Winning Her Rival's Heart

Chapter Three: Desperate

"You were late this morning."

"I overslept."

"That's unlike you."

He wasn't smirking or making a joke at her expense, and for that she was relieved. She couldn't deal with their usual verbal sparring today. 

"Yes, I had a bit of a rough night," she explained.

"How did the house hunting go?" he asked.

"Not too well."

He shut off the tap and looked at her properly. Clearly he was waiting for her to elaborate. She was on the verge of asking him whether she could drop by his place and check it out, as he'd suggested, when she imagined the way he'd look at her when he realized she was asking because she had no one else to help her out. He was going to think she was the most pathetic human being alive.

Come on, Gillis. You have to ask. You don't have anywhere else to go. You have to be out of your unit within a week. You can't afford to be proud right now.

"So what will you do now?" he prompted.

Ask him. You have to ask him.

"I...Could...? Were you serious when you said I could swing by and look at your place?"

The seconds ticked by as he looked at her. She knew he must have wanted to ask her if there wasn't anywhere else she could go, but she pre-empted him by saying, "Justin, I'm desperate."

He was quiet for so long she found herself holding her breath. "Yeah, of course I was serious," he said finally. "You could come by tonight."

Reluctance was etched into his features and it was impossible to miss the way he practically had to force the words past his lips. But it didn't change the fact he'd said them. And in that moment she understood. It didn't matter who was asking Justin D'Marco for a place to stay, he would give them one. He was just that kind of guy. He was never going to turn someone away – not even his rival.

She hated the idea that she might be taking advantage of his good nature, but she needed this.  

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

"Don't thank me yet. You might hate the place. And you don't know how much the rent is."

"How much is it?"

He rattled off a figure which was a hefty amount for a half-share, but still less than what she was paying on her own right now. It would also be a lot less than she'd have to pay if she moved into one of the dumps she'd seen on the weekend.

"I can manage that," she told him.

"Great," he said tightly. "I'll email you my address. You can follow me home if you need to."

"Thanks, but I'll probably stay back. You know, to make up for being late this morning."

"Okay, I'll see you sometime this evening then."

She nodded and watched Justin walk out of the kitchen. Undoubtedly, she was the last person Justin wanted to share a house with. They weren't friends. The truce they'd called on Friday was over, and even if they called another one for the next five months – and she had no idea if that was an option for Justin – it wouldn't be easy to live together while they competed with each other.

If she liked the place, however, and Justin agreed to let her move in, she would do her best to be a good housemate. She would endeavour to tidy up after herself. She didn't mind cleaning – when she had the time – and she could cook. She was, in fact, an excellent cook. Maybe she could make it up to him by cooking him meals.