Chapter 1
I sat down on a stool in my half empty apartment and sighed. Callie had been the last of my single friends. Now she was married and I was roommate-less. I looked down at my bridesmaid dress. It was poofy and hideous, and it made me look like a troll. I glanced at the clock on the wall. My first interviewee for a new roommate would be stopping by early in the morning. I had never lived with someone I didn't know before, and the thought made my stomach churn. I slid off the stool and stumbled slightly. Being single at a wedding always seemed to make me drink too much. All these weddings I had been attending were just a horrible reminder that I currently wasn't even dating anyone. I kicked off my high heels, went straight to my bedroom, and collapsed on top of my bed in the ugly, poofy dress.
***
A knock sounded on my door.
I groggily opened my eyes. "Huh?" I put my hand on my forehead. "Ow." My head throbbed. I looked at the alarm clock on my night stand. Who would bother someone at 8 a.m. on a Sunday? "Go away!" I mumbled into my pillow.
The knock sounded again.
"Oh, crap!" I had completely forgotten about the interviews. I pushed myself off the bed, ran to the front door, and pulled it open.
"I'm so sorry, I..." I stopped talking when I saw who was standing there. He was nearly six feet tall, lean, yet strong at the same time. He had a chiseled jaw that made my own jaw drop. He had hazel eyes, dark hair, and tan skin. I didn't know who he was, but he definitely wasn't here answering my ad for a new roommate.
"Hi," he said. His voice was deep. He smiled down at me. "It's nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand. I could feel my face flushing. Oh God, I'm still in the horrid bridesmaid dress!
"Hi." I shook his hand awkwardly. His strong fingers sent a shiver down my spine. I felt like I was still drunk. I quickly pulled my hand away. "I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong apartment."
He looked down. "32 C?"
"What?" Was he guessing my bra size? I crossed my arms over my chest.
He took a step forward and knocked on the front of the door with the knuckle of his index finger. "It says 32 C."
"Oh, right." Of course he's referring to the room number. "I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"
"Rory."
"You're Rory?" I had done some light stalking earlier in the week, and Rory was one of the only people on my list that didn't have a Facebook. Maybe that was because I had been looking for a girl.
"Yes, can I come in?"
"Um...okay?" I stepped to the side to let him pass. He must realize that I would never share an apartment with a male stranger.
"It's Keira, right?"
"Yes." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I was having trouble not staring at him. He was so handsome.
He nodded and looked around the room. "How big is the bedroom?"
"That's rather forward." Shit, did I just say that out loud?
"What?" Rory laughed. I wasn't sure if it was because of the expression on my face or because of what I had said.
"I mean it's right forward. I mean, it's over there." I pointed to the door next to my bedroom. My heart was beating out of my chest. I needed a cup of coffee. And some Advil. And for this sexy stranger to not be staring at me in this hideous dress.
"Can you give me a tour?"
"Of course. This is the living room," I gestured with my hand to the open area in front of us. There was a small couch and a T.V. "And here's the kitchen." It was open to the living room. "And the two bedrooms and the bathroom are over there." There was a small hallway that was open to the kitchen, and both bedrooms were connected to it. I walked toward the bedrooms. I could hear him following me. "This is my room," I opened up the door and immediately slammed it shut. There were clothes scattered all over the floor, including every bra I owned because I didn't know which would work best with this dress. "But you won't be going in there, so of course that doesn't matter."
Rory laughed. His laugh was deep and alluring. Everything about him was charming. I looked down at my feet and opened up the bedroom door next to mine. "This would be your room. I mean, this is the second room." What is wrong with me? I stepped to the side to let him go in.
"It's bigger than I pictured." He put his hands in his pockets and walked over to the window. "Nice view."
"Mhm." I was looking at him. I glanced away when he turned around. "And the bathroom is right next to this room." I walked out and opened up the bathroom door. I had left a box of tampons sitting on the vanity. I swatted them off the counter and into the bathtub just before Rory walked in. "Just normal bathroom stuff in here. Toilet, shower."
He walked by me and pulled the shower curtain to the side.
Shit.
"Oh, there's something in here," he reached down and picked up the box of tampons. It felt like my whole body was melting.
"That's nothing." I grabbed them out of his hand and threw them behind the door. "Just trash."
His body was close to mine. He smelled like cinnamon. He was smiling at me. I wanted to laugh it off, but I was too mortified.
I took a step back. "Okay, that's everything." I walked out of the room and back toward the front door.
"Don't you have any questions for me, Keira?" he asked.
"Oh, right. Yes." I turned to the counter in the kitchen and opened up my laptop. I slid onto the bar stool. A moment later he slid into the one right next to me. I gulped.
I laughed awkwardly as I waited for my computer to load. As soon as the screen lit up, I clicked on my roommate questionnaire. "Okay, how old are you?"
"26."
Same age as me. I typed out his answer on the document. "What do you do for a living?"
"I'm the executive chef of La Patisserie, right down the street from here. It's only open for lunch. You should come check it out sometime."
Is he asking me out? No. No, he'd be working. He's just being polite.
"Do you prefer to shower in the morning or at night? Oh, I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that. It's just, I wanted to see if our schedules would conflict."
"At night."
"Okay. That's actually nice, because I shower in the morning, and that way we wouldn't run into each other. But I don't take long showers or anything. I won't be in your way at all." I looked back at my computer screen. "Do you keep odd hours? Like, do you stay up late or wake up late? Anything like that?"
"That depends on what I'm doing. But normally, no."
"That's good. Are you single? I don't mean that in a weird way. It's just that my past three roommates all got married after just living here for several months. I'm looking for something more long term. Someone. Someone more long term. In a roommate kind of way."
"I'm not getting married anytime soon." He shifted slightly in his chair and his knee bumped into my thigh. "So you don't have to worry about that."
I crossed my legs away from him and continued to stare at my questionnaire. "Do you have commitment issues or something?"