Page 42 of A Bossy Roommate
I look at Eden. She gestures for me to order first.
“I’ll have the ravioli special with a glass of Chianti.”
“One Ravioli del Maestro,” the waitress repeats back to me.
After some friendly clarifications with the waitress, Eden says, “And I’ll have the Gnocchi Sorrento with a glass of your house red.”
“Are you sure?” I ask her.
“Of course,” she says brightly.
“Two side salads.”
“Oh, good idea, can I have a tomato salad?”
“One tomato salad, one green salad.”
The waitress thanks us, takes the menus, and informs us about the estimated waiting time before leaving. It wasrefreshing to see that Eden didn’t just fall in line with my food order. Instead of playing it safe, she’d ordered something completely different. I can see why she’d prefer her meal over mine. Eden has a sweet tooth, and her pick of potato-based dumplings with a sauce made from ripe tomatoes will be on the sweeter side.
She grabs a slice from the basket of warm artisan bread and dips it in one of the small individual dishes of seasoned olive oil. “This is a nice place,” she says, scanning the restaurant. “Do you come here a lot?”
“I don’t.” I pull out my small black book. “All right, let’s go over how we met.”
She raises her eyebrow. “You have it in your notebook?”
“I took down a few pointers, yes.”
“Why don’t you use your phone?”
“The book is quicker to capture my thoughts on the go or while I’m on my phone when I can’t access apps. I also don’t have to worry about dealing with hacking or technical glitches.” I flip through the pages, getting right to business. “I never said anything about your job, so it should be fine to tell her you just started as my assistant. Less room for error. We met four months ago when I was on a business trip on the coast. You were having lunch at the hotel where I was staying, and we ran into each other several times. I asked you to dinner the night before I was going to leave. We had a pleasant time. After that, we talked every day, and less than a month later you moved to the city, and we got married.”
“Hmm. That doesn’t sound too difficult to remember,” Eden begins, something like worry crossing her features. “But…seems a little vague though.”
“I approached you first,” I go on, fully cluing her in. “You were sitting alone at the bar, and I sat next to you, asking if the seat was taken. I’d just closed the deal on an important accountand was ready for a late coffee. Obviously, you were immediately attracted to me. We flirted a bit before I told you to have dinner with me.”
“Wow, Carter, I didn’t know you were such a ladies’ man.” She smirks while she enjoys her bread. “But I have to say, this is all very cliché. What’s worse, it’s one-sided. Also, it’s hard to believe that we ran into each other all the time. Andless than a monthlater, I’m moving to a whole other state to be with you—are you sure about that?”
“You cared for me so deeply you couldn’t stand to be apart.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s totally believable and not atalllike a bad movie. Hello? Your story sounds like it was written by a man.”
“I am a man.”
“Exactly.” She takes a sip of her sparkling water. “How about this—something abitcloser to what actually happened, and thus, making it feel much more believable: We met at a cute, cozy ice cream place. I was at a nearby motel because my new apartment wasn’t ready yet. I approached you first, because there was no other seat available. After a hilarious meet-cute that involved an unexpected rendezvous between my ice cream and your coffee, we engaged in conversation. Even though, when I asked about you, you transformed into a walking construction encyclopedia, I, for some uncharted reason, decided to throw caution to the wind and embrace this whole shebang. Obviously, your knowledge was impressive, and after we connected more, it became clear that not all bosses are the grandest peacocks strutting their feathers. Not all are like those commanding tower lights; some are more like those austere desk lamps, emitting an unwavering glow of dominant brilliance, while keeping us on our toes and never letting the workplace atmosphere get too dull as we scramble to find the ‘friendliness-on’ switch. Isn’t that right, boss? I mean…”
I put my hand up to stop her. “That’s too specific. It also makes absolutely no sense. We can’t stray from what I’ve already told her, or she’ll smell the lie. The reason why the story was vague and predictable was that it’s easier to sell. Perfect to nod along to. The more weird details you give to a lie the more there’s a chance it will be questioned.”
“Well, okay, to each their own, but wouldn’t it seem weird that a woman would drop her entire life just because some random guy made bedroom eyes at her one night?Why?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I left my life for you, in under a month. For what reason? What did you have to offer?”
I raise my eyebrow and sit back in my seat. “What did I have to offer?” I repeat. “Eden, look at me. Look at where I live. Look at my life. I haveeverythingto offer.”
“Then why are you still single?”
“That’s by choice. I’m choosing professional pursuits over the commitments that come with romantic relationships.”