Chapter 4
CARLO
My biggest concern is the fact that having her in my apartment will be absolute torture.
Torture in both the worst and best ways, since we’d be sharing space and most likely talking a lot more.
Maybe even carpooling to work. My mind is starting to spiral into images of seeing her in sleep shorts or fresh out of the shower.
I have never stopped liking her or wanting her, no matter how hard I’ve tried to put it out of my mind.
Who knows, maybe this will be a way for me to get over her and for us to become better friends.
Exposure therapy is a thing for a reason, right?
I also can’t say no to her, not when she’s in such a bad situation.
I have the room with my second bedroom, the cats are no problem, my place is pretty convenient to work, so I’m probably her best option.
We haven’t exactly talked in depth about her personal life or family life, but I get the sense that she doesn’t have many people. I take forever to craft a response.
Hey, you. I’m so sorry about your idiot landlord.
I love animals, so there is no issue with bringing your chaos monsters here.
I have a small second bedroom you can stay in (but only one hall bath though, not sure if that’s a deal breaker).
Do you need help moving any furniture into a storage unit or something?
The dots appear and stop, reappear and stop, and then appear one more time before an answer comes through. My heart starts to pound furiously as I wait for her response. All I can hope is that I’ve played it cool enough while still being nice.
Thank you, Carlo. Seriously. This has been the worst day but you’ve made it a lot better.
No furniture to move, my apartment came with the basic furniture.
I’ve got 2 suitcases and a duffel for my things, plus the two aptly named chaos monsters and their two pet beds, food, litterbox, toys, etc.
I promise I will stay out of your hair and get a new place asap.
If you don’t mind a few of my things on the counter or whatever I think we can figure out sharing the one bathroom
I frown at the fact that she can fit everything she has into two suitcases and a duffel. I’m also not sure I want her to stay out of my hair, but I can’t say that to her.
You’re very welcome. It’s no problem. Let’s talk more at the hub tomorrow morning, and then after work I can help you bring your stuff over
Thank you again. Yes, we’ll talk tomorrow morning. See you then. Goodnight, Carlo
Night, Tania
I try to go to bed, but the nervous anticipation of Tania coming to live here tomorrow has me wide awake.
So I stress clean every surface of the apartment, dig out sheets from the hall closet that I haven’t used much and are a little more new to wash for the spare bed, and try to make the place look as welcoming as possible for her.
The next morning, my body is buzzing like an electric current as I pull into work.
When I walk into the hub, my eyes immediately find Tania, the way they always do.
The magnetic pull of that eye contact makes it feel like we are the only two people here.
I give her a little nod and my best smile when she clocks me.
She gives me a tentative wave and smile back before she walks toward me.
The smile threatens to take me out, her thick ponytail swinging behind her in a dark waterfall to her upper back, her warm eyes looking like soft, melted, shiny chocolate.
She has this little beauty mark at the left corner of her mouth that I have dreamt about licking.
I’ve seen her most days for over a year, and no matter how long it’s been, she gives new meaning to the word “stunning.” It’s so much deeper than her looks.
There is this energy she gives off that makes you notice her.
You can tell right away that she is extremely competent and independent, with the ability to pull you in with just the spark in her eyes.
All of that bewitching allure she has is currently focused on me, and my mouth has suddenly turned to cotton.
Yeah, having her for a roommate is absolutely going to be the worst kind of torture, as much as I’m glad to be able to help her with a sucky situation.
“Hey, Carlo,” she says softly. It’s the first time I’ve actually ever heard her say my name, and the way it sounds in her husky voice shoots straight to both my heart and cock. I try to recover quickly and shoot her a grin.
“Morning, roomie. How are you feeling about everything today?” She looks down at the floor, shifting on her feet like she’s uncomfortable, and shrugs.
“Better since you’re giving me a place to stay.
I can’t thank you enough. I…I don’t really have anyone besides Ray, and his boyfriend is deathly allergic to the cats.
So it means a lot that you’d help me like this.
” My chest pinches at the vulnerability in her voice when she says it.
It’s hard for me to imagine a life where I had no family.
My parents, my three sisters, and now my sister-in-law, always make any gathering at my parents’ house full, boisterous, and loud.
We all constantly have people over, too, even Rosa as the resident anti-social sibling.
My parents are the type that adopt anyone close to us as family.
Given a little time, if I get her to come to a family dinner at some point, they’ll adopt her in a second.
I have so many questions about why she doesn’t have anyone, but this is obviously not the time.
“It’s no problem,” I reassure her. She nods gratefully, still barely meeting my eyes. Her nervous energy has the all consuming impulse to comfort her surging through me.
“Hey, look at me,” I say softly as I squeeze her shoulder. Her head snaps up, her eyes flashing. With what, I’m not entirely sure. She tilts her head in a silent question.
“I’ve got you, ok? Don’t worry about a thing. We’ll split whatever we can split, figure out chores, it’ll all work out.” She nods again, seeming a little more at ease.
“After work, you’re still good to come by my place to help get my stuff? I’m not sure I can fit all of the luggage plus all of the cat stuff in my car,” she says apprehensively.
“Sure. We’ll meet back here and I’ll follow you to your place. Maybe have a little word with this asshole landlord of yours if he shows his face.” She grimaces.
“I have to turn my keys into him when I leave, but it’s not worth it to have words with him.
To be fair, my cats caused a whole lot of water damage to his property.
Even if I were to fight his bullshit eviction and stay living there, he’s so pissed that I wouldn’t feel at all comfortable in that situation anymore.
Especially alone. It sucks, he was a decent enough landlord for years, and now this. ”
“It was an accident, and he has no business making one of his tenants feel uncomfortable,” I growl. She gives me the barest smile before she looks down again.
“Who knew you’d have a protective streak, Hernandez,” she murmurs. Ah, so we’re back to my last name. I can’t stop myself from being a shit stirrer and flirting just a little in response to that. So I lean in a little closer.
“I think you’ll learn all sorts of fun things about me when you move in, roomie,” I tell her in a low voice. She actually shivers, and I’m silently cheering that I do in fact have an effect on her. She shakes it off quickly and gives me a smirk.
“I’m sure you’ll learn just as many fun things about me. I better get on my route. I’ll see you after, yeah?”
“You bet. How does your route look, what time do you think you’ll be done?”
“It’s pretty good, I should be done by 5:30. I’ll be a few towns over by your parents’ house again. Your mom is very sweet, by the way, I never got to tell you that I delivered to her.”
I give her a smile and a wink. “She likes you a lot too, she went on and on about how great it was to meet you.” She flushes a little at that, and rolls her lips together to hide a smile. Damn she’s adorable. My heart is beating a furious rhythm looking at her pink cheeks and full lips.
“See you later then, Hernandez,” she says as she starts walking toward her truck.
Then she turns to look at me over her shoulder with a completely open and vulnerable expression on her face.
“Thanks again, ok? I appreciate you.” Then she turns away quickly to get to her truck, her ponytail swinging in a way that shouldn’t be so sexy.
Unbidden visions of wrapping it around my wrist and tugging her head to the side so I can kiss her neck have me shifting uncomfortably to hide what’s happening in my pants.
I see Ray go up to her and exchange a few words before they give each other a quick hug.
She and her loader Max go over some things on his tablet, and I need to do the same.
It is going to be the most difficult workday to get through, knowing afterward I’m moving my dream woman into my apartment strictly as a roommate.
She beats me back to the hub since I hit some traffic and was a little further away than she was today.
Her nerves are evident but she gives me a genuine smile when she sees me, complete with an adorable little wave.
The way a small dimple pops, the way her lush lips curve, have me completely distracted and focused on her mouth.
It takes me a second to get myself together before I give her a big smile back.
“How was your day, Castillo?” If she’s going back to last names, I’m following her lead. She twirls her ponytail around her finger in what I’ve noticed is a nervous gesture she does.
“It was good, I like that area. If I ever get a permanent route, I would love for it to be there. What about yours?”
“Uneventful, which I am not complaining about,” I reply. She nods, shifting from foot to foot a little before she jerks her head toward the parking lot.
“Shall we? My place isn’t far, and hopefully it won’t take long to load everything.” I gesture for her to head out first.
“Lead the way, roomie.”
She pulls out her phone as she starts walking, fingers flying across the screen. I can smell her as she walks by me, jasmine and something citrus that makes me want to take a deep inhale.
“I just texted you my address so you have it, in case we get separated,” she informs me over her shoulder.
“Thanks. I’ll see you over there.”
When we pull up to her apartment complex, golden hour is in full swing, illuminating the red roofs and concrete walkways in a soft glow.
The apartments are set up in quads with 2 apartments upstairs and 2 downstairs on each side, with a breezeway connecting all of the downstairs units.
Tania leads us through the breezeway and up the stairs to the top floor apartment on the far right side.
Her troublemaker cats greet us, and I can’t help crouching down to give them pets.
They’re so friendly, and I find myself dangerously close to high pitched baby talk while they wind around me.
They don’t fuss too much when she wrangles them into their carriers.
We make short work of loading two of the suitcase into her trunk, the cat carriers in her back seat, while the rest goes in mine.
Finally, we quickly walk over to the landlord’s apartment right in the next quad to turn in her keys.
She leaves the car running for the cats since she didn’t think it would be ideal for them to make another impression on her landlord, and I keep them in my sights while she knocks.
An olive-skinned, greasy-haired, stocky, tough looking man opens the door and openly sneers at Tania.
I’m normally not a violent man, but the way he’s looking at her has me immediately bristling and ready to punch the motherfucker.
There is this immediate and deeply rooted need to protect her, because it’s obvious not many people have before.
I’m so glad he won’t be her landlord anymore.
“I’m out, Mr. Zarelli. Here are the keys,” she coolly tells him, the keys dropping into his palm.
“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Ms. Castillo.
” I’ll never understand how this guy can be so cruel to a woman he already evicted with no notice.
Her eyes flash with anger, and her fists clench, but she just huffs and turns on her heel to speed walk back to her car.
I hang back to get right in his face and talk low enough that she can’t hear.
My jaw is starting to twinge from clenching it so hard.
“You’re a real big, tough man, kicking her out over an accident that she would have done whatever she could to remedy. She hardly has anyone,” I tell him through gritted teeth, my anger barely tethered. His gaze sharpens on me, and immediately he smirks.
“Not my problem, but thanks for the sob story. Seems like she has you and you’ll take real good care of her. Have fun with that,” he drawls.
“You’re goddamn right I’ll take good care of her, no thanks to you,” I bite out, fighting every urge to wipe the smirk off of his face.
I glare at him one more time before I leave and jog to catch up to Tania.
She turns to look at me with questions in her eyes about what my hold up is.
I give her a wink and shrug, playing innocent.
She hops into her car with a shake of her head, and I have her follow me to her new home.
Nerves flood me as we pull in and I lead her to the front door of my place.
I’ve had a lot of interesting experiences and adventures in my life, but having Tania Castillo live with me might just be my biggest adventure yet.