Page 12 of A Roommate for Christmas
Was this a deal-breaker?Paige supposed she could cut back on the reality TV nights and see if she could convince Linus to let her and Nadia watch their Hallmark Christmas movies at his place instead.
It could work!She told herself.She just needed a few months of extra income, after all.Surely, she could survive a six or twelve-month lease with limited trash TV.
“Well, yeah, that sounds like a frustrating situation!”Paige finally said, hoping Allison couldn’t see through her forced response.“You’ll be way more comfortable in a new place.”
“Exactly!That’s why I was so happy to see your listing pop up.It’s perfect, and I’m totally fine with starting on a six-month lease.”
Phew.She could make it six months if she had to.
After a little more small talk and showing off some photos of the apartment, Paige said goodbye to Allison and walked back to her office.Her mind was swirling with thoughts.
Was she really okay with packing away the parts of life she enjoyed just to appease a potential roommate?But on the other hand, was she okay with losing out on thousands of dollars because she wanted to watch hot guys run around on the beach trying to impress girls who were out of their league?
Just as she returned to her desk, her phone vibrated in her pocket.She found another Facebook message on her screen with another interested renter.A man.
She opened the message:
Hey.Looking for a nice space ASAP.Willing to pay above the asking price and can move in quickly.I’m 30 years old, work in finance here in Chicago, and spend most days and evenings out, so I don't plan to be around much.Lmk.- Carter
Well, hi, Carter,Paige thought as she spied his profile picture—a close-up shot of a gorgeous, tan, and smiling man with dark-brown hair.Even from the small circle she could tell he was handsome.What are these apps and dating shows doing to me?Paige hadn't been this thirsty in a while.
Focus, Paige.
She hadn’t really pictured her new roommate being male, but this guy seemed almost perfect.He hadn’t scoffed at the rental price, he wouldn’t be around much to complain about her TV watching habits, and he was definitely easy on the eyes.
She typed back:
Hey, Carter!Thanks for reaching out!Are you able to meet at five today around LaSalle and Erie?I can send you the address for a Starbucks there.We can chat through some details.
Within minutes, he replied with, "Sure,” and Paige couldn’t help but smile at her phone screen.
Once she snapped back to reality, she wished she had suggested meeting up the following day so she could have planned a cuter outfit.She was wearing an oversized tan blazer over a fitted black tee with black pants and chunky black loafers.It wasn’t her most exciting or flattering outfit, but it was going to have to do.
He’s a potential roommate, Paige.Not a date.
Unable to focus on her work, she clicked on Carter’s profile image to do some light stalking.
Private, of course.She rolled her eyes.
But there were three photos set to public that she could see.
One was a photo he had been tagged in, clearly from the late ’90s.She guessed he must be around nine or ten years old in this photo.He was in a loose baseball jersey with a gap between his front teeth, posing next to a guy that could be his dad.A cute picture, but not what she was hoping to find.
The second photo was a professional shot of a men’s high school lacrosse team.She scanned the image and found a guy who could be a sixteen-year-old Carter standing in the back row.So, he’s tall then, she made a mental note.
The third photo wiped the smile off of Paige’s face.It was Carter and a brown-haired woman on a boat at sunset.The woman was giving him a kiss on the cheek, and while the backlighting kept Paige from seeing her face clearly, she could tell this woman could be a model.
Well, not surprised a man this hot might have a girlfriend.But then why is he looking for a roommate?And why is he considering a female roommate?Either this man is fresh out of a breakup or he is extremely bad at updating his Facebook page.Both are equally possible.
If Carter was post-breakup, Paige had no interest in being a rebound.And if he did have a girlfriend, then he was completely off-limits.Only a year ago she was the woman who was cheated on—she could never be the other woman.
But there wasn’t enough information on Carter’s barren Facebook profile to be sure.For all she knew, this photo could be from 2018 and he’s been single for six years.
Paige pretended to work, and as hard as she tried not to let her mind wander, she came up with different scenarios of how she and Carter might fall in love—or at the very least fall into bed.
The end of the day couldn’t come fast enough.
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