**Not a chapter, just this one-shot I've been building up for about a week. NOT related to the story now, but you can still read it anyway**
"I had a great time tonight," she said. Cress could imagine her through the door. She was probably biting her lip, twirling a piece of her hair, a hand on his chest. Then Thorne said something muffled. It was probably another clichè phrase like "I would hope so," or, "Well then, same time tomorrow?"
Then their was silence. They were probably kissing. Cress shuddered and slammed the refrigerator door. Why'd I have to get stuck with him? she thought. They had been roommates for almost six months now. In that time period alone, he's had twenty-three girls, sixteen he had actually considered girlfriends, and the longest of those "relationships" only lasted two weeks and five days.
Yes, she kept track.
She remembers clearly the day he came.
FLASHBACK
It was the middle of October, at around ten in the morning. He rung the bell eight times and Cress lost count how many time he knocked. She yanked open the door, gasping at the man in front her.
He towered her by a foot, had a leather jacket with the hair to match it. His blue eyes caught hers and she blushed. "Y-yes?"
"Hi. I'm Carswell Thorne, but, you can call me Thorne." He winked. " Is this room 2 14?"
His one-sided grin gave Cress butterflies. She pulled open the door a little more and looked at the room number 2 14. Then she looked back at Thorne. He cleared his throat, "Uh ya of course it is. Well..I'm your roommate."
Cress was taken aback. She was told a roommate would come to her within two weeks after she moved in. She was staying at one of the college apartment buildings that wasn't on the campus of UCLA. It was right in the middle of LA with cafés s here, stores there, and loads of people to bump into.
But she wasn't expecting a...a...well, a guy. Maybe it was a mistake. Anyway, she hastily moved aside to let him inside, ignoring his outstretched hand. He went back in the hallway and got his other belongings. She had to get out of here. To demolish the awkwardness. Boys weren't her strong suit.
"Um, the extra bedroom is the last room on the left," she said, not stopping as she gathered her keys, wallet, and laptop bag.
"Hey, where are you going?" He looked like he wanted to talk. Cress avoided his gaze.
"I have to meet some one-a cousin of a friend, or...something. I'llbeback." She rushed out and leaned against the front of the door, letting out a breath. She went to the Starbucks across the street.
It was bad enough for her step mother to tell her she should apply for a roommate. "You can't live college life with your phone and wifi, Cress! College friends are lifetime friends!" her step mother had said. She always tried hard to get Cress to make friends. She was put into Girl Scouts, cheer-a-leading, the works. But Cress always smuggled her way out of them.
She even made Cress fill out the application in front of her. Maybe that's where the mistake was. She opened her laptop and opened her application. There it was. Right in front of her. How could she have missed it? She was a computer science major for crying out loud!
Roommate Preference:
Male [ ]
Female [ ]
No Preference [✔]
The default No Preference box was still checked. She was rushing when she filled out. But how could she have missed the part that determined who she would be living with for the next year of her life? Well, maybe it wouldn't be that bad. He was really cute, the way his eyes sparkled...
She sighed and closed her laptop. What was she thinking? She can't talk to boys, much less live- no she couldn't say that- room with one. Maybe she could file a complaint. Say that Thorne was partying too much, or neglected his space.
But they might suspect something. He just came today. She reopened her laptop, still thinking. She could hack Thorne's application, assign him to another room. But that could definitely go wrong; what if that person already had a a roommate?
After searching Carswell Thorne, hacking a few websites, she found out he was 22, only two years older than her. He dropped out of military college at an attempt to steal an airplane. Well isn't that nice.His parents bailed him out before they could even get him in to jail.
She thought for a moment. Did she really want to go through with this. She could move out maybe... No. This would be her time to change. She would talk to him. Get to know him. Maybe, just maybe, they could be...together.
◇◇◇
They could never be together. Cress accepted the fact during the second month she met Thorne.
Flashback within a flashback
One of the girls- she was the fifth one on his list of 23- convinced him to bring her to his apartment. They came through the door, taking Cress by surprise. She was making a midnight snack, yes, it was midnight. Cress froze, staring at them from the counter. The girl had brunette hair with cascading curls. She was fairly tall, but then again, she had on five inch heels. She clung to Thorne as if her life depended on it
Cress felt a knot form in her stomach. Thorne had never brought a girl into their apartment. She felt tears in the back of her eyes. Within the first month of Thorne moving in, he continuously flirted with Cress. Which gave her all the evidence that he did this all the time; she wasn't special. She was at first intimidated, because she didn't have "experience," so she always kept quiet. Sure they had their moments- as friends, Cress kept in mind.
Soon, although slightly against her will, she began to fall in love with him. She savored the moments their eyes met, and remembered the times they laughed together. But he never made any moves, and was always going out on his own with other girls.
"Who's this?" The girl asked. She eyes Cress skeptically, her amused smile falling from her face. Thorne looked nervous, his eyes wouldn't hold Cress' gaze. "Oh, um...Louisa, this is my sister, Cress." His face immediately filled with a look guilt and shame that Cress didn't catch.
The tears were welling in Cress' eyes, making her vision blury. She tried to keep a steady, nonchalant voice. "Sorry, I-i was getting s-something to drink." She stopped what she was doing and rushed out of the kitchen, keeping her head down. She went to her room, going over the scene.
His sister. She felt the tears roll down her cheeks. Sister. That was the confirmation she guessed. He didn't feel anything for her. Heck, she could have been his sister and he wouldn't recognize the difference.
She tried to sleep, but not with the annoyingly loud laughter of this Louisa. The flirtatious remarks of Thorne. She was finally able to rest after she heard the satisfying shut of the door. But it wasn't a peaceful one.
She decided to wait in her room the next morning until Thorne left for his morning classes. She would be late, but her professors wouldn't notice the quite, small, smart girl in the back.
After that, Thorne didn't even mention the incident. He acted as if it never happened. He did, however, slowly crept away from Cress. And she noticed it. What made it worse was that she was still hopelessly in love with him.
◇◇◇
Back to the present
Well, Cress had had enough. She couldn't bear to live with him anymore. Her feelings not going away while he still went out almost every night. She was going to move out. Admit to him everything and leave. She was nervous, but, the sooner the better.
Thorne came in the door exasperated. Cress quickly put on her im-so-not-into-you-im-just-a-friend smile. "Is she a keeper?" She glanced at the oven clock. 1:17 a.m. Believe it or not, it wasn't the latest he came back from a date. One time a girl dragged him over to her rich father's beach house. He stayed two days. Two days.
Thorne rolled his eyes, taking a seat at the counter. He accepted the mug of coffee Cress passed to him. "The girl can't keep her mouth shut. One story triggered another, followed by another." He took a long gulp of coffee before continuing. He raised his voice to mimic the girls'," Speaking of throw pillows, my aunt had this cactus once that...well you get it."
Cress laughed. A genuine laugh that only made it hurt more for what she was going to tell him. She opened her mouth then immediately shut it. She couldn't do this. She'd wait for morning. During breakfast.
"Well, I'm going go to bed." It was such a bad change of subject it made Cress cringe as she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she finished she was surprised to see Thorne lying on her bed, propped up on his arm going through one of her textbooks.
"It's like another language. How do you do this?" He looked up at her. Cress felt it again. Anger at him for not loving her, and after at herself for loving him. He had no idea how he felt about her. And every passing day, it hurt her even more. She took a deep breath, bracing herself.
"Am I invisible to you?" She gave up trying to hide her unsteady voice. "You use every chance you get to pick up a girl who will fall for you. And I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that it's basically any girl. But in case you haven't noticed, there's one right in front of you." She was trembling as the tears started to fall. Thorne sat up, entirely speechless.
Cress swallowed, "Well, apperently you haven't. What makes me so different? What don't you see in me that is separate from every other girl you go out with?" She let the questions linger in the air. She took a short break, regathering herself. Thorne still said nothing.
"Well, I decided..." the came harder, "I decided I've had enough. I-I'm moving out. I can't live with some one-you- who refuses to think that the person living with them, just might start to feel something for the other." They stared at eachother for a long time, Cress' wet cheeks and Thorne's sorry eyes. It only made Cress' sadness subside, just a little, and anger settle in beside it. "Are you just going to sit there?? And watch as I pour out my heart?" She broke down to a desperate whisper, "I'm in love with you, can't you see that?" she turned to walk out- of her own room she noted.
But Thorne caught her wrist, turning her around to face him. Cress suddenly came overrun with fear. She'd been so resolute on Thorne not saying anything that she didn't prepare herself for what he might have to say. She weakened, he was probably going to make the situation worst. Tell her to stay, as a friend or...or a sister. The thought made Cress snort. Just a little.
If Thorne heard it, he didn't make any indication that he did. He cupped her cheek with his hand, catching her endless tears. "Cress. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that."
"What?" she said, barely audible. She looked up at him, unable to say anything else.
Thorne sighed. "A caramel macchiato with just one spot of espresso, extra foam. That's what you always get at Starbucks." He was smiling.
Now Cress was confused. Why the hell was he talking about Starbucks at a time like this? She just looked at him.
"A-and what annoys you the most is the little piece of hair that never stays behind your ear."
Did he not hear what I said? Maybe that's it, Cress thought.
Thorne laughed, "Remember the time your step mother came over and I had to hide under my bed. Because if she found out you were living with a boy, she would have killed you."
He remembers that? Cress hersef was trying to push that incident from her mind. "Why are you telling me this?" Cress felt that piece of hair fall from its place. Thorne tucked it back, and they stayed like that for what felt like an eternity.
They stared into each others eyes, Cress' wide and still full of tears. Thorne's with a sudden look of desire that made Cress' heart leap.
It was as if they were on a timer. It went off and at suddenly their bodies came together. Thorne wrapped his arms around Cress, bringing her mouth to his. Cress gasped but at the same time dug his hands in his hair and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Thorne backed up to lean against her bed and to keep from falling over. Cress, now, was crying for now reason, for she felt a dozen emotions that came with his lips.
They broke apart, both of their breaths' erratic. Thorne smiled and met Cress' eyes. Cress was shaking as he kissed Cress' forehead, protectively tucking her under his chin and pulling her tighter. Cress savored every moment of it.
Pulling apart again, Thorne kissed her again and whispered against her lips, "I love you, Cress" Cress froze. She smiled, thinking to herself, Number 24. She added herself to his list, and knew she was the last one.
I have a question, how do you guys (if you actually do write on wattpad) how do u write 2 stories at once. I know of a lot of people who do but I myself find it hard. But it's hard to concentrate on this story and a completely different one. So I will gladly accept any advice if you have any.
Anyway thanks again guys. Vote, comment, and share. 💜✌
Oh and I'm on instagram
@h.ailey__b