Roomie (Matt Sturniolo)

45

"Hey, babe, can I go to Andy's bachelor party tomorrow night?"

You widened your eyes at his as he poured himself a glass of water and sat at the kitchen table.

"Who's Andy?" You asked, sitting in front of him.

"My roommate in college" he shrugged. "Back when I was living at the dorm"

You looked at him funny. "You're friends with him still?"

"No. I ran into him the other day, we caught up and he invited me to his bachelor party" he said, lifting his glass. "What can I say? I'm irresistible"

He wiggled his eyebrows and made you laugh. "You're a grown man. You don't need my permission"

"Are you sure?" He asked. "Bachelor parties always have strippers"

You crossed your arms. "Are you trying to make me jealous?"

"Are you?" He asked, smiling from ear to ear.

"Very" you reached across the table to stroke his head. When you stood up, he pulled your waist in so he could kiss your stomach. It was his phone ringing that broke you apart.

"Your Dad is calling"

"Ignore him"

"Matt!" Your jaw dropped when he muted the call and sat you on his lap. "What if it's an emergency?"

"It's probably just work" he mumbled, pressing his hands on your back. The sound of his phone buzzing was too hard to ignore.

"Just answer the phone"

Matt shook his head. "One of our investors pissed him off and he's blaming me. It's nothing serious"

"Are you sure?"

Matt put his phone on aeroplane mode and put it down on the table. "There" he smiled. "Now..where were we"

~

You couldn't believe it.

This morning when Matt left the house, you reminded him again and again not to forget his key, but now you were locked out of the apartment. You tried calling, but his phone was off. He never had his phone off when he was out, so you guessed the guys asked him to and he didn't have a choice.

Sitting on the floor, you were too busy cursing to yourself to hear the sound of footsteps coming your way. It was only when a man cleared his throat that you looked up and your jaw dropped.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Jimmy asked with concern.

You quickly stood up. "I left my key inside, but it's okay, I called the locksmith"

"Where's Matt?"

"He's at a party and he's not answering his phone"

Jimmy sighed and fixed his suit. "Typical.."

"No" you shook your head fast. "It's a bachelor party, so maybe they made him turn it off. He's responsible"

Jimmy sighed and stayed quiet. You stood still and studied his expression. You were waiting for him to talk and you were second guessing what he was going to say.

"Do you know why he's been ignoring my calls?"

"No, sir.."

Jimmy sighed. "What's the point of having children when they're never there when you need them? How are you and the baby?"

You froze on the spot. You didn't expect him to ask about the baby because he didn't congratulate you when Matt broke the news.

"Yeah, we're good" you faked a smile, not knowing how to feel.

The way he looked down with his hand in his pocket, reminded you of Matt when he got nervous. "Can you tell Matt that I came over?"

"What's wrong?" You asked as he turned to walk away. "If it's so important than you can tell me and I'll help you speak to Matt"

He turned around and met your eyes. Eventually he nodded and rubbed his head.

"I caught my wife cheating"

~

"Can you believe it?" Jimmy asked, rubbing his head, leaning back against the wall. "A man my age, cheated on by his second wife"

You'd been listening to him pour his heart out for the last half hour. Now it was time for you to talk, even though it may not be what he wanted to hear.

"You shouldn't blame yourself. You did the right thing by asking for a divorce. You should never forgive a cheater"

"Can I ask you something personal?"

His question caught you off guard, but you nodded.

"Have you ever thought about what you'd do if my son cheated on you?"

"Not anymore"

"So you have" He replied, nodding. "What would you do then?"

"I would leave him" you said quickly, looking down at your feet. "But..that would probably hurt more than him cheating on me. He's the only love I've ever known. I wouldn't know what to do without him"

Jimmy paused before speaking again. "You really love him, don't you?"

"I do" you answered. "Do you?"

The question took him by surprise. "Of course I do. He's my son. He was the first person I called when I found out about the affair"

"He should always be the first one you call, not only when you're sad or angry or hopeless." Your words  hit Jimmy harder than he was willing to admit, but you neglected his reaction and continued anyway, "call him when you're happy, call him when you're tired, call him when you see something that reminds you of him, or just...call him to say you're proud of him and that you miss him and you love him. You don't know how much it'll mean to Matt"