Rules for Being My Roommate

***As ever, any character who engages in any sexual activity is a legal adult, older than 18***

My phone buzzed to tell me that Neil was downstairs. I opened the front door to find a notice from the apartment manager taped to the outside. Great. I ran downstairs without reading it and jumped into Neil's front seat.

"Hello Gorgeous!"

"Hi Handsome. How was work today?"

"Had a very interesting conversation with a customer and I learned something pretty cool."

"Well, I'd love to hear it."

"You remember that book I bought on the cruise in that outdoor market?"

"Sweetheart, you have told me about A LOT of your books."

He laughed hard, "Fair. The one you said looks like Charlie Brown."

"Ok, yes. I remember your Charlie Brown book."

"Well, this guy came into the store and he's a Tolkien collector. I told him about my book. Turns out, it's a collector's item. He's seen good copies of O GNOMO at auction sell for about sixteen hundred dollars."

"A lot more than you paid for it."

"Yeah it is."

"Planning to sell it now?"

"Not a chance! This is just another thing that makes that book special."

"Then I am glad to hear your treasure is even more valuable than you realized."

"That book was the first thing I bought with you. I wouldn't trade it for sixteen million dollars."

I was grinning and blushing uncontrollably, "Sweet Talker."

He let that sit for a moment, but then he glanced down at the folded paper in my lap, "What is that?"

Oh. Right. I read the notice and my heart sank.

Ms. Burton,

We have been made aware that you have had a visitor staying overnight in your apartment for more than thirty days. Per your lease agreement, if there are multiple people living in your unit, you will be charged an additional 10% of your monthly rent, as well as the fee for parking a second vehicle on our property. If this visitor is not an additional tenant, please have him vacate our property. If he is an additional tenant, please visit the front office so he may be added to the lease and your rate will be updated appropriately. Failure to comply with this notice will result in our management beginning the eviction process. Thank you for your cooperation.

Below that was listed the new amount I was expected to pay each month and the dates I was expected to update my account, along with Neil's license plate number and vehicle information in case I thought about disputing it. Were they within their legal rights to enforce this? Yes, they were. Were they being complete jerks about it? Also YES!!

I sat the paper down and stared out the passenger side window until Neil asked, "What's it say?"

"Oh. They just want me to come by the office and sign something. I'll take care of it tomorrow." Neil and I had promised not to lie to one another and doing so made me instantly sick to my stomach. I wasn't prepared to explain this to him in that moment, but the notice had actually upset me quite a lot.

I made a decision a long time ago that I was never going to be tied to someone financially. I've known a lot of women who met some guy and moved in with him, then when things went south, she felt she was stuck, trapped. I didn't want that to EVER happen to me. I had seriously HUSTLED in my twenties, took every job I could find, worked really hard to build my business. It was a lot, but I'd been on my own, self-sufficient. It was important to me.

Things had changed a little with Neil. He paid for groceries and when we ate out, but I handled all of the rent and bills. It worked out nicely and I had already started to set some money aside... but this rent increase was gonna hurt. It'd make it tight for me on my own.

And obviously, I could ask Neil for help, but I didn't want to do that. It wasn't that I expected him to leave me necessarily, but it was still important to me that I could handle things financially if I ever needed to.

I stared out the window. I wasn't sure what I'd do, but I could figure it out later. Tonight was family dinner at my brother Bobby's place. The car pulled up, we got out and two kids were running toward us before we were even up the driveway. Brayden came to me first but Lana ran straight toward her big brother, "Neil!" They hugged one another fiercely. "We missed you!"

"Yeah" Brayden agreed, "It's weird not having you at home."

"Well, I'm happy to see you now. What have you been up to? I want to hear everything." As I watched him listening to his younger siblings, whipping his head back and forth in attempt to catch everything they said while they excitedly talked over each other, I realized there couldn't be any better proof that he'd grown up. He was like me, an adult the kids got to see only on occasion. It was touching and I felt happy knowing he'd get to experience the same things I did; his sibs eager to see him and tell him everything that was new for them.

We all made our way into the backyard. Bobby used his tongs to salute us from behind his fancy grill. The other kids came by to greet me between jumping in and out of the swimming pool. Pam gave me a hug, then hurried into the kitchen. Susan waved from her lounge chair. I was in the midst of the bustling chaos of our family.

And then I saw Sherri through the kitchen window. She made eye contact with me then immediately looked away, scowling. I let out a sigh.

I sat down and got updates from each of my nieces and nephews in turn and then dinner was served. Bobby didn't make quite as much as he did when he first got the new grill, but there was still plenty of food. After a while, and between bites, he asked, "So Neil, how's the job going?"

"Great. I really love it there."

"Good for you."

I chimed in on his behalf, "I've been to Neil's store. He knows his stuff and he's great with customers." Neil grinned and looked at me through the corner of his eye. Sherri gave a derisive scoff but didn't say anything.

Bobby asked, "And what's new with my baby sister?"

I shrugged, "Meh. Same old, same old."

It was Neil's turn to speak for me, "Stella did this job recently for this big company out of state, built up this whole launch website from the ground up. The guy she was working for was so impressed he offered her a full time job with his company."

Susan tried to mutter, less subtle than she might have thought she was, "That'd be a change." She'd never believed I could actually support myself, even though I've been doing it for a decade and a half.

I said, "It was fine."

"Fine? Are you kidding? That guy was thrilled with your work!"

Bobby burst out laughing, "The way you two talk for each other, you sound like a married couple."

The table went silent as Bobby's laughter trailed off. Neil and I both stared down at our plates. I could see Sherri staring at us, mouth open as stray thoughts began to come together in her mind. The energy she gave off was enough to keep everyone quiet. Bobby looked at the two of us. Guilty and caught. Understanding dawned on him. "Oh."

Sherri's eyes were daggers aimed at me. Her words came out in a furious hiss, "Are YOU sleeping with my son?"

I looked up to meet her glare, "I'm not discussing this in front of the kids."

"FUCK. YOU. STELLA!"

"Hey!" Neil had steel in his voice, "You are not going to talk to her like that."

"I'm gonna talk to her however I want to."

"That's how it always is with you, isn't it?" The table was filled with silence. No one had EVER heard Neil speak this way before. "You say whatever you want to anyone and you don't care what impact it has, or who you hurt with the things you say."

"How could you do this to me!?"

"That's what I mean, Mom. Everything's TO YOU or ABOUT YOU. Impossible as this might be for you to believe, this isn't about you at all. I choose to spend time with someone who I care about, and who I know cares about me. For us, that's all that matters. And just because someone does something you don't agree with does NOT mean it's some personal attack on you."

Sherri put her head in both of her hands, "I can't believe this. I CANNOT fucking believe you two."

"Look, Sherri... I never... meant to..." Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was about to say, I kinda hoped that the words would be there once I started talking.

Bobby very loudly cleared his throat, cutting me off, "You had probably better go." He had his head lowered, but he was looking at me with raised eyebrows.

Pam was staring down at her plate, avoiding any eye contact. Susan had her head turned to the side, but I could still see the judgmental expression on her condescending face. There was not a friendly face at that entire table. Surrounded by my whole family, I suddenly felt completely alone... except for Neil. He stood, calm and dignified, held onto my hand so I'd come with him. "Thanks for dinner, Uncle Bobby. Aunt Pam."

We walked through the yard toward the gate. A few of the kids were brave enough to let out a weak, "Bye." I didn't have it in me to acknowledge them. I was shell-shocked, shuffling to the car like a zombie. Neil opened the passenger door and let me inside. I stared out the front window as he got in, started the car and reached over to hold my hand. As he drove off, I burst into tears.

It had been a long, long time since I've cried like I did that night. I was shattered. He never let go of my hand while he drove us home. Once the car was parked, he wrapped his arms around me. I practically collapsed into his chest, balling my eyes out onto his shirt while he held me.

There were no words to be said. Eventually, when I didn't enough in me to sob, I felt him kissing the top of my head. "Let's go inside, Sweetheart."

He stepped out of the car, opened my door for me again and held out his hand for me. I held onto his arms tightly when we went upstairs.

I sat down on the couch. Neil went straight to the kitchen and returned with a large cup of ice water. He didn't quite shove it into my hand, but he was insistent I replace the fluid I'd leaked out of my face. Then, he held me again. A long time went by. My mind was drifting about aimlessly... until I realized Neil's head was falling and suddenly whipped back up then slowly fell again. The poor dear was absolutely exhausted.

"Hey," I whispered, "Let's go to bed."

I could see the struggle for him to keep his eyelids open, "Are... you... OK?"

"Yes, Love. Let's go."

We made our way to the bedroom. Neil was out as soon as he hit the pillow. I ran my hand gently along his bare chest and snuggled as close to his body as I could.

*****

I must have slept some that night, though I don't know how much. I remember Neil's alarm going off. I laid still while he showered and got ready for the day. I remember the kiss on my forehead when he went to work. Honestly, after that, the day went by in a bit of a haze. I didn't really do anything. I just kept... thinking.

I had... effectively at least... lost my whole family. That was a hard thing to reconcile. It wasn't like we'd never had arguments and such before. Obviously, my family can be petty and we certainly don't always get along. Maybe not even most of the time. There is no one in the world who could drive me crazy like them... but I knew this time was different.

Sherri didn't approve of most of the things I did, and she probably wouldn't ever choose to spend time with me if we weren't related, but that had never changed our family dynamic. I never felt like anyone was ganging up on me or like I was a target. If Sherri's mad, I just talk to someone else. But last night... I was a complete outcast.

The way they had all looked at me, or avoided looking at me... I was crushed by that feeling, and more than that, I simply didn't know what to do with it. I wasn't prepared to process this level of loneliness and rejection I was feeling. It seemed there was a very real chance that every one of them hated me.

I was surprised when Neil came home. I hadn't registered that more than nine hours had passed. As soon as he looked at me, he announced, "Get up and get dressed. We're going out."

I didn't say anything as I complied. When I went out into the living room, he was standing beside the door, holding a large travel cup filled with tea. I took it and shuffled along with him out to the car.

He drove to a burger place he knew I loved. He gestured for me to sit down at the outdoor table, complete with the attached bench and lattice work of hard plastic covered metal. He went to the counter and returned to the table with a tray holding two double cheeseburgers, a plate of parmesean garlic fries, and one of sweet potato fries.

I hadn't eaten that day, and honestly I hadn't even noticed until now. Suddenly, with the tray of greasy food in front of me, the smells filling my nose... I was STARVING. He told me to pick which fries I wanted. I took the sweet potato fries and devoured them like a ravenous animal. He chuckled, seeing the way I tore into them. "Would you like some more?"

I smiled a little sheepishly, "Yes please, and some onion rings."

"You got it, Gorgeous." He stood up and kissed me on the cheek before he went back to the counter. I worked on the burger while I waited for him. It's amazing sometimes how therapeutic food can be. In this case, it was like parts of my mind waking up now that they had some fuel. I'd been focusing all day on the way I felt, but I honestly hadn't given much thought to how hard last night must have been on him. He'd kept it all inside for my sake. He'd been strong because he knew I needed him to be. I really did have quite a guy.

I ate at a much more human pace once he returned and sat down. "THIS is the way onion rings are supposed to be!"

"Tell me more."

"Ok. So most onion rings have that panko breading that's all crumbly. Those are fine. Good. Not amazing."

He nodded with a mouthful, "Sure."

"And some placed have that orange coating on them. You know what I'm talking about?" Another nod. "Those ones are GROSS! Seriously, how do you make onion rings taste bad? You've got unlimited potential for deliciousness and you screwed it up."

He shook his head, "You done messed up."

"Exactly. But THESE..." I held up one of the brown circles of deep fried heaven, "These are perfect. Thick beer batter that you crunch into with every bite. The onion's not too big of a chunk. Wonderful. Ten out of ten."

"I'm glad we came here then."

"Me too. Did you ever have your grandma's sweet potato fries?"

"No. I don't think so."

"Well, she really leaned into the SWEET part of the name. She sprinkled them with brown sugar and cinnamon and she baked them instead of frying so they never got crispy."

He scrunched his face, trying to picture it, "That sounds like... a choice."

"Blech." I shook my shoulders at the memory, "Hey... ummm... Thank you, Neil."

"For what, Love?"

"For taking such good care of me."

"Of course."

"I'm sorry that I... fell apart on you last night."

"Hey..." he paused to be sure I was looking him in the eyes. "We're partners, you and me. We're there for each other."

Partners... What a wonderful word that was, "How are you feeling about last night?"

He shrugged, "Not great, but nothing to do about it."

"I was... ah... thinking about how good you sounded last night. How well spoken you were I mean. You didn't stutter or apologize, but you also didn't yell or scream. I was... really impressed by you."

"Well... Thank you."

"It was... really nice to have someone speak up for me, being on my side."

"I'll always be on your side, Stella."

"I... I believe you, Neil."

We looked for a little while into each other's eyes, then finished our greasy meal. Now that the sentimental stuff was said and out of the way, I had another thought worth sharing, "You know the way you were telling me what to do earlier. I... wouldn't mind it if you ever decided to give me some orders when we're in the bedroom."

His eyes narrowed, "Really?"

I nodded and showed off a coy smile.

His head slowly bobbed as he processed that, "Good. To. Know."

When I stood up, I pretty much instantly regretted eating so much fried food. I groaned and grabbed my tummy with both hands. "That was a mistake. A delicious mistake, but still... That was a lot."

"Aww. I'm sorry, Hon. Do you want to go for a walk?"

"I'd love that."

There was a park with walking trails not far away and we figured there was still enough daylight to be out for a little while. We were a short ways in when Neil surprised me, "So I assume you're gonna take the job."

"What?"

"The job that guy Frank offered you. You're going to take it, right?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, as far as I could tell, the only thing keeping you here was being close to the family... and after last night... I don't really think that's a factor anymore.

"Oh." I hadn't even been thinking of work after last night. I realized almost immediately that what he was saying made sense. My mind was slowly catching up, "What about your job at the bookstore?"

"Odyssey Books has a location about twenty minutes away from where you'll be working in Riverside. I've already arranged it with their manager."

"You did what now?"

"I emailed him the day after you got your offer. Well, after Mikayla left. Apparently, I have a reputation in my company. It seems the first week I got hired, this customer... I think her name was Stella... She wrote this glowing review about what great service I'd given her, how helpful and kind I was. That review apparently caught the attention of someone at corporate, and I guess it got sent around to other stores, because this manager recognized my name immediately. He said whenever I was ready to transfer, he'd push it through."

I was stunned. "Why didn't you say anything?"

He grinned, "I had a feeling there'd be a perfect time to tell you. I also... wanted to be sure it was your decision. I didn't want you to feel pressured to take the job for my sake."

I stopped on the trail and looked up into those eyes, those wonderful eyes in that handsome face. "Neil... I love you. You are really incredible sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

"No... No, I always think you're wonderful. I really hope you know that."

His hand wrapped lovingly around my waist, "I love you too." He pulled me in for a sweet and romantic kiss.

We were interrupted by the stomping of a runner's feet on the ground. He wore headphones and he didn't acknowledge us as he passed, but he was clearly annoyed at having to leave the path because we were in his way. We laughed quietly and decided to head back to the car. As we walked, I remembered the notice about the rent increase. Moving would absolutely solve that problem. We'd be significantly more comfortable there. And... Neil was right. My bridge to my family had been burned, and I had the opportunity to start new and fresh with a man who loved me and supported me. The depression that had covered my mind in a haze all day long seemed in that moment quite far away.

*****

Neil drove into our apartment complex, but he didn't park. Instead, he pulled up beside the walkway closest to our elevator. "Here's what's gonna happen. You are going to do exactly what I tell you. Got that?"

My eyes went wide and I gave a meek nod.

"You're going to go upstairs and take some alka seltzer or tums to help settle your stomach. You're going to drink a full glass of ice water and take all of your clothes off. You're going to lay down naked on our bed and you're going to wait for me."

I nodded, enraptured by the authority in his voice, "Yes Sir."

"Any questions?"

"No Sir."

"Good. Go."

I got out of the car and whispered, "Whoa." That was... really really hot. I hurried, but did exactly as he said. The stomach meds were a very thoughtful suggestion. I chugged the cold water and rightly scrambled out of my clothes.