12. Emily
emily
E ntering my new apartment, the delicious aroma of fresh pizza greets me.
Ben has all the lights on in the apartment.
It feels warm and inviting, a comforting sense of coziness filling the space.
I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror before getting out of the car, and my eyes were still red and puffy from crying. Hopefully, Ben won’t notice.
I hurry inside, shutting the door against the unusually harsh February chill. I take off my coat and shoes at the door and head upstairs, only to find Ben in the living room watching Netflix with a pizza. His warm smile greets me as I enter, instantly brightening my mood.
“Hey, roomie! Welcome home!”
I feel the corners of my mouth turn upward into an uncontrollable smile. Here I thought things might be awkward with Ben, but he’s done nothing but be kind to me. I think we’re going to get along just fine.
“Hey, Ben, thanks for getting pizza. I’ll send you some money for it.”
“Don’t worry about it. Here, I grabbed a plate for you.”
I head into the bathroom to wash my hands and return to a plate with pizza already served for me.
“What are you watching?” I ask him as I settle onto the loveseat opposite where he’s sitting.
“Some historical documentary on Netflix.” He looks over at me. Is he blushing? “I love history,” he states with confidence.
“That’s okay. I’m a nerd, too.”
He lets out a laugh at my response.
Yeah, I think we’ll get along just fine.
W e hang out in companionable silence for an hour before he looks over at me and clears his throat. Glancing up at him, I raise my eyebrows in question.
“I saw your ex today.”
“I’m sorry. I hope things weren’t weird or anything…”
“It’s fine…” he trails off before continuing, “He didn’t seem too happy to see that I’m your roommate…”
“Yeah, I know. I talked to him afterward.”
“Are you okay?” He looks worriedly at me.
“Yeah, I mean, it is what it is. He didn’t ask, so I didn’t tell him.”
He says nothing for a while before he opens his mouth again to say, “I think he’s still in love with you.”
I scoff at him. “He has a funny way of showing it.”
Getting up, I grab the dirty plates. I don’t want to continue this conversation anymore. I’m getting emotional whiplash with Logan, and I am tired. Plus, Ben didn’t even notice my new hair. I try not to let it bother me, but I thought I looked good.
I’m washing the dishes in the sink when I hear Ben come in with the empty pizza box. He takes care of the trash, and we head to our prospective bedrooms.
Our bedrooms share a single small hallway with the bathroom in the middle of both bedrooms. Ben heads into his room as I go into the bathroom and get ready for bed. As I leave the bathroom to head down the short hallway to my bedroom, Ben comes out of his room.
“Hey,” he says to me, and I look at him over my shoulder. “I like your new hair.” He smirks at me.
I murmur a quiet thanks, say goodnight, then hurry into my room and shut the door behind me. I lean against the door with a smile on my face. Those damn butterflies are swirling around in my belly again.
I fall asleep easily for the first time since moving into the apartment.