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

a divorce, I needed to find a way to cope, and this wasn't the worst idea I could think of.

She kept her hand locked with mine, her head on my shoulder as I directed Mac toward my office building and then into the empty parking garage. They all cheered when my pass got us through the gates without having to pay, and I felt my adrenaline buzzing.

It was as if I were back in high school, high off the attention that being popular had brought me.

I was a broke kid with parents who were too busy to pay me any attention, but the kids at school didn't seem to notice. I was good-looking and smart—even at an early age—witty and clever, and always athletic. The attention and popularity were the only reasons I made it through school; they'd kept me afloat, giving me reasons to keep returning.

I felt the same way then. Even Mac, as much as he couldn't stand me, seemed to turn his attention to me when he thought I wouldn’t notice. I was used to the jealousy, too. It was why I'd been so happy to reconnect with Elias. Anyone who could remember me from back then—who could see that I was able to find a way to be just as high up and enviable now as I had been back then, even at the lowest point in my life with my impending divorce—only served to inflate my ego.

I hated myself for crying in front of him earlier. How had I let myself be so vulnerable? I couldn't do that anymore.

It was why I leaned into Stephanie's advances even more, using my thumb to caress her hand as it gripped mine.

Once we were parked, I made a move to climb out of the van. "Okay, I'll be right back," I called as I jumped down, but Stephanie was coming out behind me. To my surprise, they were all unbuckling. And, before I realized what was happening, the car doors were shut and all five of them were standing in front of me, waiting for me to lead the way.

Elias nodded encouragingly. "It's fine, Wes. They won't bother anything. Live a little, right?” His words left no room for negotiation and, at that point, I saw little use fighting it.

Even if I’d wanted to, Stephanie batted her eyes at me, her hands squeezed together in front of her chest once more. We were already there. Though I knew it was against the rules, we were already in the parking garage. I couldn't back out then.

"Okay," I said as I exhaled. "But no one can touch anything. We'll go straight to my office, get the CDs, and get out of there."

"Deal."

"Okay."

"Sounds good."

“You’re the boss.”

“Whatever you say.”

The responses echoed through the quiet garage, and I turned, shoving down the sense of dread as I owned the role, feeling their excitement buzzing around me. I could live off of being able to impress others; it was how I'd managed to be promoted from Junior Agent to Agent so quickly. I’d spent my career always striving for the best deals, managing to score venues and artists that were considered impossible to get.

We quickly made our way through the parking garage, in the glass double doors, and inside the building. I shut off the alarm and led them through the open lobby, laden with intern desks, and to my office door. I turned the key and opened the door, letting them inside the usually airy office, though it was now crammed with all six of us inside. I watched Stephanie’s eyes roam the shelves, her face filled with pure joy. She was notably the most enamored by it all, though they all seemed to be excited by my memorabilia, no matter how much Mac tried to hide it.

“This is the coolest collection I’ve ever seen,” she said, nudging Ariel. “Look!” She pointed toward a picture of me backstage at the Opry standing next to a crowd of my clients, recognizable songwriters and a few performers. “I cannot believe you get to call this your job.”

I smiled, pleased that I’d been able to live up to the hype. “I guess it is pretty unbelievable.”

She ran her fingers across a golden frame, her lips pursed. “Elias, I can’t believe you didn’t tell us your roommate was such a badass.”

Elias chuckled. “Well sue me for keeping him to myself for a while.”

“Well, no more of that now that Stephanie’s dug her claws into him,” Ariel said.

I let out a puff of breath, running my hands through my hair. Was that what she’d done? Did they think the two of us were going to be something? A shiver ran over my body. I was still a married man. I still loved my wife. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the urge to get out of the building. What was I thinking bringing them here? Reality smacked me in the face, the stupor of the evening disappearing in one quick wave.

I didn’t even know these people. For all I knew, they were criminals.

I stepped forward, sticking my key into the desk to unlock it and open the bottom drawer. I dug through the CDs, grabbing one of each—twelve in total—and locking it back up. “Here you go,” I told Stephanie. “I’m not sure which ones you want, but I can bring back any of them you don’t want.”

She held her hands out, gripping the CDs close to her chest. “No way. This is amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She grinned gleefully, spinning around in a circle. “You have made my night, Wes.”

“You’re welcome,” I said. “Some of them may be older. Like I said, they’re all left over from promotions, ones that didn’t get claimed.”

She leaned forward, kissing my cheek briefly, and I was incredibly aware of everyone’s eyes on us. “Okay, we should get going,” I said, clearing my throat. My face burned with embarrassment as I wondered if they were going to argue. To