MY FUTURE ROOMMATE
MATTHEW
I woke up around ten a.m. and reached for my phone. My head ached. Apparently, I had drunk more than I’d realized last night, which was unusual. The first text I noticed was from Patrick, letting me know that he’d picked up my truck and brought it to the complex for me.
That was damn nice of him. I quickly typed out a response, letting him know that I appreciated it. One less hassle for me to handle.
The next message was from Bells. She told me that she had five places lined up for us to see today, followed by an address.
I laughed to myself. Not today, Bells.
We were going to do this my way.
I’m not meeting you at that location. We should drive together. Driving two cars makes no sense.
I waited a couple of seconds before I sent another text.
By the way, good morning.
Fine. We can drive together. Want me to pick you up in thirty?
I glanced in the mirror that hung on my wall and actually shuddered at my reflection. I looked like I’d been run over by a truck. Pulling open the nightstand drawer, I grabbed a few ibuprofens, tossed them into my mouth, and swallowed.
Thirty sounds great. Gate code is 1324. Let me know when you’re here, and I’ll come down.
Pushing out of bed, I hustled into the shower and made it as cold as I could stand to help wake me up and revitalize my insides. I didn’t have much time to make myself presentable.
After I left my place, I went to grab us a couple of coffees at the diner, which I desperately needed and hoped Bells would drink. I had no idea if she drank coffee or not, and I considered getting a tea just to be safe, but ultimately didn’t. So, I loaded up on cream and sugar and hoped for the best.
I pulled into my parking spot and cut the engine at the same time I got a text from Bells. Peeking out the passenger window, I sat there for a second and watched her in the car, glancing up, clearly looking for me. It was adorable. She kept looking down at her phone and back up through the window, her neck craning.
When I got out of my car and knocked on her driver’s side window, she jumped and let out a little scream that I heard through the glass, even though it was rolled up.
“You scared the shit out of me,” she shouted, and I just shrugged, standing there.
“Roll down the window, Bells,” I instructed as I waited, balancing the tray of drinks in one hand.
She did as I’d asked, although I was sure it was begrudgingly.
Pulling one of the coffees free, I handed it to her. “Wasn’t sure how you took it—or if you drank it at all actually. I have cream and sugar.”
“Thank you. I needed this,” she said. She brought the cup toward her nose and inhaled before pressing her red lips to the edge and taking a small sip.
I watched the movement and felt my dick twitch. How was I so out of control when it came to this woman? Walking around the back of her small sedan, I pulled open the passenger door and folded myself inside before pressing the button on the seat to give me as much leg room as it allowed.
Bells started laughing, her long, dark hair a little wild and unruly. I liked that it didn’t look perfect.
“You look ridiculous in my car.”
“It’s clearly made for pixies.”
“We can drive separately, you know?” she bit back, a little defensive.
“Nope,” was all I gave her in response.
“Then, no more talking badly about Betty,” she said.
I smirked, pulling my own coffee out before placing the tray on the floor by my feet.
“Of course, your car has a name.” I took a sip of my own drink.
“Doesn’t yours? I’m sure you call your truck Big Guy or Thor or something super manly since it’s, like, a hundred feet in the air. Why are the tires so giant anyway? Trying to make up for something small?”
“There’s nothing small about me, Bells.” I reached down and adjusted the crotch of my jeans. “I’ll gladly show you.”
She started choking before she finally spoke again. “Went down the wrong pipe,” she said, and right before I could make a sexual joke, she threw up one hand. “Don’t. Don’t even make a pipe joke right now.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said with a wink—because of course I would.
“Can I get two creams?” she asked before shaking her head. “Why is everything I’m saying setting you up to make a sex joke??” she said out loud, and I honestly wasn’t sure if she’d meant to or not.
“Thinking about having sex with me, Bells? Should have taken me up on my offer last night,” I said before handing her two tiny cream containers.
“I am definitely not thinking about that. At all.” I watched as she peeled the cover back and poured the cream in, one at a time. “Did you grab any stirrers?”
“Shit. No, I forgot. Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” she said as she gently swirled the cup in little circles, but even I knew that wasn’t going to mix it properly. “Thank you for the coffee.”
“You’re welcome.” I fiddled with the baseball hat on my head and turned it around. Whenever it was backward, it hit the headrest on the seat, so I needed to flip it.
“Damn,” Bells breathed out, and my eyes crashed into hers.
“Problem?” I asked, but my tone was all cocky and assured.
“Just liked it better backward, is all.” She was flustered, but tried to pretend like she wasn’t.
I knew there was something about a backward baseball hat that made women crazy. That and gray sweatpants, which trust me, I’d considered wearing today, but figured I’d pull them out later, when I needed to use all the tricks in my arsenal.
“Didn’t realize you liked anything about me anymore.” I grinned, and she narrowed her eyes and quickly turned away from my stare.
I wanted to touch her. Reach out and put my hand on her thigh. Pull her tiny body on top of my lap and grab her ass while I made her moan in my mouth. I really fucking wanted to kiss her. To feel her tongue on mine. Those lips were going to be the death of me if I didn’t get to feel them soon.
What if she never let me?
“Did you look at the houses I’d sent?”
Bells was all business now.
“No. Should I have?”
I stared at her while I spoke, but she was going through a stack of printed papers in her hands, her focus on those.
“No, it’s fine. Just wondered if any stood out to you or not. You didn’t even tell me your preferences or give me anything to go on, so these were ones I thought you might like.”
She handed the stack to me, and I took them, my fingers gliding against her hand. Just touching her skin made me want to stop moving, but I pulled the stack away, breaking the subtle contact that hadn’t seemed to faze her in the least.
“I trust you,” I said, and that got her attention.
“We don’t even know each other anymore, Matthew.” It was all but a whispered confession, but it hurt like hell to hear.
“You know me,” I countered.
“Well, you don’t know me.”
I was about to argue, tell her that I damn well did know her, but she was right. Did I really know who she was anymore? It had been years since I’d last seen her or had a real conversation with her.
“What, no witty comeback?” she sassed.
“If you don’t stop tempting me with that smart mouth of yours, Bells, I’m going to kiss you just to shut you up.”
It was a warning.
One she heeded because she snapped her red lips closed as she put the car in gear and started driving toward the gate. She suddenly slammed on the brakes and I lurched forward, almost hitting my head on the dash.
“Put your seat belt on,” she demanded.
“Only ’cause you might kill me if I don’t,” I said as I snapped it in place.
The gate swung open, and she stepped on the gas once more.
“Tell me about you, Bells. What have you been doing since I left?”
It seemed like an easy enough question. Something that could get us started on the right path, but she stayed quiet for way too long, and I started wondering if I’d done something wrong. I always seemed to be rubbing her the wrong way.
“Bells?”
She whipped her head to look at me quickly before she stared straight ahead, her eyes focused on the road while mine were firmly focused on her. “I don’t know. Going to school. Working. Living with my parents up until Anna came home last summer.”
I grinned. “Do you and Anna live together?”
I remembered Anna, but only because she had been at the Sanchez house almost as often as I was.
“We do. It’s fun.” She actually smiled. “But I know it won’t last.”
I shifted in my seat. I was way too big for this damn car. “What do you mean?”
Bells shrugged. “I don’t think she’ll stay here for very long. And when she figures out what she wants to do with her life, she’ll leave and go do it.”
“Won’t that put you in a bind? I mean, if your roommate leaves, who will you live with?”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” she said as if she’d never even given it a single thought, and I started stressing out for her.
“But…” I stumbled before deciding that stressing about her financial situation wasn’t my place. “Never mind. What about you then?” I asked.
“What about me what?”
“Have you figured out what you want to do with the rest of your life?”
“I’m doing it.” Her tone was so confident and resolute that I believed her.
“The real estate or the bartending? Do you like one more than the other?”
She cleared her throat and gripped the steering wheel even tighter with both hands. I watched as her knuckles whitened. “Honestly? I think I started pursuing real estate because it felt like the grown-up thing to do. But I really don’t like it.” She started laughing.
“Seriously?” I let out a gruff laugh of my own.
“Yeah. It sucks. It’s not fun at all. People complain a lot, and the hours are kind of crappy.”
“Then, why keep doing it?”
Bells didn’t seem like the kind of woman to do something she didn’t enjoy, but then again, what the hell did I know about her?
“I’m not.” She glanced at me, her hazel eyes softer than they had been just moments before.
“You’re not doing real estate anymore?” I was confused. If she wasn’t doing it, then why was she driving me around and showing me houses?
“I’m only helping you because you guilted me into it and left me no choice.”
Oh.
“Is that true?” I asked.
“It doesn’t matter, Matthew. I said I’d help you, and I will. But other than you, I don’t plan on having any future clients.”
“You like bartending that much?” I wasn’t sure why I’d asked her that in such a surprised tone. It was kind of a shit thing to do.
“I do. I love it actually. Creating new drinks makes me happy. And I like coming up with all the new menus. The only thing that’s hard is when the regulars don’t take a hint.”
“Oh, was that for my benefit?”
I reached out and put my hand on her thigh. She tensed under my fingers, and I instantly pulled them away even though I didn’t want to. I wanted to keep my hand right there on her leg and pretend like she was mine, like she belonged to me somehow.
“Why do you keep showing up during my shifts anyway? I don’t understand what you want from me. You were gone for seven years, and suddenly, you showed up like you’d never left.”
I took a few breaths as I contemplated her question. It was something I’d been asking myself since I had come back a year ago. At first, I’d tried to stay home and leave her alone, but every night, I found myself back in the same place… wherever she was, watching her and needing to be in her presence.
“You center me,” I finally admitted to her and myself.
I watched as she swallowed hard, almost like she’d taken my words and eaten them whole.
“I center you?”
“When I came back and saw you for the first time, you were the only thing that felt right in my whole fucking life. My world was spiraling out of control. Again,” I said because Bells had been there when my world fell apart the first time.
Losing my mom had been awful, but the Sanchez family had been firmly rooted in place, always grounding me, especially her. She always asked me if I was okay, if I needed to talk, or if there was anything she could do. It was more than just her teenage crush; Bells had genuinely cared about my well-being.
“Seeing you calmed me. You felt like home.”
She laughed, but it was uncomfortable and spilled out of her like she couldn’t stop it. “Sorry. I’m not laughing at you. Just the irony.”
“What irony?”
“That looking at me calms you. Because when I look at you, I feel the exact opposite. You make me feel scattered and out of control. You basically ruin me.”
“Fuck, Bells. I don’t want to ruin you.”
“We’re here,” she said as soon as she pulled up to a gate. When she rolled down her window, the cold air blew in as she punched in the code and waited for the giant iron gate to swing open.
I already knew that I hated the place without even going inside. It was way too fucking big and over the top. I wanted a nice place, but I didn’t want it to look out of place , you know?
“We don’t even have to go in,” I said as she pulled through the gate and stopped at the circular drive, where a massive fountain stood.
“What? You don’t even want to see it?”
“Do you like this house?” I turned in my seat to face her as much as I could maneuver my body in her direction.
“Me?”
“Yeah. Do you like it? Would you live here?”
A loud sound escaped from her throat. “No. It’s gaudy as hell.”
“Exactly. Why would I buy something that you hate?” I said the words in a teasing tone, but I wasn’t joking.
“Okay, so this one is too much,” she said, ignoring my last question. “I think I know the perfect place.”
“Take me there,” I said before reaching for the volume button and turning up the radio.
She looked relieved as her head started bopping from side to side with the music.
The next place we pulled into was closer to both of my brothers’ houses, and I liked it instantly based on that fact alone. And while the last home had been way too over the top in appearances, this one looked a little too understated for my taste. The wood and stone mixture was stunning, but it was the single-level ranch style that gave me pause.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I actually love the design, but it looks a little small?” I said it like a question when it most certainly wasn’t.
She laughed. “Trust me.”
“Okay. Lead the way.” I pushed open the door and unfolded my body from the car before stretching my arms over my head and cracking both my back and my neck.
If we looked at houses again, I’d be driving.
Bells walked toward the front door, coffee in hand. She pressed some numbers on the keypad before the door unlocked with a loud mechanical sound. She pushed it open and held it with one arm, waiting for me to step inside.
“Shit,” I practically gasped.
It was stunning inside. Brand-new fixtures blended seamlessly with the exposed beams, stonework, and mountain views. Entire walls were made of windows, broken up and framed with thick, light wood. Trees as far as the eye could see, and Sugar Mountain sat in the distance. When I opened up one of the massive glass doors and stepped onto the balcony, that’s when I noticed the additional outdoor spaces. Two, in fact.
“There’re multiple floors?” I asked.
Bells grinned. “It’s a tri-level. It looks like a simple ranch home from the front, but the back shows all three stories. Your closest neighbor might be next door and across the street, but this house sits on five acres of land. No one is behind you, and they never will be.”
I liked that. The privacy, while not being totally isolated, was appealing.
After checking out each of the three levels, I had to admit I was sort of in love. The home was perfect. There were views from every window and on each floor. The natural light alone was a thing of beauty.
“What do you think?” Bells asked from the kitchen, where she’d jumped up on top of the counter, sipping her coffee as she waited for me to finish walking around the space.
“Can you see us living here?” I asked her.
She reared her head back. “Us?”
“Yeah, us,” I repeated.
“What are you talking about? Do you need to see a doctor? Are you on medication? Forget to take it?” She cocked her head to one side as she narrowed her eyes at me.
“I’m not buying a house you don’t like, Bells.”
“And why is that?” She asked as she took a sip of her drink.
“Because you’ll be living in it with me eventually.”
She actually spat out her coffee. It flew everywhere. All over the countertop, the cupboards, and the floor.
“Dammit, Matthew,” she cursed before hopping down and looking around. “There’re no paper towels in here.”
She pulled open another cupboard under the sink and let out a relieved sound as she held a fistful of napkins in her hand.
“Let me help you.” I took a step toward her, but she shook her head.
“I got it,” she said as she wiped up the mess she’d made.
I walked back toward the balcony that overlooked a gorgeously landscaped backyard. It was stunning before it gave way to the trees and nature.
“Can’t you see our kids here? Playing in this backyard?” I asked as Bells suddenly appeared at my side.
“Our”—she paused—“kids?”
I turned to face her, my body hovering over her petite frame. “You’re my future baby mama, Bells.”
Even I had to admit that one had sounded way sexier in my head than it did out loud, but it was too late to take it back.
“You might need therapy,” she said with a groan.
“I definitely do,” I admitted because I did have issues that I really needed to work through, but Bells wasn’t one of them.
“At least we can agree on something,” she breathed out.
My hand was cupping her jaw before I even realized I was doing it. I watched as her eyes instinctively closed with my touch, and I knew she still wanted me. Even if she acted like she didn’t.
“So, do you like the house?”
Her eyes whipped back open like she’d forgotten where she was and who she was with. My hand dropped from her face as she put a little space between us.
“I actually love this house,” she said with a soft smile, and my heart leaped inside my chest.
“Write up the offer then. Let’s buy us a house and get you a fat commission check.” I grinned.
Her smile grew a little bigger, and I swore I heard her mumble, “Fuck it,” under her breath as she closed the distance between us.
She was in my arms, hugging me as tight as her tiny arms could muster. The way she pressed her body against mine made every part of me come to life, and I was half tempted to drop to my knees and start worshipping her body.
“Down, boy,” she said against my chest, and I knew she was talking about my dick. Because it was currently poking her right in her stomach.
“We could do something…” I paused. “Like christen the place.”
I pulled away and looked into her eyes, but she looked a little fearful.
“Oh hell, Bells. I’m just joking. I mean, I’m not joking, but I’m not trying to make you do something you don’t want to do.”
“I know you’re not.”
“Then, why do you look so nervous? Do I scare you or something?” I asked, wanting clarification.
“Why would you scare me?” she snapped a little too quickly.
“Then, what is it?” I asked before getting a bit cocky. “Maybe no one has ever fucked you properly. Is that the problem? Who have you been with since I left?” I asked the question before I could stop myself, and I held my breath as I waited for her to answer. The thought of other guys touching her made me a little crazy, if I was being honest. Jealousy was a new feeling for me, but here it was, raging in full force like the monster everyone claimed it to be.
Her hazel eyes narrowed, and if looks could kill, I’d be done for. “None of your damn business.”
“You’re right. It’s not. But I still want to know.”
“Well, you don’t get to know. I bet you can’t even name all the women you’ve screwed since you left. You probably don’t even know your number, do you?” She started pacing back and forth, her small body all wound up, and I realized that she was mad at me. “Don’t answer that. If you do know how many women you’ve been with, please don’t say it out loud. I don’t want to know. I’ll never be able to unhear you say it.”
I truly had no idea how many women I’d slept with. I never cared to count.
“How many guys have you been with?” I ground out. “No. Don’t tell me because if they still live here, I’ll want to kill them.”
“Why?”
“Because they’ve touched you and I haven’t,” I admitted.
She stopped pacing. “I don’t know why you’re doing this. Acting like I’m it for you when this is the most we’ve talked in years. You might be attracted to me, but so what? Attraction fades. It doesn’t last. I’m not looking for someone who thinks I’m hot and that’s it.”
This woman was going to absolutely be the damn death of me. “You think I want you because you’re hot, Bells? You think I follow you around like some fucking puppy because you’re pretty? I’ve known you since you were a kid, and I’ll tell you one thing. Your heart hasn’t changed. You’re kind. You care about people. You care about me. You always have. When everyone else was too scared to talk to me about my mom, you never were. You asked me if I was okay. You knew I was lying when I told you I was fine. You refused to leave my side if you even sensed that I was sad. And now, when I look at you… you make me feel good when nothing and no one else does.”
She blew out a long breath that sounded like a mixture of annoyance and understanding. “I’m not even nice to you half the time.”
A loud laugh escaped me. “I know you don’t mean it.”
She laughed, too, and her whole body relaxed. “I mean it.”
“You do not,” I argued, and her eyes twinkled with mischief instead of disdain.
“You really like this house?” she asked as she looked around.
This woman was a master at changing the subject.
“I do. I want it. You really like it too?” I circled us right back to where we’d started.
“It’s perfect.”
“For us, right? That’s what you meant?” I grinned and walked right to where she stood. “You will be living here with me, babe. Start getting used to the idea.”
Then, I turned my back to her and walked out the front door, leaving her to chase after me for once.