CHAPTER 33 The Unwanted Roommate Debacle
January 14, 2011
Naomi: Hey, Billie! Are you ready for today? :)
Me:Getting my hair done as we speak! Eek!
Naomi: That is so exciting! Send me a selfie once you’re done getting ready. I’ve talked to a few of my contacts who will be at the red carpet and everyone’s excited to photograph you with William.
Me:Gosh, I’m so nervous! Excited too.
Naomi: You’ll do great! Just have fun and enjoy the night.
Me: Will we be seeing you at the after party? William
mentioned you might be attending.
Naomi: I don’t think so. My apartment is a mess. I need to vacate by tomorrow and I’m still finishing up with packing all my stuff into boxes.
Me: Have you found a place?
Naomi:I haven’t. And that’s part of the reason why I’m
texting you. I know you’re getting ready for the Globes, so
I don’t want to take much of your time, but I was wondering
if your offer is still up.
Me:Of course! Most definitely. Yay! We’ll be neighbors!
Naomi:And are you sure it’s okay for me to stay there for free? I could pay, just name a fee.
Me: No. I told you it was a free room. My dad recently bought the place so there’s no one to pay anything to.
Naomi:You think he’ll be okay with it?
Me: I’ll let him know.
Naomi: I swear I looked, and I was hoping I didn’t have to accept your offer. I’m so grateful. I’ll owe you forever! But let me start with buying you dinner once you’re back from Australia, how does that sound?
Me:Don’t worry! I’m glad I could be of help. You are welcome to stay as long as you need. And I would love to have dinner with you when we return. I’ll have William’s assistant fetch
the spare key to Aaron’s apartment and give it to you so you can move in while we’re gone. I’ll talk to security about you
moving in. The apartment is fully furnished. Including
your room, so feel free to either sell your stuff or put them into storage.
Naomi: Thanks for the heads up. I’ll figure out what to do with all my stuff. And it’s Alice, right? William’s assistant?
Me: Yes! Do you have her number?
Naomi: I do, actually.
Me: I’ll tell her to reach out as soon as she has the key with her. But you’re basically free to move in anytime you want.
Naomi:You’re a lifesaver! I hope Aaron doesn’t throw a
tantrum when he finds out. LOL.
Me:If anyone should understand the situation you’re going through, it’s him. Aaron has a similar situation going on with his father, so if he knew about your mom, I’m sure he’d feel like an ass.
Naomi: Please don’t tell him about my mom.
Me: Don’t worry. Wasn’t planning to.
Naomi: Thanks again, Billie. I’m going to schedule the
movers for tomorrow.
Me: That is so exciting!
Naomi:Very exciting! And all thanks to you. Please tell William to answer his freaking texts. I need to go through a few things with him for tonight and he hasn’t replied in the last three hours.
Me: He is NAPPING! *angry face* I’ll let him know as soon
as he wakes up.
Naomi:From 1 to 10, how annoying is it that you need
to get ready while he gets his beauty sleep?
Me: 11! Haha. Don’t even get me started.
Naomi: Men …
Me: We’ll keep in touch. Let me know if you have any issues with the move.I’m looking forward to seeing you in New York when we get back!
Naomi: Of course! And same 3
I couldn’t convince myself to call my dad to let him know about Naomi. I was still so mad at him. The thought of listening to his voice and the possibility of an argument ensuing because of the trip to Australia was something I wanted to avoid at all costs. Aaron said my dad was initially upset when he notified him of the trip. Ultimately, he bit his tongue and asked Aaron to come with us, which was expected.
It was best to text his assistant about this.
Me:Hi, Miss Patty. Hope you’re doing well! Could you let my dad know that Naomi Lieberman (William’s publicist) has recently initiated a romantic relationship with Aaron and will be moving into his apartment as of tomorrow? If my dad asks, tell him I’m the one who suggested she move in since she’s relocating from Los Angeles and having trouble finding a good place in New York. Aaron and I will be in Australia the next 9 days, but Naomi will get settled in while we’re gone. She is also a friend of mine and I’m excited about her moving into the building. If he has any other questions, let me know. Hope you’re doing well!
Aaron is going to kill me. Mentioning they were in a relationship wasn’t something I had planned to do, but I was hoping it would make the story more convincing.
Me:Aaron could you come up to my room, please? PH03. You have the spare key, right? Feel free to come inside once you get here.
Aaron: I do, Miss Murphy. I’ll be right up.
There was a slight knock on the door, followed by the beeping sound of it being unlocked with a keycard.
“Over here!” I yelled. The hairstylist was done with my hair, and I asked the makeup artist to give me a few minutes before she got started with my face.
Aaron was wearing a well-fitted black suit, freshly pressed white shirt, and black tie. His stubble was neatly kept, and he seemed ready for the event.
“You wanted to see me, Miss Murphy?”
“Yes,” I said confidently, standing up from the director-style chair I was sitting in. “A situation arose with Naomi.”
“Is Miss Lieberman okay?” he asked with a frown.
“She is,” I assured him. “But she is planning to move to New York and has been struggling to find a suitable place to live. Naturally, I offered her the spare room in your apartment. Caleb’s empty room.”
“And just to be clear, Miss Lieberman has agreed to this?” Aaron’s shocked expression was priceless. He was usually the best at keeping his reactions in check, but not this time. Everything Naomi-related seemed to put Aaron out of balance and off his center. Funny how a 5’2 petite, curly-haired woman could have that effect on him.
“Mhm.”
“For how long will Miss Lieberman be staying?” His tone was dry, his jaw clenched, and his knuckles were getting white as he held his hands into a tight fist in front of him.
“For as long as she needs.”
“Your father won’t approve,” he said, his head shaking once as if thinking somehow my father’s opinion would save him from his “dilemma.”
“I already notified Miss Patty, and I don’t think he’ll disapprove.”
“How can you be so sure?” His head tilted to the side. “You know how fickle your father can be.” The corners of his lips quirked into a smile that promised victory.
“Fickle or not,” I began to say. “I told Miss Patty you and Naomi have recently engaged in a romantic relationship and that I was the one suggesting she move into the building with you.”
“I …” Aaron shook his head a few times and chuckled under his breath. “Is this a joke, Miss Murphy?”
“It definitely isn’t,” I clarified, trying my best to keep my tone even and the nerves at bay. If Aaron detected anything other than confidence in my delivery of this news, he might want to start convincing me why my plan was not a good idea. And it wasn’t about it being a good idea or not. It was about helping Naomi in a moment of need. “And if my dad calls to ask you any questions, I’m hoping you can confirm the relationship because Naomi is packing her bags as we speak and moving into the apartment in the next few days. So when we’re back from Australia she’ll be all settled in.”
Aaron pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Please, Aaron.” My tone was softer now, and I made sure my eyes were round enough to elicit a shred of compassion before I said the following words. “Naomi is going through a rough patch, and it’s not my place to talk about it, but I just need you to do this for me. Not for her. For me. Can you do that, Aaron?”
He cleared his throat and stared down at me in silence for a moment before turning around and looking out the window at the hotel’s beautiful gardens. He started mumbling to himself in Hebrew, and I did my best not to chuckle. I waited for him to be done processing the news of him having a new roommate and that he had to pretend to be dating her if my dad asked.
He turned around, looking defeated, and said, “Fine.”