The Secrets She Kept

The Secrets She Kept - Chapter 7

The door swung inwards with a groan on badly oiled hinges. In its wake, the overwhelming scent of stale cigarettes, dirt, and grease rushed out to greet me. My nose wrinkled. Clearly the previous tenant had had a love affair with a deep fat fryer and chasing the buzz of nicotine.

Unfortunately, I didn't share their guilty pleasures.

I pressed my lips against the reflex to gag and took a step into the tiny studio apartment with a barely concealed grimace. It's not like I have a choice. 

With the sale of Mum's house now completed, I had been forced to leave home. All proceeds were immediately drained by the extensive backlog of care bills. Not that there had been much left to begin with. After borrowing against the house for a better part of the decade, the house was almost worthless in the end. The only thing of value had been the memories. Those were priceless.

They had all been lovingly packed up into cardboard boxes and hidden away in a storage unit on the other side of town. Hopefully there would come a day when I was ready to look at them again. With Mum's lucid moments becoming fewer by day, facing those happier times was too painful.

I took a reluctant step further into my new home. If I could even call it that.

With only a small window of time to find a new place to live, the options had been limited. It had been the studio flat or the flat share from hell. I didn't even want to think about the latter but unbidden the memories flashed to the forefront.

It was an encounter I would never forget.

Lesley, it had turned out, was not a twenty something woman looking for a flat mate. No, Lesley was a fifty five year old man looking for a bed warmer in more ways than one. With the way his eyes had trailed over me a little too slowly, even in my unflattering knitted jumper, I had no doubt about his intentions.

I shivered in repulsion. The bed sharing fantasy from those romance novels was definitely less attractive in real life.

I'm desperate but not that desperate. 

I could only hope that I would never be that desperate.

Another shiver of disgust rolled down my spine. Dirt, I could deal with. Dirt bags? Not so much.

I swallowed and glanced around the small space. Some TLC and it would be fine. Perfectly fine. Great. It would be home - of sorts.

It would have to be. After all, the dumpy flat was all I could afford.

Like it or lump it, Rosie. 

"Here are your keys. I have three rules.  No pets. No smoking. No drugs." She stated firmly, her brows lifting when she caught my disbelief. "There's a reason this unit is currently available. Rent is due on the first of the month. Don't be late. Trust me, you won't like me when I am upset."

I glanced down at the small woman with a frown. She was petite and pretty. She had floated down the stairs to the basement flat's entrance with an effortless grace. She was the kind of woman that most men would give more than a passing glance. Until she opened her mouth.

There was nothing pretty about the woman behind the façade.

I had met fierce women before - strong women. This one was just mean.

"Understood?" The woman asked firmly, her blonde hair swinging from side to side as she held out a set of keys.

I nodded my head, took the proffered keys, and stepped into the room. My new home.

"Look, I'm a reasonable woman." She said to my back. "Pay your rent on time and don't cause me any trouble and we'll get along just fine."

She didn't wait for my response. Instead, the door closed behind me with a snap.