King Asshole

She worked two jobs so money wasn’t really tight.

Working a bar at night and a diner by day, she happened to love staying busy. The one thing she always hated was boredom, and since she was a kid, she’d always been allergic to sleep and rest. After only three hours’ sleep, she could feel refreshed and ready to face an eighteen-hour shift.

Tapping her pen on the counter, she circled another apartment location and typed the number into her cell phone, taking a sip of the shittiest coffee in the world as she did.

Glancing around the diner, she thought about how she loved coming to this place. It was rarely busy, and it gave her a chance to think. She never ate or relaxed where she worked so she had places to go when she wanted to eat and party.

Minutes later she crossed out another apartment. The woman who wanted to rent out her room had a screaming kid in the background. Dani didn’t mind kids, but she wasn’t ready to settle down in a place with them. It also meant the room wasn’t on a long-term basis. She had no interest in constantly moving around. If her landlord wasn’t such a big horndog, she wouldn’t be moving now.

Changing apartments was one of the things she hated more than anything else. She could gladly do without all the bullshit that it made, having to change her address at work and to redirect mail. Not to mention there had been a couple of times when she’d ended up at her old place because she’d been so tired that she’d forgotten where she was.

So, moving wasn’t exactly on her top ten list of things to do in her life. At twenty-five years old, she’d seen a lot of bad stuff. She’d even spent a short time living on the streets while she got her bearings. When she left her family home at eighteen to be independent and to spread her wings, she’d made a vow to herself that she’d never, ever go back to her parents’ place.

They had wanted her to suit their own personal path, to follow their rules and to not follow her heart. She couldn’t do that.

She had a dream of her own, and she intended to live it and not become someone’s wife that was forced to stay at home and do as they were told. She had her own life that she wanted to lead. She’d been the good little girl, and it had fucking bored her. She wanted more out of life than what they were offering, and she intended to get it, no matter how much she had to fight for it.

Going back wasn’t an option. It would never be an option to her.

Finishing off her coffee, she tapped her pencil against the table and scanned down the last few advertisements. None of the apartments were what she was looking for until she turned the page and saw the very last one.

Reading through the brief description, she wasn’t impressed. The thought of heading back to her place had no appeal though.

Seeing no other reason to deny herself, she typed in the number, placed it against her ear, and waited. The phone kept ringing, and she didn’t hang up. It also didn’t go to voicemail, so she kept on waiting.

Finally, after a few minutes, she got an answer.

“This better be a hot as fuck woman ready to suck my dick.”

“I’m not ready to suck anything. I’m calling you about your room.”

“Ryan, is this you? It’s, like, three in the morning. I want a roommate, but come on, man, I need my beauty sleep.”

“I don’t have a clue who this Ryan is. I’m sorry about calling so early.” She hadn’t even realized the time. “There’s no recommended time slot on your ad. I was wondering if the room is still available.”

“You’re not Ryan.”

“Last time I checked I wasn’t. I don’t even know you.”

“Shit, it is way too early to be using my brain right now.”

She heard him moaning on the other end.

“Is it really three in the morning?”

Looking at the clock on the wall of the diner, she winced. “Do you want me to lie to you?”

“Shit, nah, fine, I’m up. I’m awake.” She heard him moan. “So, what can I do for you?”

“Your room. Is it still available for rent?”

“It certainly is. Are you interested?”

“I wouldn’t be calling if I wasn’t.”

“Look, you’d be surprised about the amount of bullshit I get from this. I’m not interested in someone who is only looking.”

“I have a few questions first.”

“Shoot?”

“Is it a shared bathroom?”

“Yes. It’s a pretty big bathroom.”

“Okay.” That wasn’t a point in the guy’s favor.

“We can work out a schedule or some shit about the damn bathroom. I put the toilet seat down and the cap on my toothpaste if that is such a bad thing.”