The Roommate Rulebook

Rule 22

Rule 22 (Not proofread, you know the drill. Please ignore any mistakes as they'll be altered in the final edit).

            Sid was twirling her hair around her finger while I swept the broom across the tiled floor.

            "Are you going to get off your arse and do  something?" I enquired, leaning on the handle with a smile.

            "Oh, ever so sorry. Is this the girl that wagged off work and made me do her shift so she could look at some fish giving me a lecture?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in my direction. Her smirk told me she knew she won and I shrugged.

            "Touché." Just as I was about to open my mouth and ask Sid about her and Dev, considering she stayed the night and it wasn't in my room, when the door to our boss' office swung open.

            "Simmons," she said and my head snapped in her direction. I'd never been so scared in my life.

            Ash's mother never came out of her office, let alone came out of her office to talk to the employees. That was when she actually turned up to the pub, which was rarely. I gulped and Sid looked a bit shell shocked. I was 99.9% certain I was getting the sack.

            "Yeah?" I said, my voice not coming out clearly. She smiled warmly and gestured for me to go into the office.

            I didn't know if Ash's mother knew we were officially together, considering that before we left the party that night, Ash told her that I was doing him a favour for the job.

            Cautiously, I made my way into the cream, pristine office. There was literally not a speck of dust out of place and she made her way to sit down at her desk. I stood awkwardly, holding my hands behind my apron clad back. She offered me another smile and nodded at the chair.

            "Take a seat," she greeted and started ruffling through one of her drawers. I sat down and tucked my skirt under my legs. She straightened and slid a blank piece of paper and a pen across the desk. I looked at it and then back at her pursed lips.

            "My son tells me that you're talented with a pencil," she started and I felt my brows furrow.

            "I'm okay," I tried but she shook her head.

            "He showed me your sketch book. You're talented," she complimented.

            "Um, thank you," I stammered and she smiled, tapping the paper.

            "You've got three minutes. I want you to draw me something," she said and my eyes widened. "Improvise," she added and I gnawed on the inside of my lip.

            She watched as I picked up the biro and started work on an eye. She stopped me as soon as I finished the final eye lash and she smiled, twisting the paper around. The pen had echoed through the room, the tapping of the nub was matching my heart rate.