Page 4 of Roommating

Adam and I say, “You’re gorgeous!” at the same time.

Marcia rolls her eyes. “You’ll get along well. You’re both full of crap.”

She returns to her room, and then it’s just me and Adam again. “She’s so excited you’re here,” I say.

Adam’s eyes soften. “I’m excited too. We have a lot to catch up on.”

My heart pulls, and I swallow hard. “Anyway… this is the living room. Obviously. The couch pulls out.” I point stupidly at the TV like I’m a host on HSN. “The TV in here has Netflix, Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, Prime, Max, Peacock, Showtime. All the streaming you could possibly want. Except sports. Marcia doesn’t have ESPN or Yes or any of those.” I’m babbling. “You saw the kitchen. It’s right when you walk in. Marcia’s bedroom and bathroom are through the door she just entered, and mine is down there,” I say, pointing toward the far end of the living room. We’ll share this bathroom right here,” I say, opening the door to my left.

Adam pops his head inside.

“Everything is off of the living room. Almost impossible to get lost.”

Adam cocks his head, his eyes sparkling again. “Almost?”

“Enough tequila, and I’d get lost in my own bed.”

“I hear you. One too many Jell-O shots and I’m…” He makes the “mind blown” gesture.

“J… Jell-O shots? Really?” I pegged him for more of a beer guy with absolutely zero basis for doing so.

“No.” He laughs and sets his suitcase to the side of the couch. “Oh shit, my other bag is still in the hallway.”

“I brought it in.” I motion to where I left it against the wall.

He blinks. “Thank you.”

The way he’s gazing at me with open curiosity is unnerving, though I can’t say I hate it. “What do you have in there anyway? Cement blocks?”

His lips quirk. “Something like that. My laptop and some books.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Books? You read?”

From his bemused expression, I suspect he thinks I just asked if he knowshowto read. Before I can clarify, he says, “You’re not at all how I pictured, Sabrina.”

For some reason, hearing my name from his mouth sends my chest all aflutter. He looks me up and down, but I can’t take offense because of how blatantly I did the same to him earlier. Also, my desperately-in-need-of-exercise body is too busy sweating under his scrutiny to multitask emotions. I’m in decent shape for the sole reason that I’m only twenty-four, as my fitness-obsessed older sister Audrina reminds me often. “No? How did you picture me?”

I try to see myself through his eyes. While he’s objectively hot, my petite frame, wavy shoulder-length golden-blond hair, and big brown eyes usually place me in the “cute” category. This is fine with me, since cute requires less maintenance than hot.

“Older.Mucholder.” His cheeks flush pink.

I touch my hair. “Oh. She didn’t tell you how we connected?”

Adam shakes his head, so I explain.

“My grandma looks great. I didn’t know she needed live-in help. What’s wrong? Is she okay?” He fires off questions in rapid succession.

He’s freaking out, which wasn’t my intention. I instinctively lift my hand to provide physical comfort but lower it when I remember he’s a stranger to me. Instead, I look him squarely in the eyes so he knows I’m being sincere. “She absolutely does notneedlive-in help. She’s actually in great physical shape for someone her age. I’m here to make sure she doesn’t overdo it. And I help with other stuff, like getting her more online. She had her own reasons for wanting a roommate my age, but I’ll let her explain. Okay?”

He nods, his shoulders dropping in visible relief. “You mentioned work. What do you do?”

“I’m a library page while working toward my MLIS.”

He nods approvingly. “Master’s in library and information science. You’re studying to be a librarian?”

My eyes widen. It’s rare when someone knows what the acronym stands for. “I am.”

“Do you love it?”

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