Room Mated: Standalone Reverse Harem Romance

22

Kylie

“I didn’t get the job,” Alyssa said with a sigh. It was Friday evening, and I was sitting on the balcony. The weather had gotten colder, but I had a blanket over my legs.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, holding the phone up to my ear. “The one here in Denver?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I didn’t even make it to the interview round. They just sent an email saying I was no longer considered.”

“That sucks.”

“What sucks?” Mason asked from the other side of the small table. His eyes never left his phone screen.

“Alyssa didn’t get an interview for that engineering firm here in town.”

“Not even an interview? That sucks. But it’s a really hard place to get into,” he said.

“Did you ever apply for it?”

Mason downed half the Sazerac I’d made him at our brand-new bar. “No comment,” he said, his voice raspy after gulping down the whiskey.

“He says it’s a really hard place to get a job at,” I told Alyssa.

“Did he ever apply there?”

“Yes, but he won’t admit it,” I said.

Mason looked up. “Wait, what did you just tell her?”

I rolled my eyes. “Maybe you’d know more about what was going on in Alyssa’s life if you actually talked to her.”

He shrugged. “We’re talking now.”

“This doesn’t count,” I said at the same time Alyssa said it in my ear. Apparently, she’d heard his comment.

“I knew it was a long shot, but I at least thought I’d get to meet with them in person,” she continued. My heart went out to her. She was incredibly stressed out by her schoolwork already, and she had to conduct a job search on top of it.

“Are there any other good prospects on the horizon?”

“I have a phone interview next week.”

“A phone interview’s good.”

“Where?” Mason asked.

I covered the phone, shooting him a look. “It’s in a little town called Talk To Your Sister.”

He rolled his eyes and resumed scrolling on his phone.

Stress was evident in Alyssa's voice as she returned to the subject of the rejection. “I didn’t even get an interview, Kylie. What does that say about my job prospects?”

“It says it wasn’t the right place for you.”

“No, it says I wasn’t the right person for it.”

“Same difference,” I said, though I knew it was easy for me to say that. “You wouldn’t want to work in a place that’s a bad fit.”

“I also don’t want to end up jobless after I graduate.”

“You won’t,” I said. I truly believed it, but she didn’t seem to. “You’ve still got time. It’s not even October yet.”

“Yeah, but I’m graduating out of cycle. There are a lot more entry level engineering openings in the spring.” She paused, and I wondered if she was holding back tears. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound so pessimistic. I just—I didn’t think it’d be this hard.”

“You sound like you need a break,” I said. “Luckily, it’s the weekend.”

“TGIF,” she said with zero enthusiasm. “That just means studying all day instead of studying most of the day.”

“What if it didn’t, though?”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“What if you took a real break? Like away from school and work and stress. Think about it—it might recharge your batteries.”

Mason looked up from his phone. “What’s got batteries?”

I ignored him. “You need a break, Alyssa. Otherwise, your head will explode.”

She sighed. “Yeah, probably. But what would I do, go on a 2-day cruise? There’s just no way to get away from all the stress.”

“Yes, there is,” I said, a huge grin on my face as I thought it through. “Have you ever met a Hollywood actress?”

“Welcome,” Sierra said, as Alyssa and I entered her suite. It was large and spacious, but for once, I ignored the view of the mountains.

“This is amazing.” I dropped my bags and gave her a hug.

I felt the actress’ smile against my shoulder as she hugged me back. “I don’t usually rent a suite on the top floor, but for some reason, they pulled out all the stops this time.”

“Too bad Ronnie couldn’t come.”

“Yes, but I had lunch with her last week. She’s doing well.”

I squeezed Sierra once more before letting go. I hadn’t known her for long—less than a year, actually—but she was a friend and a familiar face. So much had happened since the beginning of the semester, I was dying to talk to someone about it.

“This is Alyssa,” I said.

Alyssa looked awed by the room, or perhaps it was the presence of a movie star that’d done it. After I told her who we’d be staying with, she’d watched one of the movies Sierra had made as a child—one I’d always enjoyed. “Thank you for inviting me,” she said, slightly awkwardly. She and Sierra were probably only a year apart in age, but Sierra had the polish of an actress while Alyssa was tall and thin and looked a bit like a young colt that’d bolt at any moment.