Roommates
1023 Words
*Day 4 of the Contract.*
Lily woke up to a text at 6:00 AM.
*Damian: Meeting. 8 AM. Wear something professional. Don’t be late.*
No "good morning." No "are you alive." Just orders.
Right. Contract husband.
She pulled on the one blazer she owned and the black dress from the courthouse. Hair in a low bun. Minimal makeup. She looked like a secretary. Good. That was the point.
Damian was already in the kitchen when she walked out.
Suit. Coffee. Newspaper. He looked like he lived in a magazine.
He glanced up. "You’re wearing that?"
Lily bristled. "What’s wrong with it?"
"Nothing." He took a sip of coffee. "You just look... different from yesterday."
Yesterday she was in sweats crying over the contract. Today she was his fake wife.
"Let’s go," he said, grabbing his keys. "Car’s waiting."
---
*8:00 AM. Hart Enterprises. Boardroom.*
30 people. All staring at her.
Damian walked in holding her hand.
Her hand.
His fingers were warm and firm. He didn’t let go until they reached the head of the table.
"This is Lily Hart," Damian announced. "My wife. She’ll be attending board meetings as my... advisor."
_Advisor??_ Lily almost choked.
A woman in her 50s with sharp eyes stood up. "Damian. A word."
"Later, Mom."
Mom.
This was Mrs. Eleanor Hart. Damian’s mother. The one who told Lily "you’re not good enough for my son" 3 years ago at their engagement party.
Eleanor’s eyes dragged over Lily. Head to toe.
"Hello, Lily."
"Mrs. Hart." Lily smiled. "It’s nice to see you."
"Is it?" Eleanor sat down. "We’ll see."
The meeting started. Lily had no idea what they were talking about. Acquisitions. Q3 projections. Something about Dubai.
Damian’s knee brushed hers under the table. Once. Twice.
On purpose?
She looked at him. He wasn’t even looking at her. Face blank. CEO mode.
Halfway through, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it and his jaw ticked.
*Sophia: Can we talk? Coffee later?*
Sophia. The ex. The one from all the gossip sites.
Damian silenced it without replying.
Lily pretended she didn’t see.
---
*12:00 PM. The Penthouse.*
They didn’t talk in the car.
The second the door closed, Lily dropped the act. "Advisor? Really?"
Damian loosened his tie. "My mom doesn’t trust me to make decisions alone. If you’re my 'advisor' she can’t say I’m being reckless."
"And the hand holding?"
"She needed to believe it." He walked to the fridge. "You did good."
"Thanks." Lily dropped her bag. "So what are the rules for living together? Because we need some."
Damian pulled out water. "Shoot."
Lily grabbed a notepad. "Rule 1: No guests in bedrooms. Ever."
"Agreed."
"Rule 2: Knock before entering. Always."
"Obviously."
"Rule 3: We don’t pretend to be a real couple outside of work and family events."
Damian paused. "That’s not in the contract."
"It should be." Lily looked up. "I don’t want... confusion."
Damian studied her. "Fine. Rule 3."
"Rule 4: No lying to each other. About the contract. About anything."
That made him frown. "Deal."
They stared at each other. Two strangers in a 3-bedroom penthouse.
Damian broke it first. "I have to go. Dinner with investors. 7 PM. You’re coming."
"I am?"
"My wife." He said it casually. "Wear the blue dress."
He left before she could argue.
---
*7:00 PM. The Grand Hotel.*
Blue dress. It was the only nice thing she owned. It was also 3 years old.
Damian was waiting in the lobby. In a tux.
He looked at her and his expression changed. Just for a second.
"You look..." He cleared his throat. "You look fine."
_Fine._ Right.
Investors. Handshakes. "So happy for you two." "When’s the wedding?" "You’re glowing."
Lily smiled until her cheeks hurt.
Then she saw her.
Sophia.
Red dress. Red lips. Arm around some guy. But her eyes were on Damian.
And Damian saw her too.
Sophia walked over. "Damian. Wow. Didn’t know you were married now."
"Sophia." Damian’s voice was ice. "This is my wife, Lily."
Sophia looked Lily up and down. "Oh. Hi." She turned back to Damian. "We should catch up. About the merger."
"I’m busy."
"5 minutes?" Sophia touched his arm. "For old times?"
Lily felt it. That twist in her stomach.
Damian looked at Lily. "Excuse us for 2 minutes?"
He didn’t wait for an answer. He walked away with Sophia to the bar.
Lily stood there. Alone. In her 3-year-old dress.
An investor came up. "So, Lily, how did you two meet?"
Lily smiled. "It’s a long story."
At the bar, Damian kept his distance from Sophia. "What do you want?"
"I miss you," Sophia said softly. "We were good together."
"We were." Damian’s eyes flicked to Lily across the room. "But that’s over."
"Is it?" Sophia followed his gaze. "Because she doesn’t look like someone you love. She looks like someone you hired."
Damian’s jaw clenched. "Don’t talk about my wife."
"Your contract wife." Sophia laughed. "Come on, Damian. I know you."
Damian put his glass down. "The contract is none of your business. And neither am I. Don’t call me again."
He walked back to Lily. Took her hand.
"Let’s go."
They left without saying goodbye to anyone.
---
*10:00 PM. Penthouse.*
Silence in the elevator. Silence in the hallway.
The second the door closed, Lily dropped his hand.
"So that was Sophia," she said, kicking off her heels.
Damian ran a hand through his hair. "She’s nothing."
"She said we look like a contract."
"She’s wrong."
"Is she?" Lily turned to face him. "Because sometimes I feel like I’m just... a prop. For your mom. For the board. For her."
Damian stepped closer. "You’re not a prop, Lily."
"Then what am I?"
The question hung there.
Damian opened his mouth. Closed it.
"I don’t know yet," he admitted. "But I’m trying to figure it out."
Lily nodded. "Okay. Roommate rules still apply?"
"Still apply."
"Goodnight, Mr. Hart."
"Goodnight, Mrs. Hart."
She went to her room. He went to his.
But both of them lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
Day 4 of 90
And the rules that was set were already getting hard to follow.
- Writer
