Lust

Roomie

Trope: Roommates to Lovers

Kailey and Xander

Xander stumbled into the apartment at 3am after a night out with the boys at the bar-a regular Friday night for them. Everything was dark save for the lamp Kailey had left on for him in the entryway table; she was always looking out for him. He stretched, his tattoos rippling with his skin. He ruffled his dark, black hair and slipped his shirt over his head, heading to his room. Xander stopped dead in his tracks when he heard sobbing from behind Kailey's door. He pressed his ear to the cool wood, thinking it might possibly be a movie, but no; he knew the sound of her voice-the sound of her cry, and that was it. 

He knocked twice. "K? I'm home...are you good?" Nothing, but silence. "I'm coming in, okay?" He waited a few seconds before opening the door and entering the dark room. Kailey had lit a few candles, but the room was in complete darkness otherwise. She laid balled up in the center of her bed over the covers, pictures littered over the bed and floor. Xander picked one up and blinked twice for his eyes to adjust; pictures of her and her ex. The piece of shit had dumped her six months ago, but she never told him why...Kneeling beside her head next to the bed, he touched her wet cheek, his heart pinging in his chest. "K," he sighed, "I thought you said you were over him"

"Obviously I lied," she sniffled, sitting up. "Xander?"

"Yeah?"

"I've got a question."

"Shoot, Roomie," he smirked. 

"Have you ever been in love before?"

His throat went dry as he tried to swallow. "Yeah...once; she left." 

Kailey nodded and fiddled with her hands. "Do you miss anything about it-being in love?" 

"Yeah, sure," he shrugged, "I miss a lot of things I guess."

"Like what," she pried.

"Well, the talking, the newness, the shyness...the drives, the excitement, tickle fights-sometimes the actual fights-the kissing..."

Kailey giggled, shaking her head. "You kiss girls all the time."

Xander rolled his eyes and playfully elbowed her while he sank into the bed next to her. "Not like that...kissing when you're in love is different; passion can be there with or without feelings, but it's definitely much better when you have them."

Kailey paused in contemplation. "Then why have you only been in love once?"

He didn't know why he was answering her questions-maybe it was the alcohol. "Because it fucks up a piece of your soul when they leave. You know that, don't you?" She nodded slowly, gazing down at the pictures that littered every inch of her immediate space. "What he did was fucked, K. He's a fucking loser that didn't deserve you or your love, alright?" 

Something clicked in Kailey's brain-something turned off, changed within her. She quickly began gathering the photos, ripping them off the bed sheets and floor. "Help me pick these up, will you?" Xander followed her lead, gathering the photos and following her to the kitchen sink where she ripped up every single one in her hands then reached out for the ones in his. He gave them to her, and she did the same to the second set, rinsing the pieces down the drain, running the garbage disposal. Tears fell silently down her face as she stared at the empty sink, breathing deeply. 

"Come here," Xander whispered, pulling her to him in a deep hug, kissing the top of her head. Had he known she'd been struggling this entire time, he would have said more-done more. They stayed like that for a while and Xander, for the first time in years, felt something deep within his chest.