Part One
It started out simply enough...
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"Roommate needed. No preference of race or gender. Must be neat and able to pay rent every month. Call Sam for more details..."
It was the ad that had landed her in this somewhat awkward situation. Shifting uncomfortably on the apartment's couch, her gaze met that of her soon-to-be roommate. As she took in his physical features, she could only think of one thing. He was gorgeous.
Sam, was his name. Blond hair, blue eyed Sam. An all-American boy. And it was clear by his frame that he actively worked out. Monica wondered if moving in with him would such a good idea. She didn't want to have to deal with the ramifications of lusting after her roommate.
"So, you're a bartender, huh? You make good money doing that?" A down side to this guy, though, was he had no tact. He was short, quick, and to the point.
"I'll be able to pay rent every month and even help with groceries." She tells him and he nods his head, a small smile forming on his face.
"Alright then, you can start moving in at the end of the week. I just have to finish getting Victor's stuff moved to storage." She noticed that his eyes seemed sad when he spoke of his old roommate. It made me wonder what had happened regarding his departure. Sam hadn't divulged much except to say that Victor had taken a job in California.
He must have had some reason to move all the way across the country.
Shoving my curious thoughts to the back of my mind, Monica stood and shook Sam's hand, thanking him. He really didn't know how grateful she was to be moving in. After four and a half years of living with her three sisters, it was definitely time for a change.
"I'll see you at the end of the week, then." She says before grabbing my purse and keys and heading to the door. Before leaving, she turned and took in the apartment one last time. Soon it wouldn't be 'the apartment' anymore.
Soon, it would be called home.
-livingarrangements-
Sam was just moving the last set of boxes down to the moving truck when Monica pulled up. He waved to her as she got out of her car, which was full of her personal belongings.
"Need any help?" She called but Sam shook his head. He had it.
As he finally closed the back of the truck, he turned to watch Monica carry her things to the apartment. He smirked as he took in the amount of clothing and shoes she had, something he definitely was not used to. Living with a woman was certainly going to be an experience.
Climbing into the moving truck, Sam waited until Monica had gotten in her car and gone to get more of her stuff, before pulling out and heading the storage facility where all of Victor's stuff was.
If living with a woman was going to be a new experience, living without Victor was like living a new life, Sam thought. They had been best friends and roommates for only a couple of years but Victor was like a brother to him. If he could have afforded rent on his own, he wouldn't have even tried to find a roommate. But the economy sucked, so he had to do what he could.
Besides, Monica didn't seem all bad. Sam smirked to himself, he thought she was pretty cute. Her fiery red hair clashed with her blue eyes, but it gave her a unique type of beauty. It was unconventional, like she seemed to be.
The more and more he thought about her, the more he wondered why she had wanted to be his roommate. Had she just gone through a bad break-up? Was she some crazy psycho that had gotten thrown out of her last apartment? With each thought, Sam grew intensely curious about the woman he'd be sharing a living space with. He had so many questions but not enough answers and knew that only time would tell.
They'd learn more about each other as each day passed.
It was inevitable, because they both called the same place home.
-livingarrangements-
"Sam?" Monica groaned from her bedroom, "Sam?"
Sam, who had been lounging in his arm chair and watching television, hearing the distress in her voice, got up to see what was the matter. Slowly, he approached her bedroom and stood near the door.
"Yea?" He asked and was answered with a groan.
"Sam, we're friends, right?" Sam raised an eyebrow at this. What was the problem?
"Yes, Monica. We've been living together for six weeks now, I think it's safe to say that we're friends."
"Okay good, because I need you to do me a huge favor. Can you go to the store and buy me some...you know...tampons?" It was Sam's turn to groan, but he'd predicted that it's happen sooner or later. This was all part of living with a woman.
"I'll go buy some, but on one condition. You make dinner for a week." They normally alternated days of who cooked, but Sam always preferred her cooking over his. She had a way with food. He smiled, she must be an excellent bartender.
"Fine! Just go! And get me some Midol too!" Sam didn't need to be told twice as he grabbed his keys and hurried out the door.
-livingarrangements-
Monica was startled awake by the sound of a loud thud. Looking over at her clock, it was 3:48 in the morning. Slowly, she sat up and flinched by the sound of another loud thud. Quietly, she climbed out of bed and crept over to the door, grabbing her desk lamp and unplugging it to be used as a weapon. With the utmost care, she opened the door and looked out into the living area.
"Who's there?" She called out and was greeted with silence followed by a loud thud. Swallowing hard, she made her towards the sound, which was coming from the kitchen.
Peeking over the breakfast bar, she saw nothing. Then a hand lay itself on her shoulder and she let out a blood-curdling scream and swung the lamp at her attacker. There was a bang as the person was nailed in the head with object and fell over backwards. Turning on the lights, Monica gasped when she saw who the person was.
"Sam!" She immediately rushed to his side and began to tend to the bruise that was forming on his temple, where she had hit him.
"A desk lamp...really?" He slurred and she realized he was plastered.
"What were you doing? I thought you were a burglar or something!" She got up to get some ice and a cloth. Back at his side, she worked him into a sitting position.
"I was trying to get some water. It obviously didn't work." Sam grinned and gestured to the desk lamp. Monica rolled her eyes, though she was smiling, and help him to his feet. Carefully, she led him to his room.
"You don't vomit when you're drunk, do you?" He shook his head as he let her lay him down on his bed. Within a few minutes, he was sound asleep.
Monica decided to leave his door open, in case he needed her again. She also headed back to the kitchen and took a pack of chicken out of the freezer. He was going to have a wicked hangover the next day and she'd have to be the one to take care of him.
And her chicken noodle soup was to die for.
-livingarrangements-
"Okay, be honest, does this dress make me look fat?" Sam had just finished adjusting his bow tie and turned to see Monica. His eyes widened as he took in how lovely she looked in her rather extravagant mermaid dress.
"I think...I need to bring a baseball bat so that I can keep all the single guys away from you." He joked and she smiled.
"I guess that means that I look fine." She did a spin for him and he nodded.
"You look more than fine, Monica. You're beautiful. People are going to forget all about the bride when they see you." He noticed she took some satisfaction in this, since they were going to her sister's wedding.
"Are you ready now?" She asked and began to head towards the door. He followed after her and as he fully took her in, he wondered if he should keep away from her as well.
Because she was beautiful all the time, he thought, but tonight she was breathtaking.
In Part Two...
Monica swallowed hard at the sight of Sam with nothing on but briefs. Sure, this was an emergency, but really? He was making it extremely difficult to have just platonic thoughts of him.