The Other Roommate

16 - Letters and Notes, Friends and Foes

Jazmin was waiting by the printer while Callie was updating her résumé and making changes to her cover letters. She was seated on the spare chair going through the small stack of paper on her lap. The two were in Jazmin's spacious home office where she studied or does homework.

It was spacious enough that there was another desk and drawers for Rachel, who was often over.

The room looked very professional and functional with various law books and binders containing case studies for Jazmin with some of Rachel’s marketing and advertising books - her file cabinet filled with folders of her previous assignments. There was ample lighting and the room was conducive to whatever purpose she set it up for.

The two neighbors had separate tables and computers while sharing a fax machine, a shredder, a copier and a printer.

"That's everything." Jazmin stated after reaching for the newly printed paper, piling it on top of the ones situated on her lap. "The application form is right next to you. You can just fill it out while I go over these for a bit." She instructed.

She lifted the thin pad of papers, flashing Callie a closed-lip grin as she raised her brows. Jazmin moved to Rachel’s table which was right in front of hers to get a better look at the documents and be more comfortable.

Callie quietly did as told, only managing to nod in response. She picked a black pen from Jazmin's sparkly pen holder and hunched over the paper to started writing. There was silence in the room and all that could be heard was the mild rusting of the A/C unit and the gentle friction of paper on paper as older girl flipped pages while leaning back on Rachel’s comfortable office chair.

Inside Callie was a valiant battle - her mind and heart were in turmoil. Her brooding exterior was noticeably depressing, never bothering to even force a pathetic-looking smile. She was grateful - of course, she was. But there was an irrefutably heavy weight hooked onto her heart that the organ was beating lifelessly, desperate to survive.

Jazmin suddenly lifted her head up, index finger by the corner of her mouth. She looked at Callie inquisitively. "Did you take the SATs?"

"Yeah." The younger girl retorted with an apparent misery lacing her tone. She was writing her current home address which felt like a stab to the heart as she was reminded of the girl who lives with her.

"When did you take it?"

Callie finally met Jazmin's gaze, slowly lifting her head up. She furrowed her brows, struggling to recall the specific time amid the depressing thoughts in her head. "Around three to four years ago."

"That’s good enough." Jazmin happily smiled, relieved by the answer. "Do you have a copy of the results though?"

The bartender ran her hand through her hair, heavily sighing, "Yeah, I'll look for it in my e-mail after I finish this."

Callie was undeniably stressed out about the entire situation. Her conscious mind was overwhelmed by the way Alex smiled at her when she woke up that afternoon. It was a breathtaking splendor only comparable to the most beautiful of sunrises. Her bliss was nothing short of ecstasy yet it was snatched immediately before it could linger.

Callie had to force Alex out of her head for the whole duration that she spent working on her admission requirements. It took everything in her to focus on the sheet of paper that was in front of her that seemed to transform into a familiar pale-skinned face with bright green eyes. If only there was a pile loader that could help her haul her feelings away momentarily. She would have driven the vehicle by herself.

"Oh!" Jazmin urgently spoke, lifting her index finger which prompted Callie to lift her gaze once again. "We will have to request a copy of your high school transcript, too. If you know old teachers who would give you recommendation letters, that would be awesome."

The younger girl reluctantly nodded, audibly breathing out once more. The more prerequisites they completed, the more the reality of her leaving Chug set in and it was getting harder for Callie to breathe. The tightness in her chest not only affected her cardiovascular organ, it seemed to have constricted her lungs, too.

Jazmin pursed her lips, finally sensing the anxiety that coated her childhood friend. Despite the lack of knowledge concerning Callie's budding relationship with Alex, she understood how tough it was to leave a job you have grown to love. Jazmin is not insensitive after all.

Cringing at the thought of speaking again, Jazmin mustered all her apathy just for that purpose. She tightly sealed her brown eyes with her lids, cautiously mumbling, "And we have to make you a resignation letter."

Callie felt an explosion of the biggest volcano inside her - sending molten lava and destructive mudflow down a peaceful village, completely tearing it to pieces leaving ruins only analogous to that of Pompeii. Her bravery in the whole situation was quickly shaken which had weakened her limbs. Callie had to hold the pen tighter to keep it from falling.

She unwillingly nodded, forcing herself to comprehend the situation. Jazmin was only helping her and it was for her benefit. It could be for Alex, too. If only she could admit her feelings for the older girl. And she was not willing to leave, at least not yet.

"Jazmin, I need a week or two if that's okay." She urgently implored, begging the world that her friend would say yes without another question asked.

Callie enveloped herself in the false reassurance that the last two weeks she will be spending at Chug would be enough for her to survive her new job without Alex's constant presence. The first rule of Economics is "scarcity" and Callie was going to have to deal with what little she will have had with Alex and had to be satisfied with it.

On the way to work, Callie was forlornly thoughtful. Thoughtful in the sense that she was obsessing over the decision she did not fully make by herself. She did not care that nothing good would result in her overthinking and nothing would be solved with it. She was too out of it that the grasp she had on the neatly folded white paper crumpled it significantly. It was too deformed to qualify as a formal letter.

"Hey Callie!"

The familiar combinations of attractive and sexy nasally voice caught Callie's attention as she was practically shoving her things in her locker. She was just what she didn't need at the time. It was enough to drag her conscious mind away from wallowing in despondency though but was just the right one to immediately rile her up.

"Thinking about spreading some lies again, Felicity?" She begrudgingly stated without glancing at the busser, not bothering to play nice. Her worries had only efficiently fueled her anger, causing a colossal forest fire from the smallest of sparks. "You're relentless, aren't you?"

Her natural tendency to care about other people's feelings was suppressed by her stronger feelings for Alex. Callie vowed to be her soldier after all and since the incident involving Sydney Tucker, she has had enough of pushing Alex to the sidelines.

Alex had been putting up with her ex-girlfriend for a significant amount of time and Callie wanted to free her of that. She was going to get rid of that unnecessary weight for Alex, especially because she won't be sticking around to calm her down. She would do anything - even push gigantic boulders off a cliff...figuratively.

Felicity was undoubtedly, the green-eyed girl's ruthless enemy.

"What are you talking about?" Felicity incredulously queried, taking a step back from the brunette. Under normal circumstances, Callie would have bought the lie - not because she was lacking in wits but because of her compassion.

"Oh, don't you even think about playing dumb with me, Lee." The tension on Callie's brows had been so severe, her forehead was sore almost immediately. She slammed her locker shut and snapped her gaze to the blonde with the folded paper still in her hand. She pursed her lips, feigning indifference despite the burning rage in her brown eyes. "Come to think of it, you probably are for cheating on a beautifully kind girl but I know you're capable of making stories up. That's how we became friends, right?"

That was the switch that finally flicked in Felicity's mind. Her expressions were a mixture of agony and resentment as well as antagonism. Those feelings make up the internal battles the blonde fights every day since she cheated on Alex. She was brimming with desperation and her unfulfilled thirst for the green-eyed brunette.

"What do you want me to do?" Her eyes began to be glossed by moisture as tears began to well the sensitive surface. She angrily stepped closer to Callie, clenching her jaw as she balled her fists. "I can't get over her! And you! You dated her just a day after we broke up! Who f*****g does that, Callie?"

"Own up to your mistakes, Felicity! You didn't even know her side of the story before you went ahead and opened your damn legs! I was merely cleaning up the mess you made!" Callie spat, taking a dangerous step closer to the blonde, situating their faces half a foot away. She could hear how heart her heart pounded in her chest as adrenaline energized her tired body. The force was so strong, she had momentarily feared it would tear her skin.

"You knew you were losing her the moment you lost your clothes." She spoke through gritted teeth as her brown eyes darkened in fury.

She knew Alex never deserved to be cheated on, especially after learning of the older girl's sacrifices for her younger sister. Alex may not be the best kind of person as far as her arrogance and assertiveness are concerned, but her beautiful heart deserved the world.

Callie would offer her the universe if she could.

"This is not over!" The dark tint in Felicity's hazel eyes matched Callie's.

The blonde was overtaken by her ferocity. But her orbs were malevolent - she wanted revenge almost as urgently as Alex when she found out Felicity had cheated on her. Felicity wanted to blame somebody for the mistake she singlehandedly made and since Callie was in her way, the brunette was the perfect target. If she could hurt Callie, she knew Alex would be, too.

Felicity's face contorted mischievously and her lips formed into a despicably evil smirk and Callie knew she had a vicious plan. The blonde's features formed into that of fear as she pushed herself against the cold tiled surface of the bathroom walls. She held her arms over her chest, clutching against the surface as if she was desperately and fearfully protecting herself from something, somebody.

"Callie! What are you doing?" She screamed in terror. Her chest heaved with the feigned fear while her hazel eyes exuded an eerily vile glint that was focused on Callie's confused brown ones. For a split second, the smirk resurfaced. "No! Please don't touch me!"

Callie was initially unable to comprehend what was unfolding before her eyes. Felicity was just Cruella de Vil who suddenly turned into Snow White fearfully running in the Enchanted Forest. But Callie caught on, arching her brows disbelievingly while her eyes bulged out. Her jaw dropped, hitting the floor with such force. Her coworker would go to such low levels just to get her revenge.

Much to Felicity's dismay, her voice was muffled by the solid walls, not to mention the blaring music out in the front of the bar.

"Seriously? s****l harassment? This is just too low, even for you." Callie forcefully attached her hand on Felicity's wrist, and attempted to pull her arm off her chest but was unable to. "You're 5'6" and well-built. I'm four inches shorter and far skinnier than you. Maybe even weaker. You're telling me I can subdue you? I can't even pry your stupid arm away from you." She distastefully narrowed her eyes at the blonde, shaking her head condescendingly. "You're repulsive."

Callie unfastened her hold on the blonde's wrist, moving to hold the door knob instead. "I guess you really are dumb. You're an embarrassment to all the blondes in the world."

And with that, she stormed out of the bathroom/locker and trudged her way towards Mason Dorsey's office. She was huffing and puffing air out of her lungs, still worked up by what she had to go through. She could only imagine what Alex was feeling and she did not like it one bit.

Her confidence seemed to have subsided as she took each step closer to her destination. The adrenaline that had kept Callie's anger ablaze, abandoned her rather quickly. But there was no turning back anymore. With a deep breath, she knocked on Mason's closed door before hearing a "come in" from the man inside the small cubicle of an office.

"Callie." Mason muttered, surprised to see the bartender. "What can I do for you?" He incredulously furrowed his brows, waiting for the younger girl to speak.

Callie handed the oblivious man the folded piece of paper without a word and without eye contact. The bartender's gaze was nervously set on the floor as she clasped her hands together. She was only a notch farther from trembling in irrational fear. Thoughts of Alex and her blues had immediately resumed their hold on her mind without having anything else to distract her.

Mason accepted the document, furrowing his brows in confusion. He blindly unraveled the piece of paper while he examined Callie's form, concern clouded his calm state. If he wasn't the usually placid kind of person, he would have begun to panic. The moment he straightened the paper, he adjusted his gaze and set it on the written words.

The manager hurriedly read the document, eager to figure Callie's mysteriously quiet temperament. The more he read through the words, the more it made sense to him. His pulse slowed down as his cardiovascular organ delivered unsettling nerves to the rest of his body. He had to find another bartender.

As he grew concerned for Callie, the younger girl was nervously fumbling her hands, picking on her nails.

The air had begun to feel dense and Callie was fighting to breathe. She wanted to prevent herself from feeling lightheaded, ultimately passing out on his boss. Leaving her job was just too disturbing for her, especially with Alex involved.

"What's this?" Mason spoke, as soon as he looked up, startling Callie.

Her body trembled slightly, making her take a cautious step to steady herself again. She raggedly breathed, desperate to find composure. She merely nodded. She was at a loss for words and feared that she would choke the moment she spoke.

"Was this because of the recent complaint?"

Callie furiously shook her head dismissively, swallowing hard as she knew she had to speak up.

"No, even though she practically pretended to be sexually assaulted in the bathroom just now. This isn't because of her. It would be easier if it was because of her." She retorted as calmly as she could despite her voice quivering in a mixture of anxiety and melancholy.

The manager stood up, deep in thought. He disbelievingly arched his brows. He was scrambling to process the information he had just heard. He lifted his index finger, wagging it aimlessly. "Wait. Felicity? You?"

There was an unexpected smile that grazed Mason's lips, shaking his head as he found how ridiculous the situation just became. He had always seen the younger girl to be a gentle soul, unable to hurt anyone even if she tried. He sealed his lips with his hand, trying not to offend Callie. He was thinking the same thing Callie thought of when Felicity pretended to be assaulted.

It was hilarious.

Callie pressed her lips together, raising her brows. She let out an amused puff, nodding. "I know." She breathed.

Mason composed himself soon after, wanting to deal with the resignation letter he just read. He had professional duties to do. As reluctant as he was to let another good employee go, he didn't have a choice but to set Callie free and show his support.

"Are you sure about this, Maxwell?" He probed as a precautionary measure. He shoved his hands in his front pockets, intimidatingly standing right in front of Callie.

The tall manager didn't inflict as much fear in the younger girl as he initially did in the past. Mason had showed her how good of a person he is despite his commanding stature and autocratic job. He was just a tall, intimidating man on the exterior and Alex was probably the first of his employees who saw him through.

Callie shook her head. She bit on her lower lip, ceasing the quivering it was about to do.

"Not really, but I have to." She whispered - only able to do so.

Mason supportively set his large hand on Callie's left shoulder, prompting her to look up to his eyes. "You know I can't hinder your decision, right." He offered her a small smile, enough to steady Callie's nerves just a tad bit. "When are you leaving though?" He curiously tilted his head slightly.

"Two weeks. Just until you could find a replacement."

"Okay." The manager nodded incessantly in understanding, retracting his hand back to his pocket. He felt relieved that the younger girl was not just going to abandon them like the previous bartender she replaced.

Mason would have just let it go and accept the fact that Callie was leaving. However, there was something that he needed to know, too. Aside from Denise, he was a witness to Alex and Callie's unconventional love story. "Does Alex know?"

Callie's heart plummeted down in an agonizingly swift pace by the mention of her partner's name. The tightening in her chest only made her breathing worse, it was ragged beyond words. Her mouth immediately dried as her temperature seemed to spike up - she was convinced she was a desert.

She anxiously shook her head, "N...N-No. No, but I will...tell her later."

With an audible sigh of defeat, Mason stuck his hand out to Callie. He had no more questions to ask. He just had an employee to look for and well wishes to send.

The moment Callie took his hand to shake, Mason grinned. "Rivera picked a good one this time." He commended wholeheartedly given his knowledge of Alex's cheating ex.

"I did, too." The younger girl sincerely retorted, memories of Alex's benevolence gushing to her like a strong gust of nostalgia.

Alex is undeniably a step up from Colin Grant.

It was a rough shift for Callie. She had to think about how to tell Alex she was leaving the bar while she was yearning for her presence. Everywhere she went, she was reminded of whatever things she and Alex did in those specific places.

They shared their first kiss in the dry storage. It was also the same place where they held hands for the first time. The bathroom-locker had its own memories - they had discussed Alex's vulnerability in that unwelcoming place with the mention of Callie's bowl of coffee courtesy of Alex.

Callie would also remember the littlest things - like Alex's expressions when she's hauling the steaming tray of glasses to the bar. Callie could tell the slightest shift on Alex's face and could accurately say what she's feeling. She knows how Alex holds the lime and lemon when she's cutting them - she even knows how the older girl holds the knife.

The little enclosed space of the bar was nothing short of torture. She and Alex were always there, sometimes they'd bump into each other and Callie didn't mind being sent back from the collision because prior to that, there was physical contact. The best part was when Alex would come after her, hold her by the waist and apologize right before kissing her delicately on the lips.

The more she relived their memories, the harder it was for her to leave. There was an anchor holding her in place.

"Callie! Scotch on the rocks!" A male patron exclaimed, earning Callie's attention who was just finishing the Mimosa she was making.

There was an incredibly noticeable discomfort forming in Callie's belly, a tug in the gut that could almost make her double over. If Alex offered her some beautifully breathtaking nostalgia, whiskey was among the gut wrenching ones. That specific drink was her ultimate foe's best friend.

She almost called out for Alex who never minded building the drink for her nor did she ever ask questions. She had always wholeheartedly did it without any suspicions. It was an easy drink and Callie would switch the whiskey for the Mai Tai Alex was making.

Thankfully for her, Javi was there and was more than happy to take the whiskey off her hands.

Hours later, Callie was finally home. She was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted and would have loved to just crash in bed and call it a night. But she couldn't. She could not, for the life of her, forget about her date with Alex Rivera. She had been looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time.

"Alex?" She probed as soon as she twisted the knob open. Her voice echoed through the four walls of the open space. "I'm home! Where are we going?"

To no avail, no Alex or anyone else of the matter retorted. Denise was fast asleep in her room and would have needed for Callie to yell to wake her up. Alex and Callie's bickering had always done the trick. With that memory, Callie slightly smiled. They had come a long way.

Callie threw her keys to the bowl by the door and was about to go get something to drink when she saw Alex's big notebook. The hardbound book looked ordinarily the same. However, the green sticky note that was plastered on it was not.

The younger girl smiled as soon as she picked up the small piece of paper, familiar with the strokes that grazed its surface.

"BB, I know this is unoriginal but maybe I can get you to smile. Head up to the rooftop and let's dine. I'll be waiting. Hurry! It's cold. I might freeze to death or I could turn into Elsa. You know, from Frozen. Think about it, I'll be a real life DP just for you. The cold never bothered me anyway. I'm winking at you. Are you blushing? See you! –DP"