Dating My Roommate

Chapter 4

Once again, Mark unfolded himself from the backseat of Darcy’s tiny car and stretched, groaning as his knees protested from being crammed up into his chest yet again. Thankfully though, this drive had been shorter than the last one. Straightening his sunglasses, he stretched and surveyed the small duplex in front of him. It was a brown stucco affair that blended into the desert around it. A set of stairs led up to a small cement porch where two bright doors stood side by side, the red matching the clay tiles adorning the roof. Nothing too spectacular, he thought to himself, missing the long front porch of his mother’s house, good for visiting and drinking an ice cold cup of sweet tea. Turning slightly, he gazed at the rock garden that took the place of a normal lawn, a couple of cacti and creosote bushes littered along the path that led from the parking lot to the duplex. Lazy afternoon picnics and playing on a nice lush lawn definitely were not a thing here, he decided.

“We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” he muttered under his breath as he reached into the backseat for his small duffel bag that would hold him over until the rest of his things arrived sometime during the week.

Glancing up at the cloudless azure sky, he felt a bead of sweat drip down his neck. Good God, it was only a little after 10 in the morning and it was already scorching. He was used to heat, though, just not dry heat. Even though he knew it wasn’t true, part of him thought that if he stayed out here any longer, he would dry out, turn to dust, and blow away in the wind. This must be what hell looks and feels like, he thought before turning back around to look at the girls who were looking at him expectantly. He wondered how in the world anyone could live here. Nothing about this godforsaken land was green or welcoming. It was hard, dry, and brown. Lifeless, except for the people scurrying around like ants, trying to make something of themselves. He looked up and down both of the girls as they continued to watch him, really noticing their outfits now. Darcy’s strappy little yellow sundress, the exact shade of the sunflowers back home, was light and airy, allowing for the almost nonexistent breeze to cool her off. Rachel wore a simple tank top and denim shorts, an outfit he was familiar with, were light enough that she didn’t overheat. He wondered idly if his collection of jeans and tees would work out here or if he would need to give in and get some shorts.

“Well,” he said finally, wondering if the apartment would be any cooler, “who’s gonna give the tour?”

Rachel seemed to sag in relief, much to his amusement. She had probably thought that he was going to tell her that he hated it and wanted to go home, especially after how long he had taken to say anything. Chuckling slightly, he draped one of his arms over her shoulder and grinned at her.

“Why don’t you lead the way?” he suggested to Darcy, whose face, much to his disappointment, had quickly shifted into an emotionless mask, hiding whatever she was feeling at the moment. She wasn’t as open of a book as he had thought back in the cafe, but no matter. He would figure her out eventually. He had all year. He was in no hurry. If he was going to do this, he was going to do this right.

“So do you like it so far?” Rachel asked softly as he watched Darcy turn and head over to the red door on the left, giving him an ample view of her curves.

“It’ll take some time to get used to being out here,” he shrugged easily, not taking his eyes off of Darcy as she disappeared through the door, “but the place looks nice so far.”

Pleased, Rachel slipped out from under his arm, grabbed his hand, and eagerly pulled him up the stairs and through the door after Darcy.

Pulling his sunglasses off to see better as he stepped through the door, he found himself at the bottom of another set of stairs that led to what he assumed was the main living area. Darcy, already at the top of the stairs, waited patiently for them, her arms folded across her chest as if she were uncomfortable at having him there. Making a mental note not to push her too far this early into his stay, he folded his glasses and hung them on the collar of his shirt before making his way up the stairs, taking two at a time.

“It’s a bit messy,” Darcy apologized, stepping out of the way as he reached the top of the stairs.

Turning, he found himself in a small, cozy room. The walls were a mocha color, reminding him of coffee, and were accented by flowy white curtains. A small turquoise sofa piled with accent pillows sat in front of the railing, stopping it from being pushed into the stairwell. White end tables with decorative lamps sat on either end of the sofa, and a set of remotes rested on top of the nearest one. A patterned armchair and a matching ottoman, that he thought were paisley, but he couldn’t be completely sure, rested in the corner next to the farthest end table. Opposite the sofa was a small white TV stand with a decent sized TV. A light brown rug with chevrons rested in the center of the floor with a low white coffee table planted on top of it. Amused, he could definitely tell that women lived here. The only thing missing was at least one scented candle. Stepping further into the room, he decided that although it wasn’t his style, it would do for now. He hoped that once his stuff came in, if the girls didn't object too much, maybe he could mix in a few of his things to make it feel more like home. Though, whether they liked it or not, he’d definitely replace the TV with his and probably mount it to the wall. There was no way it would fit on a stand that size.

Just beyond the living room, he could see the corner of a counter height table with matching chairs surrounding it. The kitchen had to be just beyond that, he thought to himself. Curious to see what he had to work with, he strode over to the table and noted that there was a thick layer of dust on the chairs surrounding the table, as if they hadn’t been used in a while. Turning from the table, he saw a decent sized kitchen. White cupboards, faux marble laminate countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a small pantry. Just to make sure the girls hadn’t been pulling his leg about not knowing how to cook, he opened the pantry and found it empty except for a couple of boxes of cereal and ramen. Glancing over at the sink, he noted a few coffee mugs and, not more than two feet away, a Keurig machine with a box of coffee pods next to it.

“You weren’t kiddin’ when you said you didn’t know how to cook,” he said, still trying to process that bit of information when Darcy joined him in the kitchen. “Do you even have the stuff to cook?”

“Um…” Darcy said slowly, frowning up at him. “Like pots and pans, right?”

“That’s what I mean,” he confirmed, dreading the answer he was sure he would receive.

“Yeah,” she nodded quickly. “We have those things. Like, we may not know how to cook but we do know how to follow instructions on a box. Mac and cheese, Knorrs, frozen pizzas, pre-made cookie dough.”

“You eat that?” he groaned in disbelief, rubbing his hand through his hair once again. He’d already done so about a dozen times throughout the night, if he kept it up, he would end up with a greasy mess on the top of his head. “Where’s the closest grocery store, darlin’? I think we’ve got some shoppin’ to do. And a few cookin’ lessons in the near future.”

“We’ll stop on the way home,” Rachel said from behind him. Turning, he saw her leaning easily against the table, her lips pursed. “Once we figure out how we’re going to arrange the rooms, we’ll need to head out and go get you some bedroom furniture so you have somewhere to sleep tonight.”

“Wait,” Darcy said, shocked, her eyebrows shooting up as he turned back to face her. “You don’t have a bed?”

“Nah,” Mark drawled in amusement, “my ex kept most of the furniture. I just took what I could fit in the back of my truck.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said sincerely, her face falling. “That must be rough.”

“It’s nothin’ I can’t handle,” he smiled easily, wanting to make her smile again. Something about the pain hidden in those blue eyes of hers made him uneasy. He still wasn’t sure what had happened with that ex of hers, but he was guessing it hadn’t been pleasant. Maybe he would pester Rachel into telling him while they were at the store later. He had to know so he could avoid making Darcy relive whatever hell she had been put through.

“Are you sure?” she asked in concern, her eyes searching his face. “Is there anything else you need?”

“I’m sure, darlin’,” he said softly, stepping closer to her. God, she was sweet to think about him like that. It felt nice after not having anyone other than family care. Maybe he’d pick her up a bouquet of flowers while they were at the store to let her know that he appreciated her willingness to let him stay with them during the school year.

“Um…” she said, her eyes widening slightly as they darted to the living room, marking her escape as she quickly backed away. “So, before you go, I was thinking that Rach’s room and mine are almost the same size, so rather than you taking Rachel’s room, you could take mine, that way you have your own bathroom.”

“Hold up,” Rachel said, frowning at her, “when did you think about this? Why wasn’t I included in this thought process of yours?”

“While we were driving over from Annie’s,” Darcy confessed, turning slightly pink. “I was thinking about how to tell Danny that she and Mark would be sharing a bathroom and got this feeling that she wouldn’t be very comfortable with that. So then I started to think about how to make her feel more comfortable and this is sort of what I came up with. That is, if you’re okay with it? If not, maybe we’ll move Danny in with me and you and Mark can share a bathroom.”

“No, no,” Rachel said quickly, “the less we have to move Danny around, the better. I’m fine, having you move into my room. It’s not like we weren’t going to be sharing, anyway. It’s just a different room.”

“Good,” Darcy smiled nervously, backing up again, “So, how about you two go shopping and I’ll go start cleaning things up so we can move them later?”

“We might be awhile,” Rachel frowned.

“That’s fine,” Darcy replied. “I have a bit to do. Have fun.”

And with that, she turned tail and disappeared down the hall.

“Grab a buggy,” Mark said as he and Rachel strode into the nearest Target after having finished up at Ikea.

“Buggy?” Rachel teased, looking over at him in amusement. “No, dear, the term out here is cart.”

“Whatever,” he laughed easily. “I don’t think anyone’s gonna care what I call it.”

“Too true,” she grinned. “Where to first, chef?”

“Back of the store,” he said, guiding Rachel to the dairy section. Before grabbing a carton of milk and coffee creamer, he turned and glanced at Rachel. If he wanted to find out what was going on with Darcy without having an awkward conversation, it was now or never. “So, is Darcy always this anxious?”

“Darcy? Anxious?” Rachel laughed, grabbing some cream cheese for her bagels. “She’s one of the most confident women I know. Just, right now… I don’t know how much I should tell you, but suffice it to say, she’s had a hell of a year and she’s still fighting to come out on top.”

“If she’s strugglin’ so much, why didn’t you tell her I was comin’?” he asked seriously, picking up a block of cheese. “I mean, I get why you didn’t want to tell her, but you coulda left that part out.”

“I don’t know,” she sighed, following him down the next aisle. “Honestly, I never know what to say to her anymore without triggering her.”

“I know you don’t want to tell me, but please, you gotta tell me,” he begged.

“Why do you want to know so bad?” Rachel asked, eyeing him curiously. “I thought you said you weren’t looking for anything while we were waiting for our flight.”

“When I said that I didn’t have a bed, that look in her eyes just about killed me,” Mark confessed, not sure he should be letting his meddling cousin in on how he was already starting to feel. “I don’t want to do that again. So, I’m beggin’ you, please just give me somethin’ so I don’t “trigger” her, too.”

“I don’t know,” she repeated, pursing her lips as she thought it over in her head. “I guess I can give you a brief rundown, nothing too specific.”

“I’ll take it,” he said in relief.

“Just promise me one thing,” she continued.

“Anythin’,” he said.

“Don’t tell her that I told you,” she said and then sighed. “She’d kill me if she knew.”

“Of course,” he agreed.

“Alright,” Rachel said slowly, trying to decide where to begin. “First things first, and this doesn’t have anything to do with what happened. It’s just some background information that will come in handy. Besides, you’ll find out sooner or later, anyway. Darcy’s family is rich, and when I say rich, I mean they pay her tuition, her portion of the rent, and her bills with plenty leftover. She grew up with a cleaning lady, a personal tutor, private sports and music lessons, etc. And before you ask, I don’t know why she works. Guess it’s just something she wants to do.”

“I see,” Mark said in astonishment. “Guess that explains why she can’t cook. Never had a reason to learn how until now.”

“Eh,” Rachel said, making a face. “That’s debatable. And that’s part of the story, I guess you could say. Anyway, her mom set her up with a decent enough guy whose family was just as loaded, if not more than hers. They hit it off and decided to become exclusive. Well, he was going to propose, and then he found out he was going to be taking over his dad’s company. It gave him some ideas, so before he proposed, he told her that if she wanted to get married eventually, she had a few things she had to take care of first. That pissed her off, so she broke things off. That pissed him off, so he tried to make her life a living hell.”

“No way,” Mark breathed, anger coursing through his body. Who in their right mind would tell the woman they loved what they had to do in order to get married? If they weren’t happy with their woman in the first place, why even propose at all? “What did he ask her to do?”

“Nope,” Rachel said, her jaw set. “I am not spilling any more beans. If you want to know, you’ll have to ask her, and good luck with that.”

“But…” he started.

“No,” she said flatly.

Darcy leaned against the wall, panting as she inspected her mostly empty room now. All she had left were things she needed help with, like her dresser and bed. Everything else was now in her new room in boxes and bags stacked up against the wall so that they were out of the way. She hoped that Rachel and Mark would get back soon so that she could attempt to put some of her things away before heading to bed. She was exhausted. Glancing at the time, she decided that since she didn’t have anything else to do at the moment, she would go relax on the couch, maybe watch some TV while she waited. Pushing off the wall, she meandered into the living room and collapsed on the couch.

Flipping on the TV, she glanced at her phone again. She should really text Danny to let her know what was going on to give her a heads up. She didn't imagine that Danny would take coming home to find a strange man on their couch very well. Unlocking her phone, she sent a quick message.

Hey, heads up, Rachel brought home a surprise.

Ohh, what is it? Danny responded less than a second later, telling Darcy that she had probably just finished up with her shift.

A new roommate. A male roommate. Her cousin. His name is Mark. Darcy bit her lip as she waited for Danny to respond to that, hoping that she would take it better than she had at the airport.

Wait? What? A new roomie? Where are we going to put him?

I’m giving him my room and I’ll be sharing with Rachel. Well, she thought to herself, that went over better than she had expected.

Are you okay with that?

I guess. Like, I don’t mind him being here. I just wish she would have told me she was bringing him, you know?

Yeah, I feel you. Hey, I’m off now and I’m headed to the store. Want me to grab you anything? Chocolate maybe? It’ll make you feel better.

Haha, sure. Chocolate sounds great. Do you want to grab some Chinese takeout on your way home too? We can watch goofy romcoms and eat yummy chicken while Rachel and Mark move furniture around.

Sure thing. See you soon.

Darcy put her phone down just as the front door opened. Peering over the back of the couch down the stairwell, she saw Rachel and Mark enter, both of their hands full of grocery bags.

“Do you need any help?” she asked.

“No, we got it darlin’,” Mark called up to her, a grin on his face. “All that’s left in the back of Rachel’s truck is my new furniture, so you just sit there and relax.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, frowning slightly. She could help bring in furniture. She was stronger than she looked.

“Absolutely,” he said on his way through the living room.

Sitting back on the couch, she listened as Mark bustled around the kitchen, putting the groceries away. As the noise in the kitchen dwindled to nothing, she turned her full attention back to the TV. She wasn’t the biggest fan of CSI, but, since it was on, it would do. She didn’t feel like turning on Hulu or Netflix to find something else to watch, though she couldn’t deny that Nailed It sounded pretty enticing. Who didn’t love watching people fail at baking, especially when she couldn’t bake to save her life either? She could learn, though, and would have to at this rate. She wasn’t about to take her mom up on her offer to set her up again, not after Robert. She shuddered at the thought.

“Excuse me, darlin’,” Mark said, standing just inside the living room. She turned to look at him curiously, noticing that one of his hands was behind his back. He had something and was hiding it from her, she knew it. Slowly, he brought out a bouquet of daisies from behind him. “I got these for you to show my appreciation for lettin’ me stay with y’all this year.”

“I… I…” Darcy stammered, her jaw dropping. Heat creeped up the back of her neck. What was she supposed to say, thank you or your welcome? She watched him shift nervously as he waited for her to say something. Standing up, she walked over to him and took the flowers, giving them a quick smell before managing to say, “These are beautiful. Thank you. And it’s no problem at all. The more the merrier.”

“You mean it?” he asked, his voice hopeful.

“I do,” she said, looking up at him and meeting his stunning green eyes. “I think we’ll be good friends by the end of the year.”

“I hope so,” he breathed, his voice low as he took a step closer to her.

Her heart pounding in her chest at his closeness, she backed up a step so she could side-step him and head into the kitchen. She had a vase or two lying around somewhere. After finding it, she glanced up at Mark, who was watching her, his eyes guarded. With a soft sigh, she made a mental note to keep her distance. This man meant business and there would be no fun friendship until she squashed whatever he was feeling in the bud.