“No,” I reply fast. This crazy man.
“Are you sure?”
“I am.” I squeeze my thighs together.
He chuckles, making me smile despite my…condition. “Don’t worry, babe. You won’t be left alone when I come to you next week.”
“You are so bad,” I whisper.
“That I am.” I can hear the lightness in his voice. “As much as I want to continue this discussion with you, the business world is calling my name.”
“Go. Do all the CEO stuff.” I giggle before ending the call.
I spend some more sweaty and clammy minutes under the covers. My head and heart are light, as they always are after talking to Zander, but my mood instantly shifts when my gaze lands on the small gift box wrapped in soft pink paper sitting on my nightstand. It’s from Sophia, Kristy’s mom. She sent me my birthday gift—more than half a year in advance.
Like every year, her gift gives me bittersweet feelings. As much as it tingles my limbs with happiness, it also brings me down. It makes me realize that Sophia doesn’t remember the right day, even after I’ve corrected her multiple times in the past.
When the distress hits me, I suck in a deep breath, following my therapist’s advice. I continue to breathe heavily for a few more seconds before my gaze moves to Logan and Lucy as they chase each other. I get up from the bed and gently place my finger on the fish tank wall, where the two most beloved goldfish live.
Logan was my first pet, gifted by Zander before we even started dating, and Lucy joined him after my engagement.
Why? Because I wanted Logan to have a partner too.
“How are you, kiddos?” They both follow my finger as I slide it against the cold glass, and a smile pulls at my lips, my previous anxiety now forgotten.
Even unknowingly, Zander’s gifts, his words, and just the thought of him have the power to slay the demons of my insecurities.
I amble into the living room and the adjoining open kitchen to prepare my morning coffee. My eyes involuntarily squint to escape the color blast. There are vibrant clothes strewn on the breakfast barstools and countertops, and smaller fabrics lying on the stove. I’m still iffy about how I like Clementine as a roommate.
Six months back, when Kristy got married and moved out, her new sister-in-law, Clementine, jumped at the chance of leaving the Hawthorne Mansion to move into my two-bedroom rented house.
A loud shriek leaves me when I sense something moving on the floor.
“Rose! You scared me.”
My wide eyes fall to Clementine, who’s crawling on the floor. She gets up and grabs a jade-colored thread spool from the counter before settling back on the kitchen floor. On the floor.
“I-I’m sorry.” My hands clutch my pounding heart. “I didn’t…see you there.”
Why would she not sit on the couch or the recliner or the comfy ottomans?
“That’s okay,” Clem mutters, and she goes back to working on a teal fabric with a thin needle.
My legs shake a little as I reach the coffee machine. “I’m making coffee. Do you want some?” I check the water level before turning the machine on.
“I hate your coffee. What I wouldn’t give for a cinnamon latte.”
She lets out a loud sigh, but I don’t understand what she’s crying about. With just a press of a switch, I get amazing coffee, and I don’t even have to talk to anyone to get it. I don’t need to explain the size, type, or amount of milk, among other things. Plus, having coffee at home guarantees the absence of the long waiting line. I’m a huge fan of my cute red coffee machine.
“But I’ve been working on this pattern for the last four hours and can’t walk away now, so I’ll tolerate that crap you call coffee.” Clementine shakes her head, as if the thought of drinking my coffee disturbs her largely.
This is another unusual thing about living with Clem. I’m not used to people being so direct with me. I’m used to people eating or drinking whatever I give them, regardless of how they find it.
After handing the first cup to my roommate, I grab my “I’m engaged!” coffee mug from the cupboard. My lips twitch at the sight of the picture of Zander and me wrapped around the white ceramic. I know it’s cheesy, maybe even a little juvenile. Not something one would expect an almost twenty-seven-year-old woman to be in possession of, but…I love it.
* * *
I park my car in the parking lot of my office at Elixir Inc., one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the country, before taking the elevator that brings me to my office floor. When I step out, my gaze lands on the picture of the Teager brothers on our company brand wall. Zander is in the middle, a small smile on his lips that creates a dimple on his left cheek.