A Little Bit of Hope

Chapter 5- Beginnings and Endings

I woke the next morning feeling wonderfully rested and refreshed. I stretched, raising my hands high above my head, and the sensation was nothing short of ecstasy. I crawled out of bed and plodded downstairs. Tina was nowhere to be found. I checked the clock. Five o'clock a.m. At least an hour before she gets up then, I thought, and a Saturday, so no work.

I glanced around the kitchen. I considered making breakfast for the other two, but the closest I'd ever come to cooking was frozen dinners in the microwave. Not wanting to burn the house down, I decided I should probably steer clear of the food-making process. I finally just scribbled out a note and went to have a look outside. Ian's electric blue mustang was gone, presumably to his oh-so-secret job in the city. I walked down the gravel path to the street. I liked the fresh air, and the early chill made me feel more awake with every step. I walked over a mile before I realized, and with a laugh to myself I turned around to go back. Luckily it was a long road, and a straight path back to the house. I walked in the door feeling exhilarated.

Tina was up and about- I could hear her moving around upstairs. I took a shower, dressed in a snug pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, and plopped down on the couch to read a trashy romance novel. I'd never actually done this kind of thing before, and I found myself unable to focus. As soon as Tina came down the stairs, I leaped up, tossing the book aside. Tina raised her brow at the title, Lost Consort, and I blushed.

"You know, you and Ian could really enjoy that book together," she commented with an impish grin. "I've heard it does wonders for your love life."

I laughed nervously. "That is if you have a love life in the first place. When will you believe that there's nothing going on between us?"

Tina just shook her head and smiled. "I'll believe it when it's true."

I threw my hands up in defeat. "What do I have to do to prove it?"

She tilted her head as if deep in thought, and her words came out slow and precise. "How about, you go on a date with him-"

I started to protest but she talked over me. "One single, solitary date, and if you don't have fun, then I won't say anything again."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think it's best if roommates stay roommates. After all, I don't want to get kicked out during our first argument."

Tina hopped up on a stool and poked a finger in my face. "So you don't deny that you like him," she pressed. "Oh come on, you know it'll be fun."

I had to agree, Ian was a great guy, and I would have loved to spend a few hours with him. Still, he was basically my landlord, and if I wanted to start paying him back any time soon, then I had to stay away from him emotionally. I turned back to Tina.

"I'm sorry," I sad, my tone firm and just a bit icy, so that she wouldn't argue. "It just can't happen."

Tina looked so dejected that I started to rethink my decision, but then she brightened. "Well it's up to you," she relented. "But at the very least you have to agree to a girl's night out."

Grateful that we could come to some kind of compromise, I agreed.

"Excellent!" she cried, jumping down from the stool. "I have some errands to run, but I'll be back at six, and then you and I are gonna hit the boulevard."

She left me with a piece of paper on which she'd scribbled the name of a club in the city, and instructions to "wear the black one".

I spent a couple hours finishing Lost Consort, then went to explore the rest of the house. I'd never realized how much of my day had been consumed by "work" before. My time had basically been divided between standing on a street corner, sleeping, or playing house with James. Whose voice mail-box I had filled with messages to call me back, then finally took the easy way out and texted him that it was over.