Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14818 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 59(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14818 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 59(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
“I need to get that. It might be important.”
At first, I don’t know what she’s talking about, but then, I hear it. The faint ringing behind me.
Running my hand through my hair, I help her down and walk to the fridge. I grab a bottle of orange juice and pour it into a glass. My throat is parched, like I’m some guy who just traveled across the desert for a full day.
I take a long swallow and watch Max at the corner of my eyes.
She swipes the screen and answers the call. “Hey, Mindy. What’s up?”
She throws me an apologetic smile, mouthing, “Sorry.”
I wink at her and point to the bathroom. Max just nods and proceeds to ignore me like we weren’t just about to tear each other’s clothes off seconds ago.
Laughing to myself, I head to the shower. Normally, I take warm showers after work. This time, though, I adjust it to freezing temperature.
God knows how much I need it.
2
MAX
I hastily grab Mika’s half-empty glass and swallow the rest of the juice. My pulse is pounding, a bead of sweat dotting my forehead, and my thighs are sticky.
“Hey, Mindy. What’s up?” I’m surprised my voice doesn’t betray me because God knows I’m still shaking with equal parts lust and disbelief.
“Girl, you didn’t call or text last night.” She sounds like she just arrived home from her morning jog. I can hear her closing something. Door? Fridge?
“I know! I’m sorry. I was so tired I slept like a log when I arrived.” Liar. I stayed awake all night long, occupied by thoughts of Mika—my new ultra-hot roommate—and his perfectly sculpted body. Also his dick. His massive girth kept me wondering if he would fit inside me. If he’d end up rearranging my internal organs if he did.
“Okay. So? How was it? Did Mika behave?”
How indeed. It’s not so much how he behaved but how I did. God, I almost climbed him like a tree. “Fine. You forgot to mention he’s a guy.”
Mindy laughs. “Would it have mattered? He’s almost a decade younger than you and you’re not his type, so I don’t see any issue.”
Well, that hurts. I know she doesn’t mean it that way, but that comment cuts deep. Not totally her fault because I’m extra sensitive nowadays. My emotions are all over the place.
At 35 years old, I’m stuck. I’m at a crossroads, and I don’t know where to go from here. My friends are either getting married or having babies. Meanwhile, I’m about to start a new job in a new city. I’m exactly where I was 12 years ago.
For years, I worked as a freelance artist. I loved it. But the more I saw everyone starting families, the more unsure I was of the path I decided to take. My job meant I could stay at home all day long and didn’t give me any chance to meet new people.
The uncertainty and anxiety eventually affected my work. My creative juices stopped flowing, my artwork looked boring, bland, and ugly, and I lost the confidence to stay in such a competitive industry.
That was what led me here—to a job working as one of the artists in a digital marketing agency. I was about to check into my new place last night when my landlady said they didn’t expect me to arrive a month earlier and my apartment still had tenants. I could have found another place to sleep, maybe a hotel or an Airbnb, but I was broke. I was broke from months of floating career-wise and having no stable income. I had to save as much as I could.
When I called Mindy, she offered Mika’s place.
I saw the name “Mika Melnik” in the lobby beside his apartment number and fully expected a young girl to meet me. Not a massive hunk of a man with a face I’d like to ride until my whole world splits apart.
He was so big he filled the entire door frame. Not even just that. He was the hottest, most ruggedly handsome guy I’d ever seen, with dark brown eyes, long, thick eyelashes any girl would kill for, bushy eyebrows, and black messy hair with droplets of water clinging to every strand.
Now I’m here and already making out with him less than 24 hours after we met. God, is this me trying to make up for those years when I ignored every guy who showed interest in me?
“Mika and you… Well, you’re as compatible with each other as pineapple on pizza.” Mindy laughs again.
It’s not a mean comment, but I’m so desperate to prove myself that I almost blurt out what Mika and I were doing before she interrupted us with her call.
“Yeah. It’s just a few weeks anyway. Thanks, by the way. You’re a lifesaver.”
“You deserve this shot, Max. I know it’s hard to move to another state and start all over again. So I’m really rooting for you. You know that, right?”