Chapter 1 The Roommates
Jamie opened her brown eyes in delight as she read the ad on Roommates.com. Since her breakup with Matthew, she had been living with her friend Melanie “Mia,” and as much as she loved her, Mia was a clean freak, and it exasperated her.
Mia was a good friend, without a doubt. Jamie had been living with Matthew until she caught him kissing another girl in his apartment. Mia immediately offered her a place to stay after finding out she needed somewhere to live. However, after only five days, Mia would freak out if Jamie misplaced the dishes in the cabinet. It was torture.
They loved each other, and in Jamie’s opinion, it was better if she moved out so their friendship would remain intact. Besides, she didn’t want to abuse her friend’s hospitality.
Jamie sent a message to the user, a guy named Daniel Miller, asking if she could visit the apartment and meet them. She was thrilled when they agreed to meet her that same afternoon.
That had to be a good sign.
She knocked on the apartment door. A tall guy with straight brunette hair, brown eyes, and glasses opened it.
“Hello. I’m Jamie,” she said, extending her hand.
He shook her hand but seemed confused.
“Joshua. Come in. We’ll talk inside.”
He motioned for her to take a seat on a brown couch. Another guy, with short brown hair, walked in carrying three Coca-Cola cans and looked at her as if she were an alien.
“She’s Jamie,” Joshua said.
“You’re a girl?” Daniel asked, looking at her as he offered her a drink.
“Is that a problem?” she asked, concerned, while holding the can in her hands.
Jamie would have never suspected that would be an issue. The ad hadn’t mentioned that they preferred a male roommate.
They both sat down across from her.
“Not exactly,” Daniel said, shaking his head. “We read your name on the site and thought you were a guy.”
“And to be honest, we were expecting a guy, just like our former roommate,” Josh added, pointing at himself and his friend.
Jamie sighed. She couldn’t miss this opportunity and end up back at Mia’s place.
“Please, I really need a place to stay. I promise I won’t be a burden to either of you. I’m an elementary school teacher, and I spend most of my time working on my laptop. You won’t even remember I’m here.”
Both guys looked at each other.
“We can give it a try,” Daniel said with a smile. “The rent is three hundred dollars a month. Does that work for you?”
“Yes,” she answered enthusiastically.
“We need to know... do you have any pets?” Joshua asked curiously.
Jamie shook her head.
A few minutes later, they showed her the room. It wasn’t as big as she had expected, but it was nice and comfortable. It had a bed, a closet, and a nightstand. It was enough for her.
“It’s perfect,” she said, smiling.
“Good. The room is yours,” Daniel said, shaking her hand.
Instead, she hugged each of them.
“Thanks, Daniel. Thanks, Joshua. I know we’ll get along.”
“You can call us Danny and Josh,” Josh said, returning the hug.
Two days later, Jamie was packing her things, much to Mia’s dismay.
“I’ll miss you,” Mia said, hugging her.
“This isn’t goodbye. We’ll keep in touch.”
Jamie had mixed feelings. As much as Mia would freak out if the toothpaste wasn’t exactly where she had left it, she was an amazing friend.
Jamie was unpacking her clothes when she heard a knock at the door. It was Josh.
“I wanted to ask if you have any food allergies.”
“No. Why?”
“I want to make you a welcome dinner tomorrow. I’m a chef, remember?”
The gesture touched her.
“You don’t have to.”
He smiled warmly.
“I want to. Is there anything you especially like?”
“Anything you make will be fine. Thanks.”
She closed the door and continued unpacking, feeling like the luckiest person to be living there.
The next morning, when she opened her eyes, she barely recognized the room. Then she remembered she had moved out of Mia’s apartment and smiled.
She slipped on her slippers and walked to the bathroom. As she opened the door, Danny was standing there with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
He turned toward her, staring at her in silence. His damp hair reminded her of the models she had seen in TV commercials.
“Sorry,” she whispered before quietly closing the door.
She rushed back to her room and locked the door. It hadn’t been her intention to see him half-naked. She wasn’t that kind of girl, and she hoped he wouldn’t think otherwise.
Jamie touched her face, feeling it grow warm. It was awkward, since the only guy who had ever had that effect on her was Matthew.
