I gobble up my food in record time, not realizing till just now how much of an appetite I’d worked up throughout the day. I thank Patty again for the job before I leave, promising to come in tomorrow afternoon to fill in for the now absent Susie’s shift.
As I drive home, Rise From the Ashes blasts from my car speakers, one of the best songs off of Velvet Swan’s album, my favorite band.
“We will rise again,” I sing at the top of my lungs. “And from the ashes we’ll break free.”
I belt out the song all the rest of the way home, the music infusing me with energy. They never fail to put me in a good mood.
Luke and I head over to Charlotte’s apartment later for dinner, where I meet her best friend and roommate, Becca.
“So, I put out some feelers and found someone who needs a roommate ASAP,” Becca tells me, taking a big bite of her taco, juice dripping out of the end. “Whoops.”
These tacos are insanely delicious. I have no idea what Charlotte put in them, but I can’t stop eating them. Even though I had that whole club sandwich a few hours ago, I’m still able to eat three of them.
“That’s awesome. Thank you so much.” I squeeze her hand, thankful beyond words that I already have a support system here that I never did back home. “Can you tell me anything about them?”
“Her name is Audrey. She’s twenty-one, goes to Suncoast, and is a bartender at Empire.”
“What’s Empire?”
“Oh, it’s the best club in town,” Becca says excitedly. “My boyfriend, Josh, and I usually go there on Thursdays for college night when all the drinks are half price. So we’ve gotten to know her and she’s really cool.”
“Okay, that sounds good.”
“She lives in a three-bedroom apartment, so she has another roommate, but I’m not sure who it is. I think maybe her cousin or something?” She glances up and squints, like she’s trying to remember, but gives up and shakes her head. “Anyway, her other roommate up and left with hardly any warning. So, she’s stuck paying for the extra room and needs someone to move in right away. She said she can meet you tomorrow morning and you can check the place out.”
“Yay,” I clap, unable to contain my excitement. I pull out my phone and queue up my Velvet Swan playlist, turning the volume all the way up.
As the first notes hum through the air I stand and start dancing. Becca joins me and together we pull Charlotte up out of her chair to join us.
Luke looks at us, amused at Becca and I, but his eyes stay mostly trained on Charlotte as she bops around the living room, laughing. His love for her is almost a tangible presence, making my heart swell with happiness for him.
I’ve got new friends, a new job, and maybe even a new apartment. Everything’s turning up Samantha.
2
Levi
NEED CAFFEINE.
I stayed up too late wasting time on the internet, and now I’m paying for it.
I stumble into the kitchen and start pressing buttons on my espresso machine, the one I saved for all last year. After working at a coffeeshop, I can’t go back to anything less than the best.
As I steam the milk and pour it into the mug, my cousin and roommate Audrey comes out of her room, also bleary-eyed.
“What are you doing up this early?” Nine a.m. is late for me, but like the crack of dawn for her.
“Couldn’t sleep,” she mumbles. “Can you make me one of those too?”
“I’m making a cappuccino. Is that what you want?”
“I can’t keep up with all your fancy coffee terms. Just give me coffee, milk, and sugar in a cup.”
I inwardly smile, fulfilling her request. Once she’s taken a few sips, she sits down at the breakfast bar, looking at me as I pop some waffles into the toaster. Her short, dark hair with the vivid purple streak running through it is all sleep rumpled, her face devoid of the heavy makeup she usually wears. I rarely see her in the mornings anymore, but a coworker wanted to switch shifts, so I’m working tonight instead.
“I have a guy coming out to look at the third bedroom at eleven,” she tells me.
“All right. What do we know about him?”
“He’s my friend’s roommate’s boyfriend’s cousin.”
“I need more coffee before I try to make sense of that.”
“I thought you’d like that,” she smiles, eyes crinkling at the corners. “His name is Sam and he’s looking for a place to move into right away.”
My waffles pop up and I slather them with butter, honey, and pure maple syrup. Yes, give me all the carbs and sugar. “How many guys have we seen now? Seven? Eight? I’m getting tired of this.”
“What, you didn’t want the guy who insisted he bring his two ferrets with him? Or the one who dropped that monster deuce in your toilet before he left?”
“Yeah, you thought that one was real funny,” I mutter, taking the last swig of my cappuccino.
“Can you believe it’s this hard to replace Chris? I mean it’s Chris. He was a terrible roommate. I wanted to throw a party when he said he was moving in with Jocelyn.”
“A party for Chris?”
“No, for Jocelyn. For taking him off our hands.”
I smile inwardly but don’t show a reaction. No need to feed her ego any more than it’s already grown.
“Well, if this guy seems halfway normal and can pay the rent, I’m all for letting him move in. Paying Chris’s share this month seriously hurt my wallet.”
“I don’t think Becca would recommend someone bad, so I’m optimistic about it.”
I finish up my waffles standing at the kitchen counter as she nurses her coffee, then grab a shower, finally waking all the way up.
I’ll try to follow Audrey’s lead of staying positive, but it’s hard to keep that mentality with the parade of guys we’ve interviewed still fresh in my head. The last one stank of b.o. so bad, I had to hold my breath anytime he stepped too close. That interview was definitely cut short.
At eleven sharp, there’s a knock at the front door.
Audrey goes to answer, but I edge her out of the way. You can never be too careful about who’s on the other side.
She huffs but lets me open it, peeking around my shoulder to see Sam.
Except it’s not our potential roommate. It’s a tall blonde, with legs that go on for miles. A cheerleader type, with artfully ripped denim shorts and a loose white shirt tied at her waist. Clear blue eyes and a sunny smile greet me.
Just as I’m giving her a once over, she’s doing the same to me, lingering on the tattoo running down my left arm.
“Hi, I’m here to see Audrey?” Her voice goes high at the end, like she’s asking instead of stating, the bubblegum sweetness of it grating my ears a bit.
Audrey ducks under my arm and stops short at the sight of the blonde. “What can I do for you?”
Oh no, I know that seductive tone. Can she keep it in her pants for two seconds? The guy could show up any time now.
“I’m here about the open room? Becca said you were looking for a roommate.”
Audrey and I simultaneously take a step back, as if we choreographed it. It would be funny if it wasn’t so disconcerting.