Chapter 1
Mrs. Kilper was getting desperate after seeing her daughter going through so many breakups. Natalie will be twenty-nine next month and still remained single while her other siblings were already married with children.
If one heard about the number of relationship failure that Natalie had experienced, they would either think she was joking or pity her for her bad fortune.
This explained why Natalie Kilper was currently in a very expensive restaurant, sitting opposite a stranger that her mother had set up her up with. The place and food were excellent, yet she was struggling with the desire to throw herself out of the window to end the night.
Natalie's date was dressed in an expensive looking suit matched with a neat hairstyle, looked like a perfect gentleman that most mothers would approve to be their son-in-law. However, it was his attitude that pissed Natalie off.
He kept on degrading her profession with a subtlety alike to an elephant walking into a room, continuously bragging about his job as a lawyer. He had also hurt her eyes when he frequently flashed his very shiny watch that was probably pretty expensive.
Eyeing the clock that was hanged on the restaurant's wall for the hundredth time, she finally sighed in relief.
It's finally ten o'clock and she can leave.
"I'm sorry, but I've got to go." Natalie plastered on a fake smile that most people like her current date would never figure out that it was not genuine thanks to their huge ego.
Her date looked disappointed as he checked the time on his flashy watch in an exaggerated motion. "We will continue our conversation on our next date then."
Natalie shivered in horror and quickly shakes her head. After making sure her smile was still intact on her face, she replied as sweetly as possible, "Oh, no. I'm sorry, but I'm pretty busy lately. I don't think we will need any more dates."
Please get what I mean! Natalie silently pleaded.
"I'm sure you would be free for dinners."
"No, I won't have time to join you for dinners or lunches."
"Perhaps we could meet for breakfast?"
Looks like subtlety does not work on him at all.
Natalie sighed in dismay before straightening up her back and eyed him straight in the eye. If being tactful does not work, blunt honesty does.
"Look Mister...whatever." Natalie was not sorry for forgetting his name after two seconds of introducing himself.
"Since you obviously suck in non-verbal communication, I shall have to make my verbal communication as clear to you as possible. Listen, I don't like you. I want a companion that listens to me instead of bragging about himself the whole time. What's more, I believe my bank account is twice larger than yours if we compare from the way you spends your money. And I'm not a freaking waitress, as you have thought so for the last two hours! I own a café and bloody proud of it!"
By the time she stopped, she realized the whole restaurant had gotten dead silent and every eye was on them. As for her date, his face looked as red as a tomato that was going to explode very soon.
"You make yourself very clear, Miss Kilper. Thank you for your honest opinion of me and we will not see each other again. Good evening and my name is Mr. Oxlan."
Natalie could see he was trying very hard to preserve his remaining dignity as he walked out of the restaurant with his head high, avoiding eye contact with anyone. She knew her mother will yell at her tonight when she called for her 'check in' after Natalie's date nights.
Maybe she should switch off her mobile phone and unplug the wire of her house phone, but the scolding will be doubled if she did that.
"Um...Pardon me, miss?"
Upon realizing that she had covered her face with her hands as her head bent downwards, she quickly raised her head. "Yes?"
The waitress looked uncomfortable as she gave her a genuine smile mixed with sympathy. "The gentlemen had left the bill for you to pay."
'That bastard!' Was what Natalie wanted to say but she put on her fake smile and said lightly, "Ah, I know that jerk would do that."
If she knew that today's date would turn out this way, she would just tell her mother that 'yes, she's lesbian, and no, her lover was hiding in a closet and would not agree to meet her'.
The only reason why Natalie agreed to the blind date was the growing sense of loneliness getting to her. She wanted to love someone and be loved in return. Then she wanted at least two kids before it was too dangerous to give birth for her age.
Natalie sighed loudly as she walked back home, ignoring passerby's questioning stares. How could she have the worst luck when it comes to boyfriends or dates? Two of her ex-boyfriends had ended up with her friends after they dumped her with flimsy excuses.
Another ex-boyfriend that worked in the same company had ended up with her supervisor and she hastily resigned. Another one ended up with her neighbor and she quickly moved out of her parent's house after that.
"Why does no one wants me?" Natalie wailed in dismay as she stared up the sky as if it will answer her.
"I do want you."
Natalie groaned when she realized she had arrived at her apartment building. It was her two doors away neighbor that had said that. Even under the dimly lit street, his bright red hair gave his identity away even without even needing to see his face.
"Your girlfriend will kill you before you could even break up with her."
Trent grinned as he approached Natalie. "How's the date?"
"I get to pay the bill. Yay, lucky me!" Natalie replied sarcastically.
"Did you piss off you date?"
"Don't I always?" She said with thick malice and Trent laughed.
"You did that whenever your mom sets up your blind date."
Natalie sighed in dismay. "I just don't know how she manages to find those stick up in the ass dudes for me to have a blind date with."
"Finding them through their mother?"
"I forgot about that, yeah," Natalie said in sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. She dragged her feet towards the elevator with Trent trailing behind. She waved lazily at the securities guard in passing and fiercely poked the elevator's button. Although she usually used the stairs as she stayed on the third floor, she decided to use the elevator today due to the feeling of her soul being drained.
"Hey, you have three rooms in your apartment, right?"
"You have three rooms as well, airhead," she shot back as she stepped into the box once the door opened and poked her floor button with too much force that nearly bends her finger backward.
"What I'm trying to ask is if you want to rent out a room?"
Natalie eyed him warily. "Who is it?"
"What?"
"Who is it? I know you are planning something. Spill it."
"A friend of mine has a little brother that needs a place to stay."
"Why not offer yours?"
"Nuh-uh. Austria usually stays at my place and we tend to.... Uh..."
"Sex, Trent. You always brag about how good she is so why are you so freaking shy suddenly?"
Trent gave her a glare and pointed a finger at the other side of the elevator. She tilted her head sideways and noticed they were not alone in the elevator.
Oh shit. "Oh hello, Mrs. Stripes. Sorry, didn't see you there. I must be more tired than I realize."
"It's alright dear. I have fun listening to your conversation. I found it to be very refreshing."
The elevator door opened on the second floor and Mrs. Stripes, the seventy-year-old lady that still looking strong and healthy, winked at the youngsters as if she's sharing a secret. "Paul and I have a great time too. Ta-da!"
The door closed, leaving Natalie and Trent gaping in horror. "It's entirely your fault, Trent!"
"You are the one that didn't notice Mrs. Stripes standing there! Now thanks to you I have a very horrifying image in my head!"
"Do you think I didn't find it horrifying too? I don't need to know how active their sex life is!"
The elevator door opened on the third floor and Natalie wasted no time to march out of the box and headed straight towards her apartment door.
"So, you agree to it?"
"Agree to what?"
"Roommate the little brother."
"Why should I?"
"Aren't you the one that complain you are feeling lonely? Getting tired of housework?"
"I'm not aware that roommate is also known as a maid."
"Natalie, you know what I mean. You two will get to spill up the housework and the rent!"
"I am not a poor citizen, Trent. I can pay for my rent just fine." Natalie pulled out a bunch of keys from her handbag and stabbed the correct key into the lock roughly.
"I know, but it will help you save some money," Trent pressed on. "Think about it."
And think Natalie did.
She admitted that she was getting lonely and she had thought it was relationship lonely. But it was not only because she was single. All her remaining good friends that had not stolen her boyfriends were busy with their husband and kids that they had no time to gather around to chat.
"Tell me more about this kid."
Trent beamed as if she had already agreed. "He's a university student that aims to be a lawyer."
Natalie groaned at the thought of a boy that has the same attitude as her date. If the kid has the same attitude as her date the deal is off!
Trent ignored her groan and continued on. "He's not very talkative, but he's a polite kid. He has a part-time job at a small law firm. He can't stay with his brother because there's no room for another person. Believe me, I witness it myself. It's a full house."
"I have to meet him first."
Trent nodded eagerly. "I can arrange that. I will tell you about it later."
"Okay, but make it tomorrow? My phone is vibrating."
He gave her a look filled with pity. "Your mom?"
"Ten points to Slytherin. See you."
She locked the door behind her, kicked off her high heels and randomly tossed her handbag at the direction of the couch as she pressed the answer button. "Yes, mom?"
"Why is it that I heard you insulted Daniel from his mother?" Natalie switched on the lights and tugged her coat off after carelessly tossing her handbag at the couch.
"Oxford?"
"Oxlan, Natalie. You can't even remember your date's name?"
"Why bother when we are not going to meet each other again?" She debated if she should make coffee, but decided not to. She will head to bed early since she could feel a headache coming.
"Natalie, why not give him a chance?" Mrs. Kilper sounded disappointed.
"Mom, I don't want a man that only loves himself."
"You don't know that!"
"I think I know that when he spent two hours talking about himself. He only spent, like one minute, to ask me what my occupation is. He doesn't even ask me what I would like to eat and just ordered for me! And you know what, mom? He thought I'm a waitress even after I told him I run a café! Is his ears just a decoration?!"
"Oh."
"Oh indeed! Mom, just stop these blind dates. Instead of letting me see 'the one', you only let me see 'the jerks'. I am very tempted to jump to the other side and maybe at the other side I can finally meet 'the one'!"
"Oh gosh, Natalie! You will not jump to the other side! Alright, I will stop arrange dates with my friend's son for you."
Natalie felt as if a huge burden had finally left her shoulder. If she knows that threatening to be lesbian would made her mom backs off, she would have do it earlier!
"But I'm sure your brother has lots of good friends that are waiting for their destined one!"
Or not.
"Mom, listen. I know you are worried about my single status, but it's better than having a broken heart or divorced status, right?"
"It is, but honey-"
"So mom, just give me time to find the right guy for myself. No offense mom, but your type and my type is very different."
Even if she always had been dumped in the end, it was still better than dealing with arrogant or insensitive males. Natalie truly wondered how on earth her mother could be friends with those guy's mothers.
She could hear her mom sighed over the phone. "But honey-"
"Look, mom, I'm having a headache and I plan to sleep it off. I will talk to you some other time, okay?"
"Honey-"
"Bye!" She sang cheerfully and pressed the end call button. She knew that doing this was rude and her mother will want to chew her head off, but it will give her more time to think up of battle plans before her mother decided to attack again.
How sad was it to treat it as a battlefield when it comes to having a conversation with her mother?
Natalie slowly eyed her living room and silently admitted that she even if she had cleaned the house; it was not as often as she should. A pile of dirty clothes was cramped in the laundry basket, waiting for her to wash them. There was a stack of receipts and bills all over her coffee table and the plates were still waiting for her to wash at the sink.
She groaned out loud at the thought of meeting the 'possible' roommate. She hoped it would not be another jerk. She had met enough of them to last for her lifetime.