1 year, two days before.
"You're going to love her. You're going to melt into her like butter on French bread. But, she will never love you back."
"Why's that?" I was merely listening--too preoccupied with the stupid candy game on my phone.
"She's mysterious, man. Breaks guys hearts like twigs - trust me I watch it happen every time. They fall into it- love- hard. Then after couple days, weeks, months; I don't know something clicks and she ends it all, leaves them crying on their knees."
I sit back onto the couch, my feet prop up on the coffee table with a clunk, a smirk inching onto my face, "We'll see about that."
"Don't try anything man, she my sister, she- I don't want to watch you get torn apart. She'll break you, rip your heart to shreds, I swear," My roommates' head shakes slowly and he takes another swig of his cheap beer.
"Why, are you telling me this anyway? It's not like I interact with society. Your literally the only person I talk to." I don't even know how we got on the subject.
"And you need to stop doing that- not interacting with people."
"Why? I have no intention of 'finding' somebody."
"Man, when was the last time you got laid?" he says chuckling.
"I am not answering that."
"Exactly! I kinda feel bad for you.. I'm not gay, but if I was, Id be all over you. You can pick up chicks, man, I've seen it. You used to bring them home all the time. What happened?"
"You know exactly what fucking happened."
"Just because Gemma's dead doesn't mean you can't live your life!"
"Don't fucking say her name!" I'm embarrassingly on the edge of tears.
"I'm sorry, I know, I'm being an ass.. but I'm not taking back what I said." he pauses,"Anyway, she's coming down for a year -technically she's just sleeping here, partying elsewhere during the day- but still."
"Fine, whatever." It was then that the bell rang, my brows raise and I crane my head back toward the door.
"That should be her, I'll get it." He mumbles and stands to get the door. Last minute turning to me, his hand on the door nob, "If I didn't make it clear earlier, don't -under any circumstances- fuck my sister."
"Aye-Aye Capt." I lazily solute, even if he can't see. Not seconds later a girls voice sweet as tea drifts in; I can't see her, though.
"BENNY!" I hear.
"Grace!" Ben says less excited.
My hands are laced in my lap as I wait to meet "Grace."
"So where's your roommate, Benny? I wanna meet the lad!"
"Grace." And then whispers.
"I don't know what your talking about." Ben shhh's and more whispers. I try to make myself look busy with my phone, but nothing is really occupying me other than their conversation. I wonder if he's talking about me.
"Ben-" I hear her start.
"No, Grace." A pause followed by a loud sigh, "Never mind. This conversation is not over. We will talk about this later, Harry's in the living area."
I play it off cool, keeping my head down so she doesn't see my red eyes from when a few tears had slipped.
"Haz." Ben states.
"What?" I scroll through twitter pretending to be interested.
"Meet my sister, Grace, the one I was telling you about. She's gonna stay here for a bit."
I lift my head slowly, looking her up and down. She had blonde hair that reached about halfway down her back, sunglasses adorned the top of her head showing me her blue eyes that were similar to her brothers, and wore short blue jeans with a bright yellow t-shirt with red writing a soccer (as they say here) label of some sort. Least to say she was fit.
"Hi, I'm Grace." she reached her hand out to shake I suppose. I stood up, inching directly in front of her, sending a brief nod as her hand retreated slowly, before striding to my room. If Ben didn't want me around her, I wasn't going to be. I need to be alone anyway and works in an hour or so.
"He's kinda. . . Closed off, don't mind it." I can hear Ben say, and then offer to carry her belongings to the spare bedroom.
1 year, one day before.
The next day I wake about eleven, making my way into the kitchen and taking a swig of milk straight from the carton.
"That's disgusting." I hear a sudden voice behind me; me almost flipping my shit and jumping a couple inches. I turn slowly to see Ben's sister in only a pair of spandex shorts and a t-shirt that had to be three sizes too big for her, the corner of it tucked into the practical under wear.
I nod in her direction and turn my attention back to making some cereal or something.
"You could at least say good morning," a pause, "or put a shirt on."
"My house." I retort pulling Frosted Flakes out of a cabinet.
"And he speaks, and he's British!" Grace jokes but, honestly, I'm not much of a morning person before I have my tea and am certainly not one for Americans commenting on my accent, "What brings you here?"
I don't respond.
"Not a morning person?"
"Sure." I pour some milk in my bowl.
Grabbing a spoon, I brush past her and sit on the couch, changing the channel from Teen Mom 2 to Spongebob (an American show I have grown quite fond of in the mornings.)
"Hey, I was watching that."
God, she's getting more annoying by the minute.
"Was, now don't talk to me." The girl huffs and plops down on our beanbag chair 90° from the couch.
We sat in silence as the yellow sponge and his friends' voices filled the area. Ben is at work, it's just us until she decides to go party or whatever. Or until I decide to go into work, which doesn't start until seven; ending at ten-ish.
When I'm done, I take my bowl, placing it in the sink and then return back to my spot on the couch.
"Is this all you do?" I shake my head. Getting up and setting a pot.
"Okay, you also make tea, now what? Do you not like coffee? well you are from the UK. What do you usually do? Where do you work? Wait- do you work?" I take a deep breath before responding to her numerous questions.
"Yeah, I make tea. No, I do not like coffee," Gemma liked coffee, "I don't know.. this. And, yeah, I do work. Weekdays at Pour L'amour De Café, other wise I'm at The Blue Room working the bar." I say in annoyance.
"You work at The Blue Room! That's literally the biggest club in Tampa!"
"Yeah." I get up and trudge to the kitchen as the kettle whistles, pouring me a cup and taking it to my room.
a/n: hello. How is it so farrrrrrr?
