The Spare Bedroom

Isla Harrington should be happy.

She has a boyfriend who loves her, a career she adores, and a home she shares with her best friend, Alessia Russo.

But lately, something has been missing.

Every kiss with her boyfriend feels empty. Every date feels forced. Every time he talks about their future, Isla finds herself wondering why the thought of forever with him doesn't make her feel anything at all.

So she ends it.

Not because he cheated.

Not because he treated her badly.

But because Isla can't keep pretending there's a connection that simply isn't there.

The problem is, she can't explain why.

Thankfully, she has Alessia.

Her best friend. Her roommate. Her safe place.

The person waiting at home with takeaway after the breakup. The person who crawls under a blanket beside her during movie nights. The person whose hoodies Isla constantly steals and whose bed she wanders into whenever she can't sleep.

It's normal.

They've always been like this.

And Isla is straight.

She's certain Alessia is too.

What Isla doesn't know is that Alessia has been hiding something for years.

She's in love with her.

Alessia has listened to Isla talk about boyfriends while swallowing everything she wished she could say. She's watched Isla date other people and convinced herself that being her best friend would always have to be enough.

But after the breakup, something begins to change.

Isla starts noticing how pretty Alessia looks first thing in the morning.

How her stomach flips when Alessia's hand settles on her thigh.

How she doesn't particularly like other women getting Alessia's attention.

And how, despite feeling nothing when her boyfriend kissed her, the thought of Alessia kissing someone else makes her chest ache.

Isla doesn't understand it.

Because she's straight.

Alessia's straight.

They're best friends.

They're roommates.

And whatever is happening between them definitely doesn't mean anything.

...right?