Book 2 Chapter 4: New House, New Roommate

“Your new apartment is great!” Charlie’s sister complimented. 

Charlie gave her sister a virtual tour of the new place through a video call. It was late at night, but she was pumped up. She could not sleep!

“I know, it’s clean and spacious. I guess it’s worth $3000. Haha!”

“Pfft,” her sister, Freya, scoffed. “I think it’s cheap.”

“No! Haha!” Charlie laughed again. “Luxford is not as developed as Halliport. It’s only known for the university. So, rent should not be this expensive, but I’m just glad I found a place to stay.”

Charlie smiled as she sat on the sofa. She looked around, the wind blowing on her face from the living room balcony. She said, “I feel like this condo and this view will make me finish the rest of the year in Luxford.”

She only had one year left, and it would be really inconvenient to change schools in between. So, maybe, just maybe, she could bear it. 

Charlie chatted with her family next. They had many questions, especially about her friends, but she said, “I just wanted a great view - get better inspiration to remain number one in the overall standing!”

“Good girl!” Her mother, Riley King, exclaimed. 

“I’m proud of what you have achieved, especially your independence,” her father, Adrian King, said. “I still can’t believe that you have moved on your own, scouted a new place on your own -”

Charlie laughed, cutting her father’s words. “Dad, I’m not a child anymore, and yes, I have learned a lot since I studied here.”

Her brothers, Kian and Jasper, teased her in the background with just about anything, trying to get her attention. It all turned out to be a comedic family conference call. 

At the end of it, Her father reminded her, “Focus on your goals and no dating until -”

“Until I’m twenty-five. I get it. I get it,” Charlie finished for her father. She laughed inwardly, thinking how old-fashioned it was. However, she understood her father was only being protective of her. 

“Good night, Charlie Rae. We love you. We miss you every day,” her mother said. 

Charlie blew a kiss for her mother, saying, “I miss you too, Mom. I love you. I love you, Dad, Freya, and my ever-annoying brothers!”

“Hey, you just miss us!” Jasper claimed. 

“No one teases you there, I bet,” Kian, Charlie’s other brother, said. 

Eventually, the call ended. Charlie was alone again, missing home. Her heart was still aching from the recent betrayal, but she knew she could move past it. 

Charlie started with ‘moving on’ with a good night’s sleep at her new apartment. 

She got comfortable in her new bed and pulled the covers over her frame. A new text message popped up on her screen just before she closed her eyes. She read the preview: [Hi, I’m your roommate. I’m arriving at dawn, but don’t worry. I can let myself in. I’m..]

Unfortunately, Charlie helplessly fell asleep. She did not bother to read the rest of the message. 

***

In the morning, Charlie got up to drink a glass of warm water. It was her wake-up routine. When she walked back in her room’s direction, she heard the shower in the shared bathroom. 

“Oh, is Miss Dawson back?” Charlie asked herself. Then she remembered that Miss Dawson had texted her last night!

Her eyes lit up. She hesitated to speak to Miss Dawson through the bathroom door, but she did not want to be perceived as rude either, so she greeted, “Good morning, Miss Dawson!”

The shower momentarily stopped. Charlie reintroduced herself, “It’s me, Charlie. I’ll take a shower first, and then we can talk after. It’s really nice to meet you.”

Charlie smiled and turned on her heel, but the next thing she knew, the door to the shared bathroom swung open, and a male voice came through, “Who the fuck are you? And what are you doing here?”

Her heart immediately raced. Charlie snapped in the voice’s direction, and upon seeing a familiar face, she screamed, “Oh, my god!”

It was Taylor West!

“How did you get in here?” Taylor snapped. “Who gave you the keys?”

“What do you mean? Are you in the wrong unit? I just rented half of this apartment!” Charlie shot back. “And why are you half naked?”

She finally noticed that Taylor was clad in nothing but a towel, droplets of water glistening on his sculpted physique. For a moment, she lost all focus!

How can there be such a perfect body?

“Hey! Stop looking at my chest and answer me!” Taylor said through gritted teeth. Then, it seemed as though realization had finally dawned on him. He asked, “I know you. You were the one who bumped into me last Friday. Did you stalk me after meeting me for the first time?”

“What?!” Charlie reacted. “I did not stalk you! I live here, for crying out loud! I just moved in here yesterday!”

“You - what? You moved in here?” Taylor asked while pointing a finger at Charlie. His eyes widened as he clarified, “You... are Charlie King?”

Charlie’s eyes panned from side to side. She raised her voice, answering, “Yeah! That’s me! How do you know my name?”

There was a long pause, making Charlie even more nervous. Taylor leaned back, studying her. Then he asked, “You are a girl!”

Raising a brow, Charlie said, “Yeah, obviously, I am a girl, and you are trespassing in my apartment! How did you even get here?!”

Taylor’s lower lips quivered slightly. He cleared his throat and asked again, “You are Charlie King?”

“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s you who have some explaining to do. Who are you, and what are you doing here?” Charlie asked. Then, she remembered that this was Taylor West. Not only was he a bad boy, but many had said he was dating multiple girls at the same time. “Are you seeing Miss Tanya Dawson?”

“You’re Charlie King,” Taylor echoed while repeatedly pointing a finger at her. 

Avoiding Taylor, Charlie ran to the other bedroom, asking, “Is Miss Dawson here? She can explain to you.”

“Miss Dawson. Miss Dawson! It’s me, Charlie King!” Charlie knocked on the door, but there was no answer. 

“No, Miss Dawson is not behind that door because Tanya is my cousin! I’m technically renting this whole place and decided to share the rent with someone else! I was the one who asked the property management office to put up a listing for a co-tenant!” Taylor revealed. “I’m the one you paid half of the rent and deposit to, not Tanya!”

Charlie’s mouth fell on the floor. For a second, her heart stopped. ‘I’m going to be roommates with Taylor West?’

‘Nooooo waaaaayyyy!’