Roommates with Benefits [COMPLETED]

Chapter 19 - A new friend?

Emma

I wake up the following morning, and there is no sign of Knightley. Before knocking on his door, I go back-and-forth if I should. I almost don't, but I do feel that being a good roommate includes making sure he's alive.

There's a faint mumble and I slowly peek my head inside the dark room.

"Good morning," I say. "I just wanted to check up on you."

"I'm fine." He pulls the blanket over his head and rolls over onto his side.

I shrug and consider my duty done. Leaving him to get some more sleep, I head off to book club with Jenna and Hannah and a few of Jenna's friends. I misplaced my copy of the book we're supposed to read, so I haven't been able to finish it, but I'm sure they can fill me in.

When I get back that evening, there's a bowl and a glass in the sink but no sign of Knightley. I'm not sure if he's still hung over, or if he's avoiding me. But I'm not going to push it. Last night was pretty awkward. So I head to my room and watch a movie before I fall asleep.

I dress with a bit more care the next morning. Avery is arriving today and Hannah invited me out for lunch with them so I can get to know her. I have a few errands to run first, so I check my hair and head into the kitchen for some breakfast.

"Good morning," Knightley says and pours himself some coffee.

"You survived your hangover." I get a bowl and fill it with cereal.

"Yeah." He's not looking at me. "Coffee?"

"Please."

I grab my oat milk and sit by the counter.

"You were pretty wasted," I say and take a spoonful of cereal.

He clears his throat. "I don't really remember everything that happened."

"Well, I'm not sure what you were doing earlier, but Noah brought you home and I put you to bed."

He places the coffee mug in front of me. "I have a vague memory of that."

Does he remember what he said? That he was looking forward to coming home to me? What he did? Pulling me on top of him? Resting against my chest? I want to ask, but...

"I hope I didn't say anything... strange."

"You told me I'm beautiful." I try to sound like it's a joke. He chuckles. But it sounds forced. "And you were adamant that boots are not shoes."

There's a slight blush on his cheeks. "Right." He sips his coffee, still not looking at me. "I rarely drink that much, but someone ordered shots."

"It's fine. You were mostly just mumbling incoherent stuff, and you didn't even throw up on me once." I eat some more cereal while he drinks his coffee.

"Thanks for taking care of me," he says.

"No problem." I put my empty bowl in the sink. "Do you want anything from the store?"

"Orange juice."

"Ok." I grab my coat. "I'll be back later."

I do my shopping and drop off the groceries at the apartment. There's no sign of Knightley, so I put the items away before I realize I'm late for lunch and rush off.

When I arrive at the diner, Hannah and an elegant woman with shiny hair pulled back into a bun are sitting at a table. I frown when I see that there's an open booth, but put on a smile as Hannah waves me over.

"Emma, this is my cousin Avery Fairfax."

"Hi," I say, and hang my coat over the back of the chair. "I'm sorry I'm late. I was at the grocery store and this old woman in front of me insisted on paying with dimes and nickels and had like a thousand coupons for a different store that she still wanted them to scan."

"It's nice to meet you." Avery's voice is smooth and even. Up close, all of her screams elegance and poise. I almost feel wild and unkempt.

"Did you order?" I ask and grab a menu.

"Not yet," Hannah says. "We were waiting for you."

I quickly decide on chicken soup and we chit chat while we wait for the food. Avery answers our questions about working on a film set and living in California. Hannah tells me of how they used to play together as kids and the conversation flows from one unimportant thing to the next.

Our food arrives and I dig in.

"What's wrong?" Avery asks.

I look up to see Hannah, pale and still, as she's staring at someone who just entered. I turn. Blue is by the door. He goes up to the counter and his eyes home in on Hannah.

I look back at her. She's staring at her folded hands in her lap.

"Hey." I reach out a hand to get her attention. "Don't pay him any mind."

"What's going on?" Avery asks.

I shake my head. "Hannah turned him down a while back." Blinking, I turn to my friend. "He hasn't been bothering you, has he?"

"What? No. Of course not."

I settle down a bit and focus on my soup while Avery's eyes move from Hannah to Blue and back again. He orders a coffee to go and pays. Before he leaves, he looks over one last time.

Once he's outside and Hannah breathes a sigh of relief, Avery looks over at her. "You know him?"

"Just a little. From the gym. But I haven't been there in a while. It got too awkward."

"You did good." I smile warmly. She's such a sweet person. I think saying no isn't something she does a lot. Maybe she feels guilty? "So, Avery. Did you get to meet Frank Churchill? What was he like?"

She looks down at her salad. "Oh, not really. We had some scenes together, but I was just in the background."

"Does he seem like a good person?"

"I guess. He would greet us and... I don't know." She shrugs.

I grit my teeth; the expression squeezing water from a stone springs to mind.

Hannah's phone buzzes, and she smiles apologetically as she turns it over. Then her cheeks go white.

"What is it?" I ask.

Without speaking, she flips the phone so I can see the screen. My mouth drops open. It's a picture of Edwin and a small, dark-haired woman smiling up at him. She's standing next to him in a beautiful green dress. The caption reads: Best new year ever.

Hannah takes the phone back and groans as she flicks to the next photo. It's the same couple, but in different outfits. This time, they look very familiar with each other on the dance floor.

I huff. "It didn't take him long to get over it." Hannah looks like she might cry. "You are so much better off without him. Trust me. You don't want to be with anyone that fickle. Just forget him."

She nods and puts her phone away. Avery looks confused, but doesn't ask any questions. Which I'm grateful for. My cheeks still heat when I think of how I messed everything up. And I reaffirm my decision to never meddle in people's love lives again.

Silence falls over the table and I scramble to think of a subject that won't bring up more heartache.

"Hannah tells me you sing," I finally say. "We're having a talent show and would love it if you would audition for it."

"Yes, Hannah mentioned that." There's life in her eyes now. "I love to sing. Just tell me where and when the audition is. Is there any special song you would like me to sing?"

"Not really. Something modern, I think, but nothing too risque, some of the sponsors are a bit older."

We discuss options for songs for a while as we finish our lunch. Avery says she's tired and I think seeing Edwin with someone else has upset Hannah, even though she insists it hasn't.

I leave them outside to go back to the apartment feeling irritated. Avery is nice enough, but the only time she looked even a little interested in the conversation was when we were talking about songs for the talent show. I can tell that Hannah looks up to her, idolizes her even, but I don't see why.

I hope she's as good at singing as she and Hannah claim. Turning her down would be such a nightmare.