The Roommate, Kiersten Modglin [best books for 20 year olds .txt] 📗

warmth, but I couldn't push it. If I went too far, she'd back up farther. I had to bide my time.

"Thank you for that," I said, releasing her hand. "I really appreciate it."

"It'll be good for her." She gave a stiff, serious nod. "And it'll give me time to get things done around here, too."

"And I'll do whatever I can on Wednesdays, too. Dishes, laundry, whatever."

"Don't flake out on me, Wes. That's all I'm asking of you. If you say you can be here and then you don't show up or cancel at the last minute, it's going to leave me in a real bind. Mom can't get here that quickly to take her to practice, and I don't like Rory taking Ubers alone."

"I'll be here," I vowed, and I knew then and there, I'd move heaven and earth to make sure that could happen.

"And Wednesdays, you need to be here in time to cook. I could have her cook, I guess, but—"

"I said I'll be here." It was my turn to reach out, touching her arm gently. "I mean it. I'm making a commitment to you. I won't let you down."

It hit me then, just how often I had let her down. How often I'd broken her heart. I could see that in her expression. Just how often I'd been the source of her disappointment. Never again, I vowed silently to her. I wouldn't do it. Couldn't. I'd never again be the reason she hurt.

Even if it killed me.

Chapter Seven

After I left the house—Addy's house, our house, I wasn't sure what to call it anymore—I drove around town, taking back roads I hadn't taken in years as they were never the fastest route to wherever I was going and, for years, I’d always been in a hurry.

Addy had promised to talk to her mom. Our routine was going to start immediately, and I'd be working my way back into her life—and eventually her heart—in no time.

I was in no rush to make it back to the apartment, so I drove the curved roads slowly, turning onto streets I didn't know and making circles around blocks I had no need to be on. How long had it been since I'd driven just for the fun of it?

How long had it been since I'd had the time?

I wasn't sure, but the truth was, I hadn't had the time for anything in such a long time. Not for my marriage, that was for certain. Not for my daughter. Not for my friends. Not for my family. Not even for myself.

How sad was it that now that I had nothing left, I suddenly found the will to give myself the time I needed? I could've done it all along, but nothing had been that important to me.

What did that say about who I was as a person? What did that say about what kind of man, what kind of father, what kind of husband I'd been?

It made me sick to think about all I'd missed out on because of work. Work that would've been just fine to wait another day, another hour, another week even.

Now, I was just a man living alone, with a strange roommate and a distant, growing daughter, and a wife who'd had her heart broken one too many times.

It was maddening what I'd let happen to my life and how hard I'd need to fight now to get back what I'd once taken for granted.

I desperately didn't want to go back to the apartment, not if it meant having another awkward conversation with Elias, but as the sun set and the sky turned dark, I knew I didn't have a choice.

The next day was Wednesday, and I'd be ending it by having dinner with my daughter, plus dealing with whatever fire was surely waiting for me at work, so I needed to get home and rested. I could only hope that Elias had already made it to bed by the time I arrived.

Sure enough, though, when I made it home, I could hear the music through the walls as I climbed the stairs and approached the door. I put the key in the lock and turned it carefully. Elias hadn’t moved from his spot on the couch, controller in hand.

"Oh, you guys are dead," Elias said, paying me no attention as I made my way into the living room. If I were an intruder, he'd never have known I was there. I made my way across the room, hoping to go unnoticed, but just as I got behind him, he called out.

"Hey, there's pizza here if you want some." He gestured to the half-eaten box of meat lover's pizza on the coffee table in front of him. "Help yourself."

"Thanks," I said, planning to turn down the offer, but at that exact moment, my stomach growled and I realized I hadn't actually eaten anything since lunch. I sat down on the couch next to him, reaching for a slice. It was cold, but it settled in my stomach instantly, the nourishment much needed.

"Did you get your errand taken care of?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the screen as his character battled his way through a body-clad field, with bullets flying in every direction. What exactly was he playing?

"Yep. It's all handled." I was suddenly self-conscious, worried he was going to tease me about being too serious.

“Want to play?” he asked, noticing me zoning into the game out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, no, thanks though. What is this game anyway?"

"Only the greatest game in the history of the world. War Demons: Battle of the Great Unknown," he told me, his voice mystical as he waved his free hand in the air like a magician.

There was a dash of pizza sauce on the corner of his mouth that had been drying for quite some time from the looks of it, but I didn't bother pointing it out. "Hm, nice."

"Have you ever played?"

"Nah, I was never that into