Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 92930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“Hmn,” I said.
She cleared her throat. “So, where do you work?”
She was trying to change the subject. I decided to have a little fun with her.
“I’m an electrical engineer for a company in the city. We design stadium lighting. And at night, I dance…at a male strip club.”
The skin on her face pinked up before my eyes. Bingo.
“Seriously?”
“Yup.” I turned to Ryan. “You didn’t tell her she was living with Magic Fuckin’ Mike?”
She just stood there speechless. She had this innocence about her that I wasn’t used to seeing in girls her age. The effect I seemed to have on her was exhilarating, though. When her face eventually turned from pink to red, I decided to put her out of her misery.
“I’m just fucking with you again.”
“You’re not a stripper?”
“I like you. You’re an easy target. It’s gonna be fun to have you around.”
I walked over to grab a banana and felt her watching me. I bit off the entire first half in an exaggerated way. As much as I loved them, I didn’t normally eat them like an orangutan while crossing my eyeballs. I was doing it to get a reaction out of her and enjoyed the suddenly amused look on her face. Her eyes, which were so fearful and sullen moments ago, now seemed to be genuinely smiling back at me.
“I forgot to mention, that’s Jake’s bushel of bananas over there,” Ryan said. “We think he is part human, part monkey.”
“You like bananas, huh?” she asked.
“Damn straight, I do,” I said. “I fuckin’ love ‘em. Mmm.” Stuffing my face, I inhaled the last half in one big bite.
Nina started laughing as she looked at me like I was crazy. I smiled back with my mouth chock full and started to crack up. I couldn’t remember the last time I truly laughed.
When the laughter faded, her eyes lingered on mine, and I felt that strange unspoken connection again that I didn’t quite understand. All I knew was that making her laugh was addicting, and I wasn’t in such a rush to go back to my room anymore.
I grinned and reached for another banana, my mouth still disgustingly full. I barely got the words out, “Want one?”
“Huh?”
“Want one?” I repeated.
“No, thanks. I’m good.”
“I told you Jake was interesting,” Ryan said.
Wait. What the fuck was he saying about me to her?
Why did I give a shit?
The front door opened, and Nina’s attention was abruptly taken away from me when Ryan introduced her to our other roommate, Tarah. Nina and she started talking about girly shit, so I decided to head back to my room.
I tried to get my head back into the drawing I’d been working on, but in between strokes of the kohl pencil, my mind kept drifting back to my new roommate.
How the hell was she going to live in New York City if she had a fear of subways?
I’d draw a little more, and then Nina would pop into my head again.
What the fuck was an origami bird anyway?
I put my sketchbook down, opened up my laptop and typed into Google: origami birds.
I chuckled when I saw what they looked like. Then, the nuttiest idea I’d probably ever had in my life popped into my head. I walked over to my desk drawer, searching for construction paper, remembering I’d bought some to make something for my nieces once. The only colors left were yellow and black. I grabbed a few pieces of black and some scissors and went back over to my laptop on the bed then typed: origami bat.
I cut a square and folded it into various triangles according to the directions. It took a few tries, but I finally got one that looked halfway decent.
Now, what the fuck to do with it was the question. I wanted to give it to her as a joke, but what would I write in it? I couldn’t write a poem to save my life.
What could you write to someone you didn’t know? All I knew was that she had phobias and a pretty smile. I knew she was starting nursing school.
I knew she made me feel something.
Then, I thought about the Olsen twins. I didn’t really think she looked like them, but I could mess with her about the Full House thing. According to Ryan, he’d teased her about it all the time growing up, so she’d get the joke.
I grabbed a silver gel ink pen.
What the fuck were their names again? I typed into my laptop: Olsen twins.
Mary-Kate and Ashley.
Okay.
I sat there staring at the paper bat in my hand and couldn’t help but laugh at myself. It was official: I had lost my damn mind over a girl.
Scribbling on a notepad, I jotted down different phrases and finally came up with a message.
Welcome to the House, Mary Kate!