Page 1 of The Jerk in Apartment 1B

CHAPTER ONE

Trina

“I’m home!” I call out as I come into the apartment.

“I’m in the bedroom,” Asher yells back. “Wait there. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Going to the kitchen, I grab an open bottle of merlot and pour myself a glass. I need it after the day I’ve had. I can’t believe I was fired. But it’s not the end of the world. I’ll find another job, and in the meantime, I can put all my efforts into planning the wedding.

“Hey,” Asher says, coming into the living room. He’s still in his suit, a dark gray pinstripe, his tie undone, hanging loose around his neck.

“Did you just get home?” I ask, sitting on the couch with my glass of wine.

“I got home an hour ago,” he says, joining me on the couch.

“You left early?” I ask, wondering if he’s sick. I hope not, because I really want to go out tonight. Dinner at a nice restaurant with my handsome fiancé is just what I need to feel better about what happened.

“I had some stuff to get done. So how was work?”

“They let me go,” I say with a sigh.

“You got fired?” Asher says, sounding alarmed.

“It wasn’t because of something I did. They said they didn’t have the budget to keep me.”

“How could they not have the budget? They barely paid you anything.”

“Yeah, but interns are free. And they have interns lining up to work there. I’m not worried. I’ll find another job, but I was thinking maybe I’d wait.”

“Wait for what?”

I turn to him. “Instead of rushing to get another job, I was thinking I could take some time off to plan our wedding.”

“Trina, you need a job.”

“Eventually, yes, but it doesn’t have to be right now. Planning a wedding is basically a full-time job. Even if we hire a wedding planner, I still need to be available to work with her. What do you think?”

He clears his throat. “I think your focus should be on getting a job.”

“But there’s so much to do for the wedding. And it’s not like we need the money. You make enough for both of us. I can get a job later, after the wedding plans are done.” I smile at him, my excitement building. “First, we need to pick a date. I was thinking May would be perfect. The weather is warm but not too hot, and it’ll be easier to book a place in May than in June. Obviously, this coming May is already booked so it’ll have to be—”

“Trina, stop.” Asher’s eyes lock on mine. “Stop talking about the wedding.”

“Why? If we don’t talk about it, it’s—”

“Never going to happen.”

“Exactly, which is why we need to pick a date.”

“It’s not happening,” he says with a heavy sigh.

“What’s not happening?” I cautiously ask, my heart beating faster.

“The wedding.” He stands up and rubs his hand over his jaw. “I’m not marrying you.”

“Wait—what?” I bolt up from the couch. “What do you mean? Of course we’re getting married.” I hold up my hand, pointing to my two-carat diamond engagement ring. “We’re engaged.”

“Not anymore.” He looks down, shaking his head. “I can’t do this, Trina. We’re just not right for each other.”

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