Just Roomies

Wowzers! After I'd slipped into my little hot pink bikini in the bedroom, as Andrew stepped out of the bathroom in just his boxers, I could feel my breath stall in my chest. Holy smokes, he had a nice body. And from what I could tell, he was really packing, too.

As I drank in the sight of him, he had me shivering, just from the heated look in his eyes as he took his sweet time sliding his gaze from the top of my head to the tips my toes. Looking pretty pleased with what he was seeing, his voice suddenly sounding a little deeper, he walked over and murmured, "You ready?"

Not really sure what we were going to have to deal with once we got out there, I nodded. "I think so."

Andrew took my hand as we carefully made our way into the water near the shoreline. Once we'd stepped around the broken branches and other bits of debris that had washed ashore, his eyebrow raised in challenge, with my hand clasped tightly in his, nodding at the water he said, "Come on, let's do this."

Laughing, we braved the waves, made a run for it, and dove in. As Andrew re-surfaced, he swam over to me looking around, and remarked, "This is nice with no one else here, even with the beach kind of messed up after the storm."

Though the heat of the sun was punishing, it felt so refreshing to be wading out into the cooler water. Brushing back the wet hair from my eyes, I agreed, "I know. It's what sold me on living out here, being able to go for a swim whenever I wanted."

"Well, you've got a pool at our place. So, you can swim to your heart's content any time you want."

Hearing him say that made me smile. I liked that he was referring to the flat as our place, since it already felt like home.

Almost nose to nose, treading water, his big green eyes smiling into mine, neither of us was saying a word, though we were both grinning like crazy. Again, I decided this would have been a perfect date, if we were actually dating. Of course, we'd be exchanging a few kisses by now, and probably grabbing little feels of each other, too.

But knowing that that was never going to happen, I knew I had to push any thoughts of getting busy with him aside. Even if he was the nicest guy I'd ever met, and definitely the hottest.

Suddenly a wave hit, and washed right over our heads. I came up sputtering, fighting to stay afloat, and Andrew reached for me and pulled me into his arms. Though it took me a minute to catch my breath, I sure did like the feel of him wrapped around me. Grateful that he'd save me, impulsively, hugging him tight, I brushed a quick kiss across his lips, and laughed at how surprised he looked, I guess because I'd stepped over the line and kissed him.

After we got back to my flat, and we'd changed back into our clothes, I took one last look around. Knowing, that I still had one last thing to do that I really wasn't looking forward to; having to say goodbye to my neighbors, and all the little creatures that I'd come to love.

Andrew was beside me holding the bags of pet food, as I knocked on my friend Olida's door. Luckily for her, she lived in a newer building beside mine, so she had no reason to move.

Her hair, a snowy white, and her back a little hunched over, after years of working as an amah, her face lit up the moment she saw Andrew, and then she laughed, when she turned her head and saw me. "Oh, my goodness, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, and this handsome young man was my reward," she said, chuckling, and making him blush.

She had such an incredible sense of humor, always quick with a joke, with such a deep infectious belly laugh; you'd never guess she was almost eighty.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I nodded at Andrew, and he set down the bags of food inside her front door. Before I'd even had a chance to introduce them, Olida and I both started tearing up as she pulled me in for a hug. "So, I guess you're moving on," she said, gently patting my cheek, and wiping away a tear that escaped, with her thumb. Blinking back tears, she murmured, "I'm sure gonna miss you, sweet girl."

"Well, I'll still be living on the island. I'm just going to be rooming with Andrew," I told her, managing a smile as I looked over at him watching us.

Olida's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between us, and suddenly she broke out laughing. "You two are going to be roommates?" She winked at me as she nodded at Andrew. "Well, aren't you a lucky girl?"

Andrew and I both laughed. Then he pointed out a cat rounding the corner. Thrilled to see she'd made it through the storm, Olida and I both called out, "Mittens!" Normally kind of skittish, the little fur ball wandered over and brushed herself against my legs, looking for a little affection. All black, except for her white paws, she was such a pretty cat, especially considering she lived on her own, wherever she could find shelter, for her and her four kittens.

Totally out of character, Mittens surprised me when she let Andrew rub her head, as she looked up at us, purring. Heaving a sigh, Olida told us, "I've managed to find homes for all the kittens, once they're weaned, but I'm still trying to find someone who'd be willing take the mamma cat. At my age, I think I'm a little too old to take on a pet, or I'd love to take her in." After Mittens decided she'd had enough attention, she wandered away.

Olida looked over at me, and back up at Andrew, with her bottom lip trembling. "Now, you take good care of her," she told him, wiping at her eyes as she reached out and clutched my hand.

"I will, I promise," he said, looking surprisingly emotional as he managed to give her an encouraging smile.

ANDREW

Just as we were about to say goodbye to her friend, I couldn't believe it when another group of older ladies came rushing out of their buildings to throw their arms around Ava. All of them looked to be in their seventies or eighties, and the way they were sobbing, they seemed pretty upset to see her go.

Looking across the car at her now, as we drove back towards our flat, knowing she had to be somewhere in her early twenties, I thought it was pretty sweet that she'd befriended so many older ladies.

Noticing I was staring, she looked back at me and asked, "What's that look for?"

"I just wondered how you have so many older friends, when most young women I know would rather be out partying with people their own age."

"Well, when I first moved in, they all made me feel so welcome, I guess because I was on my own. They're all so sweet, they became like family. And I'm really going to miss them," she said, turning her head and looking out the window as her voice broke.

"You know, you could always invite them over for dinner, so you could see them whenever you want."

She thought on that for a minute, then looked over at me. "You sure you wouldn't mind?"

"Ava, remember, it's your place, too. If you want to have people over, you don't have to ask."

Ugh. Now that I'd said that, I just hoped I'd never have to see her entertaining any of her men friends. Although, I knew it shouldn't matter to me what she did, if we were just going to be sharing a flat. Still, it would feel pretty awkward if she had someone over and he wound up spending the night.

In her bed. With him wrapped around her.

Shit. What a thought.

After I'd pushed that horrible thought out of my head, I reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze and was rewarded with a very pretty smile.

****

By Monday, things were pretty much back to normal, and both of us were back at work. I decided to head home a little early, just to see how she made out. Plus, I really wanted to see her again.

Normally, deathly quiet, since I'd been on my own, after I'D unlocked the door, it was nice to hear the sound of music playing. Looking down into the sunken living room, I almost tripped over my feet when I stopped mid-stride at the sight of my vivacious young roommate. Dressed in just a white sports bra and matching body-hugging yoga shorts, and exercising to a music video on TV, I don't think I'd ever seen anything hotter.

I just couldn't tear my eyes off the enticing way her breasts were bouncing as she jumped in place. Just as it ended, she turned on an even catchier song, 'About Damn Time' by Lizzo. Unaware I was watching, she really got into it, making me laugh at the way she belted out the lyrics, shaking her booty.

Holy shit! Then suddenly, she bent over and reached for her toes, and just the sight of her flexing her tight toned ass was enough to make my dick lurch in my pants. Now I knew why she was in such great shape, seeing how hard she worked out.

Stop staring, I tried to tell myself. Just go to your room and change. But before I could move, she rolled onto her back, looked up, caught me staring, and I knew I had to face her.

Brightly smiling, her cheeks a rosy pink, she hopped to her feet, wiping an arm across her brow. "Oh, hi! Hope you don't mind. This TV screen is so much bigger than mine, I thought I'd do my workout out here, instead of in my room."

"Ava, you can work out anywhere you want, you don't have to ask."

Her breasts still slightly heaving, she flashed me a cute little grin. "Thanks."

Yeah, she could work out wherever she wanted. So that I could spend hours in the shower taking care of myself, after seeing her lithe toned body, taunting me into thinking things that I knew damn well I shouldn't be thinking.

"Hey, Andrew, why don't you go and change, and we can dance to this one."

Of course, I should have found some excuse and said, 'No', but I found myself smiling like an idiot, because she'd invited me to join her. Then I heard myself stupidly saying, "Sure, I'll be right back."

She had Lizzo back on, and the beat was infectious as Ava reached for my hands and had me laughing right along with her, as she belted out the lyrics.

'Oh, I've been so down and under pressure

I'm way to fine to be this stressed, yeah.

Turn up the music, turn down the lights,

I've got a feeling I'm gonna' be alright

Okay, okay, alright

It's about damn time'

Somehow, it seemed appropriate that we were dancing to a song preaching that it was about time to get back in the game, when everyone I knew had been telling me the same thing.

After being dumped for another man by the woman that I'd planned to marry, not surprisingly, had left me feeling kind of jaded. Since Cassie left me to go back to the States to hook-up with her NFL football star ex-boyfriend again, I hadn't really thought much about dating. But I sure as hell couldn't see any harm in enjoying a little fun with my utterly delightful new roommate, now.

I don't know how long we kept it up, laughing as much as we danced, especially when I took her in my arms and started spinning her around the room, till we were both breathless and feeling pretty giddy.

As the last song came to an end, I slipped my arm around her waist, and dipped her. As I held her suspended in the crook of my arm, our eyes met and suddenly we both stopped laughing. It was like we could feel the charge in the air, arcing between us, as time seemed to stand still. Before I gave it a second thought, I was leaning in and touching my lips to hers.

Though the kiss was brief, I still knew I had no damn business kissing her, even if we were just having fun.

Feeling a little flustered, not sure what to say, I helped her straighten up and let go of her, and noticed she was looking kind of conflicted, too.

"Thanks," I finally muttered. "That was fun."

She nodded, dropping her gaze to the floor. "Yeah, it was. I guess I'd better get a shower."

"Yeah, me, too."

I did a lot of tossing and turning in bed that night, thinking about how close I came to wrecking everything we had together with just one kiss.

Well, I knew one thing, I had to learn to keep my hands to myself, and there'd be no more dancing around, no matter how much we'd enjoyed it.

***

Next night, was poker night, and I hadn't told my poker buddies about Ava, only mentioned in passing that I had a new roommate.

My turn to host this time, we were laughing about something Raj had said about his crazy boss who loved to talk a mile a minute, so that no one could understand him, or knew what the hell he wanted.

But I forgot all about what he was saying, the instant I heard Ava walking in and calling out in a sing-songy voice, "Hellooo, I'm home."

All eyes at the table turned to me, and everyone started chuckling.

"Sounds like someone's home," Raj said, smirking. "And I think that someone sounds like a woman."

When Ava wandered into the dining room looking for me, when they got their first look at my gorgeous roommate, everyone sobered up and stopped laughing. With her long blonde hair shimmering around her shoulders, clad in an off-white business suit that fit her like a glove, and those sexy heels that made her legs look like they went on forever, she looked super hot.

The guys finally tore their eyes off her, long enough to look back and forth between the two of us, I guess trying to figure things out.

Smiling to myself at their reaction, because there was no getting around the fact that she was absolutely stunning, I introduced them. "Guys, this is Ava, my new roommate. And Ava, this is Ben, Raj, Mike, Kev and Pete, my poker buddies."

"Hi, Ava, nice to meet you," Mike said, his eyes flaring as he turned his head and subtly gave me an Are you fucking kidding me? look.

"And if you'd like to join us, you know you're more than welcome," Raj added, with a surprisingly teasing smile. Considering Raj was usually kind of shy around women, it was funny to see this other side of him coming out.

Ava just laughed. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't want to butt in. But I'd be happy to get you guys a few more cold ones, while I'm heating up my dinner."

Once she'd left, they all turned and looked at me like I'd grown an extra head. Raj voiced what I imaged they were all thinking. "How the hell did you ever manage to convince a knock out like her to move in with you, when last we heard you weren't even thinking about dating."

I shrugged, and told them the truth. "We met a few weeks ago, the night of the big typhoon, and wound up sharing a taxi. The winds were getting so high the cabbie wouldn't drive her home, so I took her in. And while we waited out the storm together, she mentioned that she had to move soon, so I offered to let her move in here with me."

"Yeah, I can see why." Mike chuckled shaking his head.

"So... what's the deal with you two?" Kev asked as he reached for his beer.

I shrugged. "We're just roommates. She's in Duncan's old room, and I'm in mine."

"You gotta be kidding. You've got a hot young thing like that living under your roof, and you're trying to tell me nothing's happening?" Kev said, staring at me hard, like he was trying to see if I was shitting him.

"Well, believe it or not, it's true."

They all shook their heads, probably wondering if I'd lost my mind. Truth was, as I picked up my cards and we started playing again, sometimes I could hardly believe that Ava and I were sharing the same space, as nothing more than flat mates.

I noticed when they left, they were practically tripping over each other, as they all made a big production out of saying goodbye to Ava. Probably thinking if I wasn't interested, they sure as hell were. Though two of them had girlfriends, and one was married, it didn't seem to stop any of them from flirting.

When Ava mentioned at breakfast the next morning that she thought my friends seemed nice, I agreed because they really were a nice bunch of guys.

Then I heard her mutter something about the face on her new phone being cracked. And I noticed her squinting as she struggled to read the screen. Of course, I told her I knew just the person to fix it.

I had a phone guy Edmond, in Central that I used whenever I needed a new phone, or had to have anything fixed. The guy was a genius with any kind of device.

After rushing out of the office a little early that night, I was waiting for her near the Admiralty Center. I had my head down, taking a quick look at my phone, and I groaned when I looked up, and instead of Ava, I saw Sybil Winthrop making a beeline straight for me. Her father and my uncle were good friends, so over the years we often saw each other at different dinners and family things.

Unfortunately, a few weeks ago I'd been forced into having lunch with her, when we noticed each other eating alone across a crowded restaurant, and she waved. Of course, she got up from her table and insisted on joining me. But the minute she sat down, she made me so uncomfortable with the demeaning tone she used with our server, even snapping her fingers in his face when she wanted more wine, that I didn't stay very long. I asked for the bill, curtly told her I had a meeting, and left.

Now she was smiling from ear to ear as she approached me, probably thinking I'd be happy to see her. Though she was quite pretty with shoulder-length brown hair and a terrific figure, I'd never been interested. I couldn't stand the way she looked down her nose at everyone, from the time I first met her, as a teenager.

That, and the fact that I'd heard her telling a friend of mine at a party that she was in the market for a husband, mostly because she wanted to start a family before her biological clock stopped ticking.

Well, she sure as hell wasn't having any kids with me.

When I looked past Sybil and noticed Ava approaching, I was so relieved, I almost ran to meet her. "Please, play along," I whispered in her ear as I tugged her into arms and touched my lips to hers, saying loud enough for Sybil to hear, "Baby, you're finally here. I was getting a little worried."

At first, studying my face, Ava looked a little confused, probably wondering if I'd lost my mind, until she noticed Sybil hovering off to the side, looking annoyed.

Knowing I had to introduce them, I nodded at Sybil. "Ava, this is Sybil, an old friend of the family."

Sybil just kept staring, blinking her eyes, till I said, "And Sybil, this is Ava." I grinned at Ava as I added, "My new roommate."

"Roommate?" Her voice shrill, she spat out, "The two of you are living together?"

I guess realizing what was going on, Ava slipped her arm around my waist, smiled up into my eyes, and thankfully backed up my story. "Yes, we're together."

Staring at us wide-eyed, Sybil sputtered, "But, when the two of us had lunch a few weeks ago, you never mentioned you were seeing anyone."

Smiling back at Ava, I squeezed her a little tighter to my side as I shrugged and told Sybil, "It happened pretty fast. We met, and just knew we were meant to be together."

The way Ava looked up at me searching my face when I said that, it occurred to me that it was true. Suddenly, as what I'd said began to sink in, it felt like everything seemed to fade away; Sybil's sputtering, the noise of the city, the crowd jostling around us. It felt like there was only the two of us, and I just couldn't tear my eyes off her.

Entranced, I touched my lips to hers, and loved the way she smiled against my mouth as I pulled her a little tighter against me, stroking my hand down her back.

I wasn't lying about knowing we were meant to be. The longer we were together, I realized that everything about her just felt right. Now all I had to do was convince her that we had something worth hanging on to, despite the fact I'd promised her that we'd only ever be friends.

"Sorry, Sybil, we're a little late for an appointment, so we'd better go," I said, still smiling into Ava's eyes.

"Nice meeting you," Ava said over her shoulder, as I took her hand and rushed us towards Edmond's shop.