He shrugged nonchalantly, “That’s where he lives. You won’t have to deal with him or anything, don’t worry.”
Right… Gerald. The Judgy Sock.
“Well, as long as he doesn’t pop up to judge me when I’m showering or something, we’ll be fine.” I shook my head, letting out a small laugh.
“He would never.” Colton looked scandalized at the idea as a blush bloomed on his cheeks.
Backing out of the room, I found myself oddly amused with the whole encounter and at ease for the first time in months. When was the last time I’d so effortlessly bantered with another person? I couldn’t even remember.
The front room was open concept with the kitchen at the rear of the space and separated by a counter. The actual kitchen space was simple but surprisingly updated. Stainless-steel appliances, a decent stove. I ran my hand across the countertop along the back wall and couldn’t help but think how nice it’d be to cook again. I used to enjoy it, back when life wasn’t late nights and instant noodles over case files. When I wasin the frat, the guys would beg me to cook the morning after parties. There was something about a good hash brown casserole that could heal even the worst of hangovers.
The sound of footsteps had me turning to watch Colton walk back into view. He tugged the tie from his hair, and I watched as the golden strands fell to his shoulders. He must have put a lot of effort into taking care of it.
“All done,” he announced.
“Awesome.” I smiled, grabbing my things as we walked to the spare room.
The hallway I’d dubbed ‘mine’ had three doors in a semi-triangle arrangement. One was opened and revealed a tidy bedroom arranged with a queen bed, dresser, and an open closet. The bedspread was a deep forest green, and there were a few decorations scattered about to make the place feel less barren. The closet was void of any clothing but had a few hangers for me to use. It was sparse, but decent. And it would work, for now.
I set my bags down at the foot of the bed while Colton leaned against the doorway.
“You’re totally welcome to spruce it up however you like. This is your room till you find something of your own, after all.”
I nodded, still scanning over everything. I had no plans to decorate, but he didn’t need to know that.
“The house is yours to use, too,” He added, gesturing casually. “Bathroom’s across the hall. Garage is the next door over. I’ll get you a key made soon so you can come and go whenever.”
I gave another nod of understanding.
After a beat of silence, Colton fidgeted slightly, like he wasn’t sure what came next. Yeah, me too, buddy.
Clearing my throat, I decided to break the tension. “Hey… Thank you. Really. I know this got dropped on you last minute, but I appreciate it.”
Colton’s face twisted into shock, like he hadn’t expected to be thanked for opening his home, even as unwillingly as it may have been. But after a brief second, his expression smoothed out into a smile. “Happy to do it.”
That was debatable, but again, I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or chaotic roommate, for that matter.
“After I shower, can we talk some things through?” I asked.
He nodded, motioning toward the bathroom door awkwardly, before disappearing out the door of my room.
Myroom. Fuck, that felt weird to say, even in my head.
After showering and changing, I found Colton at the kitchen table. We went through the roommate basics about utilities, expectations, and boundaries. He insisted rent and bills weren’t necessary, something about his dad ‘killing him’ for charging me. I had to insist though, and we eventually struck a compromise. I wasn’t comfortable freeloading, especially when this was a situation of Charlie’s making.
We covered other basics—where to find things, the food situation in the fridge and pantry. He seemed oddly relieved I had no plans to alphabetize the spice cabinet. There was a brief discussion on schedules since it seemed Colton’s cafe, Bikini Beans, had different hours than most others.
“What made you decide to move to a tiny, no-where town like Westwend? Because I know it wasn’t that you were looking to make it big.” Colton asked after a lull in conversation, resting his chin in his hand.
“Actually, I interned for your father when I was in law school. Brooks was my fraternity brother, and he helped connect your dad and I.”
No sooner than the words were out of my mouth, Colton sat up straighter. “Wait, what? That means you lived with Mom and Pop? When? How have we never met before?”
“It was the summer of my second year of law school so… five years ago now?” I said, doing the math in my head.
I could see the gears in his head turning before he slumped back in his chair. “That was the summer before my senior year of college. I had to take a bunch of classes to make sure I graduated on time since I kind of fucked around my freshman year.” He sighed. “Well, I suppose that means you’re pretty well acquainted with the town, then.”
I shook my head. “Actually, I never really took the time to explore when I was here, plus, I’m sure the town has changed in five years.”
