The Wounds We Heal

Meet the roommate

I was rudely awoken a loud thud somewhere distant in the apartment. It sounded like something heavy struck the ground with the force of God himself. "What the f**k was that?!" I peered up over the edge of my comforter. Light threatened to invade my room through the slit in the dark curtains causing me to squint my sensitive eyes. I haphazardly slapped at my bedside table seeking out the familiar shape of my phone. Upon finding it, I pulled it up to check the time. The harsh light emanating from the screen felt like someone was sitting on my head. 8:54 am. Who in God's good hell is alive at 8:54 am? "What the f**k?!" The words ripped their way out of my throat like a strangled scream. With a huff of anger, I threw off my covers and stomped over to my door to investigate my rude awakening. With one hand grasp on the door and the other rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I threw open the door. Immediately my eyes were met with the sight of two boys carrying a bed frame.

"Oh hey, missy." William beamed a smile at me while the other boy stood there staring. The stranger looked awe stuck as his mouth hung slightly agape. I shot him a deathly glare before his eyes peeled away from me looking at anything but in my direction. A rose color seemed to creep its way up and over his skin.

"Again, what. The. f**k?! Don't you know some of us sleep around here?!" If looks could kill, William should have been a pile of ash. He stopped, setting his end of the bed frame on the floor where he stood. He then turned his attention back to me with a quizzical look that quickly turned into a sly smirk.

"Missy it's 9:00 in the morning. Also, nice outfit." He said gesturing at me. I looked down confused at first then I realized what he was talking about. I was in nothing but an oversized white tee and a red lace thong. I was practically n***d standing in my doorway. Rolling my eyes, I gave a quick retort.

"I didn't ask for your opinion just your silence. Some of us have hangovers to nurse." With that, I slammed my door. I was feeling quite happy having gotten the last word and hopefully, some silence. As I turned to return to my bed, I could hear the two have a quick conversation. The friend spoke first.

"Is that the roommate?" His voice was almost breathy as he questioned William.

I heard William let out a small chuckle. "Yeah," he said almost shyly.

"f**k dude. She's hot."

William quipped a quick laugh. "She's something."

"Whatever. At least she's hot." His friends' voice held a mocking overtone with a subtle hint of seriousness.

I rolled my eyes trying to suppress the smile on my lips. Their voices made me want to strangle them, but my ego loved what they were saying. I swung the door open again and gave the boys the iciest glare I could muster. "You guys know I can hear you right?" His friend blushed a little and looked away from me while Will let out a low chuckle. I rolled my eyes at both boys. "Can you two at least discuss how much you want to f**k me somewhere the f**k else?" I threw my door closed once again in both of their faces. Turning on my heels, I walked over to my bed where I flopped onto my back letting out a deep sigh. My head is killing me. A strangled groan ripped through my chest as I stared up at the ceiling. As my brain pulsed inside of my skull, I realized I really needed something to take this feeling away. I dug my phone out from my sheets and opened my messages. I had to scroll past the sea of messages to find her. Clicking on Alexis' name, I compose a quick witty text.

"f**k you a*s hat." It took seconds to get a reply.

"Stop being such a p***y. Actually, thats offensive to v*****s everywhere. Stop being such a p***s!"

I let out a deep belly laugh. "You're off drink duty! I barely made it in the house last night!"

"Please. I'm the best at drink duty. Plus, now you have that hunk of a man next door to help you into the house at night!" I could feel her smirk through the phone.

I rolled my eyes at her response. "First off, f**k you. Second off, I wasn't aware this was your grand scheme to play matchmaker."

"?‍♀️"

I sighed. "I'm dragging my happy a*s back to sleep. Want to go out to that new nightclub tonight?"

"You should ask William to join you!" I could hear her laughter ring through my inner voice.

I huffed in annoyance before sending my reply. "?"

"? I'll meet you at the Playhouse at 11. Don't be late!"

"I'll be there babe." With that, I tucked my phone back into my sheets and burrowed myself in the mound of blankets and pillows. It didn't take long for me to lull back into dreamland.

~~~~~~

My eyes flutter open and I let out a soft groan. What time was it even? The sun had very obviously gone down. The only light filtering in through the c***k in my curtains was synthetic light from the lamp post of the parking lot. My head felt a tad bit lighter as the pounding headache subsided into a dull thud against the inside of my skull. I looked at my phone. 10:36 pm. Well s**t. I felt a familiar pain in my stomach as it let out a deep and angry grumble. Between the intense hunger and need to pee my body was forcing me up and out of my warm den. Quickly, I peeled myself from my sheets and out of my room. Making my way down the hallway and swinging open the bathroom door. Instantly I let out a startled scream. I stood there, hand over my heart trying to calm my nerves. Before my eyes stood a very n***d and very wet William drying his hair off with a towel. His member burned into my subconscious. He looked at me and smirked while spreading his arms out to either side of him.

"Like what you see?" He said with open arms and wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not staring at you perve!" Oh, I was but he didn't need to know that. "I'm trying to come back from the near heart attack you just gave me!" My voice came out in an annoyed gruff.

"Right." He was still smirking at me. Both his voice and features suggested he didn't believe me. I huffed and pushed past him suddenly aware that I still haven't put any more clothing on since our last encounter. The pressure of my bladder forcing me to take action. His eyes grew wide as he watched me.

"What are you doing?" He asked stunned.

"Peeing," I said point-blank. He wrapped a towel around his waist and crossed his arms over his chest. I tried not to stare as ever muscle he moved rippled just below the surface of his skin. While I found him absolutely insufferable, I was not blind and I knew he was fairly attractive. He has a strong bone structure and was lean in a way where his muscles would flex ever so slightly under his smooth golden skin. I pondered briefly what his complexion would look like against the stark white of my own. His eyes were pools of emerald green much like mine and hooded under long dark eyelashes. I could see the wheels turning in his head. Suddenly I felt a little self-conscious. "What?"

"What is your deal?"

I wiped and pulled up my underwear. Turning to the sink to wash my hands, I answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "I had to pee. I wasn't trying to see you naked."

Suddenly I felt his fingers reach out and softly grab loose piece of my curly red hair. It must have made its way out of my messy bun during my mini coma. He twirled it in his fingers as he slowly stepped towards me. The heat from his body grew on my back. In the mirror, I could see a half-c****d smile spread over his lips. Mischief danced wildly in his eyes. He kept moving closer slowly until I could feel the heat of his body searing into my back. It sent chills up my spine causing me to shiver.

"No?" He leaned into my ear while brushing another stay hair behind it. His fingers set tiny little fires on my skin as they trails down the side of my neck and to my collar bone. His voice was low and erotic causing a pleasurable pressure to form deep inside of me. "It's okay if you were. You don't have to be shy about it missy." His tone was mocking me as his fingers toyed with my hair.

Annoyed, I turned around to face him only to find that he was much closer than I had previously anticipated. I glared at him before being taken by how he towered over me a good 5 inches or so even as he put his hand on the sink effectively caging me in. He leaned in towards me and I could feel his minty breath fawn over my face. His other hand never once dropping the strand of hair he was toying with. We had officially entered a staring contest and both of us were trained on the prize. Neither of us dared to look away as we searched each other for something unspoken. His eyes swirled with amusement and a sense of mischief. This gained him a sly smirk from me as I squared my shoulders at him. If a game is what William wants, a game he shall receive. My ego soared as a smile tugged at the edges of his lips. His eyes almost burned into me through his long eyelashes causing me to let out a low gruff as I crossed my arms over my chest. A feeling of amusement and a sense of a challenge began building in my brain as it took over every cell. I tilted my head up to almost meet his never breaking his gaze like I was accepting his challenge. Our faces were mere centimeters apart. If he or I leaned in even a fraction, our lips would meet. Surprise flicked over his features quickly as a smile spread over my lips. He had not a clue whom he was dealing with. Electricity crackled in the small space between our bodies a mixture of l**t and danger as we both were fighting for dominance in this contest of stares. His eyes broke his intense gaze and flickered to my lips. I felt his fingers still toying with a piece of my hair pulling softly as he twisted it around. The amusement in his eyes was switched out for something much more primal. His fingers danced and climbed through my hair until he was holding the back of my head. I could feel his weight as he began backing me further into the bathroom vanity. Suprise flickered I'm a fleeting moment when I brought my hand up to gently grasp his wrist. My fingers were so small against his massive wrist. His skin was warm and sent tiny shock waves throughout my body. They rolled violently over every single nerve and between every synapse. My ego hit a new high at the response I got from his body as I place my other hand on his chest. His eyes turned into saucers before shooting up to meet mine with a low growl. I purred just loud enough to hear me, "Trust me Hunny, you would know if I was trying to see you naked." With that, I pushed him away from me roughly. My hips swayed as I sauntered out of my bathroom. His eyes burned agains my back as I walked away calling over my shoulder, "Alexis is right, you will be a lot of fun." I could feel his quizzical gaze on me as I made my way to the kitchen. There, I gathered the ingredients to make myself a sandwich. Seconds later, I heard the pad of feet agains the floor and I knew he was standing behind me. His presence was like a force. I could feel his eyes on my back the entire time. "Do you want one?" I asked almost amused while still not looking back at him. I was starting to feel uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze as I worked.

"What do you mean Alexis is right?" He almost sounded accusatory as he leaned against the kitchen doorway. I shot him a glance through the corner of my eyes and was relieved to find that he had put on some grey sweatpants. His arms came up to cross over his massive chest as if he were demanding a response.

"It means exactly how it sounds," I said matter of fact refusing to meet his gaze as I moved to the cabinet above the fridge. I stretched out my body to reach the cupboard having to tilt onto the very top of my toes. My shirt rode up a little exposing more of my skin. I heard his breathing hitch in his throat just loud enough to find its way to my ears for a mere second. Once I could reach it I pulled out a can of cat food and scooped the contents out into Shelby's bowl. As soon as her bowl hit the mat under her dishes, I could hear the little patter of paws on the hardwood.

"So, we're just going to avoid that completely?" He said incredulously as annoyance sneaked its way into his words. I didnt miss his muscles flexing subtly under the skin as he tightened his hold on his arms where they crossed.

I sighed and turned to look him in the face. "Look, you're here because the truth is told, I'm a hot mess and my best friend thinks I'll become like some starving artist or kill myself or some s**t if I don't have someone here to make sure I eat and you know, dont die. You're here because I love Alexis and God only knows you cannot argue with that woman." I finished crossing my arms over my chest defensively. Something passed over his eyes I didn't quite recognize before mimicking my stance from where he was leaning against the doorway of the kitchen.

"Okay. Thanks for that. I want to know what your deal is." He stated coolly. Ice laced in his voice and I resisted the urge to shudder.

Suddenly feeling standoffish, I retort. "Elaborate."

He reached his hand up to rub the back of his neck his façade faltering as I watched him carefully peace together with his next words. He seemed to be battling with something before he spoke. "You just seem so angry and...."

"Unavailable?" I finished for him giving him a cold stare. My words came out like sharp daggers held up to him almost daring him to continue his crusade. He looked at me sheepishly and nodded still rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes seemed to hold an unspoken apology. I sighed and grabbed my sandwich off the counter before walking up to him. "You'll get used to it," I said before patting his cheek and walking back to my room. "Or don't it's your choice," I called over my shoulder.