Page 10 of Final Temptation
“It started off flirty and fun, but it turned serious out of nowhere. Honestly, it was a good conversation. There was a lot I enjoyed about it—especially how talking to him made mefeel. It changed after a few fun text exchanges. I never thought Myles was capable of showing his vulnerable side the way he did. It made me feel a little differently about him—look at him in a different light, I guess.” I shifted in my seat.
“Different good, or different bad?”
“Different good. I’ve had this idea of him in my head based on what I’d heard or known myself. The days of working at the bar and seeing him interact with womenevery night with his playboy mentality left a bitter taste in my mouth. He’s always been hot, but he never felt safe for me—unapproachable. Until last night. Even when we kissed months ago, he still had that cocky way about him. He opened up for the briefest moment, until he kissed me—then he was all fuck boy swagger. But last night…he opened up. He just seemeddifferent.” I sighed; every word of truth slipped from my mouth, releasing the built-up tension I’ve carried for months.
“You know…he is different, Declan and I have seen it too. Last night we went to his AA meeting. He celebrated six months sober. I think if you take out all the problems from last year and the reckless drinking, he is different. He’s been working on himself, and maybe this is all part of it, being more open and honest with his feelings. He can’t hide behind alcohol anymore.” She shrugged.
Paige was right. I asked her not to judge me today, but I had been the one judging all along.
It made me feel like shit.
“Yeah, you have a point there. He did say something about working on himself. Something along the lines of trying to be more…adult. He said he was even looking to move out of his parents’ house.”There ya go, Soph, ease Paige into this next part.
“Wow. Declan hasn’t mentioned anything to me about Myles wanting to move out. I wonder how long he’s been sitting on that one.”
I bit my bottom lip, hating that I knew the answer to her question based on one conversation.
“Well, I did kind of mention to him that I was looking for a roommate?—”
“Wait, what? Since when?”
“I’ve been weighing my options. I onlyhave so much in my savings, and if I want to fully focus on school, I’ll need a job or a roommate to help with the bills. And if I get another job, I’m afraid I won’t have time for school. I’m trying to bust out extra credits each semester so I can get done quicker. So, I mentioned to Myles before he said anything that I was potentially looking for a roommate. Then he happened to say he had thoughts of moving out. We kind of ended the conversation with the assumption that I’d think about his offer to take over my other room.” I took a deep breath, the weight instantly lifting off my shoulders after admitting everything.
“That is a lot to take in. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect when you texted me this morning. But it definitely wasn’t this.” Chuckling to herself, she added, “Truthfully, though? I don’t think it’s a terrible idea. You can both help each other out. He can continue to work on himself while being responsible for paying his bills, and you won’t have to stress about money while you go to school. Seems like a win-win to me.” She shrugged.
“You don’t think it’s a terrible idea to move in with the guy you can’t stop thinking about?” I asked.
“Well, Soph, that seems like a problem for another day. Who knows, maybe you guys will end up being super close friends, ormaybeyou will end up being my sister-in-law.” She stood up and winked.
“Where are you going?” I went after her.
“I have a day date with Declan’s penis, and you have a decision to make. Text me later!” Before I knew it, I was watching the back of my best friend walk out the door, her hand in the air, waving goodbye, and her gorgeous brown locks waving side to side.
I was hopeful her advice would be more direct. Instead, I felt even more confused when I picked up my cell to textMyles, this time to his phone number and not the dating app.
After typing out a few different messages, I finally decided to press send and hop in the shower. My pores reeked of vodka and greasy breakfast food, and I didn’t want to get into a habit of mornings spent in my own filth if I was potentially going to entertain a new roommate in the future.
Not wanting to repeat the same mistake as last night, obsessing over my phone buzzing with Myles’s response, I set it on the bathroom counter and enjoyed a long, hot shower.
This time, he could be the one to wait for me to answer back.
Waking up this morning,my mind was reeling from last night’s conversation with Sophie. The back and forth between us almost felt…friendly. Like we were old pals catching up on life. Except, we’d never talked on that level before. I didn’t talk toanyoneon that level, besides Declan occasionally. It was the most honest and raw conversation I’d had in a long time, outside of my weekly meetings.
Before I did something stupid like text herGood Morning,I shot up out of bed, laced up my sneakers, and threw on some gym shorts and a ratty T-shirt that would probably end up being used as a sweat rag. The only way to shake the weird feeling I woke up with was to hit the gym.
Ever since I stopped drinking, I’d been focused on bettering myself in more ways than one. Working out was my new escape. The endorphins I got from hitting a new one-rep max while I bench pressed or increased the speed on my mile time gave me a feeling I never got from drinking.
It was an entirely different type of high.
Today, I’d need those endorphins more than ever.
Did I really propose to Sophie that I’d be her roommate last night?What the fuck am I thinking?
The desire to move out of my parents’ house had always been there, but I was never in the right headspace to make that kind of grown-up decision. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to prove to myself I could be a responsible adult. My mistake in all this was forgetting to think of myself. Instead, I was only thinking of Sophie and how I could help her out of a bind. My first thought should have beenhow on earth would you be able to live with a girl that you crave in your weakest moments?
She wasn’t the only one feeling weak last night.
The moment I saw her name on my screen, my mind went straight down a rabbit hole of how she felt in my arms, the taste of her lips, her cute as hell smile, and that sarcastic mouth of hers.
