Beastly Roommates

"Hello David," I called out. "That smells wonderful!" He stepped out of the kitchen with a big grin.

"Good!"

Before coming in further I glanced at my hooves in the floor-mirror and groaned.

"What's wrong?"

"I've got gum in the cleft of my hoof..." I answered with a sigh.

"Ah man, that sucks!"

I leaned against the wall and awkwardly lifted my leg to try and look at the mess directly. However, since my legs didn't bend in that manner very well, it was rather difficult.

"Uhh... do you want something to sit on?" Asked David.

"Yes please, That would be helpful."

"Ok, I'll be right back." A moment later he came back with a chair from the dining area and put it right behind me.

"Thank you," I breathed in appreciation as I sat down. I struggled for a moment to try to maintain some measure of decency while positioning my leg, but I wasn't able to manage it. I glanced at David. "Could you... perhaps go back into the kitchen? I'm not... comfortable with you watching this."

"Um, ok..." David started to turn away, but then stopped. "Actually, Do you want me to get it?" He asked sincerely. I was torn. On the one hand it would be incomparably easier for him to do it. On the other hand, having him touch my hoof and lower leg might be just as awkward as him watching... however, I sighed in resignation and I decided to take the easy route.

"If it's not too much trouble," I answered demurely. David smiled kindly.

"No trouble at all, I'll be right back." He left for the kitchen and my stomachs started knotting themselves. The sink could be heard running for a few seconds, and a moment later he was back with a wet washcloth and a paper towel. "Alright, let's see what we've got," he muttered as he knelt down in front of me.

His fingers made gentle contact with the back of my ankle and I gasped lightly through my nose.

"This alright?" He asked.

"Yes." He lifted my hoof and warmth from his hand started seeping into my leg. It actually felt rather nice.

"Oof, you've got a bit of a mess here," chuckled David and he started pulling strings of the sticky goo off with the paper towel. I just sat and stared blankly ahead while he worked, but after a minute I heard a 'click.' When I looked down I saw the glint of a knife.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed as I pulled my leg away. David dropped the blade and clamped down on my ankle with both hands while I started kicking, trying to free myself.

"Hey, HEY! Ruth STOP, PLEASE!" He looked up at me and to my surprise, there was fear in his eyes. I stopped kicking and he let go. When he did I pulled my hoof away quickly while my tail thumped repeatedly against the chair.

"What was that all about!?" He gasped.

"I saw your knife and panicked," I uttered breathlessly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry about grabbing your leg too, but I didn't want to get kicked." He pointed at my hoof. "You could do some serious damage with that!" He took a deep breath to calm down. "I hope I didn't hurt you."

"No, you didn't. I'm sorry too, for overreacting." I sighed deeply and pointed at the blade on the floor. "What is that for anyway?"

"I was going to use it to scrape away some of the more stubborn bits of gum. I guess I should have warned you, I'm sorry."

"Oh..." While I was relieved that he didn't plan on cutting anything, having a sharp object that close to my flesh still made me nervous.

"It'll be alright. Trust me." Hesitantly I extended my leg back toward him and he gently took hold of my ankle again in his warm hand. I felt some light scraping, but David was very gentle. After a couple minutes he put the knife down and used the rag to wipe down my hoof, then cleaned up the stray bits of gum off the floor.

"All done," informed David with a smile. He put my slippers in front of me.

"Thank you," I said, returning his smile. I put them on and went to my room.

After shutting the door behind me I realized that the whole encounter with the gum made me very happy, though I wasn't quite sure why. I looked toward my closet and saw my nightgown hanging from a hook on the door. So far I'd been hesitant to wear it in front of David, but after the episode in the front room it didn't feel like it would be a big deal. I got changed and glanced in my bedroom mirror. My hair was still done up in it's usual bun. Deciding that I felt like getting completely comfortable I also let it down to it's full shoulder-length, then left for the kitchen.

"You look comfy," David said with a smile.

"Yes,I am," I replied and my tail swished happily. The wonderful scent of the soup permeated my nostrils. "That smells very good!"

"I'm glad you think so," David laughed. "I wish I could smell it too!" I looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean."

"I haven't been able to smell much of anything since I was eleven." He pointed at his face. "I was at a fireworks show with my parents. One of them went wild and hit me right as it detonated." I gasped. "The doctors said I must have inhaled some of the fire through my nose because my sinuses are just as scarred as my face. They say I've only got about ten percent of my sense of smell left."

"I'm so sorry..."

"I've gotten used to it." He shrugged. "Reconstruction was deemed an elective surgery so it wasn't covered by insurance, and my parents didn't have the money so this is the result." My ears drooped.

"That's horrible..." I said quietly.

"I suppose. I'm just happy to be alive, but that happened over twenty years ago, and right now we've got something much more important to think about.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Dinner!" He answered with a grin.

David dished out a couple bowls of soup and handed me one. After sitting down he blew on a spoonful and I did the same. A minute later the small bit of soup had cooled enough and I ate it.

"Mmmm..." I moaned. It was creamy, the potatoes were soft, but not mushy, and the corn had just enough crispness to provide a delightful crunch! I let my gaze shift back toward David. "This is delicious," I complimented.

"Glad you think so!" He exclaimed. "Would you want to do this again!" My ears perked up.

"I would very much like that."

"Cool! I don't know very many vegetarian dishes off the top of my head, but I'm willing to get a little creative!"

"That would be wonderful!" I glanced toward the kitchen. "I'll take care of the mess. It's the least I can do in return." He grinned.

"Sounds like a good deal to me!"

I looked back at him. In that moment, for the first time I was happy to have David here, as opposed to the varying degrees of tolerating his presence I'd been doing since he moved in. My gaze stayed on him for a few moments, but when he glanced my way I looked back down at my soup, for some reason I felt a little shy. It passed though, and I continued enjoying the rest of the meal. He was right though, his recipe did make a lot, and we even had enough leftovers for both of us to have lunch!

Chapter 11

I'd just finished throwing on a pair of jeans and a casual button-down shirt, perfect for going out to lunch on a Saturday, and headed into the front room.

"Good morning David," greeted Ruth cheerfully, who was already up and working on a new project. It was gray.

"Morning," I replied. "Trying something a little different?" I asked, pointing at her using knitting needles instead of her usual crochet hooks.

"Yes. I think that knitting makes better sweaters." The outside corners of her eyes upturned a bit. I'd learned that was the natural version of a minotaur's smile, and that the one she forced for most other people was actually difficult for her to do and had taken a lot of practice. In the several weeks since I'd moved in I'd become more familiar with a bunch of her other facial expressions and body language too. I flashed her a grin of my own.

"Alright, I look forward to seeing it when it's done!" Her eyes upturned even higher. "Anyway, I'm headed out."

"Where are you going?"

"To have lunch with my sister. I haven't seen her since I moved in."

"Have fun. I might see if Sara wants to get lunch too."

"You do that!" I exclaimed. Then I left, whistling on my way out the door.

A short while later I made it across town to an old pub that Jill and I used to frequent.

"Hey, Stranger!" I turned around and saw my sister walking up right as I was about to go inside.

"Hey, yourself!" I teased. We closed the distance and hugged tightly for a few seconds. After that I held the door and we walked in.

After only a couple minutes wait we were seated at a corner booth and were sipping on a couple beers.

"How've you been?" I asked. "Work still keeping you busy?" Jill snorted.

"Yep. I should have never accepted the promotion to department manager. Nothing but more hours and not enough money to compensate!"

"Ugh, that's rough!"

"Yeah. This is the first Saturday I've had off in a month!"

"Yikes!"

"I think I'll stay for another year or so and then try to get something better. The position does look good on a resume." She shook her head with a sighed and turned her attention to me. "Enough about that, how are you doing?"

"Honestly, I'm doing great." Her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Really? I take it having a roommate's going pretty well then?"

"It is, Ruth's really easy to get along with. Things were a little tense for the first couple weeks, but it's much better now."

"I'm really glad to hear that," replied Jill, who was clearly relieved. "I was a bit worried with her being a minotaur and all."

"I was more worried about her being a woman!" I joked.

"Hey!" She tried swatting at me from across the table, but we both laughed when her arms didn't reach.

"Hello, I'm Leslie," greeted the waitress who had walked up. She tried unsuccessfully trying to conceal a chuckle. "Do we know what we're having?"

"I'll have a barbecue burger with sweet potato fries," ordered Jill.

"And I'll have a turkey reuban with onion rings," I added. When the waitress left I turned back my sister, who was looking at me funny. "What?"

"I've never known you to pass an opportunity to get a burger."

"Uhh..." I stared blankly for a moment. "I haven't had one since I moved." Jill blinked in confusion. "When I first met with Ruth about being roommates she asked me to never bring beef into the apartment."

"Oh!" She exclaimed as it clicked. "I guess that would be kind of like us eating a monkey... You could still have it here though, can't you?"

"Yeah, but I've gotten used to life without it." I chuckled as I decided to drop a bombshell. "I've been making vegetarian meals more often than not lately anyway!" I laughed as Jill's mouth hung open for a second. "A few weeks ago I started cooking for both me and Ruth."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. A couple nights ago I made a meatless chili with red cabbage slaw on the side."

"Look at you, being all domestic and stuff!" She giggled.

"It works for us."

"I can't argue with what works!" We both laughed. "Still, with your talk about 'us,' you sound like an old married couple." I chuckled. "And you're completely whipped!" She squealed.

"Hey! She does the cleaning!" I protested, though we both started laughing out loud.

After a few minutes and a little bit more small talk our lunches came.

"Mmm, this is good," I murmured with my mouth full after taking a bite.

"Probably not as good as mine!" Jill giggled and shook her head as she started gnawing on her burger. I was surprised to find that it didn't even look appetizing, but I didn't say anything.

During the meal we kept up some idle chit chat, but we mostly focused on eating. Eventually though we were done, and we decided to head out.

"It was good to see you again," I said once we made it to the parking lot.

"You too!" Exclaimed Jill. "And be sure to let me know when the wedding is!" She teased as she came in for a hug.

"Brat," I whispered in her ear before pushing her away playfully. "Get outta here!"

"You love me!" I blew her a raspberry as she walked to her car with a wide smirk on her face. I laughed and shook my head as I got to my truck. Before long I was back home.

Entering the apartment I saw that Ruth wasn't in the front room, but after a few seconds I heard movement in her room.

"I'm home!" I called out, wanting to avoid the possibility of any embarrassing mishaps. Her door opened and Ruth came out in a silky, light blue button down blouse and a darker blue skirt. They looked new.

"Hello, David," she greeted with a smile.

"Hi, did you meet up with Sara?" I asked.

"No, we're going out for dinner."

"Ok. I'll just figure something out on my own then."

It's like you're an old married couple...

She might have been teasing, but Jill's words echoed in my head, because in a way it did feel like that. With every roommate I'd ever had before we were like ships passing in the night. Not so with Ruth. Instead, we actually spent a lot of time together in the apartment.

As she walked by me on her way toward the front room, I really took in the sight of her, both front and back. While still modest, the new outfit was very flattering. All the other skirts I'd ever seen her wear had enough room in back to be worn over her tail. This one she had a hole right beneath the waistband for it to poke out of, so for the first time the fabric hugged and accentuated her curves instead of obscuring them, and her top was a bit more form-fitted than anything else I'd seen her wear too, revealing an alluring, full-figured hourglass that I had a hard time tearing my eyes from! I was pulled out of my thoughts when she turned around and sat down.

"What is it?" Asked Ruth, having noticed me staring.

"Nothing, really." I chuckled nervously from the embarrassment of being caught checking her out, and really hoped she didn't realize it for what it was. "New outfit?" I asked, trying to cover myself further.

"Yes," she replied, beaming. "With you paying half of the living expenses I can finally start buying clothes that are made for my kind. They're specialty made so they can be a bit expensive, but they do fit much better.

"Well, you look great," I said sincerely.

"Thank you." She grinned even further, clearly enjoying the compliment. A moment later she picked up her needles and I headed to my room. Once inside, I shut the door and leaned against it.

"Come on David, get it together," I told myself with a chuckle. Walking forward a couple steps I flopped on my bed and decided to take an afternoon nap. As I laid there I started thinking about how sweet Ruth was and that she probably would make a wonderful wife if she was human. Though as I started to drift off, my mental inhibitions waned, and I started to wonder whether or not that last part even mattered...

Chapter 12

A couple hours later David came back out of his room looking a little tired.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah. I took a nap so I'm a little groggy, but it'll pass," he said with a yawn. "So, when do you need to leave?" I glanced at the time on my phone.

"In about fifteen minutes."

"I'm headed out soon too, want me to give you a ride?"

"I would like that!" I replied with a smile. He'd never offered to drive me anywhere before!

"Cool! I'll be out in a few minutes." He left for his room, and he came back out with a backpack just before it was time to leave.

"Alright, let's go!" He exclaimed with a grin and I followed him out the door and to his truck.

"I've never actually ridden in a personal vehicle before," I said excitedly.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I've only ever ridden buses and on occasion a train. Taxi's have always been too expensive to me."

"I see..." he trailed off. "Well, I can't promise the answer will always be yes, but if you ever want a ride somewhere, just go ahead and ask. It'll help you save money on fares."

"Really?"

"Yep!"

"I appreciate that very much," I replied quietly.

A couple minutes later we arrived at Serafina's diner. I exited the truck and saw Sara waving at me from just outside the restaurant. I waved back and then turned toward David for a moment.

"Thank you for the ride."

"No problem!"

I left David and walked up to Sara.

"Hey girl, looking good!" She exclaimed. "I love the new outfit!"

"Thank you," I replied with a grin.

We entered the diner and were seated quickly.

"It was nice of David to give you a ride."

"Yes, it was," I replied. I smiled for a moment, remembering his offer for future rides. "Though he was acting a little strangely this afternoon."

"How so?"

"He started staring at me for some reason when he got home from lunch." Sara smirked.

"I think he was checking you out because you look fabulous!" My smile fell.

"Be serious."

"I am!" She squealed. "He was checking you out when you were walking away from his truck too!"

"Sara, please!" We stared at each other for a few seconds, but then I sighed. "He did say I looked great today." I couldn't help smiling a little bit again.

"See." I exhaled quickly, flaring my nostrils. "I'm starting to think that he might like you."

"He already said that he liked me when he moved in," I replied, confusion evident in my voice.

"Not like that, I mean like you, like you!" My stomachs knotted and I squirmed in my seat.

"Oh... I hope not..."

"Why? Maybe it's not such a bad thing." I snorted in derision, and I started flicking my tail in irritation.

"How would that not be a bad thing?" Sara leered at me sideways. It me a little uncomfortable.

"For one," she held up a finger, "you were all smiles while telling me the whole gum story a few weeks ago." I squirmed in my seat again. "Two," she put up a second finger, "you couldn't help smiling again when you told me about him complimenting you." I let out a low growl of frustration.

"What are you getting at?" I demanded and she leaned in close.

"I think you're starting to like him too," she whispered before breaking out into a fit of giggles. I was not amused.

"I'll admit that I might be a little flattered by the attention, but that is all!

"That's all?" She repeated teasingly.

"Look," I hissed, "even if I was interested in him like that, which I'm not, it wouldn't matter because it could never work!" It sounded like I was trying too hard to convince her and I knew it. I also knew that she was going to press on because of it.

"Well, why not?"

"Because I'm a minotaur and he's human, that's why!" I snapped, slightly louder than intended. The whole place quieted down while several people stared. Embarrassed, I stared at the table and a few seconds later the drone of conversation resumed. was saved from further torment by Serafina slithering up and taking our orders.

"We need to talk about something else." I insisted after she left.

"Okay..." replied Sara with a resigned sigh. "Have you checked the work schedule for next month yet?" I shook my head. "They've got me working both Saturday and Sunday, three weeks in a row..."

While work wasn't the happiest of subjects, I was certainly glad to be off the topic of David. Thankfully he didn't come up again for the rest of the meal, until my phone buzzed with a message.

'I'm headed home now if you want a ride.'

"That him?" Teased Sara.

"Not. One. Word." I threatened. She smiled innocently, but thankfully didn't say anything more.

'Yes, I would appreciate that. What time?' I messaged back.

'About 5-7 minutes.'

'Ok.'

We got up and by the time we paid our bills and got outside, David's truck was already parked.

When he saw us approaching eyes locked and he grinned widely, and I couldn't help smiling back... that is until I felt Sara poking my side. She mouthed out 'open mind' and I glared at her. She just winked headed toward the bus stop, which was thankfully in the other direction. I sighed and shook my head, then finished walking to the truck.