BARON
“Baron,tell this girl she can’t rent a room off Craigslist! Please, tell her how dangerous it is!” Sunny’s cousin, Summer, shouts through a mouthful of pastrami and rye, then washes it down with a gulp of seltzer. Her strange words hurt my lovesick mind, too befuddled by the aroma of Sunny’s grapefruit-scented bath gel to piece together the insanity of her statement. Craigslist? Why would she need to rent with strangers? She has an apartment a block down the street. It’s not as nice as she deserves but the neighborhood isn’t too shabby.
Sunny spots my bewildered expression, and her big brown eyes flash to the door, maybe planning her escape from the question she knows I plan to ask. It’s none of my business. I know a woman deserves her privacy, and I want to be secure enough to give it to her, but I can’t let something like that go. New York is full of psychos, and my girl might be in danger if I don’t nip this in the bud. “What’s wrong with your place?” I whisper between bites, hoping she doesn’t feel judged or embarrassed. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her, but I know there’s no way she’ll let me pay for her apartment. She wasn’t raised to accept charity. In twenty minutes, when the bill comes, I guarantee I’ll have to wrench it from her tiny hand.
“I don’t have a place. I had to give it up.” Strangled words emerge through the plastic blades of her deli spork. She chews slowly, biding her time through a large helping of potato salad, and avoids my gaze. Her glassy eyes rip my heart to shreds. Why is she so sad? What the hell happened to her apartment? I need to know. If I don’t know, I can’t fix it. And I know she doesn’t need me to fix every little thing in her life, but Sunny’s the center of my universe. She’s my purpose.
Just because she doesn’t know it doesn’t make it any less true.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Don’t you live up the street?” I continue to pry and hope she trusts me enough to tell me the truth. My gut tells me Sebastian’s behind this, but I don’t want to believe he’d make his own sister unhappy just to get back at me. What the fuck did I do wrong anyway? Fall in love with his sister? He knows I haven’t touched her. I can’t fucking help the way I feel, and none of it is her fault. Why the hell would he take it out on her? That little weasel.
“My scholarship is enough to cover partial housing, but due to the dorm shortage and the cost of living in Soho, it only covers a third. My savings cover another third, and Sebastian promised he’d pick up the rest. He knows NYU is my dream and how much I’m enjoying my program here.” She stops to inhale another scoop of potato salad, sniffling and chewing through salty tears. My stomach churns like a vat of acid, mixing shards of glass freefalling from my shattering heart. I can’t bear to watch her cry. I’ve spent my entire life swallowing my emotions, and now I’m seconds from howling like a wounded wolf.
“Three weeks ago, he changed his mind,” she hiccups through tears. “He says he quit working for you and can’t afford it anymore. Seth can’t help me. His money’s tied up with his new business venture, and I wouldn’t dream of asking anyway. My parents retired last year. This sort of expense would bankrupt them. Seb thinks I should go back to California as soon as possible, and if I can’t find a suitable place to live, I may not have a choice.”
“We’ll find something, sweetie. And as soon as my lease expires, we’ll get our own place. We’ll be roomies!” Summer comforts her with a side hug and a kiss on the cheek. I want a side hug, and right now, I’d even take a kiss on the cheek.
She wipes her tears with a fresh napkin and pastes a fake smile on her beautiful face. “Ugh! Don’t mind me! I’ll be fine. Summer’s letting me crash on her couch until I find a temporary hovel. It doesn’t have to be fancy. I start a new part-time job in two days, and I’m on the waiting list for a dorm room. I just need a reliable roommate who won’t skip out on the rent or murder me in my sleep.”
I’m not sure what comes over me. This wasn’t how I envisioned our first day of interaction. I’ve got five carefully planned accidental meetings before asking her for an official first date, but I need to strike while the iron’s hot. She needs a roommate, and there’s a giant house sitting in Greenwich Village waiting for a bit of sunshine to make it complete. We’ve known each other since she was a kid. I hope she knows she can trust me.
“Sunny, please don’t take this the wrong way because I’d never do anything to disrespect you, but I just bought a five-story, seven-bedroom house in the Village. I’m two blocks from Washington Square Park and NYU. I have the house to myself with only a housekeeper and cook, who work a few hours a day. You’d easily have an entire floor to yourself. Stay with me.” I stare longingly into the deep brown eyes of the only woman I’ve ever loved, and the trembling words clamoring in my heart tumble free.
Loving Sunny comes more naturally than breathing.
A flush of crimson mottles her chest and spreads to her cheeks. Her weepy eyes brighten through fluttering lashes, but I’ve caught her too off guard to expect a thoughtful answer. “Baron! That’s incredibly generous of you, but--”
“She’ll take it.” Summer cuts her off before she can say no.
She shakes her head and nudges her cousin back into her chair. “No, no. I couldn’t possibly intrude. You’ve only just moved. You’ll want your privacy, and I’d feel like I was taking advantage of our friendship.” She takes my hand in hers and gives it a squeeze. “But I love that you offered. It means a lot to me that you care.”
I hold her hand, unable to let go when she tries to pull away and take one more shot. “It’s no intrusion, sunshine. I’d love to have you. Please, think it over and give me your answer over dinner tomorrow. Let’s go somewhere nice. And if you’re worried about what your brother will think, we can keep everything between us.”