Page 10 of Always a Roommate
“Come on, Shane, you owe me this much.”
“I don’t owe you anything.”
“Yeah?” She stepped closer, her chest almost bumping mine. “You mean I didn’t give you a place to live when you couldn’t find something else?”
“Is that how you see it?” How did this woman make me so angry?
“That’s how it is.”
“My mother pulled her subtle manipulative crap, convincing me you needed someone to take over the lease once Finley left.”
“I don’t need anyone.”
“Clearly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Her voice grew louder, and I’d known her long enough to recognize what that meant. Rae was dangerously close to an explosion.
Truth: I’d always enjoyed the fireworks when they weren’t directed at me. I leaned down until my eyes were level with hers. “You’re Miss Independent.”
“Going to start singing Kelly Clarkson at me now?”
I ignored the comment. “The only person you’ve ever let in is Finley. Even back when you were queen of the high school, you were so closed off you couldn’t let anyone else take care of you.”
“And who’d do that? You? Mr. Grumpy Gus.”
“I may be grumpy, but you’re…” I didn’t want to say it. I couldn’t.
“I’m what?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“No.” She poked my chest. “I want to know.”
“Cold, Rae. You’re cold.” How had we gotten here? Chests heaving, eyes blazing. How had we turned into these people?
A harsh laugh escaped her lips, and she backed up. “Oh, I’m cold? We live together, and you never speak to me.”
“You’re the one who never speaks to me.” Now, we were back in middle school. Great.
Her head gave a tiny, angry shake. “Yes, of course. I’m the one who didn’t tell my roommate before the biggest meeting of her life that I knew her potential client and could possibly help. Oh, wait. That wasn’t me.”
The words burst out of me before I could stop them, louder than I’d intended. “I didn’t want you to only talk to me because of him, because of someone else.”
It sat between us, the meaning. Her silence had hurt. I hadn’t known how much I enjoyed her banter, her barbs until it was all gone.
Rae backed up another step. I reached out to warn her, but I was too late. She hadn’t seen the edge of the bathtub, and as soon as her calves hit it, she lost her balance, falling backward. A scream rolled off her lips as she gripped the shower curtain, yanking it with her. She thudded to the ceramic, the curtain rod landing on her seconds later. No other sound left her as she stared up at the ceiling.
I wasn’t sure exactly what to do, but a knock on the door saved me. I opened it to find my mom on the other side.
“Everything okay in here?” Her eyes bounced from Rae in the tub to me.
I had to go. “I’m leaving.” I rushed by my mom.
“I was leaving first,” Rae yelled.
I stepped into the dining room and everyone stared at me and my stained shirt. Not saying goodbye to anyone, I took long strides toward the front door, tugged it open, and stepped out into the cool night air. I gulped it in, letting it settle over my heated skin.
I’d told her she was cold. How did I come back from that?
