Under This Roof

Chapter 4

17 July 2014 .

"Hello." Claire answers the phone .

"Hey. How are you?"

"I'm fine. And you?"

"Good, good. I honestly want to ask for a favour."

"Yeah. Sure. What is it?" 

"I was just wondering... I think I will need to rent a car. And I thought of asking you if you know a certain place."

"Yes. Of course I do. Wait, when do you want to go?" 

"I do not know. Sometime today in the afternoon."

"Let's go at 4:00pm if that suits you."

"You want to come with me? You really don't have to."

"No, no. It is okay. It would be nice to see you again."

"Amazing, thank you Claire!"

Claire had given me her number yesterday when we met at the shop. She said that if I ever need any help, or am simply bored, that I should just call her. I figured since I will be staying here for a long while, I might as well rent a car. I am used to using my car since I got my driver's license back home.

Claire told she will come pick me up at 4:00pm, in three hours. And I shared my address with her.

I only woke up a couple of hours ago. Harry seems to be gone, again. Not that I am complaining. I feel more comfortable when he is not around, naturally of course.

Holding the doorknob to walk out of my room, I see a paper right next to the door. I figure Harry must have dropped something. I reach out for it.

I had to go I was in a rush and I couldn't find my keys.
So would you please be home at around 3:00pm to open the door for me? Thanks.
- Harry

My eyes widen. Is this some kind of a joke? Harry has only just met me and he is already depending on my presence at home to open the door for him? What if I have something around that time? Is he not ashamed to ask? I cannot cancel all my plans and sit around waiting for him.

I immediately feel repulsed. I seriously do not want any kind of connection with that boy. And I definitely do not want him depending on me in my time here. Was he expecting me to clean after him the first day I came as well?

****

A book on the desk in my room catches my eye. 'The Power of Now'. I decide to calm myself down by checking it out. I make myself some tea and sit down to read.

A while later, I find that it is 3:00pm. So I get up, take a shower and start getting dressed. Somewhere in the middle of this, I remember that Harry was supposed to get home at 3:00pm. But it is 3:20 and he is not here yet. He better be here soon. Because I am definitely not waiting for him. I think of texting him and telling him that I will be gone in half an hour. But I decide against it. He did not have the right to ask me to stick around and he did not even ask me if I could.

At exactly 4:00pm, Claire is here. I take my jacket and purse and get out. We leave together to a nearby place that she knows.

After I choose and pay, I am asked to come a couple of days later to pick it up after they check-up on everything in the car.

We take a cab back to my place first. When the driver parks, I ask Claire if she wants to come in.

"No it's fine." she answers looking past me to my window to the sidewalk.

"Oh Lauren, you have already made someone fall for you?" she says smiling, shaking her head and pointing with her eyes towards the sidewalk.

"What? What are you talking about?" I ask, turning my head to find out what she sees. Harry is sitting on the doorsteps of the house, looking towards the street.

"He's hot." she says. I put aside my feelings for him for the first time and try too look at him objectively, just to see if he is.

"Yeah." I nod, noticing it.

"But no, ugh! That would be my roommate" I continue.

"Your hot roommate." she adds.

"A hot roommate that I do not even want to talk to, ever." I roll my eyes.

"Oh. It is that bad."

"Believe me. It is. Thanks again . I've been thanking you a lot lately, haven't I?"

"You don't have to, really. And if you need anything else, I'm here."

I walk out of the car and towards the door, and I look at him on my way and think that he actually is a very handsome man. But right now, this the last thing I could care about.

He stands up when I approach him.

"Lauren! I asked you to be there to open the door for me." he says in a moderate tone.

How dare he be upset?

"Yes. And I was home at 3:00 pm. It's not my fault you were late!" I almost yell. Completely irritated. I walk past him and start unlocking the door.

"I had a problem and I couldn't make it at 3:00 pm so I came an hour later. I didn't really think you would actually leave and make me wait for you on the doorstep."

"What did you think, then? That I would wait for you all day in the house. Cancel all my plans and sit around waiting to have the honour to open the door for you? What made you assume I had no plans for 3:00pm anyway?" I walk into the house and Harry follows me.

"Of course you had no plans, you have not had real plans since you came here!" He shuts the door, a bit too hard.

The nerve of this boy.

"Harry. First of all, I start work tomorrow. So I will not be having any time to do anything for you. And second of all, even if I did have the time, I am not going to make up for your laziness. You could have searched for your keys instead of getting too lazy."

"I was in a rush!" he shouts .

"I don't care." I enter my room and shut the door.

I take a shower and prepare all I need for work tomorrow, including what to wear on my first day, my agenda and some of my files.

I sit in the living room and pursue reading. It seems that after each encounter with Harry, I will need to dissipate my anger. Reading seems to be successfully doing that. But if my encounters with him are going to be so frequent, I think I will need to come up with new ways.

After what happened today, I hope Harry knows that I have got boundaries and he better not push them.