GemsNLace178576:
He's a guy. He's cranky af. It's a whole thing, but I'm just raging over it.
Emmaculate94:
A guy??
GemsNLace178576:
Yeah. Exactly.
Emmaculate94:
Well, if you ever need a chick roommate, you can move to Portland lol.
GemsNLace178576:
Keep that offer open, babes. This thing is mental.
Emmaculate94:
HAH! You got it. I'll keep fressh towels folded. Hey, I'm going for a VL run, but I'll catch u later. Gl with the cranky guy.
GemsNLace178576:
lol thanks. Bye.
I joined a party quest for a while, riding the more experienced members' coattails and gaining much-needed experience points, and before I knew it, the apartment had darkened, my stomach was grumbling, and Mini had laid her head on my lap with imploring eyes. I pulled off my headphones and gave her an affectionate scrub. "You need a walk, huh?"
She grumbled in agreement.
Sighing, I stood from my padded gaming chair and stretched. I'd put on sweats and a college sweatshirt, and my hair hung loose down my back. In my fluffy socks, I slid across the hardwood floors to the elevator. I'd hung up Mini's leash on the hook, along with my coat, and they looked completely out of place next to Rook's sleek, black coat. He still hadn't returned home as far as I could tell, which meant it must have been warm enough to not need a coat. I glanced out of the windows to the calm street beyond, bathed in the golden hour. Rook was insufferable, but he had a point—walking Mini before dark was probably smart.
I clipped her leash to her collar, shoved my feet in my boots, and pulled my hood up. "Okay, walk, then dinner. What do you want to eat? Eggs? Hot dogs? Ravioli?" Mini barked excitedly. Ipatted my empty stomach as we entered the elevator. "All of the above. Got it."
I took Mini on a walk through the cute, half-suburban, half-commercial area, getting to know what places were close by. I found an adorable mini-mart and grabbed feminine supplies, pain relievers, candy, and some treats for Mini, and then we made it back just after the sun had set. It wasn't until I had fed both Mini and myself, washed up after dinner, and gotten Mini settled in her bed that Rook returned home. I glanced at the clock on my computer. It read 7:23. Late day. He'd left well before I'd woken up, and I hadn't even heard him from where I slept on the couch. I swiveled in my gaming chair as he walked into the living room. His eyes bounced over me, then the living room where I'd neatly stacked my things against the wall and out of the way, and then over to Mini who had trotted out of her bed to greet him.
Rook shrank away from Mini as she promptly stuck her nose between his legs. "Will you please call off your mutt?"
"You did take her for a W-A-L-K,” I reminded him. But obligingly, I whistled. "Mini, bed."
As my enormous puppy went back to her bed, Rook took in my gaming setup. It occupied a fair bit of space behind the couches and along the wall that led to the bedroom door. "Well, don't you look at home."
"You know what," I glared. "Your mom took advantage of me. The least you can do is let me escape reality. Yes, I set up my computer. Deal with it."
Rook's eyes lifted to the ceiling, but he said nothing more as he emptied his keys and phone from his pocket and threw them carelessly on the kitchen island. He wore the same white button-down I always saw him in, and as he moved into the kitchen, he loosened his tie. For the second time, I watched with some interest as he whipped it away from his collar, wrapped it around his knuckles, and tied an absent knot with it while he moved through the kitchen. That was such an odd thing to do. Had he been a Boy Scout or something?
"Did you eat?" he asked me.
I started in my chair. With the open concept, I could see him perfectly from where I sat, and he opened the fridge to pull lettuce and dressing from the shelves. "I ate," I replied with some surprise. Was he offering to feed me?
After rinsing the lettuce, he put a pot on the stove and filled it with water from the tap built over the gas range. "I sent out inquiries about our leases today."
"Inquiries?" I asked, standing from my chair and weaving through the furniture to join him in the kitchen.
"With my lawyers first, and then with other landlords in the area to see if they have any openings. We might not be able to break our lease, but I thought perhaps I could find a new place anyway."
That sounded dangerously fantastic. "Like, I could actually stay here? And you'd move somewhere else?"
