Tour, please.” She loops her arm through mine and smiles. Now this is the Emily I’m used to. The one who doesn’t think twice about touching me. I’m much more at ease with her when she’s like this.

  “Okay, so this is the kitchen table, even though it’s not tec
hnically in the kitchen. That’s over here to your right.” I bring her into the small kitchen that has a countertop for eating, a stove, a refrigerator, a microwave, and several cabinets.

  “I don’t cook much. Eggs, sandwiches, and occasionally pasta.” She looks embarrassed by this, and I’m not sure why.

  “Well, I love to cook, so if you buy the food, I’ll cook whatever you’d like.”

  “A man who cooks, I like that,” she says, giving my arm a squeeze.

  I move on to the living room before I can read too much into her comment. “This is the living room. Monica picked out the furniture. She was big into leather at the time. It gets hot if you leave the curtains open though, so be forewarned.”

  “Nice coffee table. My old apartment had a glass one. It was a bitch to keep clean.” She runs her free hand over the cherry wood.

  “If you’re willing to clean, we are going to get along just fine.”

  “You cook, and I’ll clean. I can deal with that.” She nods as I bring her over to the TV, which is in the corner on a small stand.

  “I have the sports package and all the premium channels.”

  “Nice.”

  “You watch sports?” I ask.

  “Basketball, tennis, and football,” she says. “I can’t stand to watch golf and baseball, though. Way too boring.”

  I laugh because I watch both. “And over here are the bedrooms. This one in the corner is mine. I hope you don’t mind. It’s the bigger of the two.” I bring her inside my room, which, admittedly, is messy. My bed is unmade, my closet door is open with shoes spilling out of it, and the chair in the corner has the shirt and boxers I slept in last night draped over the arm.

  “I see why you bargained for me to clean.”

  “I didn’t mean my room,” I say, grabbing the clothes from last night and stuffing them into the hamper by the door.

  “I was teasing. Relax.” She tugs me out of the room. “Show me my room.”

  I motion toward the next door. “That’s the bathroom between the two bedrooms. There’s a bathtub, a single sink with a vanity, and obviously, the toilet.” I let her look inside on her own while I wait in the living room.

  “I can work with that.” She points to the next bedroom door, which is only slightly ajar. “Mine?”

  I nod and motion for her to go inside.

  She pushes the door open and smiles. “I don’t know your sister, but tell her I love her.”

  The room is still fully furnished. Monica didn’t take much with her to California because she didn’t want to pay to have it all moved out there. It was cheaper to buy all new things. The bed is a king with huge plush pillows. There’s a nightstand on either side of the bed. The closet is narrow but runs the full length of one wall. The dresser in the corner by the window has a large screen television perched on top.

  “I’m sure everything is dusty from sitting unused,” I say.

  “It’s perfect. My last bedroom was about half this size.” She whirls around and hugs me. “Thank you, David. You really are my hero for bailing me out like this.” She pulls back and looks me in the eyes.

  My body responds to her closeness, and I take a step back and run a hand through my hair. “Well, we should go get the rest of your things and head out to Last Call before everyone wonders where we are.” I start for the door, wondering how on earth I’m going to get through this when I’m already dying to start things up with her again.

  A half hour later, Emily’s boxes are in her room and I change into jeans and a dark blue polo shirt. She’s in the bathroom getting ready to go. I almost feel like I’m on a date, waiting for her to get ready so we can go out for the evening. It’s silly to take two cars, so we’ll probably drive together, too. Is this how it’s going to be from now on? These are things I didn’t consider before I offered to be her roommate.

  The bathroom door opens, and I get up from my place on the couch, switching the TV off and laying the remote on the coffee table. I grab my wallet and stuff it into my back pocket.

  “Do you want me to—?” I raise my head and catch a glimpse of her for the first time. She’s wearing tiny khaki shorts and a low-cut black satin top. Her long, dark hair falls straight down her back.

  “Want you to what?” she asks, grabbing her purse from her bedroom doorknob.

  “Um, drive. Do you want me to drive? Or do you want to take separate cars?” She might meet someone at the bar and go home with him. Or bring him back here. God, I didn’t think about that either.

  “If you don’t mind driving, that would be great. I can only have one drink if I have to drive myself home. I’m sort of a lightweight. Not that I have to tell you.”

  No, she doesn’t have to tell me. I’ve been out with her numerous times.

  She starts for the door, and I peek at her ass.

  Dom was right. Living with Emily might be the thing that kills me.

  Chapter Five

  Emily

  After seeing how perfect the apartment is, I feel much more at ease. David is a great guy. He’s been nothing but sweet to me, so I’m not sure why I was so panicked. Yes, he is incredibly good-looking, but I’ve been around good-looking men before. I can handle this. Except none of those men have been my exes-turned-roommate.

  When we arrive at Last Call, everyone else is already there. Nate waves us over, and I’m surprised to see Aria is with him.

  “Hey, I thought you had to work late,” I say, giving her a hug.

  “Nate stayed a little late and helped me get everything finished early so I could come hang out with you guys tonight.” Her eyes go to David a few feet away. “How did moving in go?” she asks, keeping her voice low.

  “Fine. The place is pretty amazing.”

  “And so is David,” she says.

  I turn and look at him. He’s talking to Nate and Simon, one of the staff writers. David’s gaze rises and meets mine before I turn back to Aria. “This can work, right?”

  “It could. But that depends on how you mean it.”

  “When you and Nate were just best friends, did you...? How do I put this?”

  Aria laughs. “You always say it like it is. Don’t let me stop you.”

  “Okay, did you have a hard time not thinking about what he looked like in the shower? I mean, you weren’t blind. You knew he was insanely gorgeous. You had to think about him that way, right?”

  Her gaze flitters to Nate, and she smiles. “Of course. Sometimes it’s hard not to picture him that way.”

  “Okay, how much have you had to drink?” I ask her.

  “Too much already. I assure you.”

  I laugh. “My girl is getting good and liquored tonight.” I raise my hand to flag down Caleb. “Caleb, Aria needs another of whatever she’s drinking, and I’ll take an Amstel Light, please.” I love that I can drink with my boss like this.

  Caleb brings Aria another drink, which looks a lot like the signature drink he made for her on her birthday. Then he uncaps an Amstel for me. “So, you came with David, huh?”

  “We’re roommates now,” I say, taking a sip of my beer.

  “That’s convenient.” Caleb smiles and wags his eyebrows before walking down the bar to help another customer.

  “Why does everyone react that way?” I ask Aria.

  “Because no one can figure out why you two broke up.”

  We broke up because I didn’t want to hurt him. He was good to me. Too good at times. I could tell he was getting serious very quickly, and if I’d continued to date him, I would have broken his heart. I could never hurt him that way. It was for the best that I broke it off early on. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.

  “Hi, Emily.”

  I turn at the sound of James’s voice. “Oh, good. You got my email. I wasn’t sure when I didn’t hear back from you.”

  “I replied around five thirty. I guess you were already gone for the day,” he said.

  “Yeah, I was moving into my new apartment.”

  �
��Oh? Where is it?” He steps behind Simon and leans against the bar.

  “I’m going to steal Nate,” Aria says. “Emily, you can have my seat.”

  “Thanks.” I take the barstool she just vacated and watch her walk up to Nate, who immediately wraps his arm around her waist. “Those two are so sweet together.”

  James turns to look at them. “They’re practically engaged.”

  “They’ve known each other for years.” That’s the only way I think a relationship can work. By getting to know someone for years so you know it’s going to last before you jump into a big commitment. Growing up, I wished my parents had done that. Or my grandparents. Maybe then, someone in my family would be able to say they found a way to make marriage work. Instead, it was divorce after divorce after divorce. That won’t be me.

  I take another sip of my Amstel and notice David is glaring at the back of James’s head. I mouth, “What?” to him, but he shakes his head and resumes his conversation with Simon.

  “So you never said where you moved to,” James says, drawing my attention back to him.

  “Oh, I’m in the apartment complex on Crystal Street.”

  “I know the one. Nice place. If you need help moving in, let me know.”

  “Thanks. I think David and I have it covered, though.”

  “David? As in David Burke, the guy we work with?”

  The way he says it makes me think he has a real problem with David. Did I miss something that happened between these two? “Yes, that David. Why am I getting the impression you don’t care much for him?”

  James stands up straight. “He’s fine. I just think he hits on you a lot. I mean, you broke up with him, right? It’s kind of odd for you to move in with him unless you two are seeing each other again.”

  “It’s not odd at all. David is a great guy. I needed a place to stay, and he had a spare room. It makes complete sense. And we only dated for a couple weeks. We’re friends. We get along really well. If people interpret that as flirting, then that’s their problem.” I take another sip of my beer to stop the words that are spewing out of my mouth at an insane pace. Why am I suddenly getting so defensive?