Hollywood Roommates

by Elizabeth Briggs

  “No one is going to teach anyone a lesson,” Allie says. “I just want my blow dryer back.”

  I give her arm a squeeze. “And we’re going to get it for you. Right now.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  ALLIE

  By the time we pull up outside the apartment I used to share with Parker, it’s already gotten dark. I gaze up at the window of my former living room, which is brightly lit, meaning he—or his new girlfriend—must be inside. Or even worse, both of them together. Barf.

  “I can’t do this,” I say, speaking around the giant lump that’s formed in my throat.

  Shane gives me a stern look from the driver’s seat of his Tesla. “Yes, you can.”

  I can’t breathe. I think I might seriously start hyperventilating. “Maybe you can drive around the block a few times.”

  He scowls at me. “I’m not doing that.”

  Luke rests his large hand on my shoulder from the seat behind me. “We’ll be with you the entire time.”

  “We’ve got your back, Allie,” Matt adds.

  Okay. I can do this. I can face Parker. I can get my stuff back.

  I throw open the car door and leap out before I lose my nerve. The three guys follow me, their doors slamming behind me as I stalk toward the apartment complex. When I get to the gate I nearly turn around, except I know my roommates won’t let me. Having them at my back gives me the courage to enter the gate code, which I still remember. With a faint buzz, it opens.

  We head into the courtyard of the apartment complex, which is a small, square area dotted with grass, olive trees, and pink flowers. I brush past it all and climb the stairs. I’m on a mission now, like a princess with her three knights sent to take down a dragon and steal his treasure.

  No. My treasure.

  When we reach the door to my old apartment, I take a second to draw in a breath and gather my strength. Shane gives me an encouraging nod, Matt offers me a warm smile, and Luke looks like he might tear the door down himself if I don’t.

  I ring the doorbell.

  The next few moments last a lifetime. I nearly turn around and bolt. I swear I age three years in the pause before when the door finally opens, revealing Parker on the other site.

  “Allie,” he says. “What are you doing here?”

  He’s wearing jeans and the pale blue shirt I got him for Christmas. My heart clenches with pain, remembering how happy we were that day, but then I fight it off.

  “I’m here to get the rest of my stuff.”

  His brow furrows. “I didn’t realize you left anything here.”

  “Well, I did. Can we come in?”

  “Uh, yeah,” he says as he opens the door. “Who are these people?”

  “We’re the guys she’s living with now,” Matt says.

  “You can see she traded up,” Luke adds.

  I brush past Parker, whose mouth is hanging open at the sight of the three tall actors, and step into my old apartment. Since I gave up my own place to move in with him, most of the furniture isn’t mine. Still it brings back memories of all the time we spent in this apartment together. Watching TV on the couch. Making breakfast together on Sundays. Playing card games with friends at the dining table. All things I will never do with him again.

  “Wait,” Parker says, glancing between the three men. “You’re Luke Hart. Like from the Death Strikes movies.” His eyes somehow get even bigger as he takes this all in. “And Shane Easton from Talon. Holy crap. I watch that show every week.”

  Matt raises his eyebrows, like he’s waiting to be recognized, but then sighs dramatically. “Come on, Allie. Let’s get your crap so we can get out of here.”

  Fine with me. I start in the bathroom, grabbing my blow dryer first. Matt follows me inside with a packing box in hand and stands there while I go through every drawer and cabinet, pulling out anything I bought. This time, I won’t be rushed.

  The bedroom is next, although I can barely stand to enter it. It reminds me of all the good times we had in there, but also that he probably screws his new girlfriend there in our bed. Oddly, there’s no trace of her in the apartment. No lipstick tubes, no high heels, no pictures of them together. Nothing.

  The other guys follow me in to the bedroom and Shane offers another empty box. I pull out some clothes I left behind, along with a pair of tennis shoes I find in the back of the closet, then point at the TV. “That’s mine too.”

  “Wait—” Parker starts, but Shane cuts him off with a sharp glare.

  “I paid for it. Therefore, it’s coming with me.” Damn, it feels good to stand up to him.

  “We’ll get it,” Luke says.

  As I check the closet for anything I missed, Luke and Matt unplug the TV and lift it easily, then carry it out of the apartment while Parker gapes at us like he can’t believe this is happening. I search the living room and kitchen—finding my favorite spatula and muffin tin—and then I’m done.

  “That’s it,” I tell Shane. “Could you give us a moment please?”

  “Fine,” he says with a frown. “But I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

  As soon as he steps out, Parker asks, “What’s going on, Allie? You live with those guys now?”

  “Yeah, I do.” I glance around the apartment again. “Where’s your new girlfriend?”

  He rubs the back of his neck and won’t meet my eyes. “She uh…decided not to move in with me after all.”

  “Figures.” I start for the door, but then stop. Luke’s words about closure echo in my brain. This is my last chance to get it. I turn around. “Why did you do it?”

  “Because I’m an idiot,” he says, his face falling. “I gave up the best thing in my life for a stupid fling. I’m sorry.”

  “You are an idiot. But I’m glad you cheated on me so I found out what a dickhead you are now and not after we were married. I just wish I hadn’t wasted a year of my life on you.” I open the door. “Goodbye, Parker.”

  I step outside, where my three roommates are waiting for me, and my shoulders relax. I was so worried about facing Parker again, but now I feel vindicated—and like I can breathe for the first time in days. Luke was right, this was a good idea.

  I smile at the three men holding my stuff. “Let’s go home.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  ALLIE

  We return home triumphant, like the underdog sports team in a sappy movie right after they finally won the big game against their rivals. After the guys help me bring all my stuff in, Shane pops open a bottle of red wine, while the rest of us spread out around the living room. I get comfortable on one of the boxy white couches, while Shane sits beside me and begins pouring wine for all of us. The two Hart brothers lounge around me on the other furniture, effortlessly moving into Instagram-worthy poses that somehow look both sexy and casual. Genetics, man. So unfair.

  “How are you feeling, Allie?” Luke asks.

  “Like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” I smile at him and then the other guys. “Thanks for all your help tonight.”

  “It was nothing,” Shane says.

  “That guy was a tool,” Matt says, raising his glass. “Good riddance.”

  “Yes, he was. I think I can finally move on now.” I take a slow sip of my wine and let it warm me up. “But enough about Parker. I’m done letting him take up space in my brain. Let’s talk about something else.”

  “Like what?” Matt asks.

  I swirl my glass as I consider. “Hmm. How did you all meet?”

  “This guy?” Matt says, pointing his wine at Luke. “I have no idea who this guy is.”

  Luke grabs his little brother in a rough hug and messes up his hair, while Matt groans. I love seeing them together. It reminds me of being with my older sister.

  Shane shakes his head at them. “I met Matt in an improv class.”

  “Improv?” I let out a surprised laugh.

  Matt yanks away from his brother with a grin. “Yep. The one thing Shane is terrible at.”

&nb
sp; Shane scowls and pours himself more wine. “I took it as a way to keep from losing my mind while I was in law school. Or perhaps to piss off my parents. As Matt says, it wasn’t my favorite thing, but we became roommates after that. I met Luke through him a year later.”

  “I know Shane and Brooke grew up in Los Angeles, but what about you two?” I ask the brothers.

  “Our family’s in Kansas,” Luke says. “I moved here the minute I finished college. Matt followed me two years later.”

  “Wow, that must have been a big change for you.”

  “Definitely. It was rough at first. I was just another dumb kid moving to LA to try to become an actor, working as a waiter on the side. Sometimes I’m amazed it worked out.”

  “For one of us anyway,” Matt mutters.

  Luke clasps him on the shoulder. “Your time will come.”

  “What do your parents think of that?” I asked.

  “They’re proud of us.” Luke shrugs. “But they’d be proud no matter what we did.”

  “Mine are like that too,” I say. “But—”

  Then I shriek when I see a spider crawl across the couch beside me. I jump up and back into the glass windows, nearly spilling my wine in the process. “Get it away from me!”

  All three guys stare at me like I’m completely nuts. “Are you all right?” Shane asks.

  “Spider!” I point at it, then cover my eyes. “Oh god, I can’t look.”

  Luke bursts out into loud, friendly laughter, and Matt joins in too. When I peek, even Shane is smirking.

  I stomp my foot. “This is serious!”

  That only makes them laugh even harder. “Your face,” Matt says, doubling over.

  “It’s just a small spider,” Shane says, shaking his head. “But I’ll take care of it.”

  “Thank you.” I refuse to inch any closer until he retrieves a paper towel and gets rid of the vicious monster.

  Luke chuckles. “So when you said you were deathly afraid of spiders, you weren’t kidding.”

  “I always have been.” I shudder. “They’re just so creepy.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll keep you safe,” Matt says, with a flirty smile.

  “All you did was laugh at me!” Now that the threat is gone, my heart rate is slowing down to normal levels again and I can laugh it off. “Shane’s the only one who was willing to save me.” I sit back down beside him and flutter my eyelashes at him dramatically. “My brave defender.”

  Heat sparks between us as our eyes meet, but then he clears his throat and looks away with a frown. “It was just a spider. Don’t make a big deal out of it.” He abruptly rises to his feet. “I’ve got an early morning. Good night.”

  My heart sinks as he storms off. Every time I think the two of us are forming a connection, he shoots me down.

  “Don’t mind him,” Luke says. “Shane is always prickly.”

  I force a smile. “It’s fine. But I’m going to head to bed too. Thanks again for all your help tonight.”

  “It was our pleasure,” Matt says. “And if you need company in bed…”

  I roll my eyes with a laugh. “You wish.”

  I leave the guys behind and head downstairs. Shane’s door is closed, but the light is on. I consider knocking and saying something to him, but decide it’s best to let him be. Instead, I head into my room and survey all the boxes with my reclaimed stuff in them, along with my TV on the dresser. With a big, relieved sigh I throw myself on the bed and sink into the lush sheets. My relationship with Parker is truly over and for once I’m not sad about it anymore. That chapter of my life is over—and a new one is starting now, right here in this house. I can’t wait to turn the page and see what happens next.

  Chapter Fifteen

  ALLIE

  Brooke nudges me with her beer. “Check it out. Hot guy at six o’clock.”

  I swivel around to look at the guy she’s eyeing, who’s standing at the bar and ordering a drink from Matt. “You’re right, he is hot. I’m so proud of you for noticing.”

  “I know what you like, even if I’d rather be looking at that woman in the corner with the tattooed arms.” She nudges me again. “Go on. Go talk to him.”

  “No way.” It’s been a week since I got my stuff back from Parker, and I decided I was ready to venture out to meet men again, this time with Brooke in tow. Only problem is, the one guy in here I want is Matt and he’s not on the menu. For me, anyway. Other women are flirting with him left and right, making my blood boil.

  Ugh, maybe coming to this bar again was a mistake.

  “Why not?” Brooke asks. “You said you were ready to get back out there.”

  As Matt flashes a blond woman a flirty smile while pouring her a drink, jealousy simmers inside me. “Fine, I’ll go talk to him if you go talk to that girl you’ve been checking out for the last ten minutes.”

  Brooke shakes her head. “I don’t have time for a relationship right now.”

  “You have time to hang out in a bar with me.”

  “That’s different. You’re my favorite person in the world, other than myself, of course. I’ll always make time for you.” Her eyes flick back to the tattooed woman, who takes a sip of her drink and flashes a come-hither smile at Brooke. “Besides, we’re trying to get you some rebound sex. That guy is perfect.”

  I glance over at the guy again. He’s definitely handsome, with neatly trimmed dark hair, a clean-shaven face, and a good smile. He looks like a nice guy, but not too nice, if you know what I mean. But he’s only a few inches taller than me and he’s a bit scrawny for my tastes. I’m not exactly a small girl, after all. In fact, I’m pretty sure I could crush him. At least Parker had enough meat on his bones that I didn’t think I’d hurt him if I was on top. And the guys I’m living with now, well, any one of which could probably pick me up and bang me in the middle of this room without breaking a sweat.

  Just as I shove that delicious image to the back of my mind, Shane himself walks in, his eyes scouring the room until they rest on me. My hackles instantly rise and I down the rest of my drink, then glance back at the new guy at the bar.

  “What do I do?” I ask Brooke.

  “Go over there and talk to him.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yep. Just like that.”

  “Okay. I’m going in.” I stand up, fix my skirt, adjust my boobs, and walk over to him like I’m going into battle. I have no idea what I’ll say, but when does that ever stop me?

  I’m pretty sure Shane and Matt both watch the entire time, but that only spurs me on. As I approach the guy at the bar, I flash him my most dazzling smile and he grins back at me. I’m pretty sure I weigh double what he weighs, but it’s fine. I won’t judge him by his size, like I hope he won’t judge me by mine. We’ll just make sure he’s on top.

  “Hi there,” the guy says, as I slide onto the barstool next to him. “I haven’t seen you in here before.”

  “This is only my second time coming here.”

  “Must be my lucky night.” He offers his hand. “I’m Keith.”

  I shake his hand. “Allie.”

  “Let me get you a drink.” He waves Matt over with a casual smile.

  Matt stops in front of us and gives a forced grin I’ve never seen before, like he’s gritting his teeth the entire time. “What’ll it be?”

  “Another strawberry lemoncello martini,” I tell him.

  “Coming right up.” He glares at the guy flirting with me, then turns away to make my drink.

  Shane is also shooting daggers at the guy from where he sits with Brooke. I’m honestly surprised they care so much. They could have almost any woman in here—hell, they could have most women in Los Angeles and quite a few men too—but they’re acting like they want me. Even after making me sign a contract saying they couldn’t have me.

  Talk about an ego boost. For the first time since Parker I feel sexy, confident, and desired. Even if I have no real interest in Keith, I’ve got to keep this going.

  �
��So what do you do, Allie?” Keith asks.

  “I’m a high school English teacher. What about you?”

  “I’m an accountant.”

  We chit chat for the next fifteen minutes, but I barely listen to a word he says. Matt brings me a drink and when his fingertips brush against my knuckles as he hands it to me, I swear he does it on purpose. Brooke finally goes to chat with the tattooed woman in the corner, leaving Shane sitting alone, looking all broody and hot in his booth as he tries very hard to not watch me with this guy.

  By the time Keith leaves, I’ve got his number and a date with him tomorrow night. I flash a triumphant smile at Matt. “You were right. I did need to get out and have a little fun.”

  “Good for you,” he says, but he doesn’t sound like he means it. He turns his back to me as he makes another drink.

  I grab my martini and head over to the booth before Shane’s laser beam eyes burn through my back. I’m hoping Brooke will save me from the awkwardness, but when I glance over, she’s making out with that girl. Guess I’m on my own then.

  “What was that about?” Shane asks, his voice dripping with disdain.

  “I’m just doing what Matt suggested and getting back out there again.”

  His eyes narrow. “You should know by now to never listen to Matt.”

  A sexy giggle from the corner draws our attention to Brooke and her new fling. “Looks like your sister is getting lucky tonight,” I say with a grin.

  “Good. She works too much.”

  “So do you.” I barely ever see Shane during the week. He’s up at the crack of dawn and doesn’t return home ‘til late. For some reason it makes me sad, even though when we’re together we seem to mostly butt heads.

  “Our shooting schedule is brutal at the moment because we’re doing a crossover with another show. It should calm down next week. The crew loved the muffins by the way. Thanks for that.”

  “You’re welcome,” I say, feeling all warm from his praise. “Did you always know you wanted to be an actor?” For once, Shane is talking to me like a civilized person. I’m not letting this chance to learn more about him slip by.