Miriam called, “Nice meeting you, too, Carrie!” She pulled her hand away and turned to Jake, sipping her wine. “Man, what a phony. I can see why it didn’t work out between you two – blegh.”
“Um, what just happened?” Jake demanded. “Why did you pretend to be my girlfriend?”
“To make you look better, duh,” she rolled her eyes as they walked back to the group’s spot. “Anyone could see that act of hers was fake – she wanted to hear that you’re single and still pining away for her while she’s ‘moved on.’“ She shrugged. “You were floundering, so I stepped in. You’d do the same for me.”
He shook his head, sipping his beer. “You’re a good friend. A crazy person, yeah, but a good friend nonetheless.”
“Was that Callie I saw walking away from the two of you?” Fink asked incredulously as they approached. “She looked super-pissed – what’d you say to her?”
“It wasn’t me,” Jake snorted. “My ‘new girlfriend’ over here had to brag about how wonderful of a boyfriend I am.”
“Nice!” Fink and Damian both high-fived Miriam. “Taking one for the team – very good, Miriam.” Fink grinned. “I’m impressed at both your improv skills and your dedication to your bros.”
Miriam shrugged, her face pink. “He almost broke his hand on a guy’s face for me – it’s the least I could do.”
***
When Miriam had seen how uncomfortable Jake was in the presence of his ex and her fiancé, she’d acted without thinking. He had protected her from Fink’s monster of a boss (who’d been promptly fired and replaced before the next workday, while Fink had resumed his former duties and was no longer anyone’s errand boy), and this was her chance to protect him from a demon of his own. So, naturally, she’d jumped in and words had simply fallen out of her mouth without any forethought, and she’d thought it was over when Callie had stormed away.
She hadn’t expected Callie and Rick to choose a spot three feet away from them to watch fireworks with Callie scowling and watching them like a hawk.
“This is your fault,” Jake grumbled to her, his breath tickling her ear as he put his arm around her and pulled her closer, covertly checking to see if Callie was still watching – she was. “I just want that clear.”
“I was just trying to help!” she hissed under her breath. “I didn’t think they would come back for more!” She sighed. “I just want to watch the fireworks.”
“Would you two pipe down, please?” Fink rolled his eyes on her other side. “You’re ruining the ambiance of the night for Libby and me. So you have to act like a couple for half an hour – big deal! You bicker like you’re married half the time anyway, like right now!”
“There is no bickering!” Miriam protested in a whisper-yell.
“There is right now – give it a rest before you blow your cover,” Damian quietly advised on Jake’s other side. Miriam groaned and settled into Jake’s side to watch the rest of the display. At least he was warm and comfortable to snuggle up to. Why her other roommates were so obsessed with the gym and their six-packs, she’d never understand – a man should have a little bit of meat on him, she reasoned. Who wanted to curl up next to a marble statue? Not her, that’s for sure. She’d had enough of that with Josh, who’d been a gym nut, and Braden, who was a skinny little boy, and then Gabe, who didn’t have much time for the gym but counted calories religiously. The next guy she dated would have to be shaped more like Jake, she decided silently.
When the fireworks ended, Miriam popped up from the curb to stretch, her ample breasts silhouetted in the moonlight. “I’m ready to go home – to bed,” she announced loudly enough to be overheard by Callie and Rick.
“Oh, yeah? Me, too,” Jake’s tone was suggestive as he rubbed the small of her back, glancing to see if Callie was listening. Her eyes were narrowed and she started to walk over to them. Jake felt nervous, unsure how to proceed.
“Don’t freak out,” Miriam whispered to him.
“What? Why?” Jake asked, distracted, and Miriam grabbed his face to pull him down to her level and kissed him, hard. All thoughts flew out of Jake’s head as his hands found Miriam’s hips and pulled her up against him, kissing her back.
They heard a disgusted noise from Callie’s direction and the click-clack of her sandals as she stormed away, pulling Rick after her down the street.
Miriam pulled back, out of breath. “Oh, good,” she said faintly, her hands dropping down to her sides. “They left. Mission accomplished.”
“Jesus Christ,” Jake murmured breathlessly, letting go of her waist and backing away.
“Yeah, sorry.” She gave him a sheepish glance, her face red. “It just seemed like the best way to avoid further confrontation with her. I know I wouldn’t approach my ex if he was…busy. I all but ran out of the apartment when I caught Josh with Mei.”
“Uh-huh.” Jake had lost his vocabulary for the time being.
Fink whistled loudly. “If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought that was the real thing! I’ll be honest, I’m a little bit aroused right now.”
“Gross, Fink!” Miriam wrinkled her nose.
Libby gave Fink a light shove. “Let’s get going, I’m tired.” She led them back to Fink’s BMW sedan.
Later that night, Jake was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, thinking about the day’s events. He’d be lying if he said he’d never thought about what it would be like to kiss his prettiest roommate, but he’d never expected to actually get the opportunity. It was going to be difficult to look at her without imagining the softness of her lips, at least for a few days...or years. Maybe ever.
The object of his musings walked into the bathroom. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were in here,” Miriam stammered awkwardly, backing out the door. “I just need to take out my contacts, but I can wait!”
“No, it’s fine, go ahead.” He motioned to the double sink, wiping his face on his towel as she went about her nightly routine. “Listen, um, I wanted to thank you for earlier, with Callie...I know you were trying to help, and you did, and it was really nice of you.The kiss really put it over the top, though. He smiled self-deprecatingly. “I know it was probably really gross for you and all, so–”
Having finished at the sink, Miriam turned toward the door and shrugged. “I didn’t think it was gross – I didn’t think it was bad at all.” She patted his arm. “Good night, Jake,” she called behind her as she went back to her room, leaving him in the bathroom, speechless again.
Chapter Thirteen
The rest of the summer passed quickly, and before they knew it, the fall semester had arrived – and with it, the demise of Fink-and-Libby.
It had come as a surprise to their friends when, the night before classes began, the roommates and Libby sat down to an early dinner at home before Miriam’s shift started, and Fink made the announcement.
“Libby and I have agreed to end our romantic relationship and begin seeing other people,” he told them candidly. “We don’t want anyone to choose sides – no one did anything to hurt the other. Please just treat us both as you normally would.”
“We’ve simply decided to break up before our relationship gets so old and stale that we resent each other,” Libby explained. “This way, we can salvage a friendship, and we can still all hang out as a group without any awkwardness.”
“Are you sure about this?” Miriam asked, unable to finish the lasagna Fink had especially prepared for the evening. Her face was sad. “You’re so good together!”
“She’s right – I thought you guys were happy,” Damian agreed, and Jake nodded, silently chewing his food. It took a lot to destroy his appetite.
Fink sighed. “Look, guys, we are happy, but after careful consideration, we both feel we need to call it quits now while things are still amicable. If we wait until there’s a big fight or things get ugly, we won’t be able to spend time together anymore, and neither of us wants that. So we’re going to try out being just friends.”
“It’s
for the best,” Libby added, placing her hand on top of Fink’s. He cleared his throat, and she removed her hand, placing it back in her lap, her upbeat demeanor weakening.
Miriam still looked upset. “I guess if this is what you both want, I can support your decision.”
“Me, too,” Damian nodded, bummed.
“I don’t actually care that much either way, to be honest,” Jake let them all know. He checked his phone. “Miriam, we better get going to the lab. You need to be at work in less than half an hour, and that zombie game I’ve been playing on Facebook isn’t going to level up by itself.”
***
Miriam and Jake both still needed to fill a Wellness credit, and rather than simply take boring old Principles of Nutrition, Miriam had suggested Stress Reduction through Movement. Jake had complained about not wanting to do yoga or tai chi, but ended up giving in and signing up for the Thursday night class with her anyway, grumbling all the while. If nothing else, maybe he’d meet a girl – there definitely weren’t too many guys in the class.
After that night in the bathroom back in July, they hadn’t discussed their kiss again – it was almost like it had never happened in the first place. If Miriam felt affected by it in any way, she didn’t let on, but it had definitely awoken something in Jake – he was tired of being alone and was concerned he might be projecting onto Miriam simply because she happened to be a good – amazing – kisser and he was lonely; he knew he needed to get back out there and start dating again. He’d used Callie as an excuse for too long – she’d moved on, obviously (although she had sent him a few passive-aggressive emails since their Kaboomtown run-in, and had even hinted at the possibility of a wedding invitation, which he’d promptly ignored), and it was long past time for him to do so as well.
A few weeks into the semester, he decided to make a move. He’d had his eye on a petite dirty-blonde – somewhat similar to Miriam physically, though she seemed less bubbly – since their second week in Stress Reduction. She normally partnered up with a tall gay redheaded guy, but that night she was alone, making her more approachable. When class ended, he decided to catch her before she left. After checking to ensure that Miriam was otherwise occupied – texting Libby – he casually made his way over to the girl.
“Hi, I’m Jake,” he told her, giving her what he hoped came off as a charming smile.
“Hello, Jake,” she smiled back, gathering her purse and phone and tugging on her sweater. “I’m Sadie.”
“That’s a pretty name, Sadie,” Jake complimented her, as per Damian’s earlier instructions. “So, what do you think of this class? Is your stress reduced, or what?”
Sadie shrugged. “It’s only the fourth class,” she answered. “I’m sure it’ll get better.”
“Yeah, definitely,” he nodded, wishing he’d asked Damian for more advice – it had been years since he’d actively tried to flirt with a girl, and he was woefully out of practice. “Listen, do you want to get a cup of coffee with me sometime?” he asked quickly before he lost his nerve completely.
She frowned at him. “You’re asking me out? Isn’t that your girlfriend right over there?” She pointed to Miriam a few feet away, still texting furiously.
“What?” He was surprised. “No, Miriam’s my roommate.”
“I don’t know, you guys seem pretty close,” Sadie said warily. “I don’t go out with guys that are already involved with someone else. Personal rule.”
“Trust me, we’re just friends,” Jake assured her. “So...coffee?”
“Well, if you’re definitely not attached...sure, why not?” Sadie shrugged. “How about tomorrow night at nine? We could meet up at Jupiter House.”
“Yeah, okay,” he agreed happily. He noticed Miriam leaving. “Well, I’ve gotta get home and finish some studying – see you tomorrow!”
He caught up with Miriam by the door. “What’s with all the texting?” he asked her, holding the door open for her as they left the building for the warm night air.
“Oh, Libby’s got a date tomorrow night with a male model from her agency and she’s a little bit nervous – it’s her first date since she and Fink split up.”
“Ah, so girly stuff – tell her good luck.” He smiled. “Speaking of dates, I’m having coffee tomorrow night with Sadie from class.”
“That girl you were talking to? Good for you, she’s really pretty,” Miriam enthused. “It’s about time you had a date – I mean, aside from Shoshanna, I’ve never seen you with a girl in over a year that we’ve been friends.”
“You – you know about Shoshanna?” Jake was shocked. He’d never told anyone about their night together. He didn’t like to think about it – he’d been drunk and angry that night, and Shoshanna had been all too happy to try and fix that. He hadn’t heard from her since, though.
“I ran into her the next morning in the hallway as she was leaving your room,” Miriam shrugged.
“You never said anything to me about it.”
“Why should I have? If you’d wanted to talk about it, you would have. Who you sleep with is your business – I’m not here to judge you.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Jake fidgeted. They were almost home. “You never said anything to the guys, did you?”
“Of course not!” Miriam snorted. “You’d never have heard the end of it from either of them. I’m not a monster, geez.”
***
Friday night arrived and Jake waited patiently outside Jupiter House. He was early, but he wanted to make a good impression on Sadie. He’d borrowed Fink’s ‘fat’ jeans again and another nice tee shirt from Damian, and his Converse sneakers were freshly washed. Miriam had assured him he looked “very handsome” before she’d left for dinner and a movie with some of her coworkers from the lab, and he hoped she’d been telling the truth.
Sadie showed up right at nine in a green striped sundress and a white cardigan sweater – very sweet and girly compared to Miriam’s Goodwill jeans and old PSHS Choir shirt that she’d worn out tonight, he noted. “Hi, Jake – I hope I didn’t keep you waiting,” she smiled at him.
“No, no, you’re right on time,” he assured her. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Sure,” she agreed, following him inside to the counter. “I’ll have a chai latte, on ice,” she told the barista.
“A black coffee for me, please,” Jake requested, handing some money over to the guy. After they got their drinks, he led her to one of the couches against a wall. “So, um, how was your day?”
“It was fine,” she answered, sipping her drink. “I finished a paper, put in a few hours volunteering at the children’s home on Bernard, had dinner with some friends...Friday’s my easy day this semester.”
“Well, that’s nice,” he said, and he meant it. “I don’t have class on Fridays either – just Tuesday and Thursday nights. I work around the corner at Mack’s during the day; I’m the manager.”
“Oh, I think I’ve seen you there a few times with your friends, on open mic nights – your roommate’s quite a musician,” she commented.
“Yeah, Miriam’s really talented. She’s been playing the piano and singing her whole life – she’ll make an awesome choir director,” he smiled, thinking about his friend.
“So, what about you? What are you going to do after graduation?” Sadie inquired.
“Oh, I’m not sure yet...I’m an English major, so something related to the field,” he said vaguely – thinking about his future made him feel nauseated. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m a psych major,” Sadie replied. “I’m about to finish my bachelor’s in December and then I’m doing an internship in Dallas in the spring – I’m hoping to get into the master’s program at UTD next fall.”
“Oh, are you from that area?” Jake asked, swirling the coffee in his mug.
“Yeah, my parents live in Richardson – I went to Pearce. Are you familiar with that part of town?”
“Kinda – Miriam’s parents live in Plano, and I’ve driven
her there a couple of times – it’s pretty close by, right? I think her family’s temple is near Richardson – I’m pretty sure we drove by Pearce on our way there for her dad’s colleague’s kid’s Bar Mitzvah.”
“Right,” she nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly. “So, what kind of music are you into? I like dance and house music, personally; I’m a big 80’s fan, too.”
“I’m more into indie stuff,” Jake answered.
“Oh, yeah, indie’s not bad,” Sadie agreed. “Who’s your favorite?”
“Well, Miriam and I went to see Owl City, Maroon 5, and Neon Trees for her birthday back in March – the concert was in March, I mean; her birthday’s in December. I’m actually looking for tickets to Phoenix right now to give her for her birthday this year, since they’re her favorite, but I’m not sure they’re touring anymore.”
She drained her latte and stood up. “I think I’m going to head out, Jake,” she sighed, irritated. “It’s been nice talking to you – see you in class.”