Raunchy Roommate

by Bethany Morgan

  Oh my God. I was turning into such a sap.

  I couldn't stop myself though. I felt like I had fallen head over heels all over again. I wanted her back in my arms again so badly. I wanted everything back to the way it was before the two of us made both of our mistakes. Annabel seems to have moved on from it all, or maybe she is using her acting skills to pretend like she's over it for the sake of the two of us. Whatever the case may be, I was determined to get my girlfriend back.

  I stretched my arm out and rested it behind her on the top of the sofa. Annabel still remained talking to one of her cousins and didn't even notice my attempt at moving closer towards her.

  I sucked in a deep breath before slowly resting my head on her shoulder. This instantly got her attention, and she looked down at me in concern. "I'm so jetlagged," I whined, watching her face soften. I lifted my head up and moved it closer to her ear, letting my lips daringly skim over the surface of her ear. "I think I'm gonna head out and get some rest. It was good seeing you."

  Her eyebrows furred together once I rose to my feet. Annabel grasped my forearm, igniting that same fiery feeling I got from our physical contact. "Wait. We didn't even have dessert yet."

  I kept walking through the crowd of people that were all talking among themselves in Oliver's living room. Luckily, she followed right behind me.

  Once we got back into the empty kitchen, I leaned back against the counter, shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly. "I want to stay, but I have to get ready for tonight anyways."

  She stood in front of me, closing her parted lips. If this was like the old days I would have grabbed her hips right now and pressed her body against my own. Annabel tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Oh," She replied softly, sounding a little disappointed. "What are you, um, what are you doing tonight?"

  "The boys and I are all going over to Clayton's house to exchange our Christmas presents," I explained, giving her a small smile. "You should come to Clay's with me. That way you can see everybody again."

  Her face lit up immediately. "Oh my God, they're in Australia right now too?" Annabel exclaimed, then proceeded to answer her own question. "Oh right. I always forget that they live here too since we went to different schools. Well yeah, I'd love to see the band again! I miss them all so much."

  She was so adorable. "Wow, Ann. You seem more excited to see them than you were for me," I teased, trying to play off my jealousy as a joke.

  Annabel frowned, her lips that I have been aching to kiss now curled downwards. "Stuart, you know that's a completely different situation."

  I nodded. I was very aware that her relationship with my friends was very different than our relationship. But if she knew that they were the ones who wanted me to break up with her for their own selfish reasons, even though they all adored her, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be this excited to see them again. But I wasn't going to complain; it was still another chance for me to spend time with her.

  "I know, I'm just messing with you," I responded, poking her in the stomach. "We're supposed to meet there at like seven. I can pick you up, if you want? I mean, you do live soo far away from me so it would be a hike, but I'd make the trip for you."

  She rolled my eyes at my sarcasm, making a grin appear on both of our faces. "Okay. I'll see you at seven."

  "I'll see you at seven," I repeated, slowly backing away from her as I retreated down the hallway, giving Annabel one final wave goodbye.

  "Annabel McKenzie?"

  I moved my gaze downwards to see Clayton's little brother standing in the doorway, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head at the sight of Annabel on his front porch.

  "And Stuart Robinson? Your favorite bass player of all time right, Harry?" I tried, nudging him in the shoulder as I took a step inside, pressing my hand on the small of Annabel's back to escort her in.

  Harry shook his head at me. "Shut up, Stuart. What is Annabel McKenzie doing in my house?"

  "Ann!" Clayton cheered, running towards the front of his home to tackle Annabel in a bear hug. She laughed loudly as her arms wrapped around him. The two of them have always been close, but it still caused a pang in my heart that she wasn't hugging me like that. "It's so good to see my little goldfish again!"

  Annabel chuckled loudly. "Oh God. I thought we could have flushed the goldfish nickname down the toilet by now."

  Clayton grinned proudly, swinging his arm around her. "Aw, never."

  Harry threw his arms up in the air in frustration, clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth loudly. "Okay, what the heck is going on? I just had a dream last night where Annabel was naked, and now she's in my house?"

  "Stuart has those dreams all the time," Clayton stated, slapping my chest. I rolled my eyes at him in irritation, but Clayton and Annabel both just laughed.

  Annabel bent down to get to Harry's height. "Hi Harry. I'm Stuart's-" She started to say, then stopped herself. But I still caught what she was about to say, and that gave me hope. "I'm friends with your brother. It's nice to meet you, bud."

  "I'll be in my room," He said with a huff before disappearing down the hall.

  Benjamin and Bradley came bolting towards us next, each of them running to give Annabel a hug and were completely ignoring the fact that I was there too. Her bright smile returned onto her face again at the sight of them.

  "Hey, so much for 'we're not going to be home for Christmas'," Annabel mocked, punching Benjamin in the arm. "You didn't tell me the plans changed!"

  I was confused on what she was talking about. I didn't even know she was still in contact with Benjamin. He never told me that.

  Benjamin laughed, rubbing his arm where her fist collided with it. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I completely forgot to tell you that they found another act."

  Bradley wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer to him, his eyes closing as he nuzzled his face against hers. "I missed you, Ann. How's Grace doing?"

  Annabel smiled. "She's good. She almost came here with me for Christmas, actually. That would have been a fun reunion, huh?"

  Bradley snorted. "Speaking of Christmas, let's go open presents."

  He picked her up bridal style and carried her as he ran through Clayton's house, down to the basement where we always hung out. We had all become way too comfortable in each other's homes and with each other and apparently with each other's ex-girlfriends. I mean, I know they were all friends, but I couldn't help but feel envious as they got to catch up without any awkwardness, and yet Ann and I had so many obstacles between us.

  Well, at least she didn't seem to hate me.

  I took a seat on the other couch next to Benjamin as Clayton and Bradley both fought over whose lap Annabel got to sit on. They are so annoying. None of them would even be friends with someone as amazing as her if it wasn't for me. I don't know why they had to act like she was their long-time pal. Because she wasn't. God, I'm so jealous.

  In the midst of the four of them having some conversation that I didn't bother to join in on, Annabel's phone began to ring. She excused herself and walked off to the side, lifting her phone to her ear. I stayed right on the sofa, playing with my finger nails as opposed to talking about something stupid with the guys.

  "Oh my God," Annabel yelled after she placed her phone in her pocket frantically. "Elizabeth is going into labor and there is like a bunch of problems with it!"

  "Who?" The three boys all questioned simultaneously.

  On the other hand, I rose to my feet immediately. "Her sister-in-law," I explained for her.

  "Stuart can I have your keys? I need to get to the hospital right away. My mum is like freaking out and I need to be there to help her," Annabel rambled off, beginning to pace around the basement in an anxious manner.

  "Ann, I can just drive you," I declared, making everyone's heads snap towards me.

  Annabel shook her head. "No. You guys have plans. I don't want to ruin them. Just let me borrow your car please and have someone drive you home tonight."

  I wanted to be th
ere for her. I wasn't going to leave her alone when her sister-in-law seems to be having scary complications to her pregnancy. "No, I'll drive you. Guys, can we just exchange my gifts after Christmas?"

  Clayton nodded his head slowly. "Um, sure. I hope everything is okay," He said thoughtfully, giving Annabel another quick hug and patting my shoulder.

  "I'm sorry to ruin your night. Hopefully we'll be able to meet up and try to do this again," Annabel apologized, even though it wasn't necessary. Family always came first.

  "I'm having a party for New Year's. You can come to that," Bradley suggested, and Annabel just nodded.

  She glimpsed up at me, making eye contact with me for the first time tonight. "We better get going," I mumbled, and Annabel followed me up the stairs.

  I opened the passenger door for her, watching her body slide into the leather seat. I hopped in on the other side, clicking my seat-belt in and twisting the key into the ignition.

  The car went in reverse before driving off down the street, an uncomfortable silence falling over the two of us. I gripped onto the steering wheel tightly.

  "You didn't have to do that," Annabel finally blurted out, her sudden words causing me to jump. "You didn't have to leave your friends."

  "Hey, you're my friend too, right?" I asked, kind of as a mean of clarifying that we were actually on good terms. She didn't respond. "Relax, Ann. I have seen them every single day for the past few months. They'll be fine without me. I just wanted to be here for you."

  She sighed heavily, leaning her head against the window. "I'm just nervous. Elizabeth's a few weeks early and I remember my mom telling me that they had a really hard time getting pregnant. I just don't want anything to happen to her, or to the baby."

  "I'm sure everything will be okay," I assured her, slowly placing my hand on her thigh like I always used to do while we were driving, rubbing her leg in a soothing motion.

  Annabel didn't move for several seconds. And then suddenly, she extended her palm out and placed it on top of my hand. She intertwined our fingers together, giving our linked hands a tight squeeze. Maybe everything was going to be okay.

  Chapter 57

  Annabel

  I was actually really glad that Stuart came with me. The two of us sat outside of Elizabeth's hospital room, waiting for my mother to give us orders for food or to tell us to find the doctor. Elizabeth was doing okay, but since there were some complications and the baby was sort of premature, they had to do an emergency c-section. And it was nice to have Stuart's hand to hold during all of that.

  We had been talking for hours. It surprisingly wasn't awkward at all. It felt just like our old conversations. He told me all about the tour and some funny stories and I told him all about the movie and how I had spent a lot of time getting into all sorts of mischief with Grace.

  It was really, really, really nice to talk to him again.

  "How much longer do you think this is going to take? I'm starting to get tired," I whined, leaning my head onto his shoulder as a yawn escaped my mouth.

  His arm wrapped around me and pulled my body, that was leaning against the hospital wall, against him. I ended up fidgeting around until I could get comfortable, resulting in me resting my head on his lap.

  Stuart gasped suddenly, then carefully scooped my head up and scooted it down closer to his knees and away from his crotch. "Okay, that's better," He stated, making me giggle.

  His hands combed through my hair, making my eyelids flutter shut. His fingers skimmed over my scalp, massaging it gently, before playing with my hair again. "It's past midnight now, Ann. Merry Christmas Eve."

  I smiled. "Merry Christmas Eve to you too, Stu. Too bad I'm probably going to be stuck in the hospital for all of it."

  "You should come to my house. My mum is throwing a party with all of my family and her friends. I'm going to be bored out of my mind," Stuart suggested.

  I laughed quietly. "Talking about how boring it is going to be really isn't making me want to come," I joked, which made his wonderful laughter echo through the empty hallway. "But I'm sure it'll be better than being stuck here. It's just, um, we've been spending a lot of time together already."

  Stuart paused. "Well, yeah. We have to make up for lost time. I mean, we are friends, right? You think hanging out again is nice too, right?"

  He seemed shaky and incredibly insecure on the topic. I was a little cautious about it all too. "Of course, Stu. I just- it's weird to get used to after not seeing you for so long. Like is this how exes are supposed to act? Or are we doing something wrong?"

  I sat up again so I could have a view of his face. He glanced at me through the corner of his eyes, his jaw clenched together tightly, while a small smile danced on his lips. "Anna, you know very well that we don't have a typical relationship," Stuart said with a quiet chuckle. "Look, I was a dick to you before and I'm so sorry for that. Now that we aren't fighting, I just want to keep it that way and start over. We were best friends before and we can still be best friends now. It doesn't have to be weird."

  The friends thing would never work out. Not after we had so much history together. I could barely look into his eyes for a few seconds without having the urge to grab his face and kiss him. I wanted us to be on good terms because having him in my life again was more important than a relationship, but I didn't know how much longer I could pretend that a part of me would always be in love with him.

  I gulped, feeling myself inhale a deep breath before I blurted out what has really been bothering me. "Are we going to be able to be just friends though?"

  Stuart's gaze returned to his hands, a nervous response of his. He chewed on the top of his bottom lip. "I think we can do it," Stuart mumbled, which I had to admit was disappointing. "Unless, um. Do you still have feelings for me?"

  My cheeks began to burn up and flush to a shade of bright pink by his question. Of course I did. I most likely always will. We had such a special bond between us and he was my first love. Despite everything that occurred and how badly little miss independent wanted to move on, I did have feelings for him.

  I began to respond but we were interrupted by the door to Elizabeth's room swinging open, with my father sticking his head out into the hallway. "It's a boy!" He cheered. "Come meet your new nephew!"

  "Oh my God!" I screamed, lifting to my feet and dashing into the hospital room. I could hear Stuart reluctantly following behind me.

  Elizabeth was propped up in her bed, a beautiful baby boy that must have just been cleaned up resting in her arms. Oliver had this amazing smile on his face that overtook all of his features. The two of them both looked so genuinely happy, as well as my parents who both had tears forming in their eyes.

  "Do you want to hold him, Anna?" Oliver asked. "I mean, you are his Godmother after all."

  "Of course," I replied, smiling just as his wide as my brother. I was slightly nervous because I had never held a newborn before, but this was my first nephew. I couldn't be more excited.

  Elizabeth handed the baby over to me and I carefully and cautiously held him in my arms. He was so tiny, yet I did see the resemblance that he shared with his parents already. "Hi buddy," I cooed, staring down at him in awe.

  I glimpsed up at Stuart. He was standing close to me to get a good look at him, and his grin reached from ear to ear. "He's so cute," Stuart stated happily.

  "Have you guys decided on a name yet?" I questioned, as I finally returned my nephew back over to his parents.

  Oliver and Elizabeth gazed at each other for a few seconds before nodding their heads and turning back to us. "We're going to name him Adam."

  My red holiday dress swayed from side to side as I stood on Stuart's porch, awaiting entrance to Holly's family party. My parents allowed me to come tonight since they were going to be staying in the hospital again, and as much as I love my family, I was so glad to be able to get out of there.

  The door opened, revealing Stuart dressed in a white button-up shirt with his black skinny jeans still clinging to hi
s toned legs, and a bottle of cold beer pressed firmly in his hand. "Hey! You made it!" He greeted, as his eyes noticeably scanned over my body. "You look beautiful."

  "Thank you. You cleaned up pretty well too," I added playfully, stepping inside his house. It was true though. He looked hot as hell in a dress shirt.

  I followed Stuart into the kitchen and dining room area, where a crowd of middle-aged people were all huddled up, having their own conversations. Stuart tapped on Holly's shoulder, making her spin around. "Hey Mum, look who showed up."

  "Anna! It's so good to see you, sweetie," She told me as her arms instantly pulled me in for a hug. I barely got a chance to see Holly during the baby shower, so it was so nice to finally see her again.

  "Hi Mrs. Robinson! Thank you for having me tonight," I said politely, even though I've known this woman for years and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't care if I just showed up to her house uninvited.

  "Of course, Anna. I'm so glad you and Stuart finally made up," Holly informed me with a grateful expression plastered over her face.

  I nodded my head, glancing up at Stuart who already had his dark eyes watching me with a concerned eye. Holly returned to her conversation with her friends, and I searched the crowd to see if I recognized anyone else.

  "Where is your dad? And where is Mali?" I asked Stuart, since I was slightly disappointed that I wouldn't be able to see the rest of his family.

  "My Dad got called into work tonight which is kind of a bummer. And Mali is actually at her new boyfriend's house for Christmas Eve," Stuart explained, raising his eyebrows at the mention of Mali. "So it looks like it's just you and me tonight."

  "Good thing I showed up. I'm sure you would be having such a fun time out there right now," I teased sarcastically, mentally laughing about how much he would have dreaded those conversations.