The Other Roommate

10 - I'll Be Your Soldier

Music is something that either draws or divides people. The beautiful rhythm and the captivating melody coupled by the poetic lyrics create something common even if strangers - be it a personal struggle, a life experience or just something to pass the time. Sometimes, it's just the singer's voice and how the vibrations and sound carry a plethora of emotions.

It was day two of the seven-day challenge and determined is all Alex was. It was something she felt like she needed to do to evaluate what she wanted in her life given the fact that there was only one thing she knew she wanted and it was Callie.

Alex knew that if she had her, she would have everything she could ever want.

That night at Chug, a recording artist, Gavin DeGraw was set to play. It was the same one that both girls had been looking forward to watching or at least hearing, considering the bar is facing the front door while the little stage is to their right. However, they could hear the music perfectly as there were speakers all over the place - including the three positioned within the bar.

It was a Thursday still and it was the bar's strategy to bring acts in during weekdays to get business running, and so far, it works. At the time, what's good for business was bad for the bartenders.

"Morticia!" Callie exclaimed, hailing her busy work partner when she heard the familiar melody to start the singer's song "Soldier."

She was on the register, charging a patron for a series of orders, jabbing at the cash register for the right sale. Another patron was calling for her even before she finished her current task. The green-eyed brunette was building a Mai Tai right after pouring several glasses of whiskey.

Alex looked up, already smiling, prompting Callie to continue.

"This is my favorite song." Callie nodded, pursing her lips in a display of embarrassment.

The smile on Alex’s face widened, momentarily putting the rum back on the table. "Mine, too." She proudly confessed, enjoying their common interest.

They were interrupted by a whiney sound of a guy complaining about his drink taking too long which made the usually angry Alex Rivera narrow her eyes as she gritted her teeth. Callie's expressions softened as she offered a weak smile, raising her brows as she c****d her head slightly to the side.

The older woman let out a long sigh in defeat. She winked at her roommate before going back to work, earning her a chuckle.

The night was quickly progressing and Alex worried about not meeting the requirements of her challenge. It had been very important to her as she had felt very lonely in the past couple of years. She saw it as a chance to finally be happy. She had a plan but it had been spoiled because of the busy shift.

"BB." She urgently pulled her partner by the wrist, prompting the younger girl to face her. It was only minutes until midnight and the bar was still packed. They had managed to satisfy their current guests' requests and they were quiet for now. "Make me laugh."

Callie furrowed her brows in confusion, not necessarily comprehending the compulsion of the situation. "What?"

"Please, Cal." The green-eyed brunette implored with her thick brows stitched together and her bottom lip protruding to a pitiful pout. There was an apparent discomfort playing in her heart that her breathing had grown rapid.

Her weary eyes stared into the brown owns that were slowly transforming from confusion to mischief, especially coupled by the goofy grin on her full lips.

Without asking further questions, Callie raised her hands up and threw it to her roommate's torso. She started tickling her relentlessly. However, Alex stood there, almost motionless. The gentle scratching never elicited a laugh. Instead, she the corners of her mouth pulled up to her signature smirk.

"Not ticklish." She simply stated. She bit her lips and shook her head. "Are you?"

The question haunted Callie. Her eyes widened in fear as she took a step back, preparing to escape.

"Wrong move, pretty girl." The green of Alex's eyes exuded that of a hunter spotting its prey.

"Don't!" Callie warned shakily with her right index raised. She took another step backwards.

Soon enough, her pale hands were on Callie's black band tee, ruffling the brunette's torso. The younger girl bellowed in laughter with her body uncontrollably shaking from the persistent tickling. She contorted her physique to various forms, squirming from her roommate's grasp.

Much to Alex's delight, she, too started laughing. Callie's happiness radiating towards her.

And that was made day two of seven a success.

"S...stop!" The younger bartender begged in between her laughter. "Alexis, I'm...serious."

Sensing the distress, Alex innocently put her hands up in surrender with her eyes dodging from her partner's with the smirk still evident on her lips.

Callie gasped for air before fixing her shirt and hair in succession. Her face showed disapproval, her eyes narrowed with her lips tightened. She shook her head at her partner which caused the older woman to bow her head down in remorse.

"I'm sorry." Alex timidly stated, slipping her hands in her back pockets.

The younger girl marched towards her and pulled her by the shoulder, consuming her slightly bigger frame in a hug. "It's okay, sad little thing." She let out a slight cackle as her roommate reciprocated the gesture.

The older bartender let out a sigh in contentment, surrendering to Callie's touch. "I wanted tonight to be special. I wanted to dance with you to that stupid favorite song." She sadly divulged, shaking her head.

"I didn't see you as a romantic." Callie jested, making her roommate attempt to pull away. It only made the younger girl's hold on her tighter, chuckling in the process.

Alex groaned, unable to do anything. She felt quite embarrassed by the comment. She was trying and being teased about it wasn't helping.

"I'm kidding. It's okay, Morticia." The brown-eyed brunette coaxed reassuringly. "This is good enough for me."

The words that she had just heard successfully calmed her. It could just be the words but Alex knew that the slightest touch made her weary heart take a much steadier rhythm. She had never felt such irrational sensation before - irrational in a way that no one could offer her a lucid, educational reason. It was just her strong, irrevocable feelings for her roommate.

"Me, too." She truthfully admitted.

The little moment was interrupted by the vibration on Callie's front pockets. The two ladies hesitantly pulled away. Alex was definitely not pleased by it. She had just found an opportunity and yet there was another distraction.

The younger girl apologized before pulling her phone out to see the message she had just received. She swiveled to her back, ignoring her partner for a moment.

Callie's mouth gaped slightly when she saw the owner of the text message. It was Sydney Tucker and she did not expect to hear from her since they had parted ways. If she was being honest, she had forgotten they even met the day before considering Alex had been keeping her mind busy - running around it with ease.

"When can I see you again?"

The brown-eyed brunette's heart sank as she felt a discomfort in her stomach. She had difficulty declining any nice offer or request. That was how Collin Grant won her "yes" but not necessarily her heart. She feared she won't be able to decline Sydney Tucker's liking for her as well.

While Alex was blinded by her partner's facial expressions, she looked over her shoulder to see the text message herself. She was not pleased by the name nor the message. She had a nagging feeling she would lose Callie to Sydney but she had fixed her mind about not letting that happen.

Instead of letting the thought pester her, she decided on going back to work - ignoring her worries for the mean time.

The younger bartender felt colder the moment Alex vacated her spot. There was a lingering warmth on her back despite not being touched by her partner. It was just the invisible blanket of safety she felt from her. She pivoted to watch her build a mojito and didn't even feel the smile she had on her lips until her phone vibrated again.

It was Sydney yet again and it was a classic text message.

"I hope I didn't scare you away." She completed her text with a smiley emoticon but Callie could not return it, not even when she could see her face in her mind.

With a deep breath, Callie punched a few keys on her phone and typed “the weekend won't be pretty for me. If you can wait later, I'm going to text you."

It wasn't completely a lie. The weekend looked very pretty for her. It was quite bright even. She was going to spend the next few days with her roommate, in their apartment and in their workplace. At least, that's what she intended to do.

She could feel guilt rise with the bile in her belly, knowing that she was leading Sydney on. It was what got her in trouble in the past and Callie still hadn’t learned her lesson. Rejecting someone wasn’t easy on her but she knew she should have just suffered through the discomfort and cause them an ounce of pain than the chaos that would ensue when pretending just wouldn’t do anymore.

Alex and Callie were met with a rush of new customers again and as much as they wanted it, they couldn't even talk for longer than a minute. There would be someone calling for them - whistling, tapping, even using their names for drinks. On top of that, they had to get new bottles of liquor from the storage room, cut more limes and lemons, juiced more fruits as they were easily running out, fast. They were more grateful for their bar back than ever.

Alex's feelings were pushed aside. She was hurt. She hated feeling vulnerable and talking about it which makes her situation worse. While they were cleaning, the green-eyed brunette would force a smile yet spoke less and that was not normal to her. Everyone knew about the usually ranting and angered Alex, even Callie.

Alex would have said something if she was forced to but everyone was scared of her, everyone but Callie.

After cleaning, the brown-eyed girl hurriedly went home. She had asked the bar back to tell her roommate to meet her at home but not before asking Mason Dorsey to stall her roommate. She ran and ran to their apartment, making her lungs burn and her chest beat with such force against her ribs.

Callie went to her room, to retrieve thick blankets and a sticky note. She briefly wrote something and opened the refrigerator, leaving the small bright yellow paper there. She went out their apartment unit and proceeded to climb up the stairs.

Inside the apartment, half an hour later, Alex threw her thick jacket on the floor. She had a toxic mix of exhaustion and frustration. The reality of Sydney Tucker claiming her roommate loomed in her head, diminishing any pleasant feelings from hours before.

She stomped towards their shared refrigerator, squinting her eyes from the bright light. Blinking incessantly, she found Callie's note, plastered on a can of her beer.

"Mortificent, I know you reach for beer when you're stressed. Can you maybe go to the rooftop tonight, instead? —BB, whatever that stupid nickname means."

The green-eyed girl grinned instantaneously. The warmth in her chest quickly spread within her and her feelings for her roommate had quickly reclaimed control to her head and her heart.

"BB means beautiful brunette, too." She whispered to herself, chuckling when she thought of its real meaning. “But it’s really Big Butt.”

It seemed like a race to her somehow - the sooner she got to Callie, the sooner she can feel her warmth. She ran up the stairs, forgetting to put her jacket back on. She was grateful she didn't kick her shoes off.

The trek up the stairs was exhausting but the adrenaline in Alex's body was sky high. The six-story building didn't have an elevator. To her advantage, their unit was on the second floor and the daily trip up and down the stairs wasn't that tedious.

Minutes later, Alex barged through the rooftop's heavy fire door which made Callie jump in fright. On her feet were two blankets, one on top of the other. There were two chairs positioned side by side close by.

"You scared me, Morticia." The olive-skinned girl grimaced, clutching her chest with her hand. She took deeper breaths. "I thought there was an emergency or something from the sound you just made."

The older woman rolled her eyes, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm sorry." She began the much anticipated approach her slightly shorter roommate.

"You'd think people would frown when they're apologizing but no, Alex Rivera doesn't roll that way." Callie emphasized the word, getting her point across. She let out a sigh in defeat - she knew the little apologetic episode at the bar was rare.

Alex playfully frowned as she reached the younger girl. Standing on the edge of the spread out sheets of blankets. "Do you forgive me now?"

Callie curled her lips and shrugged, feigning indifference. "Whatever."

"You're something." The older bartender chuckled, shaking her head. "What are we doing here?"

"Well..." Callie trailed off as she looked around. "I was thinking we could watch the stars but the clouds aren't participating. But I wanted to do something for you."

Alex furrowed her brows, wanting to hear what her roommate was blabbering about. She c****d her head sideways, scrutinizing her.

"I can't dance but I felt like this was important to you." Callie breathed. "I was thinking we could just dance right here, right now."

A broad grin invaded the usually smirk-infested lips that Alex Rivera owned. The feelings she had for Callie electrified her soul. "Just me?" She jabbed the middle of her chest.

"Just you." The younger girl pursed her lips, nodding. She eyed her roommate condescendingly. "Don't push it."

Alex mouthed an "okay" before reaching for her roommate's waist - inching closer to her. "Can you sway?"

Callie nodded, still trying to look casual. "Yeah, I think I do a decent sway."

The green-eyed brunette chuckled, sending her head back in amusement. "Then do that."

Callie stuck her index finger out before reaching for her cellphone. She rummaged through her song list and found the specific song. She played it and immediately, the first chord erupted, making her waiting roommate grin.

"Can I have this dance, Callie?" Alex proposed through an open-mouthed smile.

Callie winked at her making her weak in the knees. "Sure, Alex."

She put her phone back in her pocket and finally set her arms around her roommate's shoulders. She rested her head to the side of Alex's jaw, both sighing in contentment. To them, that felt right - they felt as if they had belonged to each other all this time but none of them spoke to ruin the moment.

Eyes closed, they danced underneath the cloudy Chicago skyline.

Soon enough, the sound of Gavin DeGraw's unique, silky voice broke out but was covered in somebody else's voice.

"Where did all the people go? They got scared when the light went low. I'll get you through it nice and slow when the world's spinning out of control." Callie hummed which made Alex realize something.

I'm in love with her. Alex thought to herself. Her heart raced in the fear of rejection. She feared if she said something now, she would ruin it.

"When you get worried, I'll be your soldier." The younger girl whispered, just in time for the line to be sung.

Callie meant every word she sang. She was committed to guarding Alex's heart, her feelings. She had seen her vulnerable. She was not some kind of angered psychopath who just wanted to inflict pain on everyone, to wreak havoc. She was just in pain, a little lost and misunderstood, and in need of love.

The brown-eyed brunette pulled back, making the older woman worry if she had done something wrong. But she didn't and she was going to get her answer immediately.

Callie cupper her cheeks and affectionately smiled at her before pulling her for a long anticipated kiss. As soon as their lips touched, Alex took a deep breath to cope with the need for air as every ounce of oxygen seemed to have been sucked out of her.

Who needs stars tonight? The fireworks you have created shine the brightest within me. She thought.