Hello! This is the second story I have ever written or placed online (First is "I Always wanted More" on Fanfiction). This is owned my ME. Please do not copy and re-create as your own. Apologies for any errors, I did proof very quickly but it was a little late and I was a little tired. I hope you will enjoy. This is just the beginning. *****UPDATED FOR SPACING**** Sorry everyone got your message loud and clear.

Love and Roommates

Chapter One – To Room or Not Room that is the question…

Yasmine Harris quickened her steps as she approached the bustling restaurant. She knew her friends were inside waiting wondering where she was and why she was running late. She entered the noisy establishment and head to their normal table, where she spotted her friends. They've been coming to Ole' Joes now for two years every Friday night to release stress, chat, and gossip.

"Hey Ladies, sorry I'm late" she rushed out as she pulled out her chair and placed her purse on the corner of it.

"No worries, we ordered some loaded fries and onion rings until you got here". The blonde haired, blue eyed girl to her right responded. Sabrina Young was a tall woman and with a large frame.

Some would call her heavy or fat, but Yasmine saw herself as filled out. The successful advertisement executive was straight forward and never held back any punches. Her friends would often tease her about her control issues, but she would often say a little planning never caused anybody any harm.

"What caused you to be late, was it traffic, I ran into some one the way here as well?" asked Mora. Mora Kelly took a sip of here beer while waiting for her friends' response. The oldest of the three, at thirty-one, still had a young girls face and body. Her half white and half Asian features stood out against her long black hair. She was the married one in the group, the one they labeled "The Maternal One." It fit with her laid back, easy going and always caring attitude was always welcomed.

"Yeah traffic pretty much sucked and it didn't help that I put in an extra two hours of work helping the other department assistants. But I had too; I need the extra money for the house and all." Yasmine explained to her friends.

"Hey, how's my favorite ladies!" David exclaimed as he came over with the fries, onion rings, and Yasmine drink.

"Thank you David. You are a godsend. How did you know I needed this right now?" Yasmine asked the cute twenty-eight year old, Hispanic waiter who was now placing the rest of the items on the table. "Because after two years, I now you honey. Plus I saw how frazzled you looked when you walked in. I figured you would need your vodka tonic and I made it a double." He simply replied," Now what are we having tonight girls?"

The girls went around the table and gave David each their order; he gave them a quick wink and told them he would be back in a few. "God I love this place" Sabrina stated. "I'm so glad we found it. I mean great food, relaxing atmosphere, and even better service. So Yas, we need to talk, Mora and I was talking before you got here. We are seeing less and less of you these days and you're ALWAYS working. We think you need a girl's weekend or something."

Yasmine turned and looked at her friend with a smile. See no holding back, she thought to herself. "Yeah I know and I would love to do a weekend. Unfortunately right now with the house I can't afford too."

"Have you given any thought about maybe finding a roommate?" Mora asked while she dug into the fries.

"Actually I have and I was going to talk to you ladies about it. I mean I have my concerns of course, who wouldn't? I mean do you think I could POSSIBLY live with someone since I have been living on my own for six years now." Yasmine replied as she swept her hand over her face and pushed her hair out of her eye and behind her ear.

"I think you can do it. Just make sure you are smart about it. Pre-screen BEFORE you allow them to check out your place. I think this will help you a lot and not just financially speaking, but you will find it will free up a lot of your time for other things and I am not just talking about hanging out with us." Mora told her friend right as David returned with another round of drinks and their entrees.

"I agree with Mora" Sabrina simply stated while taking her dish from David. "What are we talking about ladies?" David asked while placing their food on the table. "We're talking about how Yasmine needs to get a roommate so she can relax, not work too much, and FINALLY get laid!" Sabrina stated flatly.

Yasmine nearly choking on her drink started coughing while giving her friend the evil eye.

David laughed as he turned to her before leaving to check on his other tables. "Well I don't know about the roommate thing, but Yasmine if you need to get laid I have a bunch of straight friends that I KNOW would be interested in you honey. I will be back to check on you ladies in a bit."

"See look, you may be able to get some sooner rather than later" Sabrina replied with a mischievous look in her eye while she cut into her steak.

"Oh shut up! Now enough about me, did you girls see True Blood the other night. DAMN that Alexander Skarsgård is HOT!" The girls nodded their head in agreement as they continued talk, drink, and eat the night away.

Yasmine woke up the next morning and started her day as normal. A quick brush of her teeth and throw a little water on her face she was out the door, in her car heading to the gym. Yasmine was like any other woman, constantly worrying about her weight. She had long ago accepted she was not built like other girls who were of similar height. At 5'3 she had a more womanly figure rather a small petite one and because of that she found she had to work out to try and maintain. She realized it was true what they say, the older you are the harder it is to maintain your weight. At thirty-one she knew she was in great shape and liked a lot about what she saw when she looked into the mirror. Yasmine saw her time at the gym as a great stress reliever and was one of the few times she felt she was at peace. By the end of her workout she felt light and airy ready to take on her day. She had made her decision and she knew it was the right one. As she gathered her things to leave she heard a voice behind her, "Damn girl, how did you get that ass in those pants."

She turned around to see a tall, slender man with skin the color of dark chocolate staring her up and down, while wiping the sweat off his head. He had a shaved head and full lips, beautiful deep eyes, and a well built chest and arms which were on display in his half cut t-shirt. Yasmine rolled her eyes and finished collecting her things off of the elliptical machine and began to walk around him, when his warm hand reached out and grabbed her arm. Yasmine swung around and looked him straight in the eye.

"Could you remove your hand from my arm please?" she asked in a not so sweet tone. The guy put his hands up, "Listen sorry I meant no harm. I just want to holla atcha, that's all. Don't get all up tight sista." Yasmine let out annoyed breath. He was really working on her nerves.

"Well I appreciate your interest, but listen I am really busy and I have some where I need to be. May I offer some advice, in the future when you want to "holla" at a woman that you don't grab her without her consent?" The guy looked stunned and Yasmine didn't wait for his reply as she continued to walk past him and head out to her car.

Yasmine pulled in her drive way and released a happy sigh. She still couldn't believe that she owned the beautiful 3 bedroom, two-and half bath Spanish style home. All she ever wanted was to be able to have a home of her own and six months ago she got it. Just like most of America, the state of Florida was hit hard with the recession and because of that the price and property value went down. It became a buyers' market and Yasmine was thankful for that because she wasn't sure if she would be able to have a home of her own any other way. She closed the garage and entered the house walking through her laundry room where she was greeted by one of her two cats. Continuing into the house walking through the kitchen/living room area, she made her way to her bedroom, which was by far her favorite room of the house. She had painted it soft lavender which accentuated the ebony stained wooden furniture. Beautiful black and white photos adorned her wall. She placed her bag on the end of the bed and dropped her keys in the little box on her night stand, turned on the T.V., and headed to the bathroom where she took a shower. Yasmine studied herself while she looked in the mirror. Yasmine's silky smooth, milk chocolate complexion, in which she often was complimented for, glisten with the remnants of water still on her skin. Her face was a cross between being round and heart shaped. Her large dark brown eyes were a perfect almond shape and was topped by a long set of black lashes. A medium nose and a full pair of lips completed her face as her gaze trailed lower. She had large prominent breast topped with a large set of nipples. Her breasts seem to avoid gravity and were still nice and fairly perky. At a 38DD, this feature often, caused a commotion while she was growing up. Her stomach was soft and rounded something she worked hard on trying to keep down. Which lead to nice, soft, curvy hips and quite an ample butt. She had muscular thighs, like Serena Williams and small feet which were professionally manicured. Yasmine finished drying herself off and completed her beauty regimen before heading into her closets to pick out her clothes for the day. She had a closet that even Carrie Bradshaw would be proud of, it large, organized, and one wall was lined with shoes. She decided on a simple white v-neck t-shirt and a pair of jeans. After getting dressed and pulling her shoulder length curly black hair into a messy bun, Yasmine headed to her office. A simple old fashioned desk and swivel chair sat caddy corner with her pink laptop on top. A red love seat and two tall wooden bookshelves overflowing with books completed the space. Yasmine hopped online and began the process of setting a posting in search of a new roommate.

One full week had passed since Yasmine put her posting online. She was pleasantly surprised by how many responses back she had received. She was also a little terrified as well. Yasmine knew there were some crazies in the world she just didn't want to live with them. She had found a company where she could have her applicant's information filtered and checked for criminal record as well as past credit history. She wasn't looking for a perfect score, but she wanted to make sure they could pay her own time. She had figured that she was going to charge her future roommate 565.00 a month. It would cover all the utilities and lawn care, while she would continue to pay on her mortgage. Yasmine was finishing up a presentation when an email notice popped up on her screen that the company was finished with her processing request and had a list of five names. Curious she pulled up the email and glanced at the list.

"Hmmm all woman, except one" she thought to herself right when her phone buzzed. "Yasmine, could you come in my office please and bring a note pad" stated her boss Bill Whitfield.

She quickly hung up the phone, grabbed a pen, and not pad and headed into Bill's office. As an Executive Assistant to the General Manager of one of the top hotels in the area, Yasmine was use to these random calls. She was sure it was probably another big promotion the hotel was planning to attract more clients. Bill Whitfield was just getting off the phone when she entered the room and headed to her normal seat across his desk. Bill was about fifteen years older than Yasmine, had an athletic build and was extremely handsome. He had dark brown hair with little gray patches on the side; to Yasmine this made him look distinguished. His soft green eyes would often give away his mood and right now they were full of excitement. Bill was more like an older brother to Yasmine, not a boss. She was often invited to family BBQ and his three children's birthday parties. They had a wonderful working relationship and she felt very luck for it.

"Sorry Yasmine, I was just finishing up a call from the main office. It looks like all our hard work has paid off. They are extremely pleased with how well we've done in the past couple of months. You know our hotel has a lot of competition being in a tourist area, but we've increased our numbers and had high marks on our surveys. They've decided they are interested in expanding and want to add on by creating some upscale private bungalows to advertise to higher end clientele. I think it is going to be superb, but it is going to require A LOT of work on our parts. I am going to need you to set up a meeting with all my department heads. Also we are going to need to call your contact over at the ad agency; we worked so well together on our last project I want them in on this. Do you think we can set up a meeting by next week? Will my schedule allow it?"

Yasmine reassured Bill all would be done and was very excited by upcoming addition. After discussing a few more pressing matters, they started to discuss their weekend plans.

"So what are you up too this weekend?" Bill asked as he got up and began to collect his things.

"The norm, see the girls, do some house work. Oh I decided to get a roommate and I just received a list of the candidates who came back with a clean record. So I am going to call them and set up a time to meet. You know pre-screen and make sure our personalities are going to mesh. What about you?" She asked Bill as they walked out of his office and stopping at her desk.

"Sall, the kids, and I are going to visit Sall's brother Greg. We haven't seen them in awhile. I'd rather not go, because Greg is obnoxious, but Sally would kill me. I think it is great about you getting a roommate, I just can't understand why you are not out there dating. You're a beautiful woman Yasmine, I am sure any guy would love to have you. In fact I know a couple I would be happy to introduce you too."

Yasmine blushed, "Thanks Bill, but that is okay. Hey listen have a good weekend and I'll see you on Monday. Tell Sally and the kids I said hi."

"Will do and don't stay too late" Bill answered as he gave her a quick wink and headed out of the office.

Yasmine sat back at her desk and quickly finished up her work. Her mind kept returning to what Bill had said about dating. She knew why she wasn't dating. Yasmine was scared, absolutely terrified, and closed herself off due to a lack of trust. After two serious relationships had failed in which she completely had trusted her partners had left her completely heartbroken and she just didn't want to put herself out there anymore. Of course there were night she wished she was in the arms of another or better yet to feel him inside of her, but she had other ways of working that out. Her last relationship devastated her and basically broke her. She thought he was the love of her life but he was really a bold face liar. She was completely broken-hearted and her depression lasted for a long time. While recovering she decided to throw in the towel. Yasmine turned her concentration on other things besides men, even to the dismay of her parents who would often throw out, "You're not getting any younger" speech. She didn't care. She did not want to give into the hype that you are not complete without a man. She wanted to prove that a beautiful, intelligent, successful black woman did not have to compromise who she was as a person or what she wanted. She was not going to settle. Yasmine figured by now, she wasn't meant to have it. You know the house, husband, and 2.5 kids with a cat and dog. So she poured herself into work and her friends and hoped one day that would be enough. Yasmine took a look at the clock and cursed under her breath. She was going to be late to meet the girls if she didn't head out soon. She quickly finished her last set of emails, made sure Bill's calendar was up to date and placed all that she would need for Monday's meeting in the corner of her desk ready to go. Finally she returned to the email with the where the list of approved applicants were displayed. She printed out the information about her potential roommates, shut down her computer, locked up the office, and headed out to place where great food and good company was waiting. As she walked to her car, Yasmine thought tomorrow is when she would begin the process of contacting the applicants to see if they were still interested in the room. Little did Yasmine know that her decision to get a roommate or that one of the names on that list would change her life forever.

Chapter Two – I was not expecting you and a decision made.

Yasmine sat quietly in a booth on the corner of the restaurant as she sipped on her green ice tea. The Panera Bread she was in had died down and only few people still remained as most of the lunch rush had cleared. Yasmine had decided she wanted to meet with all the applicants in a public place. She thought it would be better since she didn't know them personally and she didn't want to give them access to her home right away. She was looking over the application of the previous applicant who had left her table about 45 minutes before. She was a nice girl but something seemed a bit off. Just three year younger than Yasmine the young woman was prompt and answered all her questions, and had good references. The conversation they had was good and seemed to flow fairly easily. However Yasmine couldn't shake the feeling that the girl was hiding something. Maybe Yasmine had seen, "Single White Female" too many times, but this girl reminded her lot of Jennifer Jason Leigh's character and she was not trying to be Bridgette Fonda. She placed the paper down and sighed. She was not feeling very hopeful at the moment. The other three candidates had down points too. The first girl stated she was a social smoker; however Yasmine could smell it in her clothes. She seemed to still be in the party girl phase which was worrisome. The other candidate told Yasmine she moved out of her last roommate home because of all the fornication taking place. Now granted Yasmine was not planning on having many male visitors but this girl seemed absolutely disgusted with the thought of a man staying over at all. The other candidate barely spoke to her at all. Yasmine constantly would ask her questions the girl would only give one word responses. Yasmine didn't know what to think and at this moment her last applicant was 15 minutes late. Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone went off playing the Black Eyed Peas, "The Time (Dirty Bit).

"Hey Sabrina, what's up?" she asked her friend on the other line. "So how's it going, did you find your new roomy yet?" Sabrina inquired.

"As of now, no and my last applicant, the only guy is not here. So I am thinking this is a complete bust. This sucks. I hoped this would all work out, but now I am not so sure", she answered while looking out the window.

"Well don't give up hope girl. So listen give me a call and let me know what happens tonight okay? Oh and Sunday night Mora wants us to come over for dinner. Steve will be out of town and she wants to try a new recipe. So be there at 7p.m." "Ok sounds good to me. I will talk to you later girl" Yasmine told her friend before ending the call.

While she was placing her phone in her purse a deep voice stilled her movement.

"Hi. Are you Yasmine ?"

Yasmine lifted her head and in front of her stood a tall, medium build white guy with the most alarming set of blue eyes she ever saw in her life. Her gaze dropped down to see a straight nose, full kissable lips, a masculine jaw and a sun-kissed complexion. The questioning eyes stared back at her when Yasmine realized she had been staring, with her mouth wide open. She quickly recovered and nodded her head since she still didn't trust herself yet with verbal communication. Those lips quickly turned up into a slight smirk then an easy going smile.

He slid in the booth across from her and reached his hand across the table, "Hi I'm Joel Ryan."

This time Yasmine noticed a slight twang to his voice. She shook the large hand that seemed to engulf her own and decided now was the time to finally speak.

"You're late" she stated while looking at him. Yasmine wanted to kick herself, great I have this Adonis in front of me and the first thing I do is bring up his punctuality. Joel didn't seem to take offense as he sighed before answering, "Yeah I know and I am so sorry. I was finishing up a job and wanted to make sure the clients were happy with it. I'm sorry for that. I hope you weren't waiting here too long. I see you are almost out of your ice tea, do you want another one? I was thinking about grabbing a quick bite if you don't mind. I'm starving." He rushed out.

"No I don't mind. Go ahead and get yourself something to eat. I'll stay here" Yasmine replied thinking she could use that time to compose herself.

"Okay cool. So do you want me to have them refill your tea?" Joel asked again as he got up from the booth and looked back down at her. Yasmine could feel herself blush under his gaze and was praying that he wouldn't notice, even though she was a black girl, she knew she turned red, her friend Mora would often tease her about it.

"Yes thank you. That is very kind of you." She answered while holding up her drink. "It's no problem and I was raised you always ask a lady if she needs anything before you walk away. I will be back in minute." He simply stated before turning to head to the cashiers to put in his order.

Yasmine let out a deep breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Her mind was racing. She was not expecting this. She was not expecting HIM. God he was hot she thought to herself as she watched him run his large hand through his longish dirty blonde hair. He was tall, had to be at least 6'3, 6'4. He had a great build, very broad shoulder and defined arms which on his left one had an interesting black sleeve tattoo that covered his bicep. He was wearing a simple navy fitted t-shirt with J&J Landscaping. She could tell he had a nice set of abs under there. His jeans wear a little baggy and had some dirt smeared on them but she could still make out a firm round butt set on a pair of long legs and simple Timberland work boots. Yasmine realized she needed to stop staring and began to straighten herself up. She hadn't put too much effort in her look today. She wore a simple red scooped neck top, her black capris, and red flip flops. She had pulled her hair in a simple pony tail and side swept bangs, in which she tucked the loose strand behind her left ear. She quickly reached in her bag and re-applied some chap stick to her lips and added a little bit of lip gloss. She had just put the lip gloss back in the bag when Joel returned.

"Here you go", he said as he handed her drink.

"Thanks" Yasmine answered while giving Joel a smile. She watched him get settled and a take a bite of his sandwich before she started talking.

"So Joel, tell me a little about you." She said while taking a sip of her ice tea.

Joel chuckled softly, took a drink of his soda, and wiped his mouth before answering, "You're sure this isn't a date?" Yasmine gasped softly and began to start stuttering her reply, when Joel cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"I'm just kidding with you. I thought you may need a laugh, you know to relax the mood a little. You seemed a little tense. So you want to know about me. Well let's see I'm 32, a non-smoker, originally from Georgia, I've been living here in Florida the past two years, and I enjoy long walks on the beach." He finished with a twinkle in his eye.

Yasmine smiled at that last comment while rolling her eyes. Okay he's a jokester she thought to herself.

"What brought you hear to Florida?" she asked Joel while he continued to eat his sandwich. "My brother did. I had been living in L.A. for a while. I moved out there once I had completed school. Things didn't work out quite the way I thought. I then moved back to Georgia and back in with my parents. I couldn't stand it, so my brother called me told me asked me to move in with him and I did."

"Wow, so why aren't you living with your brother now?" Yasmine asked him.

"Well not long after I moved in he met his wife and don't get me wrong Licia is a great girl. Love her to death, but they told me the other night they are now expecting. I am so happy for him you know. I figure they could use the space and privacy while they start a family. I was thinking about getting a place of my own, but I don't want to rent and I don't want to buy because right now I am so busy I wouldn't be able to take care of it. I have few guy friends I could move in with, but quite frankly those boys are slobs. So when I saw your posting I thought this could really work."

Yasmine nodded her head in understanding. She was amazed on how easy it was to talk to him. Joel finished his sandwich and leaned back in the booth.

"Now tell me about you Yasmine." Yasmine took a deep breath while she looked at him and began, "I am 31 years old, originally from Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia to be exact. I've been living in Florida now for 8 years and I love it. I work for L Hotels and I have been there for about four years now. I bought my home six months ago and wanted a roommate to help a little with the cost. Plus I thought it would be fun having someone around."

She finished while playing with the straw wrapper on the table.

"Cool" Joel simply stated. "So do you have a problem with having a male roommate?" he asked. "Oh no, not at all, when I first moved down I here I had a male roommate. Plus in college I lived in a co-ed dorm. So not that doesn't bother me at all."She quickly replied.

"What about you? Do you have any problems with having a woman for a roommate?" Yasmine countered.

Joel simply smiled and shook his head no. Yasmine was trying to concentrate but Joel's smiling was completely throwing her off her game. They continued to talk and get to know one another; quite often Joel would make a smart comment and tell a joke. Yasmine would laugh and fire one right back at him. She felt completely comfortable with him and couldn't help but wonder if he had a girlfriend. Yasmine knew she was attracted Joel (how could she not be) but that was not the reason she decided he was the best choice out of her other four candidates.

"So Joel when do you want to come and see the place?" she asked him.

Joel smiled a big smile showing of his incredibly white teeth,"So does this mean I pass the test?" Yasmine laughed and nodded yes.

"Well if it is okay with you, I could stop by tomorrow?" he answered. Yasmine didn't have anything planned on Sunday, except Mora's dinner which would be later.

"Sure that's fine with me. Why don't you come over around one o'clock? Here's the direction and my number is on the bottom if you have any trouble finding it or if you get lost."

She reached into her purse and handed Joel the paper she had printed up with her home information.

"Well I guess we should call it a night. I feel bad for taking up this much of your time as is, I am sure you have something to do or some where you need to be, " Yasmine finished while scooting across her seat.

Joel followed her lead and began to get up as well. Taking the paper she had handed to him before standing completely upright. Yasmine felt dwarfed in his presence he was so much taller than she.

"Wow, you're a little shorty." Joel teased with a smirk as he walked beside Yasmin.

"Yeah yeah" was her simply reply as she rolled her eyes and headed to her car. "Where are you parked?" Joel asked her once they were in the parking lot.

"Oh that's me right there" she stated as she pointed to her silver Ford Fusion. "Ah great minds must think alike, I drive a Ford too" Joel replied pointing to the huge black 350 truck a few spaces down from where her car was parked.

"Well thanks for coming Joel. I really enjoyed getting to know you a little and I will see you tomorrow, ok? Have a good night and thanks again for coming." Yasmine placed her hand out for Joel to shake.

"I enjoyed it too Yasmine. Thanks again and I will see you tomorrow. Drive safe ok" he replied with as he turned and headed towards his truck. Yasmine got in her car and headed home. "I hope I am doing the right thing" she said to herself as she drove home.

Early the next morning Yasmine was awakened by her cell phone. Glancing over at her clock, she let out annoyed sigh before answering.

"What do you want? You realize it is 7:00 in the morning?" she asked while lying back down with her eyes closed.

"Yes I know, but you never called be back to let me know how the last applicant went. So come on, give me the dirt, you're lucky I didn't call your ass at 6:30." Sabrina quickly responded.

Yasmine sat up in the bed before she started talking, "Well it went fine. He was nice. We got along real well. I am going to offer him the room once he checks it out today. I think it could work."

She was hoping that her answers wouldn't lead to any more questions. She wasn't sure if she wanted her friend to know how attracted she was to her potential roommate.

"Well that's good. Now you know if this is going to be your new roommate we are going to have to meet him. He is going to have to get Mora and my approval as well. So you need to think about that once the decision is made." Yasmine laughed at her friend.

"Yes I know, ok heifer now you know the dirt. I am HANGING up now because unlike you, I like to sleep. See you tonight ok."

"Oh shut it you whore. Love ya" Sabrina replied before hanging up.

Smiling to herself Yasmine shook her head and place the phone back on her night stand, rolled over and went back to sleep.

She got up three hours later. After showering, dressing, and eating a little something, Yasmine began to pick up and make sure the place was presentable. She knew it was nerves that were getting to her. She knew Joel would be there in a couple of hours and as much as tried to resist and ignore she got butterflies in her stomach. He was just so good-looking. He had to have a girlfriend she told herself. How could a man like that not? She also knew there was no way Joel was attracted to her as much as she was to him. If anything she humored him. She knew what guys like Joel liked. They liked tall, blonde, Barbie looking white women. A Playboy Playmate, not a short curvy brown-skinned cutie like herself. "It's a damn shame" she murmured to herself. Satisfied the place was presentable; Yasmine returned all her cleaning supplies in her hall closet and headed to the kitchen. She decided to bake a little, since cooking always seem to calm her. She figured she could bring her friends some muffins when she saw them tonight and who knows maybe Joel would like some as well. Yasmine was just pulling the banana nut muffins out of the oven when her doorbell rang. Looking at the time she noticed it was a little before one, that had to be Joel. "Okay, here goes" she said to herself as she removed her apron and hung it on the bar on the stove.

Yasmine double checked herself in the mirror in her foyer. She had a on a simple pink tank top and khaki colored capris. Satisfied with herself she opened the door. There was Joel standing on her porch wearing mirrored aviator glasses and in a simple white v-neck fitted shirt that molded to his body, low ride dark blue jeans that seem to fit him just right, and white sneakers.

"Hey" was all she could muster. Joel gave her a genuine smile and removed his classes while giving her a, "Hey" back. All she could do was just stood there, thinking to herself how fine he was, when she heard Joel clear his throat, "Uh Yasmine you think I could come in?" he asked with a raised eye brow.

"Oh my gosh, of course. Sorry, I guess I drifted off for a moment. Come in." Yasmine quickly replied embarrassed by her ogling and moved to the side while opening the door a little wider so Joel could step in.

She turned and shut the door only to turn around and see he was now standing directly behind her startling her.

"Sorry" he replied. "It's ok" Yasmine said as she brushed a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Okay so here's the tour. This is the entry way. We have a coat closet here, she pointed to the right and this is the dining room. I use it when the girls come over for dinner, holidays, things like that" she rushed out.

Joel took in the room and was impressed by the decor. Yasmine had tastefully decorated the space. Beautiful crown molding and chair rail accented the traditional room. She then led him to the kitchen/family room area passing the half bath along the way. Joel was really impressed, she had added a few upgrades with stainless steel appliances accented by the granite counter tops and mahogany colored cabinets. The island was long and had high stools you could sit and dine in. The paint was nice subtle neutral earth tone. She had a suede color microfiber sectional that she decided to use throw pillows and some bold art work to bring in some nice pop of color. He noticed her nice size television, but it was the large shelving unit that got his attention.

"So you're a movie buff?" Joel turned to her with a smile.

"Yeah you could say that" Yasmine smiled back.

Joel noticed a door on the opposite wall. "What's in there?" He pointed.

"That's my room, and this door here leads to the laundry room which is connected to the garage. Now let me show you the rest of the house." Yasmine showed him the office/guest room.

"The couch can pull out into a bed." Joel followed silently behind her as she showed him the bathroom.

"Now this here is your room. If you wanted to repaint it, I am open to it. You have a nice window and you are on the opposite end of the house. So you will have some privacy. You also have a big walk-in closet. So what do you think?" Joel stepped into the large room and looked around.

He had a nice window facing the front of the house. It was more than enough space to fit his king side bed, night table, little entertainment unit. The paint was an ice blue and he figured it would work with his bedding. The closet was huge and would store all his things while still leaving some room left over. "So how much you want for this again?" he asked while still looking around.

Yasmine watched him while leaning on the doorframe as he walked taking in the space. "It will be 565.00 a month. That includes everything. All I ask is, if you plan on moving out, to give me sixty days notice."

Joel nodded his head, "Hey can I see the yard?"

Yasmine was a little taken back with the question but agreed. They headed back into the kitchen and to the long wall that had a long set of curtains. Yasmine, pushed back the curtains and Joel could see the sliding glass door that led to an old patio and a non landscaped back yard. An old wooden fence was lining the property. The back yard was pretty much like the front, no curb appeal, and a complete blank canvas. As if she was reading her thoughts Yasmine began speaking, "I know it is nothing special now. I plan on fixing it up, but right now my money was a little tight. The guys have I now they come and cut the lawn. They treat it for fire ants and pest, but nothing special. This and the front yard will be my next project once I save some money." She said stepping out into the space.

"Well I know a place you could get a really good deal and they could do wonders. Who knows they may even give you a discount."

"Really? Who? What are their names? Do you have their number or a website where I can get their information?" Yasmine asked him.

"Sure, I can do even better." Joel replied as he walked over to her.

"It's called J&J Landscaping."

"Oh yeah, I remember seeing you on your shirt last night. So you work there? You think your boss will be willing to cut me a deal when I am ready?" She asked not seeing the twinkle in Joel eye.

"Sure, considering I am one of the bosses" he said looking right at her. A light went off in Yasmine head. She remembered him saying he was a business owner, but she never asked what he did.

"Oh and who is the other J?" she asked.

"That would be my older brother James. That was the reason I moved down. We've been doing really well. I think when you are ready to make an upgrade to this yard just walk down the hall to your new roomies room. I am sure we can work something out" he said with a smile.

"Yay!" Yasmine yelled as she walked over to Joel clapping her hands together. Joel smiled and slid open the door so Yasmine could step inside while he followed behind.

Joel and Yasmine sat down in the family room to discuss the date he wanted to move in by and also if he needed her to make any changes or adjustments to the space. They decided on a week from Saturday was the final decision. Yasmine could not believe her luck. She wasn't sure if Joel would like her place but he seemed to love it and was just as excited as she was for him to move in. While heading back to the door they continued to chat up about the upcoming move, when Joel stopped and noticed the muffins on the cooling rack.

"So that is what I was smelt when I walked in the house. Hmmm you like to cook too. So let me get this straight, you cook, have a kick-ass movie collection, have your own place, and have a sense of humor. Your boyfriend hit the freaking jack-pot with you." He stated as he opened the door and turned to look right into Yasmine eyes.

Yasmine new she was blushing again and silently cursed herself for doing it before she replied, "Yes to those traits, but no to the other. I don't have a boyfriend" she said with a simple shrug.

Joel had all ready begun stepping out of the house when he heard her. He stopped and turned around to face her with a confuse look on his face.

"You mean you're single?"

Yasmine felt like she had the plague the way he was looking at her and was getting irritated. She let out a frustrated sigh while nodding her head.

"Listen Yasmine, I didn't say that to offend you. I am just a little shocked that's all. I'm sure that won't last long. Well I will see you next Saturday and I will call you if anything changes." Joel gave her one more amazing smile, put his sunglasses back on, and turned around heading back to his truck.