Page 17 of Final Temptation
It was meetings like this that gave me an uneasy feeling. I was supposed to feel better after getting everything off my chest by listing out all my struggles to a room full of strangers who shared the same feelings. But a knot in my stomach twisted, the dread of going home sinking in, just to go to sleep and have a repeat of the same dreadful nightmare.
Looking around my room—the one and only I’d ever had—I ran through my mental checklist,making sure I packed up everything I was going to need before moving out. My parents' house wasn’t far away, so I could always come back and grab something if I forgot it.
All I had with me were a couple of duffel bags and a suitcase. As long as I had my clothes and toiletries, there wasn’t much else I’d need to move in with Sophie. She texted me the other day, letting me know what to expect: we would share a bathroom, and her guest room was fully furnished. It was simple.
I locked up and did one last look at my childhood home. Hopefully, this was a new start for me, and every time after, I’d only be here as a guest. I refused to gain independence just to come back home a few months later because I couldn’t handle living like an adult.
Mom and Dad were still traveling, but I talked to them a couple days ago. I wanted to fill them in on my plan to move out so they wouldn’t be shocked when they came home and my things were gone.
On my drive to Sophie’s apartment, I felt like something was missing. I didn’t want to show up for the first time empty-handed. After all, she was opening her doors and giving me this opportunity, and I needed to thank her for it. Hopefully, she would appreciate the small gesture.
The only thing that came to mind was grabbing her another coffee fromMugs. I pulled up to the coffee shop; luckily, it wasn’t too busy, and I could get right up to the ordering counter. There was absolutely no part of me that wanted to rattle off this obnoxious drink order. Instead, I copied and pasted it into my notes app and asked the barista, “Do you mind just reading my order from here?” I slid my phone across the counter.
The barista answered, “No problem!”
While she began entering the order into her register, thefresh wildflowers for sale beside the counter caught my attention. Pink, purple, orange, and yellow flowers stuck out wildly in all different directions. The bundle was placed inside a mason jar, already topped with water. They appeared freshly picked, and their bright, wild colors reminded me of my new roomie.
Happy, spunky, upbeat.
“I’ll take one of those flower arrangements, too,” I let the barista know.
“Sure. Pick out whichever one you want on your way out.” She smiled sweetly.
“Thank you.” I nodded.
I couldn’t say I’d ever bought a girl flowers before. This was a first for me. But this was just a nice roommate gesture. A way to break the ice.
My hands overflowed as I approached the front door. Luckily, the newly developed apartments Sophie lived in were spacious, looking more like tiny townhomes than apartments. There wasn’t an upstairs or downstairs; instead, each unit shared a wall with its neighboring building. Each apartment had its own small patio in front, with a fence on each side built for privacy. The buildings were all white, with black accents.
Before I knocked on the door, I took in the space around me. Soph must be into gardening. There were various gardening tools lying around, a bag of fresh soil, some pots, and even some bright spring flowers that had already been planted. Glancing back at the wildflowers in my hand, a smile formed on my lips.
Seems I made a fitting choice when picking out these flowers.
My knuckles rapped against the front door. Waiting forher to answer, I glanced down at my feet by the welcome mat.
“I can’t believe you came,”it read in the top left corner, and on the bottom right it said,“that’s what she said.”
Man, is this girl a character.
My small smile grew wider, and I was unable to control the chuckle that slipped from my mouth. The door squeaked open, Sophie looking at me from the other side.
“Do you always laugh at yourself?” she asked, stepping back, motioning for me to come in.
“That mat is something else. You know, usually, they just sayWelcome.”I shook my head.
“I couldn’t pass it up at the dollar store. It was literallyonedollar.You know how sometimes you go to the dollar store and then an item will say it’s $4.99? And then you’re like… ‘That’s false advertising! This is thedollar storefor crying out loud!’ Well, it seemed like a steal, an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.” She was dead serious.
“You’re something else, Princess.” We stood there awkwardly in the entryway, me with all my luggage and hands full, her with a smile on her face, looking up at me. She couldn’t be more than five feet tall with her blonde hair only reaching my chin. “I got this for you.” I reached out, handing the mason jar full of flowers and iced coffee to her.
“Oh my gosh! These are gorgeous!” She immediately sniffed the flowers, a look of delight sprinkled in her eyes.
“My way of saying thank you. I really appreciate you letting me invade your space.”
“Oh, please, you’re the one helping me out, Myles. Thankyou.” The happiness slipped from her face, quickly replaced with a dip in her brow. “And you…” she paused, “remembered my coffee order?”
“Well, not word for word. I copied and pasted it into anotes page in my phone.” She took a deep breath, grabbing my hand, pulling me toward the living room.
“Please, sit. If we are going to do this roommate thing, we need to start with being honest.” What the fuck was she talking about? I followed her, sitting down on the plush white couch, and raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate. “This is the worst thing I’ve ever tasted,” she admitted, sitting down next to me.
