Dirty Roomie

by Alycia Taylor

  “This time we will flirt on my territory,” she said.

  I chuckled. “Lucky boy.”

  As we walked out of the bathroom, the boss saw me and called me over. I hoped he wasn’t going to reprimand me for not dressing like the rest of the waitresses again, but thankfully he didn’t seem to care. I think he had gotten used to my stubbornness over the years.

  “Riley, I wanted to talk to you about Silas.”

  I frowned. “Silas? Why? Did something happen?”

  “No, nothing happened. But he was such a big hit that night, and I thought it would be a good idea to have him back again. Everyone loved him here. You were definitely right about him. I forgot to get his number that night, but maybe you can talk to him?”

  “I wish. But there was actually an agent here that night who liked him even more than we did. He offered him a deal, and he’s moved out of the house to stay near the agent to record an album.”

  “Really? All because of his night here? Wow, if he becomes famous, hopefully we can get some decent media coverage about the pub.”

  I wasn’t sure why he cared really. The pub was busy enough without any more media coverage. “Yeah, it all happened pretty quickly. I’m sure he’d be interested in playing here again when he’s back though.”

  “You think? That’s good. Well, please send him my regards and tell him that we would love to have him here when he’s back again.”

  I smiled. “Absolutely. He’ll be happy to hear that.”

  I didn’t have much time to think about the conversation because as soon as I walked away, a group of guys walked through the door. After that, things seemed to just get busier and busier. I spotted a guy at the bar who looked so much like Silas, I found myself staring at him in shock. It took me a few moments to realize that not only was it not Silas, but that I was staring. He then took my staring for interest and came right up to flirt with me. I tried to move away from him, but he took this for shyness and kept asking me if I was single.

  “No, I’m not,” I said even though it was a lie.

  “You have a boyfriend?” he said.

  I nodded. “I do. Sorry.”

  “Are you just saying that because you’re shy? Or do you really have a boyfriend?” he asked. I hated the way he was looking at me. I had been wrong about him. Up close, he looked nothing like Silas.

  “I have a boyfriend,” I insisted.

  He left me alone then, and he must’ve told his friends because after that nobody bothered me. Thinking of Silas as my boyfriend made me feel both good and bad at the same time. Why had I asked him to come and sing at the pub? If it wasn’t for me, he would still have been there. With me. Of course, he’d be without an agent then, and I felt guilty all over again. No, I was happy for him. Even if the two of us just ended up being friends, I should be glad to have him in my life. I put the thought out of my head and tried to stop thinking about him as a boyfriend.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Silas

  I looked at the calendar that morning in surprise. A full month had passed since I’d left Wichita. I could still remember how nervous I had been, and how sure I was that things might not work out the way I had always hoped for. I kept thinking that maybe someone was going to tell me it was a joke or that I wasn’t nearly as good as I thought I was. But it wasn’t a joke, and the month had boiled down to a lot of hard work and determination.

  Garren was a great agent to have. He knew the business inside and out, and helped me fine-tune all the songs that I had. I’d been singing for such a long time that I already had over an album’s worth of songs. But he knew which ones would work, and which wouldn’t, as well as which songs needed more work. Sometimes it was hard to have someone critique songs that I had created, especially when the feedback was not good, but in the end, he always seemed to get something even better out of me. While working on the album, we had released one song out into the world as a single. It was a song I was proud of and I was glad that he didn’t want to change it much.

  I heard it on the radio a week ago and nothing could’ve prepared me for the feeling of hearing my own voice coming through those speakers. I’d dreamed of this moment my whole life, and when it finally came true, I didn’t know what to do with myself. It was a strangely intimate moment, like I was standing naked for the world to see. I felt completely exposed. Of course, other than the strange feeling, it also felt right. The moment I heard that song, I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life.

  I stretched out on the big bed and flipped on the TV. I still had another hour before I went to see Garren, and there wasn’t much else to do. I had spent so much time working in the last month that I was always too exhausted to do much else in my spare time. I wondered if the people back home thought that I was living this big rock-and-roll lifestyle. They would laugh if they knew how different my life really was to that. I was either working, or sleeping. There didn’t seem much time for anything else. I also hadn’t yet met many people other than Garren and Annie and a few other people in the business. Mostly they were all people that I worked with and nobody that I would really want to hang out with. I’d gone out with Garren for a beer once or twice but we ended up mostly talking business. We just couldn’t help ourselves.

  There was nothing great on TV, so I got up to make a cup of coffee and went to sit out on the balcony. The apartment was great, and far better than I had expected. There were modern furnishings throughout and the latest gadgets in just about every room. I shuddered to think how much money had been spent to get it to look the way it was. I would’ve been happy with far less but it was still a nice thing for Garren to do for his clients. Annie kept telling me not to concern myself with things like that. She said I would be making Garren huge amounts of money one day and that a free apartment for a few months was pocket change to him. Still, no matter how nice the place was, and how much effort they had put into it for me, it wasn’t home.

  It was strange that home still felt like the big house with Riley even though I hadn’t even though lived there that long. If I had to compare the apartment with the big house without having ever lived in either, I would’ve chosen the apartment. It was more my style. More modern, and far more in line with a man my age. And yet, despite the extravagance of the big house, it felt homey. I wondered if Riley would ever find out why her grandmother had left it to her. Perhaps one day she’d discover the truth. No matter what, she deserved it. I thought of giving her a call but changed my mind. I wasn’t sure why, but it just felt strange on the phone with her lately. I kept thinking that I was boasting about my new life when I told her what was happening. I didn’t want her to think I was doing that.

  Later that morning, I made my way over to Garren’s office, the place that had now become my second home. The studio where I recorded my songs was attached to his office, and I had spent almost all my time there over the past month. When I arrived, Annie waved me over.

  As expected, I got along well with Annie. She was an absolute sweetheart. She was a beautiful woman, in her late sixties, with grey hair chopped stylishly short against her head. She told me that she used to be a model when she was younger, and I could definitely see that. She had a beauty and poise that hadn’t gone away with age. She had taken an instant liking to me and seemed to go out of her way to be there for me over the past month. Garren had told me that she wasn’t this nice to some of his other clients, and said that she was giving me special attention. She said I reminded her of her own son, who was now traveling the world.

  “Silas, my darling boy. How are you? Oh, before I forget, I baked you some cookies.”

  I grinned at her. “You did? I didn’t know you were a baker. Thank you.”

  “Oh, I’m not. I spent my whole life buying food rather than making it myself, so I’m not sure what has happened to me. But lately, I just feel like making stuff. I’ve messed up a lot, but these cookies seem to be a hit every time.”

  She handed me a box, and I immediately opened it and
popped one in my mouth. Thankfully, she wasn’t lying. The cookies really were great.

  “They’re delicious,” I said. “Thank you.”

  “Pleasure. Do me a favor and take a box in for Garren too. He has been in a meeting all morning, so I haven’t had the chance to give it to him.”

  “Of course,” I said and took another box. “Thanks, Annie.”

  I walked inside Garren’s office and handed him a box.

  “Annie has been baking,” I said.

  He looked at the box and frowned. “Should I be worried? She’s not exactly known for her skills in the kitchen.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, she told me. But I wouldn’t have known from these. They’re amazing.”

  He cautiously took a bite and then smiled. “Oh wow. These are great.” He walked out the office and thanked Annie, and I heard her whooping in delight.

  “She’s so nice,” I said as he came back in.

  He laughed. “She loves you, that’s for sure. Speaking of love, do you have any idea how much of a hit your song has been?”

  “It has?”

  “Sales are through the roof. I’ve had incredible feedback, and I actually have some big news for you.”

  “Should I be sitting?”

  He laughed. “Sit! Definitely sit.”

  I took a seat and looked at him. Garren chuckled to himself, obviously enjoying this moment.

  “Remember I said that I wanted to start the tour in the next few months.”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “Well, by ‘the next few months,’ I actually meant Monday.”

  I sat back in surprise. “As in this Monday?” I said and laughed nervously.

  He nodded. “You can’t be surprised! You know how quick I like to move.”

  I chuckled. “You’re right. I’m not surprised. Not at all. But still . . . wow, Monday? That’s crazy.”

  “It’s a crazy sort of business we’re in. Now, I’m going to run through the schedule with you. We have enough songs for the tour, but I’d like to continue working on some of the ones we have started on. I think it’s finally time that the world got to know who you are. Of course, for now, you’re not going to be the main band at most of these events. But that will come in time. I hope you’re okay with that.”

  I laughed. “Are you kidding me? Of course I’m okay with that. I’m over the moon. I’m actually going on tour. I still can’t believe it. You know, even though you asked me to come here, I still thought you were going to tell me one day that you changed your mind. I’ve been expecting the bad news.”

  “No bad news from me. You’re a star, Silas! I knew it from the moment I saw you at that pub. I have an ear for these things. I’ve signed up guys that everyone thought were rubbish because I saw something in then that nobody else could. You weren’t rubbish, of course, but nobody was giving you a chance. Well, this is it. You’re about to become a star.”

  We sat for the next few hours, going over the schedule and talking about how the tour was going to be. I couldn’t believe some of the big names that I would be sharing a stage with. Up until now, I hadn’t met any famous people, but all that was about to change. I felt nervous and excited all at once. As I left, Annie came up to give me a big hug.

  “Guess what? My son is coming back to visit. I’ve told him all about you. I can’t wait for the two of you to meet.”

  I smiled at her. “That’s great news. Oh, you must be so excited!”

  “I am. And he’s going to be shocked to discover I can bake now.”

  I chuckled. I was glad to have Annie around.

  “Are you coming on tour with us?” I asked.

  She laughed. “Me? On tour? Goodness no. Those days are over, I’m afraid. And someone has to be here to make sure everything is still running. Anyway, why would you want little old me around?”

  I smiled. “Because you make me not miss home so much.”

  “Oh, Silas. You’re a sweetheart; you know that? Don’t ever change. And just enjoy this all. Soon, you’ll be so used to the fame. You’ll never get this moment back, so just enjoy it all. You’re a star now.”

  I walked off feeling good about everything, but the moment I got back to the apartment, I knew that I would really only enjoy the moment once I had spoken to Riley. It was too big of a moment not to share with her. I got out my phone and called her, but it just rang. I frowned. Was she just ignoring me? Or was she busy had not able to take my call? I couldn’t understand why she would ignore me though unless there was something going on that I didn’t know about. The thought of her meeting someone else made me feel sick to my stomach, but I pushed it away. There was no reason to believe that something was going on. She was probably just busy. I thought about trying again but didn’t want to look too desperate. Instead, I just typed out a long text message to her, explaining that I was going on tour, and then I put the phone aside.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Riley

  Silas had been gone for two months. I’d told myself that it was only going to be a month, but as the weeks rolled by, I started to realize that it was going to take a lot longer than I had anticipated. With him out on tour now, there seemed to be no end in sight. And the longer he was away, the more I worried that he wouldn’t want to come back to his normal life. I worried that I would no longer be good enough for him. I tried not to think about the millions of girls that were now screaming his name every day. Was he getting used to it? Had he changed?

  We still messaged each other all the time, and we spoke on the phone at least twice a week. Things between us didn’t feel the same as they had before, but the moment we talked, all that fell away and the same closeness seemed to return. I still loved talking to him, and I loved hearing all about what he was up to. It was a life that I couldn’t completely comprehend, but I was excited for him.

  There was a knock on my door, and for a brief moment, I thought it was going to be Silas, but of course, it wasn’t. It was Paisley, holding two boxes of pizza and a bottle of wine.

  I grinned at her. “This is a nice surprise.”

  “I thought it would be nice to spend some time together. I know I’ve been quiet. Pizza and wine?”

  “Pizza and wine sound amazing. Come in. I’ll get some glasses.”

  Paisley had started dating Ruben, the guy from the restaurant. He’d come to see her that night at work just as expected, and had asked her out on a date. After that, they had been inseparable almost instantly. I hadn’t seen her like that with a guy before. As it turned out, Ruben was actually a very nice guy, and the two of us got along well. We laughed now about how he had treated me that day in the café when he only had eyes for Paisley. I didn’t mind though. She was my best friend, and I wanted her to have someone that couldn’t stop looking at her. I grabbed two glasses and took them over to the living room where Paisley was sitting. I poured the wine, and the two of us sat back and grinned at one another.

  “This is great,” I said. “I had a very boring evening planned that consisted mostly of cleaning this place.”

  She laughed. “Cleaning? This place must be a nightmare to keep clean. Have you thought about hiring someone?”

  “I think about it all the time but still can’t bring myself to do it. I mean, it’s only me here. It’s crazy, even though I only really use my bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room, I still have to clean the other rooms. The dust settles everywhere. You’re right though; I really should get someone in. I will eventually.”

  “And how are you doing? Living here alone. Doesn’t it get lonely?”

  “You live alone too,” I pointed out.

  “Yeah, but I don’t live in a mansion.”

  I chuckled. “True. Maybe I should get a pet. But yeah, I’m doing okay. I miss Silas.”

  “Maybe you should think about getting another roommate. Doesn’t have to be a guy if that makes you feel uncomfortable.”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m good with living alone. Before Silas, I lived alone for years a
nyway. Anyway, he sends me so much money, so I don’t have to really worry about it. He sends me more than what he did when he actually stayed here!”

  “That’s good then. At least you don’t have to worry about money.”

  “Yeah. Anyway, enough about me, what’s happening with you? I still can’t believe you’ve got a boyfriend now. You were so against settling down.”

  She chuckled. “Never say never, I guess. Ruben is amazing. I hate to say this, but I actually really like having a boyfriend.”

  “Of course you do, the guy dotes on you.”

  “You think?”

  “Are you kidding me? The guy is infatuated with you. So you like him that much, hey? I’m glad to hear it. He gets my stamp of approval, and I don’t give those out to just anybody.”

  She giggled. “I’m glad. I’d hate to go out with a guy that you didn’t like. Ruben is nothing like the sort of guy I expected to go for. He’s so nice. I never thought I’d be into a guy that was just so nice and genuine. It makes for a welcome change. I’ve obviously been going out with the wrong guys all this time.”

  “Remember Dean?” I said.

  She groaned. “Don’t remind me. The guy who wanted me to eat salads for the rest of my life and to maintain my figure so that I looked good standing next to him. Don’t remind me. I ate so many cupcakes after breaking up with him.”

  “What about Shaun?”

  She laughed. “Ah, Shaun. What a bastard. Cheated on me with a girl from work.”

  “Barry.”

  “Barry, the man who thought it would be a good idea to break up with me over a text message, and then wonder why I got upset with him.”

  “We could do this all day,” I said and chuckled. “But you know, at least it’s funny now. Those horrible guys were all leading up to the wonderful Ruben.”