Ice Between Us

Rules and other disasters

He smirked.

"Rules?" he repeated, like the concept was completely foreign to him.

I narrowed my eyes.

"What? Just because you're paying more doesn't mean you own the place."

His brows shot up.

"What? No." He let out an exaggerated sigh and leaned back in his chair. "Wow. That's what you think of me already?"

I folded my arms.

"Good. Then you won't have a problem following some ground rules."

He stared at me for a second before shaking his head with a laugh.

"You're serious."

"Very."

The amusement dancing in his eyes told me he found this whole thing ridiculous.

Too bad.

After all, if I was stuck living with him, I wasn't about to let him walk all over me.

"So, I'll list mine, and you can add yours." I nodded once, pleased with my compromise. "Fair is fair."

A grin tugged at his lips.

"Fair?" He placed a hand over his chest. "I like the sound of that."

I ignored the strange flutter that caused in my stomach and continued.

"First, I like a clean space."

I gestured around the apartment.

"Luckily, it looks like we're on the same page there."

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Second, I study a lot, so no loud music."

His reaction was immediate.

"What?" He sat up so fast you'd think I'd just insulted his entire family. "Come on. I love music."

I pointed a finger at him.

"And I love peace and quiet."

He looked genuinely offended.

"Peace and quiet is boring."

"No, it's productive."

"It's boring."

"It's productive."

"It's torture."

I stared at him.

He stared right back.

Then, to my annoyance, a slow grin spread across his face.

And somehow, that grin made arguing with him far more difficult than it should have been.

"Forget it. We'll figure that one out as we go."

I waved a hand and moved on before we could start another argument.

"Next rule. If you're having someone over, keep them in your room. The living room is a shared space, and I'd rather not be chased into my bedroom by your guests."

He blinked.

"Wow."

"What?"

"That was a very official speech."

I rolled my eyes.

"Very funny. Anyway, no parties."

"Sure."

"And our rooms are off-limits."

His brows lifted.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning if you need something, you wait until I'm in a shared space. No random appearances at my bedroom door. No walking in. No exceptions."

He leaned back in his chair, looking far too amused.

"Wow. You make me sound dangerous."

"I barely know you. You are dangerous."

He placed a hand over his chest.

"Ouch."

I ignored him.

"So, we're clear?"

"Not really." A grin tugged at his lips. "Seems a little extreme. We're roommates, not neighboring countries negotiating a border treaty."

I stared at him.

He grinned wider.

I should have known this living arrangement was a terrible idea.

"Well, that should be everything."

I turned toward my room before a thought suddenly hit me.

I stopped.

"Actually, one more."

A groan escaped him.

"What now?"

I pointed at him.

"Keep your clothes on."

He blinked.

For a second, he looked genuinely confused.

Then he burst out laughing.

"Not funny, asshole."

I spun around and headed for my room.

"I can't make any promises!" he called after me.

The i***t.

A smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it.

Wait.

Why was I smiling?

I quickly wiped the expression away and shut my bedroom door behind me.

This was exactly why living with an attractive stranger was a terrible idea.

I dropped onto my new bed and stared up at the ceiling.

A few seconds later, my phone rang.

Charlotte.

I answered immediately.

"My girlie!"

"Hmm."

Her gasp was dramatic enough to make me pull the phone away from my ear.

"Tell me everything. How are you and our handsome new roommate doing?"

I rolled my eyes.

"And how's your s*x life going?"

"Ugh. Don't remind me."

A laugh escaped me.

"What happened? Did you finally confirm your suspicions?"

"False alarm for now. But if I catch any girl so much as looking at my man, I'm gouging eyes out."

I laughed.

"You need help."

"I need loyalty."

"You need therapy."

Charlotte gasped.

"I can't believe you'd say that to me."

"Take it easy, lover girl."

"I love Ken so much, but sometimes..." She trailed off.

The hesitation in her voice immediately caught my attention.

"Sometimes I feel like we're not meant for each other."

I sat up straighter on the bed.

"Charlotte —"

"Do you think I'm too much?" she asked quietly. "Too difficult to handle?"

My chest tightened.

Charlotte is many things — dramatic, possessive, loud when she wanted to be—but insecure wasn't one of them.

She was usually the strong one.

The girl who always knew exactly what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it.

Hearing her sound this uncertain felt strange.

"No," I said firmly. "Of course not."

She didn't respond.

I continued.

"You and Ken are just very different people. That's all. Every couple has things they need to figure out."

"Yeah." She sighed. "Maybe we're too different."

I smiled softly.

"If that were true, you wouldn't still be together."

A small laugh escaped her.

"You always know what to say."

"That's because I'm smart."

"There she is."

I laughed.

"You'll be fine. I promise."

"I know."

For a moment, we both sat in comfortable silence before she suddenly burst out laughing.

I frowned.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Charlotte."

"Fine." I could practically hear the smirk in her voice. "Tell me all about the new guy."

I groaned.

"No."

"Is he hotter than Dan?"

"Charlotte."

"Fine as hell?"

"Charlotte."

"More importantly..." Her voice dropped conspiratorially. "Is he your type?"

I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt.

"Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Because I need details, girl. Spill the tea."

"There is no tea."

"There's always tea."

I shook my head.

"I need to study. I have an oral test on Monday."

"There is tea, but you're refusing to share it."

"There is no tea."

"Sure."

I could practically hear her wiggling her eyebrows through the phone.

The worst part?

I was starting to think she might not be entirely wrong. There is tea.