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The Roomate Chapter 20 – Story

Enlarge ImageHELLO!

So I know you have all been wondering a LOT of things so from here on out your questions will be answered.

I hope you enjoy it!

I know I enjoyed writing this chapter. It’s kind of my baby so be nice.

Also there is a bit of cursing in this chapter so be mindful of that.

Thanks again for the comments!

Happy Reading!

Chapter 20

The next few days go by swimmingly. I studied my ass off and eventually caught up to where most of the people in my classes are. I know not a good way to start my first semester of college. My journalism class was brutal especially when Prof. Lacer made Ian and I do a presentation on our trip to Orlando. This presentation was equipped with both mine and Ian?s report and countless pictures of us with authors or us with the back drop of Orlando or us sight seeing. The list goes on. My mind and body cringe as I pretended to be happy about our trip that ended so poorly. After that excruciating presentation I avoided Ian like the plague. You can faintly see the red mark still on his cheek. I guess I slapped him harder than I thought. I?ll just treat it as a reminder of what he did to me. Other than that, the week went smoothly. That is until Friday.

Friday after English I?m sitting on my bed beginning to study for my exams that are coming up. Ash is doing the same thing. She?s been happier then I?ve seen in a while. Well as happy as one can be when studying for finals. I guess it?s the fact that she?s seeing more of her boyfriend. But we all know I?m ten times better. I was planning on getting my dress for the dance Saturday night. I know last minute planning on my part although in my head I?ve practically memorized what I?m going to say that that bastard Jonathan.

After I feel like I can?t fit any more in my head, I tell ash that I?m leaving and she mumbles a goodbye. As I open the door I?m startled by someone standing in the doorway looking confused. Ian is in a nice button down shirt with dark jeans that fit him nicely and a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

“Flowers? Really?” I close the door slightly so I don?t disturb Ash. “That?s not going to make up for what you did. I thought I made it perfectly clear to you that I never wanted to see you again.” I finish crossing my arms.

“Trust me you did.” He says coldly. “I?m not here to see you.” With the same strange face.

“Then why are you here?” annoyance flowing through my system.

“Why are you here?” he asks dodging the question.

“Because I live here?..” I scrunch up my eyebrows in confusion.

“I must have the wrong dorm then.” He leans backwards to see my door number. This guy is ridiculous.

I sigh in frustration. “Yeah you should probably just go.” I push him back further so he?s no longer in the doorway.

I?m about to close the door in face, even though I was trying to leave anyway when Ash yells out “Who?s at the door?”

Without me answering she gets up and opens the door wider. As I step aside so she can see who it is. I might as well finally give her a face to the mystery guy I?ve talked so much about.

I?m about to introduce him when I see Ian?s eyes grow two sizes bigger. I look back and forth between them. Do they already know each other?

As if answering my question Ash yells “Christian! You?re finally here! I missed you so much.” She goes straight up to him and kisses him on the lips.

I look at Ian with wide eyes as I take in what?s happening in front of me. While he kisses her he looks at me trying to see my reaction. Ash backs up and says to me “Lorlei this is Christian. I can?t believe it?s taken this long for you guys to meet.” She says giddily.

“Christian.”I don?t say it as a hello, rather I say it as a fact. Trying to see if the words I?m hearing are the correct ones. His name isn?t Ian???

“This is my boyfriend I?ve been telling you about.” She says hooking her arm around his slightly limp one.

“B-Boyfriend” I repeat Not believing my ears.

“Yeah?.” Ash looks at me weird and Ian won?t look me in the eye. “I told you he was coming tonight right? He?s been so busy tutoring that stupid freshman.” She giggles.”No offense to your grade or anything.”

“Tutoring?” I say to Ian. My voice an octave higher than usual. He hasn?t looked me in the eye for a while.

“Yeah?. Hey, are you okay you look really pale.” Ash comes closer and lays her hand on my forehead to check if I?m hot.

“I?m fine.” I try to convince her and myself. I move backwards from her hand. “I think I ate something bad today.” Ian still can?t take his eyes off the floor “I think I?m gonna head over to the infirmary.” I say quietly pointing to the door. I see my hands are slightly shaking but I didn?t even notice. I drop my hand before Ian can see.

“Are you sure? Christian and I can leave. I hope you don?t have food poisoning again” She says even more concerned.

“I don?t want to ruin your evening.” I try to control the bitter tone on my tongue. Right now is not the best moment to explode.

“Chris you drive her.” Ash says quickly as if it?s the best idea she?s ever come up with.

“What?” We both ask looking at her then each other.

She turns to face Ian with a pouty face, draping a hand on his chest. I wonder how many times she has done that to him. “She doesn?t have a car. Plus this will give me time for me to get ready and you to get to know each other. Chris you have no choice.” She says jokingly but with a strong under tone.

Ian-Or Rather Christian looks from Ash to me and sees that he really doesn?t have a choice.

“Okay let?s go” He mumbles grabbing his keys which are deep in his pocket.

The car ride is silent as we ride through campus. And believe me it wasn?t comfortable silence. I don?t even know what to say. He?s the first one that breaks cold tense air in the car. Not looking me in the eye of course.

“I didn?t know you were her roommate.” He begins as if it was an excuse.

“Would that really have made a difference?” I snap back clenching my hands in balls of anger.

“This is not how I wanted you to find out.”

“Oh really. You could have told me from the beginning. You know the many times I asked you to be honest with me.” He just looks at the road guilty.

There are so many questions flying around in my head. I don?t even know where to begin. I take a deep breath. Let?s just start from the beginning. Maybe he really does have a good excuse.
“Let me get this straight. Ash is your girlfriend.”

“Yeah.” He says slowly with his eyes on the road.

“And you?re name is not Sebastian?” Ian looks at me briefly then slowly shakes his head.

“Why then, we?re you wearing a welcoming committee shirt with the name Sebastian on it the first day?” I question hoping he will finally tell me the truth.

“That was Ash?s shirt. She wanted to stay in her dorm to find her new roommate after she found out the rooms got switched. So I volunteered to take her place.” He says kinda fast while avoiding eye contact.

“Why does Ash have a shirt that says Sebastian on it?” This is not making anything clearer.

“Because that?s her name?..” He says like it?s obvious.

“Ash is short for Sebastian?” I ask in disbelief. How did I not know this?

“Yeah. She claims her parents were on shrooms when they named her. Everyone calls her Ash but the school won?t write nicknames on shirts for clubs.” He laughs, but I don?t join him so he stops.

“Why didn?t you tell me your name was Christian?” I continue.

“Because I assumed you knew. No one calls me by that anyway. Everyone calls me Ian.”

“Except for Ash.” I remind him. I have a sour taste in my mouth now every time I hear her name escape my lips and especially his.

“Except for Ash” He repeats. There?s a little bit of silence as we realize what the situation is.

But I just still don?t get it. “How is it even possible? When I talked to Ash over the phone, her boyfriend was in the background. But you were on the trip with me.” There was no way he could have been able to get home and back that quickly.

“I was sky-ping her from the lobby before I went to get food.” So even when he was with me he was thinking of her.

“What about all those dates we went on?” God so many times I was with him when all along he was dating my roommate.

“We didn?t go on any dates. I made that clear.” He says in an even tone.

This triggers me deep down inside. “Bullshit you made that clear! God I can?t believe you are trying to justify yourself right now!” how dare he! After all this time!

“I?m not-” His voice gets caught in his throat so he just gives up speaking.

This finally gives me enough courage to ask the most important question.

“Ian, why did you kiss me if you had a girlfriend?” I look at him hoping he had a good enough excuse. An excuse that would make me kissing my roommates boyfriend okay. There has to be one right? Or else why would he do it?

He swallows hard and grips the wheel tighter. He suddenly swerves off the road and puts the car in park. He turns the car off and turns his whole body to face me, for the first time looking me straight in the eye. He doesn?t answer me. I search his eyes for why he did it. The kiss/ both the kisses were amazing. How can something so good now be so tainted.

“Why?” I ask again agony curdling in my stomach.

He blinks his eyes then says “I don?t know.”

I didn?t know what he was going to say but it seems like those three words were the worst possible answer.

He didn?t say because I thought it would be funny or because he actually had feelings for me. No those words leave me even more confused than I already was. He looks away and then starts the car but doesn?t drive anywhere.

After a minute of silence he speaks again. “I should get you to the infirmary. Don?t want Ash to think I didn?t get you there.” I cringe when he says her name again. Am I going to do this every time I hear her name? How can I face her again and pretend that I didn?t kiss her boyfriend.

“Yeah don?t want her to think you?re tutoring me or anything.” I say with obvious sarcasm. He grips the wheel tighter again. He?s not even defending himself. How can I get mad at someone who won?t even give me any emotion? “Never mind I rather walk.” I say getting out of the car.

“It?s on the other side of the campus. And it?s dark out.” I can tell he is frustrated but I slam the door.

I start walking on the side of the road as I hear the car move and see out of the corner of my eye Ian coming up next to me driving at the same speed.”I?m fine. Just go. I don?t need anything from you. I can take care of myself.” I say stubbornly folding my arms. One, out of anger and two because it?s a bit chilly.

“Just get in the car Lorelei.” He says sounding annoyed. I stop and go up to his window. He stops the car.

“Never ever call me Lorelei! Only my Mother calls me that.” I almost yell. I?ve never gotten this upset at someone calling me by my full first name. Not even the first time he said it. It just seems like all of my emotions are on fire.

He looks taken aback. “Jesus. I?m sorry. But I don?t have all night. Just let me drive you.” He pleads.

“I?m sorry this is an inconvenience to your night Christian, but in case you haven?t noticed this is an inconvenience to my life.” I seethe.

“You?re overreacting just a bit don?t you think?” he could tell those were the wrong choice of words but it was already too late.

I stop again. “I?m overreacting?” I start walking again as Ian follows. “Are you kidding me? First you know where I grew up without ever explaining. And that?s even when I barely knew you!”

“You told me not to!” He yells back finally fighting back. I hold up my hand so I can finish.

“Then you ambush me with a kiss, while you?re dating someone else,”

“Ambush??” he says in disbelief but I ignore him and continue.

“That certain someone who just so happens to be my roommate. And finally the fact that you?ve been lying to me the whole time. I don?t even know who you are anymore. I don?t think I ever did. So I?m sorry if I?m overreacting but do you see how fucked up that is? You knew what I felt for you! Why would you do this to me?” I demand my voice cracking.

And then I stop moving. Suddenly I remember a previous conversation I had with Ash about her boyfriend when Logan was at our dorm. I look at him and he looks back at me expectantly.

“You?re? You?re Logan?s?brother?” His eyes grow huge and he quickly stops the car and rushes to my side.

I can?t stop staring at his eyes. The ones that I thought would never hurt me. The ones I thought I could trust. I never really trusted anyone after what happened four years ago but I thought I could with him. Now I realize that was only because those eyes reminded me of Logan.

He steps closer but by that time I?m having trouble breathing. My memory, without permission, begins to think back to all the coincidences that suddenly seem obvious. I suddenly recognize his face when I couldn?t place it before.

“You knew who I was. Didn?t you?” I ask backing up again as Ian draws closer looking hurt. “You knew about my name. You knew my dad. You knew where I lived. You were there that day. The day my dad died.” And suddenly the most important part of all. I don?t even know how it didn?t dawn on me before. “I got it all wrong didn?t I?” I pause for a moment and he tries to speak but no words come out.

“For so many years I thought it was my fault!” I yell tears streaming from my eyes.

“Lorelei, please. Don?t” He begs on the verge of tears himself.
“All these years?.All these years I thought it was me.” I say shaking a bit. He tries to hug me.

“No!” I push him away with all y strength. “You don?t get to touch me. EVER.” I stare at him and all I feel is emotions not only disgust but immense sadness. Even though I didn?t want to trust him, I did.

“What was I to you? What were you trying to accomplish here? Some way to ease your guilt?! Well I hope you feel better about yourself because I sure as hell feel like shit Ian. Or whatever the hell your name is. ” He gives me a look that would break my heart if it wasn?t already broken.

“Did you ever have feelings for me?” I ask simply as tears run down my face.

Before Ian can respond to my rant I hear “HEY!” coming from the opposite side of the road.

“Oh dear lord.” I mutter to myself as I wipe my eyes dry. As if this day couldn?t get any worse.

“Lori is he bothering you? Do you want me to drive you somewhere?” Jonathan asks.

“Back off asshole.” Ian yells at Jonathan and stands protectively in front of me.

“Who are you calling asshole, fuckwad? It seems to anyone with eyes that Lori doesn?t want to be around you.” He looks at me.
“Lori you coming or what?” Jonathan asks.

I look between Ian and Jonathan as they look back at me for my answer.

Which is the lesser of two evils?

Fuck it. Why do I have to choose?

I turn around with my back to then run with all the energy I have left through the campus quad away from the road and my problems for the second time in my life.

And go to the one place I feel the most comfortable.

Home.
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So? Did you like it?

I tried really hard on this one.

Props to those of you who guessed who Ian was! I hope I wasn’t too obvious.

Thank you guys sooooo much for all of your support! Any comment is pure encouragement to me.

The next chapter should be out Friday!

 

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