“Thanks.” I stand back up and pull out the foil-covered plate Chrissy left for me. Opening the drawer, I pull out a fork and venture back to the table. “What do you mean this one? Have there been more?” I can’t help but feel out of the loop.
“Yeah, Chrissy’s had a few come and look all week. Some don’t want a co-ed situation, others she’s not so hot on.” He never glances up from his phone.
“When do we get a say?” I ask, piling a fork full of food into my mouth.
Dex chuckles. “We don’t man.” He confirms my suspicions.
“I like this one,” I tell him and he raises his eyes to me and arches an eyebrow. “What?” I ask.
“If you like her, she’s off the list. We don’t need any complications here.” His attention focused back to his phone.
Chrissy comes down with Paige five minutes later and I lean back in my chair with my beer in my hand, as though she might be more compelled to take the room if I come with it. Chrissy scrunches her eyes at me and Paige glances but disregards me immediately.
“So, are you interested?” Chrissy asks Paige and her vision darts to me and Dex before looking at Chrissy.
“Um … yeah I think I am,” she answers and I sit up a little straighter.
“Okay, we’ll let you know then.” Chrissy shuts her down and I tilt my head. What is she thinking?
I stand and spot Chrissy’s eyes on me the whole five steps it takes me to reach them. “If you like the room, it’s yours Paige,” I tell her and Chrissy’s shoulders deflate and Dex swings around in his chair, shocked by my actions.
“Really?” Paige excitedly asks, looking at Chrissy whose mouth is ajar and currently giving me a death stare.
“Sure,” Chrissy agrees and Paige hugs her.
“Thank you so much.” She digs in her purse and pulls out a checkbook. Scribbling a few things, she tears it off and hands it to Chrissy. “Here’s the first month’s rent and security deposit you mentioned.”
Chrissy takes the check from her hand and stands there speechless.
I go to the drawer and take the extra key out of the drawer. “Here you go, Paige.” I hand it to her and she grabs it from my grip.
“Thank you.”
“Move in whenever you want,” I tell her and Chrissy moves to say something, but I cut her off. “We’re all happy to have you,” I say, wrapping my arm around Chrissy’s shoulders.
Chrissy pinches my back and I squirm to the side. “Yeah, welcome Paige,” she says.
We wait for Paige to leave after discussing she’ll move in tomorrow at some point. I curse myself since I won’t be around, but happy to know she’ll be nice to come home to.
“What the fuck, Rob?” Chrissy swears and I laugh because it doesn’t happen very often.
“Why weren’t you guys consulting me?” I ask, washing my dish off in the sink.
“Because of what just happened. You only selected her because of her looks,” Chrissy argues and Dex watches the show from the table.
“So?” I ask.
“So, we need someone long term, not for you to fuck them and then they move. I don’t want a revolving door of roommates.” Chrissy continues her rant as I place my plate in the dishwasher.
“It won’t be. She’ll want me again after she’s had me once,” I assure her, but she smacks me across the back of the head.
“Hey now,” I warn and face her, noticing how upset she really is. “All right, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made the decision for all of us. But you seemed excited for her to be here,” I comment and she cocks her head.
“I am. I like Paige … A LOT. She overheard me talking about needing a roommate and asked, otherwise I never would have offered. I want to keep her as a friend and I have a feeling if she moves in here, that won’t happen.”
I grab her and wrap my arms around her, earning a disgusted look from Dex. “Don’t worry, I’ll be a complete gentleman,” I assure her.
“Doubtful,” she murmurs and shakes her head. She knows me all too well.
Rob’s Story - Let Me Go (The Invisibles #5) COMING Winter 2015
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Trey and Kailey’s Wedding
“WE’RE GOING TO be here all damn day. She’s so indecisive,” Jessa whispers to me as we flip through the row of dresses wrapped in plastic.
“I can hear you,” Sadie says from the next row over.
“It’s nothing I wouldn’t say to your face.” Jessa giggles and playfully rolls her eyes.
“Stop fooling around and search,” Sadie yells over the sea of white.
“Brady doesn’t care if the dress isn’t perfect,” Jessa adds, and I hear a long sigh from Sadie.
“He’d probably prefer if I was naked,” Sadie jokes.
“Awe, Sadie, you made a joke. See, you still have your sense of humor, even if you’re turning into a bridezilla,” Jessa continues, picking on her.
“JESSA!” Sadie exclaims, clearly annoyed.
I let the two best friends bicker back and forth, while I admire the beautiful dresses. The memory of shopping for Jen’s wedding dress comes to mind. The fact we spent all day at a bridal shop similar to this one, only for Jen to decide she didn’t want any of them. We left, and she drove us to the mall. Grabbing the second white sundress she found on the rack, she bought her wedding dress for less than fifty dollars. My lips turn up remembering how we gorged ourselves on mall fries, pretzels, and Coke before getting our nails done.
The image of the one dress I remember seeing her in comes to mind. She was so gorgeous and elegant looking she could’ve been Cinderella. A form-fitting strapless beaded bodice that puffed out into layers of tulle and satin. When Jen stood on that center block in front of those three long mirrors, I was in complete awe. From that day forward, I dreamed of my wedding day. Not the church, the people, or big reception. I couldn’t wait to stand at the end of an aisle, wearing the princess dress and staring down at the man who would be my husband. The man who’d captured my heart and intended to keep it safe.
As Sadie ventures back into the fitting room with six new dresses to try on, I continue to search for a dress matching Sadie’s criteria while daydreaming about a dress most likely not in style anymore. I mean, Jen and Caden got married eight years ago and trends have changed. I need to focus on helping Sadie, so I push my dream dress back into its mental closet and keep skimming though the dresses.
Then about ten dresses later my jaw drops open. There it is, not the exact one, but almost identical. Too excited to think about anything else, I hurriedly unzip the bag and allow my fingers to brush against the elaborate beaded design.
“Try it on,” Jessa says, nudging me with her shoulder.
Snapping back to reality, I answer, “No, this is Sadie’s day.” My eyes fixate on the dress in my hands. My body is practically itching with the thought of slipping into it.
“She doesn’t care. You know you and Trey will be getting hitched sometime soon anyway.” She takes it from the rack and begins walking to the fitting rooms.
“Jessa!” I say, following after her.
“Excuse me,” Jessa taps the woman on the shoulder. The pleasant-as-pie assistant smiles nicely at her. “We need another fitting room.” She nods her head in my direction.
“No, we don’t really,” I argue back. The lady peers over at me and then back to Jessa.
“I’m terribly sorry, but it’s by appointment only. Those fitting rooms are reserved for other brides or bridesmaids coming in shortly.” Anyone can hear her curt and displeased meaning under her high pitched fake reply.