Roommates (Soulmates #1) (24 page)

Chapter 47: Jenny

He was a complete gentleman. Not only did he introduce me to
everyone perfectly- as Jenny- but his hand was constantly finding my lower back
just when I needed it to.

Most of the guests were concentrated in a large VIP room at the
back of the club.

Apparently the bride to be, Carrie, decorated it herself, which
is how she met Ben. There were quite a few toasts that made jokes about it. I
guess she moved on to his apartment once he put a ring on it- a gorgeous ring
at that.

After Ethan introduced me to his friends, we got some drinks and
took a seat at one of the scalloped tables jutting out from the wall.

"There are some other people I have to say hi to,” he said.
“But they aren't important."

"Does that mean I've embarrassed you already?" I
looked down at an invisible watch. "We haven't even been here for two
hours."

"I'm genuinely trying to spare you, but you're welcome to
come if you want."

A pretty brunette with two much eye makeup appeared beside the
table in a black dress that I believe was supposed to look deliberately disheveled.
"How about all these rich people, huh?"

Ethan smiled. "Nora, this is Jenny."

She raised her eyebrows. "Your Jenny, I take it?"

"My Jenny," he said, squeezing my knee under the
table.

"In that case, I'll spare her the stories you’re least
proud," she said, sitting down.

I reached across the table and shook her hand.

"Can I get you a drink?" Ethan asked, raising his
eyebrows.

"Only if you can get it faster than Woody can."

Ethan stood up. "Glad to know he's already on the
case."

I tried to give Ethan a look that said, “Who is this person and why
are you leaving me with her?”

"You'll be happier here with Nora," he said. "I
promise. And I would've introduced you to Woody already if I'd seen him
but-"

"We just got here," Nora said, batting her caked
eyelashes.

Ethan pointed at her. "No stories."

She rolled her eyes.

I watched him walk away.

"Might want to tuck your tongue back in your mouth,"
she said.

"Sorry.” I scrunched my face. “This is just still kind of
new."

"You don't have to explain." She leaned back in the
tall booth. "I get it."

Could she possibly?

"You know all those Tinder horror stories you read about
online?" she asked.

I nodded.

"They're all mine."

"What?"

"All of them," she said. "Or the
equivalent."

“I see.”

"And then last year I met- get this- a homeless guy, well, formerly
homeless, and I'm in deeper, cheesier love than I ever thought a weirdo like me
deserved."

"I know the feeling."

She cocked her head. "Cause you're a weirdo, too?"

I shrugged.

She nodded. "I can tell."

I raised my eyebrows.

"I bet if Ethan met you ten years ago, you guys never
would've worked."

What the fuck?

"I mean, he's such a jock, and you're obviously like a
drama geek or something."

I squinted at her. "What makes you say that?"

"You just have that extra flair about you that other people
don't have.”

“Is that so?”

She nodded. “I mean, I only picked up on it because my best
friend works in a gallery."

"Oh yeah?"

"So I'm sensitive to creative types.”

“Wow.”

“I'm right, aren't I?" she asked.

I nodded. "You are."

"Like, you seem kind of shy, but I bet if someone pumped
you full of vodka and handed you the mic, you'd be doing lines from the Tempest
in no time."

I laughed. "You're nuts."

"So is my boyfriend. He's the same. Totally reserved unless
he's sure he's got your full attention, in which case you better be in the mood
for a dramatic monologue."

"Is he an actor, too?"

"No, a poet. He also does security here."

I furrowed my brow. "And what about you?"

"I'm Carrie's assistant."

"So you saw all the love blossom between her and Ben?"

She nodded. "Front row seats."

"That must've been nice."

"Meh." She shrugged. "It's better when it's
happening to you."

"Agreed."

"You been in love before?" she asked, eyeing my drink.

"Do you want some?" I slid it towards her. "To
hold you over until your knight arrives with yours?"

"Thanks." She took a healthy swig and scooted it back
towards me. "Ooh that's nice. I wish I'd asked for that."

"It’s some kind of boozy Shirley Temple, I guess."

She smiled, her plum lips bringing out her bright teeth.
"Sounds dangerous."

"Time will tell," I said, reaching for my straw.

"So is this your first time?"

"At Club Abbott or-"

"No, being in love."

"Yeah." My first for a long time, more like.

"Think it's your last?"

I smiled. "I hope so."

"You guys are cute together."

"Thanks."

"And Ethan's amazing."

"I know."

She leaned forward. "I was only teasing him about the
stories before," she said. "Most of the ones I know about only make
him look good."

"Oh?"

"One night I was here, and he gave a girl mouth to mouth
and literally saved her life."

"He never mentioned that."

"It was really scary and awesome."

"Sounds like it."

"Always nice to have a boyfriend who gives good mouth to
mouth, anyway."

My cheeks burned.

"There was another night when some guy fell while he was
dancing and opened his hand up on his busted beer bottle."

I raised my eyebrows.

“And his hand was literally spurting blood like he was straight
out of some crappy horror flick.”

“Oh my god.”

"And Ethan picked out the glass and, like, tied up his arm
so he wouldn't bleed out before the ambulance got here."

I knew without asking where he tied it. His dad made me do
drills for hand wounds every weekend the summer before I went to school.

"Hmmm," she said, her eyes rolling up to the ceiling.
"What else?"

"I guess he took a lot of girls home before I came along?"

"Yeah, but based on the eyes you made at him when he walked
away, it doesn't look like you've been disappointed by his experience."

"So what you're telling me is that he's a total hero and
doesn't have any skeletons in the closet."…Besides his feelings for me.

"Pretty much."

"Did he slip you some money to say that nice stuff?"

She shook her head. "No. But if you tell him I made him
look good, he'll probably plow me with free drinks next time I'm in."

"In that case, I'll be sure to make a fuss."

"Do," she said. "You'll have to come in with me,
too. We'll get fall down. It'll be fab."

"Sounds like fun."

"Can't do it tonight, though, unfortunately. Not with all
the Who's Who milling about. But maybe next weekend if you're around?"

"Sure."

"Will you be around for a while or…?"

I nodded. "Hopefully. I mean, ideally I’ll get a part in
something soon so I can at least afford to stay out here a little longer and
keep chasing my big break."

"Oh cool. Well, if you need someone to show you all the
best cheap places to eat and where you can get away with drinking in public,
I'm your girl."

I smiled.

"And I might be going out on a limb here, but if you like
going to weird artsy fartsy stuff- and you don't want to ruin your solid
relationship by forcing Ethan to go along- my boyfriend and I will go to just
about anything as long as the tickets are cheap."

"I will definitely take you up on that," I said.
"And I'm sure that offer is good for at least a few extra free drinks from
Ethan."

She smiled. "Excellent.”

"Now, before I forget," I said, leaning forward and
scooting my drink her way. "Tell me more about your friend’s gallery."

Chapter 48: Ethan

She was amazing.

And smart, funny, elegant, charming… No one ever would've
guessed that she was from a small town where the most important events happened
outside the local Dairy Queen.

And every time my eyes came to rest on her across the room, I
felt my chest swell. Once, I even looked down expecting to see beams of light.

She got along with everyone. I wasn't really worried that she
wouldn’t, but I'd taken women out who weren't secure enough in themselves to be
around people who had so much going for them.

But it was no sweat for Jenny, and frankly, having her on my arm
made me feel as lucky and rich as everyone else in the room.

I looked across the elevator at her shiny eyes. She'd been the
life of the party when we'd walked out, but she crashed pretty hard about halfway
home- probably as a result of trying to keep up with Nora all night.

Her hair was a mess from laying on my shoulder in the cab and
her shoes dangled from her fingertips.

"You were amazing tonight," I said as the elevator
came to a stop on my floor.

"I felt it," she said, taking my arm. "Though it
would be hard not to around all those people."

"I'm glad you liked them."

"I really did.” She leaned against the wall outside my
door. “Everyone was so nice. And I think Nora and I could really be
friends."

"From where I was standing, it looks like you already
are."

"She and Woody are ridiculously cute together."

I nodded. "That guy is an inspiration."

"Totally." She smiled. "And I can see why you
like Ben so much. He's so charming and-"

I scoffed. "Yeah. To be honest, if he weren't engaged, I
never would've introduced him to you." I pushed the door open for her.

She walked in, flicking on the kitchen light and dropping her
shoes at the same time. "Why not?"

"Cause I like being the charmer in your life," I said,
leaning against the door to close it.

"You are," she said, her heavy lashes batting as she
stepped up to me. "And if I still want you after meeting all those incredible
people, you must be quite a catch."

I slung my hands around her lower back, and she let the weight
of her lithe body lean on me.

Her face was full of concentration as she dragged a finger along
my bottom lip. "Unrequited love is so overrated, eh?" she asked,
raising her eyes to mine.

"I'm glad you had a good time," I said. "I was so
proud to have you there with me."

She squinted.

"What?"

"You wouldn't have been proud to be with me ten years
ago."

"Ten years ago I wasn't secure enough to be with someone so
dazzling."

She rolled her eyes.

"Not to mention our family arrangement."

"Speaking of dazzling, I have some news."

I raised my eyebrows.

"It's a surprise." She pushed herself upright against
my chest and went to the cupboard for a glass. "Hopefully a good
one."

"I'm listening," I said, leaning against the counter.

She filled her glass at the sink.

"Is it a surprise like the one I got in the shower before
the party?"

She smiled, her eyes smaller than usual from so many drinks.
"I can't guarantee you'll be quite that excited about it, but-"

"Spit it out already."

She turned towards me and leaned a hip against the counter.
"I found a gallery where you can have your first exhibition."

"What?"

"Nora's bestie works in a gallery that showcases local,
undiscovered talent every week."

I swallowed.

"And she's going to send me the info so we can get you
in."

"I don't know."

She raised her hand to the studio room behind me. "You
can't just hoard all that precious art."

"You're the only one who thinks it's precious."

She set her glass down. "Because I'm the only one you've
shown it to."

"Can I think about it?"

She shook her head. "No. That's you're whole problem. You
thinking about it. You're supposed to enjoy making it and let other people
think about it. Let other people figure out what it means to them."

I stepped up and drained the rest of her glass of water.

"Say yes," she said. "They might not even accept
you, but you have to try. You can't just be the sole owner all your limited
edition prints. It's a waste of your talent."

I sighed. "Kind of like if you were to give up all your
ambition to stay home and make X-rated movies with me."

She pressed a finger against my chest. "Exactly. Excellent
analogy."

I groaned.

"Say yes."

"Let me ask you something," I said.

"Shoot."

"Are you ever going to let this go?"

She shook her head, her eyes full of drunken defiance.

I smiled. "In that case, I'm willing to negotiate-"

"No negotiations. Just promise you'll send in a portfolio
of your work, and if they won't take it then-"

"You didn't even let me finish."

She sighed. "Fine. Tell me about your conditions you
stubborn artist you."

I laughed.

"I'll do it," I said. "If you'll move in with
me."

She furrowed her brows. "I already have."

"No. You showed up, and I looked the other way-"

"You looked right down my shirt is what you did."

"Jenny."

"What?"

"Listen for a second."

"Fine," she said. "But you should know it feels
kind of awkward when you throw it in my face that I showed up uninvited-"

"Shut up."

She swallowed.

"I want you to stay officially. I want to drive across the
country and pick up your shoes and crap so you're not living out of a suitcase.
I want to get you a robe of your own so you never feel like you have to get
dressed. I want to throw half of my clothes away to make room for your stuff,
and I want you to be my mine for good. No secrets. No doubts. No unrequited
bullshit ever again."

Half her mouth curled into a smile. "Just tons and tons of
requiting?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You and me. Together at last. No more
wasting time apart."

She squinted at me. "You're not worried this is all happening
a bit fast?"

"No," I said, looking down at the freckles on her
nose. "If anything, it's all happened way too fucking slow, and I feel
this horrible pressure in my chest to make up for lost time."

"Are you sure it's not just gas?" she asked, unable to
keep a straight face.

"I'm sure," I said. "And I'm trying to spill my
guts here so if you don't mind holding the jokes-"

"Sorry." She raised a hand to my cheek. "I'm not
trying to make light of what you're saying. I know it's sincere. And I feel it,
too. I just don't want us to feel any more pressure. We have time now, and
we're together. So let's just enjoy it and not try to speed up the clock."

"Is that a yes?"

She smiled. “Of course it’s a yes.”

My chest loosened. "Perfect."

"There's just one little problem,” she said, rocking up on
her tippy toes.

I furrowed my brow. "What's that?"

"I don't know if I'd be comfortable living in a place where
I hadn't been fucked on the kitchen counter."

"Totally understandable," I said, lifting her waist
and setting her ass down next to the sink.

"Oh good," she said, hanging her arms around my neck.
"I was worried you might think I was being a diva."

I shook my head. "Not at all. And I agree this is a
situation we should correct immediately."

She leaned forward to whisper in my ear as her hands found my
belt. "Then correct it already, Ethan. I’ve been wet for you all night."