Page 43 of A Bossy Roommate
“Why?”
“It’s just where my focus lies.”
“Oh, I’m just dying to know more about your grand scheme for world domination.” Eden sighs. “Carter, if we’re going to sell this, I’m going to need to know a little bit aboutyouand whatever else you’ve got up your sleeve, and not just details of your global takeover, a list of your clients, what motorcycles you’re into, or how you prefer to drink your coffee.”
The waitress brings over our drinks and places the glasses in front of us.
Eden smiles warmly at the waitress, thanking her for the wine. I pick up my glass of Chianti by the long stem and lift it toward Eden for a toast. We lightly tap the rims together, and I say, “Cheers to a nice evening.”
“And a successful weekend!”
I swirl the deep red liquid around before taking a sip from the slightly flared bowl. The taste is rich and complex, and I savor the flavors, rolling them over my tongue before swallowing. I have to admit it’s one of the best I’ve ever tasted.
I watch Eden try her house wine, a lighter red, the wineglass in a simpler design, shorter stem and made of crystal. Her eyes close in pleasure as she savors the taste. “Oh, my God…this is good!”
“I’m glad you like it.” I set my glass down, having made a decision. “What do you want to know?”
“Everyday, mundane things I haven’t been able to pick up on this week,” Eden says after putting her glass back down.
“Fine. Ask, and I’ll tell you the answer.”
“How about instead of asking questions, I get to know you in a more human way. You know, through normal conversation and comradery.”
“All we have is tonight before my aunt arrives tomorrow morning. We don’t have time to do it the normal way.”
“All right. Why don’t you do relationships?” she asks. “And before you dodge the question again, I think it’s pretty important to our cover story. How was I able to catch your attention when you weren’t interested in anything serious?”
“I’m not particularly good at them,” I tell her, observing her eat more of the bread. “I don’t have time, and I don’t have the patience for it. The few relationships I’ve had ended the same way. They always wanted more time than I was willing to give. And I also don’t want children. Never have. Never been interested.”
“Well, that’s one question I can navigate if your aunt asks,” she says, playing with the stem of her glass.
“Good luck with that. I already told her no kids, but that doesn’t stop her from asking.”
“Let’s circle back to the relationship thing.” She sips her wine. I watch the red liquid stain her lips, and her small tongue dart out to wipe it away. “What about sex?”
“What about it? Everyone has sex.”
“You’re okay with having sex with a woman for one night but not a relationship?”
“And? Sex and relationships are two different things. We had sex without a relationship, and you were okay with that too.”
“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it,” she says, on the defensive. “I was just curious about your thought process. Although now that I’m thinking about it, in big cities it’s probably not really that weird, so maybe forget I asked.”
“For somebody who doesn’t want to have sex with me, you bring it up way too often.”
“Carter, stop it.”
“This is at least the third time you’ve brought up sex since we started our arrangement,” I point out. I lower my voice tothatregister. “You just can’t keep your dirty thoughts to yourself, can you? You’rethateager to have sex with me?”
“No. Of course not! It was just a question, dear God.” She sounds breathless, and her cheeks are pink.
She takes another sip from her wine—a long one this time—before she says, “So before you met my charming personality, you didn’t do relationships. And because I was willing to compromise and not compete with your job, being quite the busybody myself, that’s why you decided to marry me? Can’t we make it a bit more romantic?”
Her abrupt change of topic speaks volumes. Clearly, she had been thinking about our encounters with each other. Just like I had.
She puts her glass back down, saying, “Romance goes a long way as far as a woman is concerned. Your aunt will more likely buy a romantic story, not some vague 08-15…”
“Eden.” I interrupt her. “You’re overthinking the situation. You don’t need to think about all that stuff. All you have to do is act like you love me and sell that we’re married. That’s it.”