Accidental Roommate

by Katie Kyler

  Footsteps came down the hallway, and a familiar voice spoke, though the words weren’t clear. As the door opened, Tyler gripped my hand more tightly. For just a moment, I stopped breathing.

  Chapter 18

  Tyler

  Both sets of eyes were glued to Grayce as soon as they walked into the room. I didn’t think either Sanderson or Carter even noticed I was there. Sanderson was staring straight at her, and I didn’t like the look on his face one bit. I was sitting there with this incredible woman, who I cared about, who I wanted to protect and make happy, and in walk the two guys who had hurt her. I swear, if I had known that dickhead Sanderson was going to keep torturing her by refusing to go away, I would’ve done a hell of a lot more than fracture his jaw.

  As they approached the conference table, I stood up. Douchebag lawyer and asshole client both sat down. The asshole’s face was pretty swollen.

  “I’ll be speaking on behalf of my client, as his jaw is wired shut from the injuries he sustained during the attack by Mr. Bennett,” Carter said.

  “I believe you mean when Mr. Bennett intervened in the sexual assault Mr. Sanderson was in the process of perpetrating,” Grayce immediately snapped back.

  “Really Grayce? I think that term is a bit of a stretch.” Carter still hadn’t taken his eyes off of her. My blood was boiling.

  He went through all the allegations and then came down to terms. “So, my client is willing to settle this claim for one-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars and is willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of the settlement.”

  I shook my head, and Grayce gently touched my forearm. I saw Carter’s eyes follow her hand as she did.

  “Carter, you’re being totally unrealistic. First of all, my client was intervening in an attack to save Mr. Sanderson’s victim from his assault. Second of all, even if a jury were to believe that my client had been in any way responsible, which they won’t, he has limited financial resources.” She sat with her hands neatly folded. She was completely cool, unfazed by any of his attempts to incite her.

  “Grayce, I know he’s a model.” He turned to me. “In fact, isn’t that you I’ve seen in Times Square? Besides, I understand that he is in a relationship with an attorney. Certainly, her resources aren’t as limited.” He was still staring at me as he said it. It was a look of bitterness, and that subtle look of the fear of imminent defeat.

  “Mr. Bennett is not married. Therefore, the only assets to which he has access are his own.” She opened the folder in front of her. “So, it appears we are at an impasse. Let’s move on to discuss the suit against Mr. Sanderson. I am seeking two-hundred-fifty thousand dollars in restitution for the traumatic attack I endured at the hands of your client.”

  “It’s retaliatory. No jury will ever buy this story,” he argued.

  “We have video of the attack from two separate angles. The video shows my client being attacked by your client when he came to my aid. Furthermore, I have your client’s service record with the NYPD. He has been under investigation by IAB four different times for sexual harassment and allegations of assault,” Grayce said.

  The asshole made a gurgling sound and hit Carter on the arm. He scribbled something, and Carter made a motion with his hand as if to tell him not to worry about it.

  Grayce slid a stack of photos across the table. “Here you go. Take a look at those and tell me you believe a jury won’t see the truth.”

  Carter flipped through the images and shook his head. “I’d like a moment with my client.” The two of them stepped outside the conference room.

  I turned to Grayce and put my hand on top of hers. “Are you okay?”

  She gave me the sweetest smile, those blue eyes filled with fire. “I am,” she said. “I think we’re making progress.”

  “I’m sorry you have to be here. I’m sorry you have to face those two assholes,” I said.

  “That part sucks, but I’m glad I can be here for you.” Her smile was so sweet. All I wanted to do was kiss her. I could practically taste her skin on my lips.

  Carter and Sanderson came back in a few minutes later. Sanderson looked pissed, which made me happy.

  “I’ve talked to my client, and based on the new evidence, we’re willing to settle for medical costs.” Carter’s tone was smug, even though he was basically caving.

  “We’ll concede with a ten-thousand-dollar cap,” Grayce replied. “If you are willing to settle my suit against your client as well.”

  Sanderson threw his hands up and shook his head.

  “What are you proposing?” Carter asked.

  “Ten thousand dollars for the pain and trauma I underwent at the hands of your client, and I agree to withdraw my criminal complaint.” She crossed her arms and pursed her lips.

  “Agreed. I’ll draw up the paperwork.” Carter stood and put his hand out for Grayce to shake. She took it, pumped the handshake once, and pulled her hand away. His fingers lingered as she tried to pull her hand back. I almost came out of my skin.

  We walked out of the office, and Grayce looked up to me with her back toward Carter and Sanderson. I looked down at her and she mouthed the words, “Fuck yeah!”

  “I need to hit the bathroom,” I said as we got the elevators.

  “I’ll wait here.” She walked to the end of the hall and sat down on a bench. “The bathroom is right around the corner.”

  I hit the head, and as I came back down the hall, I heard Grayce’s voice. I paused before I turned the corner. I tried to tell myself that it was to give Grayce some privacy, but in reality, I wanted to hear what was going on and make sure she could handle whatever the asshole was saying.

  “So anyway, yeah, that’s completely over,” Carter said.

  “Kay dumped you, huh? It didn’t take her long – maybe she’s smarter than me,” Grayce replied.

  “I was a fool, Grayce.” Carter’s voice lowered. “I know I don’t have any right to ask you to forgive me. I just – Grayce, I was weak. I never should’ve cheated on someone as amazing as you. I should’ve appreciated what I had.”

  “I don’t know what you expect me to say to that,” Grayce said.

  “I was just thinking…if you haven’t already filed the papers, maybe you’d be willing to give us another try.”

  My blood was boiling. I stood there a moment to see what her response would be. I expected her to tell him to fuck off. I wanted her to say she wasn’t interested. I willed her to say there was someone else. I waited, but she said nothing.

  Heart breaking, I took a deep breath and stepped around the corner. “Ready to go?”

  “Hi.” Grayce looked at me and gave me a half smile.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow, Grayce,” Carter said, glaring at me.

  Grayce didn’t respond. She just stepped into the elevator with me when it arrived.

  I didn’t say much on the way back to the apartment. I was somewhere between angry and hurt, but closer to angry. I couldn’t believe that she thought so little of herself that she would even entertain the idea of letting that asshole back into her life. I played the field, but I never cheated. One thing I knew from my friends that cheated was that it was who they were. Once they cheated, it seemed like they couldn’t stop themselves.

  “Are you okay?” Grayce asked as we walked in the door. “You seemed quiet on the way home.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” I went into the bedroom and changed into a t-shirt and shorts. I had to get out of here. I couldn’t be in the same room with her without saying something.

  “Hey,” she said when I came out of the bedroom. “What’s going on with you?”

  “I said nothing,” I replied, walking toward the door.

  She grabbed my arm. “Tyler, something is going on. I don’t think it’s fair for you to blow me off like this.”

  I turned to look at her and there was hurt all over her face. I waited for her to keep speaking.

  “I thought you’d be happy,” she said. “We won.”

  “I hea
rd you.” I pulled my arm from her hand.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I heard you. With Carter. I just can’t believe you, Grayce, you know that?” I paced back and forth.

  “Tyler, you didn’t hear anything because there was nothing to hear.” She threw her arms up in the air. “But while we’re at it, I don’t appreciate you eavesdropping on my conversation.”

  “I heard him begging you to take him back, and I didn’t hear you saying no, either.” I glared at her.

  “Tyler, you don’t know what it’s like. I mean, it wasn’t for very long, but we were married. I don’t care how big an asshole he is, that’s hard to walk away from.” She shook her head. “I didn’t say I’d take him back.”

  “But you didn’t say you wouldn’t, either. You were so hellbent that I wasn’t worth taking a chance on because I dated too many women, or because I didn’t have some fancy job. Is that it, Grayce? A guy can be an asshole as long as he has money? Would that have made a difference?”

  As my words hit her, her face fell. There was pain behind her eyes, and I had put it there. As angry as I was, I felt like a complete asshole.

  Part of me was torn apart, but at the same time, I believed it was true. If I’d had some slick job where I wore a suit every day, maybe she would’ve given me a chance. Instead, I was some guy who worked at the gym. Just worked at the gym.

  “Why would I think you’d even want me to take a chance on you?” She walked over and sat on the edge of the sofa to face me. “You fucked another woman in the room next to mine, and then after we hooked up, and I said it was a bad idea, you didn’t even fight for me. Was I crazy to assume that I was just another hookup? After all, isn’t that your thing?”

  “After that night, I thought…forget it. I don’t know what I was thinking.” I shook my head.

  “What were you thinking? What did you think would happen after that night?” She stood, her arms crossed, then took a step toward me. Her eyes were pleading as she put her fingertips on my forearms, which were still crossed in front of me. “Tell me what you thought, Tyler.”

  Her fingertips felt like fire on my skin. I wanted to tell her I thought she might be the woman that could make me fall for her. I wanted to tell her that I wanted her. That’s not what I said.

  “I thought that you were smart enough not to fall for Carter’s bullshit a second time. I guess I was wrong.”

  She squinted at me, like she wasn’t sure I was telling the truth. Of course I wasn’t. I got up walked out before she could question me further. I had to get out of there. I decided to go see Shane.

  “Jesus, brother, you look like shit,” Shane said as soon as he opened the door. “Did it go that bad?”

  “You gonna let me in, shithead, or stand there flapping your jaws?” I said as I pushed past him.

  “By all means, please come in,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Beer?”

  “Nope. Harder.”

  “Oh shit. How could you lose the case?” he asked, retrieving a bottle of Jack Daniels from the top of the fridge and joining me in the living room with two glasses. He poured a shot into each one.

  “Actually, it’s all settled. Grayce was fucking brilliant.” I sighed and downed the whiskey.

  “I don’t get it. The criminal charge didn’t stick, and you got the civil suit taken care of – what’s the problem?”

  I rubbed my face with my palms. “She’s the problem.”

  “Don’t tell me you…you fucked her?” He shook his head. “Dude, big mistake.”

  “It’s not what you think, Shane. When you met Becky, how did you know she was the one?”

  “Holy shit, I never thought I’d hear that question from you.” He paused as if he was thinking about the answer. “You know, once I met her, I just didn’t want to be with anyone else. It was like, as soon as I met Becky, I just wanted to be with her, and protect her, and make her happy.”

  I leaned my head back on the top of the sofa cushion. “Fuck,” I said, holding out my glass for another shot.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” he said.

  “That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling about Grayce. I’m just crazy about her. I think about her all the time, and I want to make her happy and keep her safe.”

  “Tyler, man, that’s a good thing. It means there’s something there – something besides just a good fuck.”

  “Well, she was adamant that we stay friends. But that’s not the worst part,” I said. “I overheard her at the law office today. Carter was begging her to take him back.”

  “And she said no way in hell, right?”

  “She didn’t say no – she didn’t say anything,” I said, shaking my head. “It broke my fucking heart.”

  “You don’t think she’d go back with him, though, do you?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, but she was pretty clear about just wanting us to be friends,” I replied.

  “Tyler,” he said, “look at me.”

  I met his eyes.

  He said, “Dude, do you love this girl?”

  “I don’t know. I think – I think I might.”

  “Then go fight for her, man. Love is rare. If you found it, don’t give it up without a fight.”

  Chapter 19

  Grayce

  I couldn’t believe that Tyler would just walk out on me like that. It had been a rough day, but I thought we were in it together.

  I didn’t know what to think about Carter, either. I wasn’t stupid. I knew there was no going back. Even if I had wanted to give him another chance, he would just cheat again.

  The sad thing was, even though I had been with Carter all those years, and even though we had been married, I had finally seen him for who he was.

  Then, there was the Tyler component.

  I should never have slept with Tyler, I knew that. He wasn’t the type of guy to stay around. If you looked up ‘hit it and quit it’ in the dictionary, it would read, example; Tyler Bennett. That didn’t stop me from thinking about him non-stop. It didn’t keep me from craving his touch or wanting his lips on mine.

  He had started to share something about how he felt after that night we spent together. Could he feel something for me? Was it possible? He had been really pissed about Carter. I hadn’t responded, that was true. I hadn’t known what to say. I didn’t want Carter back, but the vain part of me was incredibly gratified to hear him say he realized how badly he had fucked up.

  I had to get some perspective, and there was no one to give it to me but Ella. I headed over to her apartment.

  As I walked inside, I looked around, stunned. It was clean. I mean, really clean. “Um, what’s up with the apartment?” I asked.

  “Well, I’ve been trying to keep the place picked up a little more, that’s all,” she said, shrugging.

  “Nope, I don’t buy it. Try again,” I said.

  She threw her head back and made a groaning sound. “Okay, okay,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll tell you. I’ve been seeing someone.”

  “Hey, that’s great! Is it serious?”

  “I don’t know. You know how I felt by the time Noah was born – I really felt like men were only good for one thing. But this guy…he is so different! He is kind, and he’s always doing nice things for me just because he wants to. He says he wants to see me and Noah happy. Not to mention he’s fucking hot.”

  “That’s great, Ella. I’m really happy for you. You deserve it.” I hugged her.

  “Thanks. But what’s going on with you?” She put her hand on her hip. “You don’t seem like yourself.”

  “It’s a mess, Ella. It’s all such a mess.” I buried my face in my hands.

  “What happened?”

  “We went to the meeting, and I got Carter to settle,” I said. “After that, it all went to shit.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I need specifics, though,” she said.

  “Well, Carter said Kay dumped him,” I replied.

  “Good. Asshole.” Ella rolled her eyes. “
He deserved it. Why does that matter to you?”

  “He asked me to give him another chance.”

  “And you said, ‘go fuck yourself,’ right?” she asked.

  “I didn’t say anything. I was sort of in shock, to be honest,” I replied.

  “Grayce. You are not going to give that asshole another chance to hurt you, are you?” Ella was clearly growing annoyed.

  “Of course not, but it was nice to hear him say he was sorry he’d lost me. I mean, we were married, after all. But that’s not the worst part of it.”

  “Oh no, what else?”

  “Tyler overheard the whole thing,” I said, my eyes beginning to water. “When we got back to the apartment, he blew up on me.”

  “What do you mean, blew up? Why would he do that?” she asked.

  “Ella, that night after we left Twist, we hooked up.” I shook my head. “I shouldn’t have let it happen. It was a mistake.”

  “Holy shit, Grayce. You fuck a beautiful god-man like that and don’t tell me?” She threw her arms up, laughing, then flopped down beside me on the sofa. “I’m so mad at you right now! But I’ll forgive you if you share details.”

  “I started it, actually. I thought it would just be a hookup and that I could handle it. But it wasn’t what I expected. I’ve gotten to know him over the time we’ve lived together. He’s…Ella, he’s so much more than just some hot guy. I told him I just wanted to be friends because I was sure I was just another notch on his belt.” I sighed. “He was so mad about Carter. He said that after out night together, he thought…and then he trailed off. He wouldn’t tell me what he meant. I don’t know what to think.”

  “Okay, Grayce, it sounds like this is way more serious than a crush or just lust. Do you love this guy?”

  Tears started pouring from my eyes. “I don’t know, Ella. He was so angry at me earlier because I never replied to Carter. He doesn’t know everything is done and I turned down Carter’s money, and I started the process to change my name, too. When I think about him not being in my life, I can’t even breathe. I think I am in love with him. I don’t know what to do!”