Roommates with Benefits

Chapter 6

"I have a Greek pasta salad with mushroom ravioli for you," the raven haired waitress puts two plates down in front of me on the table while a black tray is positioned on the other hand holding more food and drinks. My stomach growls at the smell of the delicious food while she's putting Damien's order down across from me.

"Thank you," I say, opening a napkin and putting it down on my lap as the waitress pour more long island tea in my empty glass cup after giving Damien his steak burger, fries and beer.

He thanks her as well and she takes off down the rows of crowded tables as customers are chatting and eating during this Tuesday afternoon.

"Do you like this restaurant?" Damien takes the warm buttery bun off the burger and squirts ketchup on it then the mayo. Days ago, I thought he was bullshitting about taking me out to eat but here we are, dining in a four star restaurant right after I gotten out of school.

He picked me up from campus on his motorcycle which had scared me to the death to ride on at first because one, it's still snowing outside and second, I've never rode on a motorcycle before. I never done anything as thrilling as that in my entire life. Always been cautious about my safety because believe it or not, causes and effects does happen every day.

Out of the big salad I pick up a grape tomato with the fork. "It's nice." I shrug after shoving the fruit in my mouth and then chewing it while looking around the obnoxiously loud restaurant that's playing foreign music that I do not understand. There's a lot of old couples here I notice, eating more of the salad.

Damien chuckles after taking a huge bite from his burger which is in between his hands as he rests both elbows on the table. Condiments falls out from between the sandwich and then lands on the plate making a 'splat' sound while he holds the burger in one hand, and wiping his mouth with a napkin.

I can't help but find him so attractive while he eats. Weird, trust me, I know. "What's so funny?" I set the fork down to sip my cocktail through the skinny straw.

"Nothing, Brandy." He shakes his head amused, shoving a bundle of fries in his mouth after dipping them in ketchup. Another thing I realize is that he eats more than one at a time. For example, the fries whereas I'll eat them one by one but him, he picks up a handful and then shoves them in his mouth like it's nothing.

I scoff with a smile while he's chomping down his meal as if he hasn't eaten anything in days which is so far from the truth because the guy eats a lot. "Oh yeah? Then why'd you laugh?"

The muscular looking beast in front of me that looks like he could kill an ox with his bare hands puts the burger down on the messy plate and then waits until he's done chewing to respond. "It's nothing really. I was just thinking the night we first met, is all."

I lean my folded arms on the table, narrowing my eyebrows at him curiously. "And what about that night?"

He pops open the beer and then takes a gulp, setting the bottle back down afterwards. "I thought you were this uptight b***h that walks around like you own the world but," he shrugs with a smile, picking up his beer again to take a sip. "You're not bad after all, Brandy."

"Thanks," I breathe out a laugh, sweeping hair behind an ear, picking up my cold glass cup. "To us being roomies," I come up with a cheesy toast expecting him to brush it off but to my surprise he clanks his bottle with my cup instead, repeating after me.

///

Later in the evening the first mail I open after scrolling through my email is the one from the manager at the bank I applied to a week ago. I don't get very far into reading the message as a smile breaks out on my face while seeing the word 'Congratulations' in the first sentence. A specific date grabs my attention as well. Thursday he wants me to come in for orientation at four in the afternoon with my two forms of identification.

I got the job, thank God.

"You won't believe who called me in the middle of the night crying," Angelica giggles sitting across my bed with an open literature textbook on her lap, a black pen in her left hand and a red journal beside her.

I ask "Who?" while sitting at my desk, tapping my fingers along my laptop keyboard, busy writing up a paper that's due at the end of this week.

"Our professor called me asking for forgiveness. Even offered to take me on vacation this Christmas break," Angelica snorts, reaching for the bag of hot Cheetos off my bedside table that I left open last night.

Christmas break is just days away now and I still haven't decided if I was going home to visit my sister or not. It's been a while since I've seen her.

I stop typing and then swirl around in my chair, crossing my arms in front of my chest with a frown. "And what did you say?" I thought I told her to leave that married man alone.

"I told him I forgive him and would love to go on vacation but I'm seeing someone else," a proud smile appears on my face as she bites the end of her pen, shrugging. She rolls her eyes and then tosses a chip at me when I start clapping like a proud parent seeing their kid walking across the stage at graduation.

Loud talking echoes in the hall before the door pushes open revealing Chrissy. "Hey babes, sorry to interrupt your studying but I'm coming in."

Spinning back around to face my open laptop, I continue typing and ask "I thought you were going out tonight?" while Angelica is crunching annoyingly on those damn chips.

Chrissy shuts the door behind her and then walks inside the my small closet. "I am but I need something to wear. Can I borrow a dress? Mine shrinked in the damn dryer. I gotta go shopping later this week."

"Sure you can grab anything you like. Also, I would love to go shopping with you one day this week. I need more winter clothes." I respond as she roams around through my clothes.

Angelica sighs loudly, packing her homework inside her backpack after rolling the chip bag to close it so the chips won't be stale. "I'll catch up with you girls later. I need to go to the library before it closes." Then slides her coat and boots on before leaving the room, swinging her backpack over one shoulder.

"That guy you met at the fish table last weekend?" Grabbing my black binder, I open it and then flip through pages of important notes.

Chrissy sighs deeply inside the closet, knocking things over. "Yeah. Tonight he's taking me to a fancy jamaican restaurant near his place."

A long yawn comes out of my mouth a I'm saving my work to my documents. "Oh nice. Jessie asked to take me out this Friday night."

"Tow truck guy?" She then squeals when I nod in response. "I told you a long time ago to f**k that guy. I don't know what you're waiting for now since that momma's boy is out the picture for good." Chrissy pulls out a pile of clothes, setting them down on the foot of my bed.

Closing my eyes with two fingers pinching the bridge of my nose, I groan and then lay down on my bed on my side, clutching my pillow as she picks out random dresses I've had over the years from the pile.