Ask Me (Mess with Me 2)

When she notices Casey, she grins. “Oh, its just you.”

Then she opens the door all the way and I see that she’s wearing a baby carrier. Which is odd because Casey didn’t mention her roommate having a baby. Then I jump back.

“Merda! What the hell is that?”

The baby in her carrier is a gnarled, grizzly-looking thing. Like a cross between a werewolf and a teddy bear.

Ariana looks down. “Oh, that’s just Edward. Come on in.”

I glance back at Casey who just shrugs and follows her roommate inside. I walk in, inching around the crazy girl with the demon wolf baby around her neck. The apartment is small but cozy. Even though it’s my first time here, I can definitely see Casey’s influence. There’s a stack of books on the table next to the couch.

Now that Casey spends so much time at the penthouse, I find books everywhere. In the living room. In the kitchen. I even found a book in the pantry once. I can only guess that she was reading it while getting a snack and accidentally set it down in there.

“Ariana. This is Andre.” Casey’s eyes drop to the baby carrier. “And we’re not even going to ask about that.”

“No. We’re asking about that,” I interrupt.

Ariana hefts the “baby” up higher, adjusting it in the carrier. “This is my metro buddy. Whenever I have the night shift, I carry Edward with me. It keeps people from talking to me or sitting too close on the metro. You’d be surprised how much personal space weirdness buys you.”

Casey sighs. “That shouldn’t make that much sense. But this is one of the least weird things I’ve seen you do since I moved here so … yeah. Good night!”

Ariana waves as she leaves.

Once the door shuts behind her, we both burst into laughter.

“So that’s your roommate.”

Casey grabs me by the hand and leads me down a hallway. “She’s one of the strangest people I’ve ever met but also one of the nicest. And as a bonus, I feel really safe living with her. I’m not sure too many people would willingly tangle with her.”

We enter the room on the left and I look around curiously. The room is plain but feminine with a towering stack of pillows on the bed. There’s another pile of books next to the bed. While I’m putting my bag down I notice Casey slipping one of the books into the nightstand drawer.

“Whoa. What was that?”

She blushes. “Just a dirty book that I don’t want you to see, okay?”

I love that she’s so shy about that kind of thing. You’d think after everything we’ve done together that it wouldn’t even bother her.

“This is where you were sleeping all those nights we were apart. Do you know how many times I imagined you out there in the world somewhere? Wondered if you were safe, loved and if you knew how much our short time together meant to me? And all the while you were here, sharing an apartment with a woman who has a demon babydoll.”

Tears are in her eyes as she hugs me around the waist. “I’m here now. We’re here now. Together. And that’s how it’s going to stay.”

20

* * *

“We need some help with the design boards for the Anderson Project.” Mya ticks off points on the fingers of her left hand on Friday morning while I halfheartedly scribble notes on a yellow legal pad. “Also, we have an internal staff meeting scheduled for this afternoon.”

I nod and cover my yawn with the back of my hand. I’m having trouble keeping my eyes open. Andre had to fly back to Italy unexpectedly because his mother became ill. Even though she wasn’t very nice to me, I don’t blame him for wanting to spend time with her and make sure she’s feeling better. He’s already lost one parent which is a pain that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Which is why I felt even worse turning him down when he asked me to come with him. He said he understood but that was in the middle of packing a bag in a rush.

We’ve been texting every night but it’s not the same. This isn’t the kind of thing I feel comfortable talking about on a transatlantic phone call. But the tension between us and getting used to being back in my own bed has led to four days of sleepless nights.

“I’ll be conducting a follow-up session with Indigo Jewelers in about thirty minutes that I could use your assistance with. Then after that we could go dance naked on 18th Street.”

I nod again before the words sink in. “Wait, what?”

Mya laughs. “You’ve barely heard a word I’ve said. Where is your mind this morning? Or should I even ask?”