Page 9 of Always a Roommate
“I was thinking.”
“About how to lie to me?” She reached for her wine glass, bringing it to her lips.
“No.”
She turned to face me so fast, and I saw it all happening in slow motion. Her fingers slipped on the stem of the wine glass, tipping it forward. Red wine splashed over the rim, and I didn’t have time to jump out of the way before it struck my shirt… my peach, easily stained shirt.
Rae managed to catch the glass before it hit the edge of the table, and her mouth popped open as she stared at me.
The entire table went silent.
This was why Rae and I never spent much time together. It always ended with me getting angry and her doing something she should apologize for later. Yet, she never did.
My eyes flicked from my shirt to her surprised, and still not contrite, face. I bunched up the cloth napkin on my lap and threw it on the table before getting to my feet calmly. “Excuse me.”
No one spoke as I walked from the dining room, across the kitchen, and escaped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.
I stared at myself in the mirror. Red had crept into my cheeks, but it wasn’t nearly as dark as the stain on my shirt. I reached for the top button, but before I got it undone, the door opened and Rae slipped in, shutting it behind her.
“What are you doing in here?” The bathroom was small with just me. I didn’t need her crowding me. I had to back up to give her more space.
“Helping you.” She said it so simply, like it was perfectly normal for the two of us to stand here in this small space, only inches from each other. The truth was, I found it increasingly hard to breathe.
Rae didn’t seem to have the same problem as she reached for the button I’d been working on and slipped it through the hole before moving on to the next. My hands fell to my sides, and I swallowed thickly. “I can take care of this myself.”
“Of course you can.” She was halfway down my shirt now. “But it was my fault, so let me help. Please.”
Her fingers brushed against the skin of my chest, leaving heat in their wake. She probably didn’t even know she was doing it. I had to get out of here, but now she had my shirt completely unbuttoned.
“Slide it off,” she commanded.
I wasn’t sure why, but I obeyed her, slipping the shirt down my arms and handing it to her, leaving me with my chest bared.
As Rae took the shirt from me, her eyes skimmed down my naked torso, and I could’ve sworn they darkened. I really had to get out of here.
As if snapping back to herself, Rae abruptly turned to face the sink and run part of my shirt under the water.
“That’s not going to get the stain out,” I said.
“It might.” She bit her bottom lip, concentrating as she scrubbed the fabric together.
“All it’s going to do is leave me with a wet shirt.”
She acted like she hadn’t heard me, her forehead bunching. Her shoulders were tense, a spring ready to release. It was how she always was, but then, I wasn’t really any different. Maybe that was why we didn’t get along. We were too much alike.
Auburn curls fell forward into her face, but I feared she’d punch me if I tried to brush them back. So, I waited for her scrubbing to slow, her hands to still.
“It’s not working,” she said finally, still not looking at me.
“I know.”
“You just know everything, don’t you?” She turned and shoved my now wet shirt at my chest. “Put that on. I don’t need to see you all up close and personal.”
“Fine, since I disgust you so much.” I yanked the shirt on and buttoned it as quick as my fingers allowed. Half of it was sopping wet and wrinkled, but I no longer cared. “I have to get out of here.” I reached for the door, but her voice stopped me.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Drew? The real answer this time.”
A sigh wound through me. “Rae…”
