Only You

Chapter 1

One

Kayla was in love. She sank her teeth into the slice of pizza and took the perfect bite of gooey cheese, sweet sauce, and spicy pepperoni.

She chewed it slowly, savoring it, like she didn’t come here once a week, and might never have it again.

Then she dabbed her lips with a napkin and saw Jack staring at her. “What?”

“Just wondering if that is what your O face looks like,” Jack said, deadpan.

“You’ll never know,” she retorted.

Jack chuckled and took a bite of his veggie pizza. “So, what’s the latest roommate drama?”

Kayla rolled her eyes. “Josie was at it again last night. Her headboard banged against my wall until one in the morning.”

Jack shook his head. “Why don’t you just ask her to move the bed to another wall?”

“There’s not enough space.”

“Well, at least she’s getting some,” Jack said dryly.

Kayla laughed. “True.”

“I don’t know how you can stand it, though.”

Kayla had been considering moving out for a while. “I’ve been looking at places online, but I haven’t found the right one yet.”

Jack began to speak, but they were interrupted.

“Can I get you two anything else?” the waiter asked.

“Just a box, please,” Kayla replied.

“I’m good,” said Jack.

“He’s cute,” Kayla commented as the waiter walked away.

“I thought you were off dating.”

“I am, but he’s still cute. Anyway, what were you going to say?”

Jack cleared his throat, which he always did before delivering big news. Kayla and Jack had started working at the same pharmaceutical company two years ago and had become fast friends. In a job with a lot of turnover, the two of them were still there, though many of their friends had left.

“I have a proposition for you,” Jack said.

“Oh. Sounds serious.”

“It’s more of a favor, really.” He shifted uncomfortably.

“Ask away.”

The waiter returned with a box and their bill. “No rush,” he said, smiling at Kayla.

She smiled back and then returned her attention to Jack. “Sorry. Go ahead.”

“You know what, never mind.”

Suddenly, she was very curious. “No. Please ask me.” She owed him a favor for how often he’d listened to her complaining about Josie, among other things.

Jack took a deep breath. “Okay. So, my parents are coming to visit me for the holidays.”

“That’s great.” His parents lived in Florida, and he didn’t see them that often.

“They asked if they could stay with me, but I told them it wouldn’t work.”

“Okay.” Kayla had no idea what this had to do with her.

“Anyway, I said I had a girlfriend, and she just moved in with me, so I set them up at an Airbnb instead. I might have said you were my girlfriend,” he finished in a rush.

Kayla blinked a few times but didn’t speak.

Jack waved a hand in front of her face. “Hello? Are you still with me?”

She exhaled loudly. “Why? Why would you do that?”

He rubbed his hand over his stubbly chin. “A moment of weakness? I don’t know. It just came out, and then I couldn’t take it back.”

“But why me? Why not someone else we work with, like Samantha, whatever her last name is.”

“Higgins,” he provided.

“Yes, her!” She said it so loud, the people at the next table stared at her.

“Your name was the first one that came to mind,” Jack explained.

“So, what exactly are you proposing?”

Jack took another deep breath. “Move in with me. It would just be for a few weeks—six, actually—but it’ll go by really fast.”

Kayla’s eyes bulged. “Six weeks!”

He nodded. “They’re flying in for Thanksgiving and flying out after New Year’s Day.”

“Six weeks,” she repeated.

“Think of it this way: you won’t have to listen to Josie having sex every night.”

She cocked her head. “So I get to listen to you having sex instead?”

“What? No! If you’re my girlfriend, I won’t be having sex with anyone.”

The people at the next table snickered.

Kayla scowled at them. “Do you realize how ridiculous this idea is?”

Jack sucked in his bottom lip, another familiar habit.

“Yes, but it won’t be forever, and you’d be doing me a huge favor.

My mom was starting to think I was gay—not that there’s anything wrong with that—and she was thrilled when I told her I had a girlfriend.

You don’t want to spoil her happiness, do you? ”

“Way to play the mom card,” Kayla said wryly.

“Plus, I sent her a picture of you, and she can’t wait to meet you.”

“What picture?”

“The one on our company website, which is really good by the way.”

“You sent your mom a professional photo of your girlfriend. Don’t you think that’s a little suspicious?”

“Oh. I didn’t think of that.”

She sighed. “If I do this, and it’s a big if, what is required of me?”

“Well, you would have to attend a few family dinners, including Thanksgiving and Christmas. And you’ll have to hang out with us a few times outside of that.”

“I wouldn’t have to move in with you to do that.”

“What if they pop in? How would I explain why you’re not there?”

She shrugged. “I could be out with friends, shopping, or working late.” Jack was right, though. It would look suspicious if she was never there.

He sighed. “If you don’t want to do this, I’ll figure something out. I just thought it might benefit you too, since you’ve been irritated with Josie.”

Suddenly, Josie’s bad habits didn’t seem so horrible. Living with Jack, albeit temporarily, sounded more troublesome. “What if this ruins our friendship?” she asked, changing tack.

“Why would it?”

“Geez, for a million reasons.”

“Such as?”

“What if we don’t make good roommates? For example, I might get annoyed that you leave the toilet seat up.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I never do that. My parents taught me right.”

“Okay. Well, I don’t like the way you chew.”

He chuckled. “We’ve eaten together a lot, and you’ve never complained before.”

“We were just friends before.”

Jack shook his head. “We’re still friends. That doesn’t have to change.”

“I thought that about Josie too, but look what happened.”

“Josie is an inconsiderate roommate, but I won’t be.”

“Because your parents raised you right.”

“Yes. What about you? You must have some annoying habits that I don’t know about.”

“Such as?” she volleyed.

“Maybe you leave wet footprints on the floor after a shower.”

“I mostly take baths.”

“Same thing.”

“I clean up after myself,” she stated proudly.

“Maybe you snore, and it keeps me awake at night.”

“I do not snore.”

“Do you know that for a fact?”

“Nobody has ever mentioned it.”

“Probably because they didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” he reasoned.

“Speaking of snoring, what would our sleeping arrangements be?”

Jack shifted uncomfortably.

“Let me guess. It has to look like we’re sleeping together, so some of my stuff has to be in your bedroom,” she said.

“Yes, but it would be easier if you just slept in there.”

“You have a second bedroom, right?”

“Yes.”

“Why can’t I sleep in there?”

“What if my parents peek inside and see the bed unmade or your slippers on the floor?”

“I always make my bed, and I don’t wear slippers. I prefer fuzzy socks instead.”

Jack laughed loudly. “Same thing!”

“See. We’re fighting already, and I haven’t even moved in yet.”

Jack smiled. “It’ll be fine. I promise.”

“I haven’t agreed yet,” she reminded him.

“But you’re considering it.”

Kayla hated to admit it, but for some crazy reason, she was.

“Think it over for a few days and let me know. My parents won’t be here for a couple of weeks, so that’ll give me time to make other plans.”

What other plans? Like her, Jack hadn’t dated for a while, and their mutual friends were all taken.

Except for Samantha what’s her name, who wasn’t really a friend.

Besides, Jack’s mom had already seen a picture of Kayla, so that was who she’d expect to meet.

While Kayla was lost in thought, Jack had taken out his wallet and placed his credit card on the table.

“What are you doing?” Kayla asked. The only time he’d paid her bill was on her birthday.

“If you were my girlfriend, I would pay so I might as well get used to it.”

The ridiculousness of the situation struck her, and she burst out laughing. “In that case, I should have ordered dessert.”

Jack chuckled, and his entire face lit up. She’d liked his smile from the beginning, and seeing it eased the tension. The waiter came over and scooped up the bill and credit card. “Be right back,” he said.

Kayla watched him leave, admiring his backside.

“Ahem,” Jack said.

“What?”

“I don’t appreciate my girlfriend staring at another man’s ass.”

“I’m not your girlfriend, and I wasn’t staring at his ass.”

Jack snorted.

“Okay, fine, I was admiring his behind. But your parents aren’t here, so it doesn’t matter.”

“If we’re doing this, you need to get into character.”

“I was never in drama club, and I’m not good at pretending.”

“You know what they say. Practice makes perfect,” Jack quipped.

The waiter reappeared and handed Jack his credit card. “Have a nice evening.”

“Oh, we will,” Jack said, wiggling his eyebrows.

The waiter turned and walked away without giving Kayla another glance.

“You did that on purpose,” she huffed.

“Just practicing.”

Kayla regretted this already.