7. Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Katie
"And did you get any messages about your room yet?" Micah asks curiously as he navigates the car through city traffic.
"One so far," I take out my phone to open it. I've seen it come in, but I haven't had the chance to read it yet. Once I do, my face turns into a grimace, muscles tightening more with each word I read.
"What's that face? What does it say?" The disgust must be so evident he can feel me radiating it because his eyes are fixed on the road.
"Honestly, it's hard to decipher. It reads a bit like that person is using voice-to-text in a loud-ass crowd. At least that's what I'm telling myself, because if not, it's a guy in his forties asking to lick the floor of my bedroom clean instead of paying rent. "
"What?" Micah's eyes grow wide before, but once the words have really settled in, he bursts into laughter. I shake my head and continue scrolling.
"Wait, there's another one." I take a second to read it, before my head goes right back to turning from left to right disapprovingly. "All right, number two wants to be my household slave and be spanked, let me quote ‘preferably with a wooden spoon’ once a week.” I fight the urge to throw my phone out the window. “No kink-shaming, but holy shit, man, not the time or the place."
"I don't know, that actually sounds hilarious." Micah's whole body is shaking as he tries to focus on traffic.
"Something like that had to happen, didn't it?" I rub my temples, feeling a headache approach. Getting a roommate sounded like such a great idea in the beginning, but now I'm not so thrilled about that prospect anymore. Phoebe was right, people are strange. "Looks like I'm filling out some job applications after all."
"Don't be so easily disheartened." He puts his hand on my knee and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "Give it a few days. I'm sure someone normal will message you eventually. I mean you live in goddamn Windmeadows, they can’t all be this weird."
"I sure hope you're right," I grumble and sink deeper into the seat, leaning my head back until I’m staring at the ceiling. “I’m still holding out hope that the car can just be fixed and a stash of cash to afford it happens to fall from the sky.”
Not having a car is just not an option in the long term. For now, the mother of Luke’s best friend, Sharon, a lovely lady, picks him up for school in the morning. Otherwise, it would be a half-hour walk for him to school, and considering it’s still dark when he would have to leave, that’s absolutely not happening. This might be Windmeadows, but people are not known for their amazing driving skills here.
As both of us have painfully learned, accidents can happen at any moment. I’m not letting him walk next to a busy street in the dark if I can prevent it. I’ve lost enough people already.
“Fingers crossed,” Micah laughs and shakes his head at me. “Catch a stash for me, too.”
“Of course.”
Serena walks out of her shop as soon as Micah pulls up to the driveway.
“Wow,” I whistle to myself when I get a look at her. She’s gorgeous. Her blonde hair is tucked into a messy bun, and even though I can tell she’s not wearing any makeup, her skin is flawless. Despite the overalls, she looks like she could strut catwalks in Paris instead of working on cars, covered in grease and grime.
“I know, right?” Micah asks quietly before he puts his car in park, something in his voice that I haven’t heard before.
After introductions, Serena leads the two of us inside her shop. To my surprise there is nobody else here and I’m in even bigger awe when I realize that she’s running the whole thing herself.
"I'm so sorry, but it's a goner," Serena tells me, as she walks us over to my car, grimacing as she gives me the bad news.
I knew it. Of course, it had to be. Because the universe won’t let me catch a fucking break. It doesn’t make it any easier to hear, though .
"Fuck," I sigh and cross my arms in front of my chest. Deep down, I knew it would happen. Anything else would have been too easy.
"I mean, I could fix it if you want me to," she elaborates, and I have no doubt of that.
She might be one of the prettiest women I've ever seen, but she radiates confidence and knowledge, her passion for cars evident by all the bits and pieces and pictures hung in her shop.
"But it would be really damn expensive. All the parts I’d have to order add up quickly and trust me, for the amount we’re talking about here, you can absolutely get another, better used car. I'm sorry. I really hoped I could give you some better news."
"No, it's fine," I press out, the sting behind my eyes making me blink quickly.
Take a deep breath, Katie.
What the hell am I going to do? The roommate search is not going well at all and I can't rely on Micah forever for getting into work. What if he gets sick? Or wants a well-deserved vacation? Fuck. Why the hell can't I catch a damn break?
I clear my throat. "Thank you so much, Serena."
"I can get rid of it for you if you'd like me to." She lays her hand on my shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "Do you have anything left in there that you’d like to take with you today?"
"Yeah," I gulp past the knot in my throat and step up to it, Serena's hand gliding off my shoulder. Deep breaths, Katie.
Change is great. I like change. But right now, it feels like too much happening at once. Soon, Luke is moving out and now, the car that has been with us through all these years will disappear too.
"It's such a stupid thing to get sentimental about," I mutter to myself. Micah steps up next to me and nudges my shoulder with his.
"It's not. I'm sure you have made many precious memories in there," he says quietly. "Serena and I will wait outside for you. Take all the time you need, okay?"
He looks at his friend and nods towards the exit. I hear their footsteps echoing in the shop as they walk farther and farther away until I hear the heavy door fall close.
With a heavy heart and overwhelm threatening to paralyze my body, I open the driver's door, inhaling the familiar smell for the last time. The scent of my cinnamon air freshener hanging right on the rearview mirror and a hint of the grapefruit lemonade Luke spilled on the backseat half a year ago.
I open the compartment and take out everything in there: A map of Windmeadows, dating back at least fifteen years, a charging cable, and a notepad. Then I check the doors and backseat, before making sure I’ve left nothing in the trunk.
For one last time, I slide into the driver's seat, a heavy breath leaving my body as I lean my forehead against the steering wheel. A wave of helplessness numbs my limbs and before I know it, I'm sobbing in my broken car, tears streaming down my face.
Why?
Just... why?
I don't expect everything to be handed to me on a silver platter, I really don’t. All I want is to catch a break. A teeny-tiny break so I can catch my breath, only once in a while would be enough.
I’m exhausted. Just so incredibly exhausted.
But life isn’t easy, if anyone knows that it's me. And it's not going to get any easier any time soon. There’s no knight in shining armor to come to save me. I’m going to have to be my own.
So, I take another deep breath. For one last time, I let my eyes wander over the interior. The scratch in the dashboard from when Luke tried to edge our initials in it with his keys. The stain from the grape juice he spilled because we were laughing so hard at a man dressed as a pink bunny, hopping along the side of the road, his friends snickering in the distance.
The part of the backrest I once accidentally stabbed with my key, making the stuffing fluff out. And the good luck and heart sticker my parents put on the side of the gear shift when I left for university.
Before I drown in self-pity, I open the door and step out, wiping the tears off my face, and squaring my shoulders.
I'm a big girl now. I'll manage somehow. Even though I fear that, once again, instant Ramen will become a significant part of my future.
"Are you okay?" Micah asks, worry clouding his face when I step outside.
I can barely manage to lift the corners of my mouth, but I manage a slight nod before I walk to his car wordlessly and without lifting my head. Then I remember my manners and turn around again.
"Thank you, Serena," I croak. She looks at me with a sad smile, compassion shining in her eyes. "Please send me the bill for the disposal. I’ll pay it as soon as I can. "
"Will do. Take all the time you need. All the best, Katie." And with that, I hurry to Micah's car, hearing him follow me a few steps behind.
My phone dings just as he closes his door and I fumble it out of my pocket, grateful for the distraction.
User04947592 : Hello there, is the room still available?
Me : Yes, the room is still available. Please tell me a bit about yourself.
User04947592 : Wonderful! I'm Max, thirty-one years old and looking for short-term accommodations since I'm taking a few months off work. Don't worry, though I can provide the rent for the four months upfront if you'd prefer that.
I eye the message skeptically. No innuendo, no declaration of sexual fantasies, this one is giving me hope. But I’m suspicious. It just sounds like there is a catch.
Katie: That sounds good. When are you looking to move in?
User04947592 : As soon as possible.
Katie : Are you available tomorrow at noon? We can meet up and you can have a look at the room before we finalize.
User04947592 : That works for me!
"Finally, a normal inquiry," I let Micah know, my voice croaky from all the crying and sobbing. Micah, the good guy he is, ignores my emotional outburst from before and acts along.
"Oh yeah? Is it a man? Woman?"
I freeze. Right. I didn’t even think to ask that.
"The name is Max? I guess it could be both. I hope it's a woman." Which means, knowing my luck, it's not. "Anyways, are you free around noon tomorrow to come over? Considering the last inquiries, I think I'd actually feel better if someone else was there. Don’t tell Harper or Phoebe."
"Yes, of course," he assures me. "I'll be there at eleven thirty, just have coffee ready. And they won’t hear a word from me, promise."
"Thank you, Micah." My voice is thick with emotion. "And thank you for chauffeuring me around. I appreciate it. More than you can imagine."
"You're so welcome, Katie."
"Maybe I should get an electric bike," I declare after a few moments of silence. "They’re cheaper, I might be able to afford that in a few weeks. That way you won't have to drive me around the whole time."
"But I like driving to work with you. It means I have some lovely conversations and gossip sessions on my otherwise boring way to work, so really, you're doing me a favor. You’re even making me come on time! Bruce should totally give you a raise just for that."
I know what he's doing. He's trying to frame it as him being indebted to me, so I won't feel bad about repeatedly asking him to drive me around. And I love him for it, so I won't call him out.
"You're welcome," I play along and even manage to lift the corners of my mouth into a slight grin. "Anyways," I quickly change the topic. "What's your plan for today? Do you think you can keep me off the dirty stage floor? Pretty please?"
"Maybe," he says and looks at me from the corner of his eyes. "Depends on if your secret admirer is there today, riling him up was a lot of fun. Who did you say it is?"
"I didn’t say," I say with a straight face. “I thought I had an inkling, but it wouldn’t make sense.” At least that’s what I tell myself. I mean, just how crazy would it be to admit? 'Yeah, I think it's a guy I used to be friends with who's now a stupidly famous rockstar who disappeared from the public eye all of a sudden after causing a huge scandal last year.'
Yeah, that would sound pretty weird. "Yesterday was the first time I noticed him." There. That isn’t a lie.
"Well, let me know if security needs to kick him out," he says as he swerves into Temptation's parking lot. "I need some lighthearted entertainment, watching someone get kicked out is always fun."
"You're such a drama queen." I laugh and shake my head at him.
He parks the car and links his arm with mine as we walk inside. "Drama just always finds me."
Another morning passed and I didn't sleep a wink. My whole body was aching, thanks to Micah coming up with another routine that involved carrying and throwing me around on stage. At least I wasn't brimming with nervousness, now that I somewhat knew what I was getting myself into and actually took the shots before he called me on stage. What can I say, they helped. And Luke got to laugh at me for being tipsy when I came back.
Today, all my muscles are aching and I'm nervous about meeting the potential roommate. It’s a good thing Micah is coming over later to be part of the meeting.
Before Luke got collected by his friend to go to school, told him about the inquiry and he seemed thrilled. I'm still super worried he'll feel like I'm robbing him of ' his' place to come home to from college, even though he's the one who proposed it in the first place. But he assured me once again that he was completely fine with it, and even told me to start moving his stuff over to my, now our room before the potential candidate came over so they could check out the room in all its glory.
Carrying all his stuff didn't help my aching body; it did, however, manage to take my mind off the appointment. I also had to move the furniture around in my room to make space to fit his bed and wardrobe, which I have no chance of moving myself. His desk and chair will have to go into the living room because, even without them, there is barely enough room to move.
It's going to be super cramped in there, so I'm just hoping our conflicting schedules will stay conflicting. I love Luke, but there's no chance I'd like to stay in there with two people at the same time.
My head snaps up when the doorbell rings and I hurry to open it.
"I know I told you to have coffee ready, but I just couldn't drive past my favorite spot." He holds up two steaming hot paper cups and hands one to me. "I even got you the salted caramel shit that you love."
"You are a godsend," I say as I hug him with one arm and let him in. "Sorry for the mess, I started to move Luke's stuff over to my room. Any chance you can help me with the furniture once we’re done drinking coffee?"
"Of course," he says with a smirk, lifting his arm to flex his bicep. "Let’s do it now so we can enjoy our coffee without it looming over us. Anything else you need a strong, handsome man to do? I'm at your disposal."
"Well, the strong, handsome man can start with the bed and then we'll see what he's up to," I giggle. "I'd say you could fix my car but now that we determined that's hopeless, I guess there’s no need."
"Yeah, sorry about that again."
"No reason for you to be sorry, thank you for asking Serena to take a look," I say as we walk to Luke's now former room. "I’m so impressed she has her own shop. How did the two of you meet?”
“We met in elementary school,” he tells me with a wide grin on his face. “Our eyes met on the playground, and I decided we’d be friends. She didn’t want to in the beginning, but we just clicked and I won her over. We have been friends ever since. She might seem grumpy but trust me, she's a sweetheart."
"It certainly looks like she has you wrapped around her little finger," I wink at him, and I think for the first time ever I see heat rushing into his cheeks. "Oh?"
"Yep, she does." Micah clears his throat as he checks out the situation. "Yeah, we’re going to have to move them with teamwork. Those are way too bulky for me to move on my own."
"Of course. This strong independent woman is happy to help," I can't help but tease him, causing him to shake his head at me.
It doesn't take too long to bring them over to my room, but it does involve a lot of cursing and 'pivot' screams, which reminded us of the outtake from friends, and has us rolling on the ground in a fit of laughter. Finally, we’re done. Luke's old room is empty and mine is cramped from floor to ceiling, with barely any ground visible anymore. There's only barely two feet between our beds and the wardrobe doors only just have enough space to open and riffle for stuff in there. But we'll make do, just like we always have.
"Thank you," I tell Micah as we sit down in the kitchen with our lukewarm coffees. "Would you like me to microwave them?"
The disgusted glare he shoots my way answers that question and I shrug in response. "So, Serena, huh? I'm surprised."
"Because she's a mechanic?" He raises his eyebrow at me, and I look at him confused. That seems to be a sensitive topic.
"Because I've only heard you talk about boyfriends so far." I roll my eyes at him, but his shoulders sag in relief. Probably because he won’t have to defend Serena’s job. It has probably happened a lot before, but it makes my awe for her even greater. Following one's passions is incredible and doing it against gender norms must be even more exhausting. I see it with Micah from time to time, when people confront him for doing a girl's job.
"The heart wants what it wants," he says with a shrug.
I cock my head at him, noting the smile tugging at his lips and the dreamy look in his eyes.
"And it wants Serena?"
"It has for years." The smile turns tight, he might as well frown. "I don't think she feels the same, though."
"Are you sure?" I raise one of my eyebrows. I didn't pay that much attention to their dynamic yesterday, since I had enough inner turmoil to deal with, but she seems to wholeheartedly trust him. If she didn’t, I doubt she’d have looked at my car.
Also, I saw the way she looked after him when they walked through her shop to step outside. It was warm, admiring and soft compared to the way she presented herself to me. Not in an ‘I’m talking to my friend’ way. I'd say he has a fair chance, but I'll let the two of them figure that out.
"I'm not sure," he admits quietly. "But right now, we are not in a place where I would feel comfortable risking our friendship, so anything beyond that is off the table.” He shakes his head and adds softly, “I'm the only close person she has left after falling out with her family. I can’t put her in that position. I just can’t."
"That sounds complicated." I nod empathically and lay my head on his shoulder, stifling a yawn. "You should bring Serena around the club sometime. Have her meet Phoebe. She’s never met a soul she can’t get along with. Before Serena knows it, she’s part of the friend group.”
“That’s an idea,” he admits, his eyes jumping over the kitchen cabinets as he rolls the idea over in his head. “I’ll mention it to her. Do you think she’d fit with your group?”
“I wouldn’t have proposed it otherwise. She seems nice," I tell him. "You'd be cute together."
"Right?" He smiles at me widely. "We'd be fucking adorable. Cutest couple of Windmeadows. Maybe someday."
Both of our heads turn to the door when we hear a faint knock. A glance at the clock tells me it's just before noon.
"Well, they're punctual," Micah says with an approving nod and I chuckle.
"Let's hope that translates to rent payments," I add quietly and get up. Suddenly my heart rate picks up and my nervousness is back with a vengeance. I take a peek through the door spy, but the person is too tall for me to see a face standing too close to it.
I take a deep breath before I pull the door open.
"What the-" I look up, meeting familiar eyes that are not familiar at all anymore. "Paxton?"