Alphahole (Alphahole Roommates 1)

She grabs her handbag, flashes me a smile, slips on her shoes, and slips out.

I sit down at the table and blow out a breath.

He’s got a huge smile on his face.

“What?” I ask.

“Sorry, peaches. Know you’ve had a heavy day, but now that the scary part’s over, this part? It’s fuckin’ funny.”

I roll my eyes.

“Your mother is the shit. She’s great.”

I shake my head. “This is all so embarrassing. I can call you a cab, get you out of here before she comes back, tell her you had to get back, and…”

He waves his hand. “Naw, I’ll head back in the morning. This is fine.”

“I’m so embarrassed. That whole shoe thing and the minivan, and McDonalds, ugh..”

“Shoe thing?”

“Yeah, rich people usually leave their shoes on, because they have a maid cleaning their house. Not so in my parents’ house. If someone left their shoes on, my mother wouldn’t say a word, but she’d carry the insult around for the rest of the time she knew you.”

He laughs. “Glad I took my shoes off.”

I smile.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Carly,” he says, then his expression goes serious. “Unless you want me to go…”

I shake my head. “No. I don’t.” I’ve said that too softly. What did I even mean?

There’s loaded silence. I jump up.

“Want some coffee? A Coke? Bottle of water?”

“Got any beer?” he asks.

“Yeah, my Dad always has beer.” I open the fridge, grab one, and twist the cap off, then pass it to him.

“You doin’ all right?” he asks.

I twist a cap off a bottle of water.

“It was rough seeing my dad in a bed with all those machines, looking small and weak. He’s grouchy. Complaining about having to wear a hospital gown. He seems okay, though. He’s not talkin’ about it, but, he’s worried about my sister.” I shake my head. “Fucking Cait.”

“What’s gonna happen?” He asks, his face sober.

“She’s gonna hopefully dry out in jail. Finally get the help she needs. Hopefully court-mandated rehab or something.” I shrug. “She’s already been disowned by all of us to stop her from using us, stop her from using us to hurt herself. Before I left for San Diego she not only sold my Grams’ jewelry, she racked up $5K on my credit card, too. Tapped me out, screwing me over for my relocation. I cut her off. I had to, so she would have to make a decision to change her life, so she could have us back. And yet look what sort of domino affect her actions had. Now Dad’s in the hospital.”

Aiden gives me a tight smile. “I can relate.”

I roll my eyes. “No offense, but I doubt it.”

He shakes his head. “Not exactly, but my mother’s an alcoholic. She couldn’t be there for Adele the other night because she was too wasted to wake up and go to the hospital.”

My mouth drops open.

“We found out on the weekend that my Dad has prostate cancer. You’d think that’d make her pull up. “