The Card
1427 Words
"Heyyyy..."
I rolled my eyes, folding my legs as I stared up at the sky.
"You know... I'm sorry, baby girl" Matt sighed, pulling me into her arms.
"It's just that-"
I shot her a cold glare and she paused.
"Huff... forget it. You know I hate seeing you sad" she whispered.
"If you love him... then I'll support you" she added.
I smiled. Deep down, I knew Matt would never truly be a fan of Zade, she was only saying this to cheer me up.
"Do you remember the first day we met?" I whispered, still wrapped in her arms.
She laughed. "Oh yes... it was a night just like this."
"God, you literally walked around school alone. I had to do something," she said, and we laughed.
"I know, right? I never liked having friends...from childhood" I chuckled.
Truth was, I never really fit in. When I tried, I got bullied. So eventually... I stopped trying.
"I had a whole list of ways to force you to be my friend" she said proudly.
"Thank God you agreed, because trust me, I almost kidnapped you."
We laughed, the rest of the night blurred, and I didn't even remember falling asleep.
----
"Morning."
I walked down the stairs yawning. The scent of coffee and toasted bread made my stomach jump.
"Whatcha doing?" I asked, grabbing a slice as Matt sat with her laptop, fully focused.
"Jacob assigned me a patient with cervical embolus. I need to submit his status to Dr. Vivian and email it" she said without looking up.
"Oh... Doctor Vivian," I groaned. "That woman's brain is-"
"Fire" Matilda finished.
I laughed.
I served myself breakfast and sat at the dining table.
Matt squealed suddenly and rushed to sit beside me.
"Oh! Before I forget...I have a surprise" she said.
"Hmmm... okay?" I mumbled, stuffing more bread into my mouth.
"So... I was thinking of getting you a house."
I spat the food out, coughing.
"What-no! Why would you do that?" I pouted dramatically.
"Err... baby" she laughed. "You can't live with me forever, you know."
"But you know I hate living alone" I folded my arms, annoyed.
"Exactly. And that's why..." she turned her tablet toward me.
"A roommate?" I blurted out.
She nodded, smiling.
I narrowed my eyes. "This isn't because of Zade, right?"
"Well..." she hesitated. "Not really. He's part of the reason, but not fully."
"I'm not interested" I said, pushing the tablet back.
"Wait...Aria" she grabbed my hand. "I'm traveling for that operation I told you about. By the time I get back, you'll have wrecked this house, and yourself too."
She raised a brow. "We both know you can't take care of yourself without me."
I rolled my eyes.
"And Zade?" she added. "You two can do whatever you like. Just spare me the details."
I smacked her arm, and she laughed.
"Maybe... you're right" I admitted softly.
"Yes! So I've already sent out an application. We just need a wealthy person to fill it, and boom, you've got a roommate."
"Wealthy?" I frowned. "Is the house that expensive?"
"Yes. And..." she shrugged casually, "I already bought it."
My eyes widened. "Wait...what?! You didn't have to, Matt!"
I jumped up and hugged her.
"How much did it cost?" I asked nervously.
"Half a million dollars."
My soul left my body.
"WHAT?!!, That's way too much! You shouldn't have..."
My phone buzzed.
"I love you, Aria" she giggled.
I glanced at my screen, and froze.
Why am I being debited for $500,000-
My head spun as I slowly turned to her.
"I love you, Aria" she whispered.
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
THIS GIRL HAS KILLED ME.
I grabbed a pillow and immediately chased her around the house.
____
Ethan's POV
"Ethan!" Chris exclaimed, yanking my hand as he dragged me inside.
I collapsed onto the grey couch, kicking off my socks.
"Er... see you later, Chris" a feminine voice said.
I turned to see a girl in nothing but her underwear scrambling to pull on her clothes.
"Yuck" I blurted, dropping back against the couch and closing my eyes.
"That's not yuck, that's hot!" Chris laughed. I heard a smooch, then the door shut.
"So..." he began.
"Jacob told me" he continued quickly, pacing the room. "I knew those people were dangerous to mess with."
"You can stay with me, buddy. We'll kill anyone who tries to harm you."
"And if it's a lady?" I asked.
He paused, scratching his head.
I laughed, shaking my head disappointedly.
"Then I'll give her a good time before punishing her" he teased, biting his lip.
"Crazy dude..." I muttered. "I can't endanger your life."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the card Jacob had given me.
"Ahhh, Eliot!" Chris snatched it from my hand, grinning like he'd just won the lottery.
"What's that?" I asked, watching him inspect it.
"I'm coming" he said, already rushing upstairs.
I sighed.
Moments later, he returned with his Apple desktop and set it on the table.
"What are you doing?" I asked, standing up.
"This card belongs to Eliot's & Co," he said excitedly. "They've got the best houses in the city...and trust me, it's exactly your expensive taste."
I crossed my arms.
"So...?"
"So Eliot is telling us...no, you, to get yourself a house in a company owned by him."
"Oh."
"Yes. Right now, we just have to find a house for-s**t!"
He exclaimed, and I shifted my gaze to him.
"What's wrong?" I asked as he turned to me, guilt written all over his face.
"I won't bite" I added.
"Well... let me check, damn... Ethan, it's only one use we have" he mumbled, his words tumbling over each other.
"Can you just tell me what the hell is going on?" I snapped, rising to my feet and walking over to him.
"So... I...I kinda, er..."
"Chris, you're wasting my time!"
______
Christopher's POV
"I er..." I swallowed hard. Ethan was definitely going to kill me.
"So, okay..."
"I clicked on the share button instead of buy," I breathed.
He stared at me, confused.
"Chris, what on earth are you talking about?"
"Okay...let me explain" I said, standing up, my heart racing.
"This card has only one use. There are different sections: share, rent, and buy."
"Hmmm... okay? So?" His voice was impatient now.
"So..." I pressed my lips together. "I tapped on share."
"Well, fine. What does that mean?"
"That means you're on the share section," I said quickly. "Which means you'll have to..."
"You'll get a housemate."
I blurted it out.
I watched his expression change.
"Chris, what's...wait. Make me understand."
"Let's breathe in and out, alright?" I said softly.
If there was one thing I knew about Ethan, it was that he hated sharing...especially not something as personal as a house.
"You know what, fine" I swallowed. "You're on the share section, which means you'll be matched with a roommate based on the information I update about you."
"You did what?!" He facepalmed.
"Look, it's fine. We can just buy an estate..."
"Hear yourself! Buy an estate and get killed before moving in?!" he yelled.
"I know, I know... I'm sorry, I er..."
"It's fine" he suddenly said.
My eyes widened.
"Wait, you mean...."
"It's fine" he repeated quietly. "I'm tired."
He walked back to the couch and collapsed.
I could finally breathe after holding my breath for years.
But was this a miracle? Ethan Miller wasn't worried about living with someone?
I jumped onto the chair and quickly filled in his bio. The app worked instantly, his roommate should be paired any moment.
Ping.
I leaned closer to the desktop, scrolling through the available profiles.
"Four?" I muttered. "Yeah... exactly."
"I'll call the names out so you know, okay?" I said.
He nodded.
"Nah." I swiped past the first profile.
"Ur...Hello" Ethan waved dramatically.
I chuckled. "An old man."
"Okay, not really... a banker. Fifty-nine-year-old lady." I laughed again and scrolled.
"A bishop. Seventy-eight."
He growled, rising to his feet, clearly done.
"I'll just head to bed. You've already made a mistake, now you better rectify it" he said sternly.
I saluted him dramatically as he walked into the room and shut the door.
Oh... the last one.
"Woah."
My jaw dropped as the profile picture appeared on the screen.
"Ethan!" I yelled.
No response. He was probably already asleep.
Before I could think twice, I clicked accept.
Dr. Aria Carter-26 years old.
"Well" I sighed, closing my laptop.
"Looks like my job is done."
- Writer
