His & Hers

by Francheska Fifield

  His & Hers

  A Two in One nerdy romance story

  Copyright © 2019 Francheska Fifield

  Cover design by Lola Kyle

  Editor Corey Brooks

  Contents

  Trish's Story

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Will's Story

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Trish's Story

  Prologue

  He doesn’t deserve you. You need to leave the jerk. You can do better Trisha.

  I read those three sentences and almost cried. My friend waited patiently for my response. We were IMing and I was bawling. It made for slow typing; you have to be able to see to type.

  It doesn’t matter I have nowhere to go.

  Are you neat? And clean?

  I almost laughed. What kind of questions were those?

  I'm ocd about it. Why?

  I’m hiring a live in housekeeper. Come work for me. 500 a month plus free room.

  It was a good deal, but I wasn’t so sure. We had never officially met before. I first met William through business. When I got an agent she suggested I make a website where I could blog, hear from fans, and so on. Before that I had only self-published and hadn’t really needed anything other than Facebook. Now I was starting to break into the big time so it made sense.

  I could use a computer to write and shop online, but that was it. I looked around to hire someone to make and keep it up for me. William’s name had come up as a big timer. I knew I couldn’t afford him and he didn’t take on small clients (he worked with multimillion dollar businesses now), but I decided to take a chance. Something in my email must have amused him (or I had sounded super desperate despite trying not to) because he said yes and charged me next to nothing.

  He had taken the time to teach me to manage the website (through video chat and a lot of explanation on the phone) although it hadn’t been part of his contract. He still checked it now and then to make sure that I hadn’t messed it up (it was a courtesy as he knew how worried I was at being in control of something I was confused as all hell about).

  After a while our talks became less about work and more about our personal lives. He told me he went to college for computers, although his parents tried to force him into business school, and he had cut himself off from them and made a name for himself. I told him about marrying young and the tragedy that had led to. And here we were. Me with proof my husband had cheated on me and him offering me a job.

  We had been talking a lot the last few months as friends, but still, was it safe to pack up and move across the country to a place I had no family, knew no one except the creator of my website, with very little money, and very few personal items? It just seemed insane to me.

  I’ve never met you in person what if you are an old pervert?

  LOL. My pic is on my website. You’ve seen it.

  What if you only work for Will and are really an old pervert?

  LOL. We have talked on the phone and video chatted.

  That’s true. I guess you are really you.

  So glad you agree. But if it’ll make you feel better I can come up and we can meet face to face. Then hire someone to pack and move your stuff.

  I can’t afford to rent a truck and do it all myself. Let alone pay people to do it all.

  Okay add cooking to the cleaning and I will pay for it all.

  It was a good deal. A great deal. Will seemed easy to live with, or like he would be. He worked eighteen hours a day in his home office. Meaning only one room could really get dirty. He likely only left to get a drink, chips, and go to the bathroom once in awhile.

  He was online at all hours, I knew because when I got up in the middle of the night upset and unable to sleep he was always up and talked to me. I knew he worked during the day because that was professional and people wouldn’t be up at 3 am to talk about their work computers having issues.

  Will you still help me with my website?

  Sure.

  It’s a deal. When can you get up here?

  Chapter One

  A week later I sat at McDonalds waiting for Will to walk through the door. I knew what he looked like because of the video chats and pictures on his website. He knew what I looked like for the same reasons.

  He walked through the door, a laptop bag over his shoulder. Figures he would bring his work out to lunch. Then again I had done it more than once so I couldn’t talk.

  I stood up and held out my hand. He looked at it and smirked, but shook my hand anyway.

  “Very proper,” he said.

  Blushing I sat back down. “It’s the first time we have officially met.”

  “I suppose that’s true.”

  We sat in silence as he looked me over and looked at the empty spot in front of me.

  “Have you eaten?”

  I shook my head no.

  “Would you like something?”

  I shook my head no again.

  “Was there a point to meeting for lunch if you won’t eat?”

  I shrugged. “It’s a public place.”

  “And you think I would have jumped you had we been alone?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “Actually that never entered my mind. I don’t really worry about things like that. I don’t exactly beat guys off with a stick.”

  “So you picked here to meet why?”

  “Because growing up we are taught to never meet strangers except in a public place. Didn’t your parents ever tell you that?”

  He smiled and nodded.

  “Yes. Doesn’t mean I listen to everything they say.”

  True. From what he told me he did the opposite of what his parent said. Will had started out the dutiful son, but after he dumped his girlfriend, which they had picked out, he went to college to work in computers and lived on his own. I knew why he was hiring a housekeeper and cook. He never left his office. You could tell.

  He was tall, taller than me for sure. I was average for a girl, about five-six, but on the short side for men. He looked to be about six-one, or a bit under, but he was so thin and pale. He could be so handsome if he put some meat on his bones. I had once asked him what he had for dinner and he said a burger from McDonalds three days ago. Sad, sad, sad. He got so into his work he forgot to eat. He was wasting away. I was shocked he wasn’t living in a hospital, though likely friends and family threatened unless he hired someone to remind him to eat.

  “Is something wrong?”

  I shook myself from my staring and smiled. His face was still incredibly handsome. His hair couldn’t decide between blonde and brown, but it wasn’t the traditional dirty blonde. It looked warm. His face was thin as well but it suited him. His glasses didn’t make him any less attractive and magnified his hazel eyes.

  “No. Sorry. I was spacing a bit.”

  “I guess I'm not a threat then? Or do you normally space out around people you don’t trust?”

  I smiled and had to chuckle. He made a point. “Touché. I will take a chocolate milk shake if you are getting something.”

  He smiled.

  “Okay I'll be right back.”

  He got up
and I looked around. No one here that I recognized. That didn’t mean no one my family knew wasn’t here, people that would recognize me on sight from pictures and tell my family I was meeting a strange man here while my husband was away on business.

  I hadn’t told my family about his affair yet. I knew what their response would be. Some would say everyone makes mistakes and you can work through this. But I was no one’s punching bag whether physical or emotional.

  The second option would be to tell me to divorce him, get a real job (because becoming a novelist wasn’t a real job according to them), and to suffer through life failing embarrassment like everyone else. Well they had the divorce part right, but I didn’t want to room with my sister and her husband and I wasn’t staying with my mom.

  This was my chance. My chance to escape this damn town, state, hemisphere. Besides the fact that I hated the cold and the north was all cold weather, there was my family and while I loved them, they were nosy, pushy, and tried to control my life. I just wasn’t the type of person to let them and it often led to conflict. I had thought it would end when I got married, but it had only gotten worse. This opportunity would let me cook and clean, which I was used to, and give me time to write, read, whatever I wanted.

  “Here you go.”

  He put down the largest size cup possible in front of me. I had forgotten to say medium or small even.

  “Wow that’s large. I don’t know if I can drink all this.”

  He shrugged and ate his food in silence while watching me as if trying to decipher my thoughts. Well they ranged from family drama, thinking he would be hot if he gained weight, and planning my new life living as a housekeeper. God I needed therapy.

  “So how long before we can hire people to move my stuff and leave this God forsaken place?”

  “So you want the job? You haven’t asked me any questions. You’ve barely talked since I arrived.”

  “I know.”

  “Aren’t you afraid of moving in with me?”

  I shrugged. “No. Not as much as I should be. I will have far more freedom than I ever had before no matter what schedule you set for me.”

  “Is there something in particular I should know?”

  I laughed. “I'm not likely to let you know how damaged I am before moving in with you. You’d change your mind.”

  He smiled and shrugged. “I doubt it.”

  I sipped my milkshake, drinking as much of it as I could, while he finished his food. I got up and threw away his trash and my mostly empty container as he looked on in amusement. When I sat back down he smiled at me.

  “You’re doing so well already. You’re gonna make a great housekeeper. Hopefully you’re this good at cooking too.”

  I almost smacked him for his sarcasm, but instead I stuck my tongue out while he laughed at me.

  “Ha ha. I'll have you know I'm a great cook as long as you aren’t picky.”

  He laughs and stands, adjusting his bag strap.

  “That inspires confidence.”

  I shrug. “Do you have any allergies?”

  We walks out the door and his eyebrows shoot up.

  “All the things we should have talked about over lunch and you only now ask me that now.”

  “I'm not usually this off I promise. This whole situation has me a bit off my game.”

  He nods and shrugs.

  “No allergies that I know of. Do you? I want to make sure when I have people over we don’t order anything you might die from eating.”

  “Do you have a lot of girls over?” Please say no.

  He laughs.

  “None actually. It’s just once a week my guy friends all show up at my place and we have a gaming and anime night. I was referring to those.”

  I knew about those he had mentioned them before.

  “Oh. Well yes I'm allergic to shellfish. And I hate lima beans and brussel sprouts.”

  “Okay. I can live without those things.”

  I smiled. “Anything you hate?”

  “Asparagus.”

  I smiled and started walking towards my place. He followed. “Oh I hate that too I just forgot to add it to the list.”

  “Sounds like we are compatible to live together.”

  I nod. Roommate. A boy roommate. How weird.

  “Do you leave the toilette seat up?”

  He stops for a second trying to decide if I am serious or not before answering.

  “You have your own bathroom. The place I rent has three bedrooms. Two rooms have a full bath between them. One is my office, the other my bedroom. I tore out chunks of the walls and have doors going between the bathroom and both rooms making it more convenient. The other room is a master bed and bath. That one would be yours.

  “I chose what was most convenient for me when I first moved in. Your bedroom is bigger and it’ll be you bathroom only. The guys and visitors will use my bathroom since you don’t have to go through anyone’s bedroom to get to it. So if I leave the seat up you can go to your bathroom and not be frustrated with me.”

  I can hear the humor in his voice, but I can tell he isn’t lying about the bathroom thing, despite his teasing me.

  “Okay. Are you sure you don’t want the master rooms?”

  He shrugs.

  “I'm not lying when I said I had this set up already. That room is empty except for furniture, the place came furnished except for electronics. It has a dishwasher too. It was a requirement because I can’t scrub a dish to save my life.”

  I hope he was joking, but I’m not sure this time.

  “You don’t look like you eat enough to keep a bird alive let alone dirty a dish.”

  He shrugs.

  “I often forget to check the time when I work. When I travel for work I eat more, business lunches and what not. When the guys come over they shove massive amounts of high calorie food down my throat also. They think that one night a week keeps me from dying.”

  “They are likely right.”

  He laughs and shrugs.

  “I’m not that bad. My friend Bobbi brings me a meal a day but it’s never anything remotely tasty.”

  “So my job is to fatten you up with things that aren’t all grease.”

  “He would say things with a calorie, carb, and fat limit, but don’t feel you need to follow those rules. I’ve never been a huge health nut. I'm not going vegan anytime soon let’s just put it that way.”

  I laugh. “I myself love my meat products. I tend to do a lot of home cooking. It’s not as bad as restaurant food health wise, but it’s definitely not recipes a personal trainer would approve of. I like hearty food. Lasagna, steak and potatoes, yummy stuff like that.”

  “I'm not picky. Grilled cheese is fine.”

  “I’ll remember that for days I have minimal energy because I was up all night writing.”

  “Okay.”

  I look at him from the corner of my eye. He is watching me. He also looks serious, but he is being pretty laid back.

  “How often do I clean?”

  “How often do you need to? As long as there isn’t a layer of dust on anything and there aren’t dishes piled up I don’t care. I have a pet peeve about stepping on things though. I don’t like dirt sticking to my feet.”

  “I actually just mean the week I have my periods…”

  “Skip cleaning and make frozen dinners if you want. I don’t mind.”

  He is being really laid back.

  “Thanks. That was a completely awkward thing to ask, but it’s nice of you to be so cool about it.”

  “Hey are we near your house yet? It’d be good to see how big of a truck we need to rent. If you are okay with me following you home.”

  I look around and spin on my heel and point the way we came.

  “The apartment is this way. We passed it already.”

  “Hmm distracted are you?”

  I nod. “A bit I guess. Come on. Its cooler inside, I have AC at least. We should have taken your rental. I'm melting.”

  �
�Isn’t it wrong to get into a car with a stranger?”

  He is smiling down at me and I can’t help it, I just burst into laughter. I slip my arm through his and look for any sign he is uncomfortable with me being so familiar. He doesn’t seem to be, so I just steer him towards my building.

  “We aren’t strangers anymore you know.”

  He smiles and nods.

  “That’s good.”

  Chapter Two

  A week later I had cleaned a month’s worth of grime off everything in Will’s, technically, one story house and organized the basement which doubled as a laundry room. I had tons of laundry done and folded, he hadn’t washed any of his sheets or towels since moving in years ago, at least I didn’t think he had. I had hand scrubbed all the dishes because the dishwasher wasn’t getting the caked on stuff off. Everything was clean and set up.

  I had also gotten a credit card on Will’s account with my name on it for buying groceries and cleaning supplies. He had it ready and waiting after I had arrived so I could buy food, dishes, and a vacuum, as he didn’t have any of these things sadly.

  Two crusty plates, bowls, forks, spoons, and knives. That was it. No baking dishes, no pots or pans. How had he cooked? The answer was he hadn’t. He ordered out, ate off the plates and rinsed them off hoping that would do it. No wonder he looked like the living dead. He either had an immune system everyone would envy or he was close to death and didn’t know it.

  I held the tray with lunch in one hand while I knocked and waited. Then I knocked and waited again. This happened every time. I was supposed to cook for him, but he hardly ate. It wasn’t because I didn’t cook. I had breakfast ready at 8 am every morning, lunch at noon, and dinner at 5 pm every night. But did he answer the damn door when I knocked on it to deliver the meals? Of course not.

  You’d think working from home he would eat more, or take time to do stuff. No travel to and from the office, no worry about how food is getting to you or if you have time to eat. And yet he eats less than my great grandmother who has no teeth.

  That is it. I am sick of this. I am here to do a job and he isn’t even allowing me to do this half properly. He needs food, and sun, and fresh air. Instead of knocking I slammed the door open. It hit the wall and he jumped out of his chair.