Dave
I give my sweetest grin.
Lyssa narrows her eyes at me. "I said for a
hundredth times. The answer is no."
"Okay, I'll ask you again later."
"Don't bother. The answer will be the same. It's a no, Mr. Walker."
"Then I'll ask until you say yes," I say and leave her room. I faintly hear her say 'arrogant stubborn applicant!'
I should've been more discreet when I took the letter from the notification wall. But it wasn't my fault. After George and his marketing friends went to lunch, Lyssa and Bailey went too. I was still trying to reel back my temper. The image of male applicant for Lyssa's flatmate came to my mind and I felt burnt in my chest. I just wanted to go back to my office when few people from finance came and saw Lyssa's letter. And they said they wanted to apply. 3 guys from finance + 2 guys from marketing. Fuck me. After they went away. I took the paper and ripped it to pieces. B, my security, was there and for sure he put my name down on the list.
I didn't know I had a lot of competitors. And I'll be damn if I let Lyssa picked them as her flatmate. Might as well fired that guy from the office.
I am the best candidate!
***
Dear Ms. Wheeler,
Why haven't you accepted my proposal to be your flatmate? For sure no one in the office wants to be your flatmate (once again, it wasn't me who took your notes).
I'm waiting for your formal acceptance , or else I'm just accepting myself and moving in. May I remind you that I'm the best candidate you have? And it's not safe for a woman to live alone. So don't be stubborn and ACCEPT it that I'm the only one who wants to be your flatmate.
Your humble flatmate candidate / your bossman,
Dave Walker.
CEO of Walker Production.
I sent this email for the seventh time. One each day since she put the goddamn letter at the notification wall, but she deliberately ignored my email. I refresh my intranet email again, still no answer from Lyssa. Stubborn woman!
I call Allison.
"Hello Dave," comes Allison's soft voice.
"Hey Al, I—"
"Why are you calling my fiancé?" Someone cuts me, and I know that is my stupid friend, Zac.
"I'm calling her because I need her help, Zac," I say trying to be patient with my crazy in love friend.
"She is currently unavailable. Good day Walker," he says, and I know he is ready to end the phone.
"God Zac! Wait!" I say.
"What?"
Jesus. My friend really doesn't want to share his fiancé with anyone. Not that I want his fiancé. But I need a few minutes with his fiancé. "Look Zac, I need help from Alli. And I won't waste your time if you could put Alli on the phone right now," I say.
"You are on speaker," Zac says.
Finally!
And I could hear Allison giggles in the background.
"Hey Alli.. I um.. may I borrow your apartment's key?"
"What?" The both say in unison. And I realize my mistake. Her apartment now is the one she shared with Zac. "No no. I mean Lyssa's apartment."
"Oh.. whatever for?" She asks.
"I.. um.." Can I say I invite myself in?
Zac chuckles "you failed making her say yes to you, eh?"
Fuck you Goldreich!
"Stupid" he faking his cough. I swear to God if I don't need his fiancé's help I would snap him right away.
Allison giggles. "Actually Dave, Lys is looking for a female flatmate. So.. um.."
"But the one who wants to be her flatmate has another agenda with her," I say.
"What do you mean?" Alli asks.
"Carole is lesbian. She wants your sister," I say truthfully. I eavesdropped when she talked with her friend at the cafeteria office.
"Oh.. um there must be other candidates, right?" Allison asks.
Maybe but I already closed that from everyone, not too subtle I might add. I said it to Cody that I will be Lyssa's flatmate and I know some of my employees put their ears on.
"Look, Alli.. the others are men! And everyone has an agenda on her."
"Does that mean you don't have any agenda?" Allison asks. I know she is smart and sharp but she is more and more like my annoying best friend slash her fiancé now. Not that I think Allison is annoying. She is one of the greatest women I've ever met.
"I.. um.."
She giggles "actually it's so sweet of you, Dave. You can have the key. But promise me you won't deliberately hurt her, do we have a deal here?" There is a stealthy voice inside her sweet tone.
"Deal," I say fast.
***
Alyssa
I just got out of the elevator when my phone ping. I look at it and.. ugh! My ex boyfriend. Maybe I should change my number. Grr.
I don't miss you stupid! Just go to hell!!!
I take my key and open my apartment. Huh? How come the lamp is turned on. "Alli?"
Someone opens Alli's room and emerges out. But it wasn't my sister. "Dave?!"
"Welcome home, flatmate," he winks at me.
I was shocked, startled, jumped out my skin, you named it. How can Dave Walker be here? And more importantly how did he come out from Allison's room? And most importantly why is he only wearing sweatpants, I can see his bare chest and isn't that pants hanging a little bit too low?
I don't know how long I stared at him with my jaw dropped open. Because the next thing I know is Dave's finger at my chin and push my jaw closed.
I put myself back together. I take a step back and push his hand. "What are you doing here, Walker?" I ask him, furious.
"What are you doing here, Wheeler?" he asks back.
"Coming to my home, obviously," I say.
"So do I," he says with his grin.
"Excuse me?"
He jiggles his key. I try to take it from him but he pulls it up. I have a fantasy to jump up high to take it. But I know I'm no Michael Jordan. If I jump, it will just make me look like an ant trying to fight something from an elephant.
"Give me!" I give my hand. But instead of giving me the key, he takes my hand and kisses it. I gasp.
"Told you, honey. If you're not accepting my application, I accepted it by myself," he says smugly.
***
"Are you crazy, Alli?" I shout in a whisper on my phone. How to shout in a whisper? I don't know but I did that.
She giggles "no, I'm not. Maybe sometimes you just need someone to push you to see the good things in front of your eyes, sweetie," she says sweetly.
"What do you mean, Al? This is my bossman!" I complain.
"What do I mean? Remember when I called you for help because I had a problem with my tire, what did you do?"
"I don't remember," I lie shamelessly. Is this her revenge?
She chuckles. "You do remember! You called Zac to help me. I know you did that on purpose, Lys. Don't tell me you're not."
Ugh.. my sister is too sharp for my lies.
"At first I was mad at you, but now I couldn't thank you enough. If it wasn't because of you, Zac and I might not be together right now," she says softly.
"No Al.. it's not me. You and Zac are meant to be." I smile softly.
"Great!" Her voice changes to energetic. "So good luck with the bossman. Try not too stubborn for your own good, lil sis! Maybe you and Dave are meant to be too. Who knows?"
"What?" I squeak. She trapped me!
"Bye, Zac is home. I already prepared a nice hot tub for him," she giggles and ends the phone without waiting for my answer. What with the quote family comes first!?!
***
At this rate, there is a big possibility that I'll have slanted eyes in a week. I keep narrowing my eyes at Dave. We're eating on the table, salmon and champagne. Apparently according to Dave, he needs to celebrate this day.
He keeps making a satisfied sound for his salmon and champagne, while I keep narrowing my eyes on him. Meant to be my ass, Al! It's far from that.
I put down my cutlery "Dave!"
"Yes Lyssa! You want my broccoli? You can have it. I don't like greens," he says while giving me his sexy grin. Shit! Focus Lys!
"What are you doing, Dave? Stop the bullshit!" I barely can rein my temper.
He puts the cutlery down and wipes his mouth with the napkin. He looks at me deeply and says, "I told you I want to be your flatmate."
"I know, but why?"
"Look, you need someone to share this apartment with.."
"Yeah but I can find it elsewhere."
"And why do you have to do that? I'm available. I can pay the rent on time. We can carpool to the office, I'm sure I'm more than willing to split everything with you, sometimes I can pay for dinner, like today. Why not me then?"
"You have your own apartment."
"I'm renovating it."
I raise an eyebrow.
He shrugs, "ask your sister if you don't believe me. She is my interior designer."
"I can't believe this," I mumble.
"Look, Lyssa. Why are you so adamant to have me as your flatmate?"
"Because you are my boss. It feels so weird to share a unit with you. And, I'm planning to find a female flatmate."
"Funny how you write it on your letter," he mumbles.
"It was a mistake on my part okay! But I declined all the male applicants, including you!"
"Look I'm a decent guy. Actually I can keep you safe, trust me! And I can help with some bills so you can buy your Tesla faster" he chuckles.
I roll my eyes and stand up. "God it's so hard to talk with an idiot," I mumble and walk to my room.
"Wait, Lyssa" he follows me.
"I'm tired Dave, I want to sleep," I say.
"Just a minute," he says and my phone pings. I remember I put it on the coffee table, so I came back to the living room. Dave is following me.
Unknown number: miss me babe? Can I come to your place? I miss you.
Ugh.. stupid!
"Who's that?"
I jump, literally jump. Not just because I didn't expect Dave to see the message, but also because his voice is so cold, I never heard it.
"Dave.. did you peek at my screen?" I ask, but my still startle.
"Who is that, Lyssa?"
"It.. it's my stupid ex" I shrug. I block the number and show it to Dave.
"Is he often texting you?"
"Sometimes. But it doesn't matter. I'll just block his number again and again."
"Does Allison know?"
"Alli? No.. she doesn't know." I shrug. "Don't tell her!" I say fast.
"Why?"
"It's a small problem. I can handle it. Alli can be overprotective, not to mention her crazy boyfriend. Unless you want me to move to a jail," I explain, half serious half joking.
He exhales, but he doesn't laugh.
I crane my neck to force him look at me.
He looks at me and raises his eyebrow in question.
"Um.. are you mad at me?" I ask. It's ridiculous. He has nothing to be mad at me, at all. But I ask anyway because his face is angry.
"No.. you said you are tired. Go to sleep," he says and he goes back to the dining table. Leaving me there.
I frown and come to him, he is cleaning our dinner. "If I recall correctly, you were the one who wants to talk with me," I say.
"Not anymore," he says curtly, while washing the plates.
I put my hands on my hips "Dave!"
"Go to sleep Lyssa!"
"No unless you tell me what is on your mind!"
He puts the plate in the dryer and turns the dryer on. Surprisingly this billionaire can do household chores.
He sighs and looks at me "I'm pissed okay. You have a loony ex boyfriend who kept texting you, and yet you don't want me to be here. I'm here because I want to protect you. I can't let you go home alone and alone in the apartment. I don't know why, but that thought bothers me. Not to mention all the applicants have an agenda with you. How can I trust them even if they are my workers? They're great at work, but I can't trust them with you. And here you are, keep pushing me that I need to ask your sister for the key. I was planning to tell you that if you don't want me here then I leave, but not now. Not after I know there is a loony ex out there who keeps texting you like a creeper."
I open and close my mouth like a stupid fish. "I thought you were just messing up with me, Dave," I say small.
"Yeah and never crossed your mind to listen to me." He snaps at me. "Now I'm done, can you go back to your room and sleep? It's late."
I just stare at him.
"Up to you," he walks to Alli's room.. I mean his room. In a minute he comes out. With his long sleeves sweater and jeans.
"Dave where do you want to go?" I come to him.
"Take a walk," he says curtly and gets out of the apartment.
I look at the door he just closed and swallow. I go to my phone "fuck you Aaron!" I say while deleting my ex's latest text message with more power.
I sit on the couch. My mind goes everywhere. Not everywhere, but Dave. What he is doing to me is too sweet. I can barely hold myself to not fall for him. But can I? I still remember Alli's face when Zac broke up with her 10 years ago. I think I will have the same face like that if Dave decided he doesn't want me anymore. I can't let that happen. I know I'm a second opening my heart's door for him. But I can't. A month, remember? His interest in a woman only for a month.
I just need to hold onto my sense for a month with my unwanted flatmate. After that? He will lose interest and move out by himself.
I sigh and go back to my room. Willing myself to sleep and not think about my sexy unwanted flatmate.