by Amanda Jason
“See you around, Dora.” Brad grins as the doors shut.
It seems like forever until the door opens again. I feel my hands tingling and look down to realize I’ve fisted them and they are stark white from the pressure. I relax them and step into the hallway. It’s quiet and kind of spooky. I walk to the huge front double doors and go to knock, only to remember the key in my pocket. I quickly insert it and am slightly surprised when it clicks and I push the door open.
The huge living/dining room is morgue quiet. All the doors off the room are closed except for one, and I move forward to peek inside. The room is as big as my mom and dad’s living room, and that’s pretty big. A familiar queen-size pedestal bed is centered on one bright white wall, with the other three walls a light tan color. My feet sink into the rug that matches the walls as I walk across the room. The rest of my bedroom furniture, which isn’t much, is dwarfed by the room. I look around, but spy no boxes.
Off to the side of the bedroom is a sitting area with a couch, a couple of chairs and a large, closed armoire that probably hosts a TV. There are two doors in front of me, and I open the first and inhale deeply at the sight. It’s a bathroom, but not like any bathroom I’ve ever used. It’s massive and looks like something out of a high-end magazine. The tub is so huge it could hold at least four people, maybe more, and the walk-in shower is amazing.
There’s even a bidet. Yes, I know what that is. My grandmother has one in each of her bathrooms. But that’s a story best left for later.
Exiting the luxury bath, I open the other door and my jaw almost hits the floor. It’s a closet. At least, I think it is since my clothes are hung up inside of it on two long metal rods. Built-in drawers and a massive, oval-shaped mirror hang opposite the door. My shoes are placed in little cubby holes built into the wall.
“What the hell?” I say to myself while plopping down on the bed, overwhelmed by it all.
I know the story of Pandora from Greek mythology very well. She was so curious she opened a box (it was really a jar) which she was told never to open. Of course she opened it and allowed evil to fill the world. At the bottom of this jar was hope. So that’s how we have hope. I’m not saying I’ve opened Pandora’s box and now have evil in my life, or anything. It’s more like I’ve opened a freaking can of worms…and I hate worms, like, really hate them.
I jump as my phone buzzes from my backpack. Pulling it out, I see it’s Julie.
“Hey,” I say, testing the waters.
“Hey, yourself. So, first, I almost fucking dropped dead when I opened the door and saw not one, but three of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen. I swear, Dora, my heart actually leaped out of my throat,” Julie whispers before her voice picks back up. “Okay, honey, see you in a few.” She must be talking to Kevin. “He’s gone. Dora, what the hell? I’m so pissed you didn’t tell me you were looking to move. We’ve been friends since diapers, and I had to find out from…three totally fuck-worthy, gorgeous male specimens,” she blurts. “I swear, I almost wet my pants. And then they asked about you and told me your little secret, and next thing I knew, Drew is offering Kevin and me an apartment at a fucking unbelievable amount a month. I thought I was hearing things. Then the movers came in and moved all of our shit—I mean, stuff. Kevin said we moved uptown so I have to watch my fucking cussing, but hel-lo, I feel like we won the lottery! But you are not off the hook about this secret, and we will most definitely be having a little chat about that soon. Now, go take a bath in that ginormous fucking tub, and I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Dinner?” I say.
“Yes, dinner! Drew invited us to come over at seven. I’ll have to have a snack before then, or I’ll pass out from hunger. Did I tell you how the movers did everything? There must have been ten of them, and they were finished in no time at all.”
Moving to lay on the bed, I prop up the phone so I can listen to her ramblings. After a lengthy description of where she had the movers put everything in my room, and then how they went down to hers and did the same thing, she finally comes to an end with a “see you later” and hangs up.
I feel like a hamster on a wheel and I can’t get off! My eyes feel gritty, so I rub them and attempt to get some shut-eye.
“She looks like a sleeping princess,” I hear a familiar voice say.
“What princess have you seen wearing jeans and an old sweatshirt? I admit, the hair could pass,” a dry Australian accent replies.
“Should we be in here? We might scare her, standing at the end of her bed staring at her like this,” a proper English accent whispers.
“What part of privacy do guys not understand?” I blurt out, opening one eye, and I’m so satisfied when I see them jump a little.
“Ah, well, we just wanted to let you know it’s almost seven and dinner is ready,” Drew says loudly, as if I’m deaf.
“Sorry, Dora, I tried to stop them, but—” Colin shrugs his shoulders, looking apologetic. Liam just stands there with his arms crossed, rolling his eyes. Without a word, he walks out of the room. I close my eye again, wishing the others currently in the room would take the hint.
“Okay, I’m getting up, so you two can leave now,” I say when I realize they’re not budging.
“Great,” Drew says. “You can come as you are, no need to change.”
“Good, because I’m not planning on it,” I snap, opening my eyes again and watching as Colin pushes Drew out the door.
I punch my pillow. I hate feeling angry. The last time before today I was truly angry was when I found my so-called madly-in-love boyfriend in bed with a bleached blonde.
Now is not the time to relive that. I need to calm down and go eat, but arrive fashionably late. Yes, I’ll be late, as it’s ten minutes past seven.
I open my door to find the dining room table full of people who all, as if on cue, turn to look at me. I wish I had changed. At least my hair is decent, I guess. It’s still a mass of curls, but these curls are as tame as I can make them. I spy an empty chair and slide into it, not meeting anyone’s eyes. Everyone starts chatting again, and I take a peek at Julie, who is sitting opposite me. She grins and takes a bite out of a chicken leg. To my right is Colin, and I meet his eyes to find them smiling back at me. My heart does a little flip as I quickly grab the dish he’s holding, thanking him and plopping a spoonful of heavenly-looking mashed potatoes on my plate.
Throughout the meal, I look around the table and notice that beside the three models, everyone looks average(ish). I thought models only hung out with other model types, but it seems that might not always be the case. I’m enjoying the convos around me. Every time Colin’s dreamy British accent hits my ears, my heart skips a beat.
Drew sits at the head of the table, and when I look his way, he winks at me. My heart only does a half-flip, thank goodness, as I know he’s a party boy from all the stuff I found out about him, and the others, when I Googled them this afternoon.
My eyes finally land on Liam. He nods, sans smile, and no heart skip/flip happens. So why only Colin and Drew? What the hell am I thinking? These guys are my roommates. Also, they are way out of my league. Most importantly, I’m not looking for a relationship right now anyway. My focus is on finishing school and working. That’s ALL.
Nothing else.
So, heart, I’m warning you, stop it now.
Dammit, cheeks, don’t blush.
Geez, for the love of cauliflower.
“So, Dora, what do you think of your room?” Julie’s voice interrupts my inner thoughts and I look up.
“It’s okay,” I say before putting a forkful of mashed potatoes in my mouth. Hopefully she’ll get the hint that I don’t want to talk. She raises her eyebrow at me and goes back to eating. Thank you, gods, I can eat in silence.
I have to admit, I’m enjoying this evening. The girl sitting to the left of me is in college and works too. She tells me her name is Tess and she’s known Drew since they were in elementary school. I keep talking to Tess, partly because Colin is causing my bloo
d pressure to rise. His leg is so close to mine, I can feel the heat radiating from it. What is up with my internal thermostat? I think it’s broken.
“Tess, is it hot in here to you?” She shakes her head, so it’s just me.
How will I survive?
I wish she would look my way more. There’s something about her. I just can’t put my finger on, but she has me intrigued. I need to get to know her, and the other two better keep their distance. I have to think this one through. I don’t want to screw it up. I’m tired of all the phony women I’ve met and continue to meet on a daily basis. They’re so shallow, only wanting me for what I can give them—more exposure. Dora is like a breath of fresh air in a stale world. Will she ever think of me as something other than an annoying roommate? Time....I just have to take it really slow, even though it’s hard.
Before fighting it, I wish I would’ve known how easy it was going to be to live with three HOT guy models. I haven’t seen them in more than a week. The day after our dining experience, I found a note on the kitchen island informing me they were working on a gig together, and would be gone for a little while. It’s been so wonderful having the place all to myself, and boy, have I taken advantage of it. I’ve stayed away from their rooms though. Okay, so I may have peeked, and was shocked by how neat they were. Of course, that could be due to the cleaning team overseen by Harriet, the little, round woman, who I met on Monday afternoon since there weren’t any classes. I love her already. She is truly an organized bundle of energy.
She works for Drew’s father and has been part of the family since before Drew’s birth. Drew’s mom left them after Emily was born and Drew’s dad has looked for Ms. Right for years. I gathered that he had been married several times, though Harriet didn’t tell me how many. “Liam isn’t much of a talker,” she said. She also told me he’s the reason for them needing a fourth roommate. She says four is his lucky number, and he’s known to obsessively buy four of the same thing to not tempt fate. She says she’s very fond of him but feels he’s tormented by some secret. She hopes one day he will tell her so she can help him. I waited patiently while she went through the first two, and then she finally expounded on Colin.
Colin has known Drew for years. He was an exchange student who one of Drew’s stepmoms invited into their home when they were ten. They became instant friends and kept in touch, and when Colin became a model in America, Drew suggested they move in together. Poor Colin dated this other model for several years. I got the impression that Harriet despised Judith, his ex. “Witch with a capital B” is how Harriett described her. One day, Judith just dumped him out of the blue and left Liam and Drew to pick up the pieces. Harriet said that was nine months ago, and he seems to be back to his old self, thank goodness.
Damn. So Colin’s heart has been broken too. Just another reason to tell my heart to stop it.
I have no desire taking on someone else with a broken heart. When it came time for Harriet to leave, we had already bonded so well, and it felt wonderful when she hugged me and told me I was what these boys needed in their lives.
Confession time: I haven’t told my family about my move yet. In fact, I swore Julie and Kevin to secrecy when we all went for Sunday dinner with the fam, which is quite the story within itself. No time to tell now. I’m enjoying my last day of being by myself in this mansion in the sky. Poetic, aren’t I?
Saturday morning comes too quickly. Today, the ‘three’ are supposed to return, and I plan on making myself scarce. First work, and then the afternoon in the library, and finally dinner at Kevin and Julie’s with a night filled with movie watching.
Work is as hectic as usual on a weekend morning, and the library is a refreshing calm after the thundering storm. Sitting at my laptop, I feel someone staring at me. No, I’m not psychic. I see a face in my screen as my computer turns off. Closing it up, I turn to see the face more clearly, and the object of my attention smiles.
Good lord, it’s Drew. What the hell is he doing in the library? From what I can tell, he’s causing a scene as I look to my left and right and see women, girls, and even some guys staring as if they’re seeing a movie star. Well, he’s not in the movies yet, but I guess you could say he’s famous. He’s in every effing magazine and on almost every billboard in the world.
Pushing my laptop in my backpack, I grab it, and slowly rise from my seat. I watch as he gets from his, still grinning like a smexy idiot. Yes, I said smexy. Well, he is, but boy does he know it. He starts forward and I move quickly to the exit, walking as fast as I can in a library. I swear I can feel his breath on the back of my neck, but I keep going. Pushing open the door, I’m temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight. I look way up at a frowning Drew after he gently takes hold of my arm and spins me around.
“What’s your hurry?” he asks, finally cracking a smile.
“Oh, hi, Drew. I didn’t see you. What are you doing here?” I ask as innocently as I can.
“Yeah, sure. You looked right at me. How could you have missed me?” he asks, pointing to himself.
“Well, I did. But you didn’t answer me.”
“I’ve come to pick you up,” he says. His killer-watt smile makes a girl walking by trip over her own feet at the mere sight of it.
“What makes you think I need picking up? I have plans.”
“Well, if your plans are with Julie and Kevin, I guess things have changed.” He loses the smile and tries to look serious. “The guys and I chipped in to give them a present for their wedding. Kevin and Julie are going out for a night on the town. You know, limo, dinner, and a sold-out play that tickets magically appeared for. I guess you’re stuck with us.”
We keep walking toward the parking lot and guess what? Standing by a huge luxury car are Liam and Colin, the rest of the “us” Drew was referring to, and they don’t look too happy.
“So you knew where she was the whole time … yet you sent us on a wild goose chase anyway?” Liam’s dry voice matches his stern look.
“Like you two could’ve convinced Dora to hang out with us? This plan needed my touch,” Drew says with confidence.
“I never said I was going to hang out with you,” I announce as I stare at Drew, trying to make him feel uncomfortable. It doesn’t work. He just grins at me.
Infuriating.
“Now, Pandora Phillips, how can you pass up an evening with us? Okay, so Liam may not be as friendly as Colin and me, but give him a few drinks and he loosens up.”
As I look at the two grinning faces of Drew and Colin, my mind begins to betray me. I glance at Liam and even he’s wearing a half smirk. My mind makes its choice for me, and I decide I’m stuck. I need to eat, right? And my two so-called friends have dumped me for a better gig, which I don’t blame them for, but still.
“Okay, I’ll hang with you guys, but I make all the decisions, okay? That’s the deal, so take it or leave it,” I cross my arms and wait for their negative replies.
“Okay,” Drew quickly agrees.
“Sure,” Colin readily says.
Liam nods.
We pile into the car, and I get stuck in the front next to Drew, who’s driving. “All right, so we’re going to my favorite eatery,” I say and then quickly rattle of the directions while Drew pulls into traffic.
I love the looks on their faces as we enter a part of the city I’m sure they’ve never stepped foot in. I point to an empty parking spot a block away from our destination. Drew looks a little nervous about leaving his car, but he locks it and we make our way down the darkening street. A few streetlights pop on, but most seemed to be burned out. We turn a corner and there it is—Papa’s. Its warm glow from within lights up the pavement in front. Opening the door, a flurry of delicious smells hit us and my stomach rumbles, reminding me that breakfast was a zillion hours ago.
“Pandora Phillips, my little angel! Such a gloriosa day this is, gracing us with your beautiful presence.” Papa’s voice makes me giggle, something I do every time I hear his cheesy line.
P
apa is a big man, not tall, but round. He reminds me of that famous chef on the cans of spaghetti I ate as a child. He wears a huge apron and a tall chef’s hat. His Italian accent completes the image. He strides forward and embraces me, swallowing me up in his arms.
“Where have youa been my naughty girl? We haven’ta seen you ina months! Where is thata young man of yours?” I see him peering over my head, looking for the SOB.
“Papa, he’s history,” I say flatly.
“Good, bella, good! Never liked him. You are a princessa and deserve a prince.” He finally lets me go and I turn to introduce him to my escorts.
“Papa, I want you to meet three new friends of mine.” I see the three smiling widely at my statement. I’m shocked that even Liam’s smile looks genuine. After the introductions, Papa sternly looks them up and down.
He puts his arm around me and glares at them. “This is youra only warninga, one not lightly made. Any of you breaka my Pandora’s heart, it will be your lasta day on Earth. In fact, her lasta one is now on my hit list. I have connections, if you know what I mean.” All three nod their heads, which is pretty funny as they tower over the short rotund man.
“No, Papa,” I say. “We’re just friends, and as for the other one, he’s not worth your anger. I’m so over him.”
“Okay. So I will let it go, just because we lovea you. Now, Giuseppe, get the special table ready. These people are hungry.”
Giuseppe is Papa’s nephew, and I’ve always thought he should be a model. His dark, Italian looks are one of the reasons I’ve had a major crush on him forever. He comes up to me, bends over and kisses my hand, and my heart flips as usual. Yes, I know my heart flips at the attention of beautiful men, except for Liam, which I will have to analyze further. Giuseppe then takes my hand and leads us to the best table by the kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the three “Modelteers” frowning at the gesture. So much testosterone in one space. Awesome.
