Let's play House

25

I sighed loudly as I turned to face the source of the taunting voice that had been heckling me for some time, and my ignoring it had only encouraged it.

"You need to get a life." I said, bored.

"I do, and it's terrific." Erick, or histoplasmosis as I preferred to refer to him, responded.

I met him by chance at the stairs after my class, and this was shortly after Harriet joined me from her class as well. He greeted me politely, but I ignored him. Instead, I made my way down the seven-story lecture complex. He would not stop teasing me. And instead of coming to my aid, Harriet just smiled as she watched me suffer.

"Well you should do better otherwise you wouldn't be making my life miserable. Only miserable people do such things to others." Harriet's eyes widened with surprise as I said angrily; she probably didn't expect me to have a rude bone in me. I had no idea I had one until I met Erick, he infuriated me despite my obvious verbal and nonverbal communication telling him to take a hike. He chose to disregard them. My Catholic high school and parents taught me that girls and boys cannot be friends. That's what I thought. I only wanted Leo to be the only boy in my life, and I didn't want to jeopardize that by entertaining Erick.

"We'll be having a small gathering at Arboretum; you should bring your friend along." Harriet blushed as he nodded to her direction. Sure, he was movie star attractive, but I preferred Leo's kind of attractiveness. It was silent; not obvious at first, but once you saw it, it would become your favorite.

"My answer, as it has been previously, is no," I said as I walked away from him.

"My answer, as it has been previously, is no," I said as I walked away from him.

He chuckled as if my mere existence amused him.

"If you change your mind, you are still invited."

"Never going to happen," I shouted as he walked in the opposite direction.

"You know Erick?" Harriet asked both surprised and impressed.

"No, I just happen to have sat beside him once," I said and explained further to Harriet about my encounter with him in my first class.

She was laughing so hard by the end of my speech because i had ended up in the wrong class. It was lovely that I had finally made her laugh after such a long time.

"He is in my class and is very sought after."

"By who?" I asked surprised.

"Girls! He is from a super-wealthy family." Harriet said excited.

That did not impress me in any way, and I did not understand wealth as a motivator to like someone. I was glad there was a mutual connection with Leo.

"Then the bar is very low."

"You should get to know him, I don't trust Leo is the guy for you."

"What do you hold against Leo?" I halted and turned to face her.

"He seems phony...unnatural." He muttered slowly, unsure if she had angered me.

I sighed, "Trust my judgement instead."

"Have you considered his proposal to live together?" She asked.

"I have" I was curt.

"And?"

"What is the harm of trying?"

"Playing house is not a simple matter. You will be living together, you could get hurt or pregnant."

"I am not that stupid." The words slipped easily from my untamed tongue and i watched Harriet's face fall as the realization of what i had said hit me.

"I am sorry, It is not what you think, i don't think of you to be stupid for getting pregnant, " I tried to redeem myself, "I meant I wasn't going to fornicate with him." I explained further.

"And he is okay with your decision." She asked instead, ignoring the topic entirely.

"Yes."

She shook her head, as if I was speaking idiocrasy. I ignored her critical gaze and wrapped my arm around her shoulders as we scouted towards the library.

******

As per his word Leo was waiting for me outside. He had told me that would take me around and show me the houses he was considering for our experiment and maybe that would ease me into making a decision.

I hurried down the steps that lead to the water fountain that was in front of the library. He caught me by surprised when he hugged me. I did not expect it but he had been too nice since the incidence with his ex girlfriend. He was doing everything to earn my trust again. I don't know if it would ever be same as before, but i was trying not to think of how it hurt to see him kissing her. It was my first heartbreak. I always assumed a heartbreak came after a relationship, not before, as in my case.

"Are you ready?" He enquired.

I nodded and followed him to his truck. We first stooped at drive in and he bought chicken nuggets, pizza and soda. The first consideration was an apartment that was few kilometers away from campus, on a calm day, i could walk or take the university shuttle since i neither owned a car nor knew how to drive.

It was a one bedroom apartment with an open kitchen plan. It was cozy and my favorite part was its balcony that gave the city view. I could already imagine how i would decorate it, A nice rug at the center, either comfy pouf or a swing chair as i read Collen Hoover. I wasn't big on plants or flowers, nice lights on the railings and a bar cart with my iced drinks would be all i needed.

I smiled imagining that soon i would be leaving those awful hostel rooms. I would miss my roommates, i hoped Leo would be okay with their visits.

"Sold!" I clapped my hands together excited, "Let's take this one."

"You don't want to look around for another one before deciding?"

"No. I love this one." I said.

He smiled pleased and i momentarily got lost in my fantasies of how his lips would taste if i kissed him. When i looked up again he was still looking at me and i blushed at my impure thoughts. Maybe i was wrong and Harriet was right. What if i had no control around him? Was this a good idea?

Chapter 32 is now available at Inkitt.

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