Page 33 of Roommate
“Well, it’s exactly half the rent. That’s why I wasn’t gonna find two roommates. Didn’t seem necessary.”
“Wow, okay.” I brush past Kieran and walk down the hallway into the empty bedroom, where there’s a window seat that looks out into the backyard. It’s a terrific little room, in a kickass house.
“Zara gave me a deal because she wants some help while Dave is away, and she wanted to rent to somebody she knows.”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Look. I don’t want you to turn away somebody you’d rather have as a roommate just because I’m strapped. I don’t want charity. You weren’t so happy to see me roll back into town.”
“Yeah.” He winces. “Let’s just forget about that.”
“You never said why, though,” I press.
“Seriously?” He folds burly arms over his chest. “It’s not that hard to figure out.”
“Because of high school,” I guess.
“Yes, Captain Obvious. But that’s, uh, water under the bridge. I haven’t been a stalker since then.”
I actually grin. “You weren’t a stalker. You were a voyeur. It’s different.”
“Look,” Kieran grunts. “You want the room or not? My only condition is that we never speak of this again.”
“Okay.” I bite back my smile. “Sorry. It’s just that you’re the only one who doesn’t like that memory. I kind of like voyeurs. I don’t have very many hang-ups…” I catch the look on his face, and raise two hands in supplication. “Right. Never mind. We won’t speak of it again.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s just stupid high school shit, anyway,” I add. “Lord knows I don’t want to be held accountable for anything I did as a teenager. Or, hell, my early twenties. Okay—one of these days I’m going to stop making stupid decisions. Any second now.” I laugh, and Kieran smiles so quickly that I might have imagined it.
We end up eyeing each other for a quiet moment. And suddenly I become all too aware that I’m alone with a hot farmer boy at midnight in an empty house. His eyes are beautiful, but they’re the kind that see more than they give away. I have no idea what this man is thinking. And if he has his way, I never will.
“What else do you need from me?” I blurt out. “What about a security deposit? I’d need to get a real paycheck before I can give that to you. If that’s a deal-killer, I’ll understand.”
“Nah.” Kieran shakes his head. “Zara didn’t charge me one, so it would be a dick move if I asked that of you.”
“Oh,” I say slowly. “Did, uh, Zara make you rent me the room? Because if she did, we can just say I wasn’t interested…”
“No.” He frowns. “She has no idea. And our rent isn’t due until December first, anyway.”
“Okay,” I gulp. “Unless you change your mind before then, you’ve got yourself a roommate.” I reach out a hand to him.
Kieran actually hesitates for a fractional second before reaching out to shake. When our palms meet, a flash of heat washes across my skin. His fingers close over mine, and I’m far too conscious of how close we’re standing together in what is going to be our house.
If this is what it will feel like to live with Kieran, I’m so very screwed. “I’ll bring in my sleeping bag, then.”
“I’ve got a camping mattress you can borrow until you get a real bed.” He yawns and stretches, and his T-shirt rides up a few crucial inches, so I check out his abs.
Rein it in, Roddy, I coach myself. Or you’ll be back on the street before you know it.
Kieran doesn’t notice, though. He lumbers upstairs to get the camping mattress, while I dart outside to get a few of my things.
After I come back into the house, I close the door behind me and lock it tightly. Then I let out a big sigh of relief. I’m still dangling over the abyss, but someone just threw me a lifeline.
Thank you, Vermont. This place isn’t half bad.
* * *
That night I lie down in a quiet room and stretch my toes all the way to the bottom of the sleeping bag. I have five straight hours of the best sleep I’ve had in ages, and when my alarm goes off, I wash up in a warm bathroom and then drive to work.
The commute takes literally three minutes. I’ve never had it so easy.
