Page 57 of Just My Type of wrong guy

“A.J., that man’s beauty is in the things he says. I’ll grab some water so we can clean up.”

“We?” he asks, kitten-voiced. I nod.

“Yes. It’s your apartment after all.”

He blinks like a puppy that just got dropped off at a new home, and I ignore it.

We get rid of enough cardboard and plastic to wrap my whole body like a burrito, but we keep the bubble wrap – for obvious reasons. A.J. looks at my bed, clearly hoping to crash, but I shake my head. We still need to wipe the floor.

Not long after, we turn off the lights and flop onto the bed – two survivors of a domestic war.

With our eyes fixed on the ceiling, lit up by the stars from my new lamp, A.J. plays with my hair, points at a specific constellation, and smiles at me while we pop bubble wrap over our heads.

I tell him to explain constellations some other day – I’m tired, the jet lag’s about to hit me hard, and honestly, I wish I were back home getting ready for my shows.

But when our fingers brush lightly, I smile back.

Because even if none of this was in my original plan, and New York still feels too big, too fast, too much… if all my afternoons come with this kind of closeness and company, I think I can get used to the city that never sleeps.

Chapter Nineteen - A.J.

Cause I try and try to forget you, girl

but it’s just so hard to do

every time you do that thing you do

That Thing You Do - The Wonders

I never thought I’d have a roommate until Alexandra showed up with her little quirks, her smiles, and her judging looks every time I screw up. Besides turning the front bedroom into a TikTok rich girl livestream set, my friend also discovered the best restaurants across three delivery apps, got me hooked on animated movies, and proved that pulling all-nighters watching films on a sofa bed is, in fact, the best use of furniture.

It’s been about ten days since we got here, and even though things started off a little messy, the “maybe I have a crush on her” phase turned into the “yeah, she’s totally charming, but she’s my friend” phase. And everything was going fine.

Until Rebeca showed up.

“I didn’t know you’d brought a guy to share the apartment with you, Mr. Anthony,” she says as she walks into the supply closet between the living room and kitchen.

“What do you mean, Beca?” I ask, watching Alexandra stroll down the hall.

“This mess,” she laughs, shrugging. “Is it okay if I stay a bit longer today?” she asks, probably worried about getting paid, while grabbing the mop and a bunch of cleaning supplies I don’t even recognize.

“Of course. But I didn’t bring a guy,” I say, pulling Alexandra close and kissing the top of her head in a sort of ‘good morning.’ “I brought this lovely girl.”

“Your girlfriend is very pretty,” Rebeca says with a smile, though her eyes are still nervously scanning the space.

“Brazilian?” Alex asks, and Beca nods enthusiastically.

“From Minas. And you, miss?”

“Rio,” Alex replies, reaching out to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Alexandra, but you can call me Alex,” she says in Portuguese.

“It’s my pleasure. I’ll let you have your coffee,” Beca says before turning to me. “I’ll start with the bedrooms, Mr. Anthony. See you in a bit.” Then she’s gone, reminding me I’m supposed to be leave the house when she comes to clean.

“That was so embarrassing,” Alexandra huffs, stepping away.

“What do you mean?"

“Us, A.J. We totally lost it,” she says, opening the cabinets – then closing them again and leaning on the counter, turning back to face me.

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