Roomie Wars Box Set

By five o’clock, I’m still an hour out of the city. I text Zoey saying I’ll be late, and that I will meet her at the amusement park. I still think it’s an odd choice for a birthday party given she’s turning thirty, not thirteen.

The traffic moves at a snail’s pace, cutting short the time I need to make a pit stop to pick up Zoey’s present. I’ve put a lot of thought into her gift, yet the more I think about it, the more uncertain I become. What if she doesn’t like it?

The second I lay eyes on it, I smile. It’s her, all her.

Thanking the shop assistant, I grab the paper bag and rush back to the car. The traffic has eased, making the trip short.

I turn into the parking lot and make my way to the entrance. The amusement park is busy, families and kids scurrying around trying to line up on all the popular rides. The screams from the rollercoaster can be heard combined with music coming from the merry-go-round. Everywhere I look, there are booths. Some with games, some selling food. All junk food.

Gigi is the first person I see walking away from one of the booths, busily eating some cotton candy. Dressed in her usual attire, she’s wearing a long, purple dress and draped in different colored beads.

“Drew,” she calls, walking over to where I stand.

I give her a quick hug, scowling at her choice of food. “You’re really getting into that, Gigi.”

“To be a kid again,” she beams. “I’ve also eaten a corndog and candy apple. Very naughty, I know.”

I laugh, placing my arm around her in a friendly gesture. “You only live once, right?”

“Maybe twice. Reincarnation is making a comeback,” she notes with dark amusement. “How was your trip to your dad’s?”

“Good,” I say. Then I add, “Great. Nice to spend time with him.”

She links her arm into mine, guiding me toward the bumper cars. There’s a very long line, many whiny kids impatiently crying as they await their turn. Their frustrated parents are on the verge of nervous breakdowns.

“And did you think about your relationship with Zoey?”

Gigi knows me too well. She’s been there for me more times than I can count. Zoey’s a great friend, but sometimes I need wisdom. An old soul to vent my frustrations to, especially with all the emotional baggage that comes along with working at the hospital.

I contemplate telling her how I feel, but we’re interrupted as hands cover my eyes.

“Guess who?”

I can smell the tips of her fingers. They smell like pineapple.

A smile spreads across my face. I place my hands over hers, and as our skin touches, it electrifies every inch of my body. This wonderful, electrifying jolt which takes my senses to a place it’s never been, yet at the same time, calms my anxious nerves.

The breath I’m holding in gently releases. Removing her hands off my eyes, I turn around slowly until her eyes meet mine.

And there she is, standing before me, her beauty killing my soul.

There’s this light shining all around her, radiant and sweeping me up as I stare, unable to turn away.

I’m seeing Zoey.

Not my roomie.

Not only my best friend.

But Zoey.

This beautiful woman.

Despite her braids and what appears to be a new Rainbow Brite shirt, this beautiful woman is staring back at me. Her cheekbones are covered with a tint of pink, and her lips appear luscious and soft. My focus on her lips shifts, the effortless grin on her face causing this unknown feeling inside my stomach. Like a million bees let loose, or what Zoey often refers to as butterflies.

So this is it, this oddly nauseating feeling mixed with excitement.

“Glad you could make it, roomie.” Zoey punches my arm softly, grinning from ear to ear.