—P
Olivia opened the attachment and felt her heart lurch up into her throat. Apparently, she’d be seeing them very soon because they were moving in the day after tomorrow.
Not a minute after she finished Parker’s email, she got a text from Chuck.
Hey roomie. Did you get that email?
Olivia rolled her eyes.
Yes. And don’t call me roomie.
What should I call you?
How about cellmate.
Could you at least try for optimism? This isn’t going to be that bad.
Chuck, this is literally a nightmare scenario.
Yes, and that’s the point. At least we know what we’re getting into.
Olivia realized he made an excellent point. It wasn’t like they were walking into the situation ignorant. She sighed and remembered what they had talked about that morning outside the studio.
So, about these rules…
Yes. Agreed. Necessary. Let’s meet tonight at Mel’s. 8.
Chuck’s pushy little text messages irked her something special, and it dawned on her that one benefit of living with him for a month would be a significant reduction in text communication.
Unless they locked themselves on either end of the house and only communicated electronically, which might be a solid idea, now that she thought about it.
Either way, she agreed that they needed to lay some ground rules, off camera, before they got into this mess they’d signed up for. And seeing that she had one day to get her affairs in order beforeName Your Pricelocked them in and threw away the key, a prompt meeting with Chuck was necessary.
See you there, she responded, and wondered if she should read into the fact that he’d picked the diner where he’d turned her world upside down with a kiss on their first date.
•••
Mel’s was a greasy spoonoff Sunset Boulevard. The perfect late-night hideaway after seeing a show or drinking too much and needing something battered and fried to sop it up. Or, as was happening at the moment, the perfect place to discuss boundaries for avoiding homicide while locked in a house with your ex for the sake of a reality TV show. Olivia ordered a milkshake with extra whipped cream to help the conversation go down easier. Chuck got decaf coffee. Night had fallen outside, and the summer sky glowed a shade of dusty purple above the city lights. Not a single star was visible.
At their booth, a cushy cove with worn, red leather seats and a laminate table, Olivia watched Chuck watch her pluck the cherry from her shake’s fluffy top and suck the cream from it. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he wet his lips. He lifted his coffee for a sip, and Olivia couldn’t tell if his reaction was jealousy that she was indulging in a treat or tempered arousal from watching her do things with her mouth.
“You can have some if you want,” she said, and pushed the shake to the table’s midpoint. She dipped her long spoon into the whipped cream and ate the white puff it returned with.
Chuck smirked at her. “You know I can’t.”
“Sure you can,” she said, and sucked on her spoon. It popped from her mouth with a slick sound that made Chuck lick his lips again.
“No, I can’t. Do you know what it takes to look like this?”he said, and gestured at himself, specifically the middle part of his body.
The face hadn’t been up to him. That was a blessing from whatever Grecian god statue his parents had prayed to. The height was genetic too, and sure, the abs, lats, delts, and whatever else made up a torso and arms fit for an action hero probably had roots in a fortunate gene pool, but Olivia was well aware how much work Chuck put into his body. The gym and the diet and all the routines had dictated their life. Like when she was hormonal and craving salty grease, but he was having a keto week. Or when she wanted to see a matinee at the theater, but he had to get in a workout during an afternoon window. Or when he left a pile of sweaty, squishy clothes on the bedroom floor because he came over after a run and she stepped on it with a bare foot.
“Yes, I do know. I used to date you, remember?”
He gave her another smirk, and she pushed the milkshake closer.
“That’s why I know one milkshake isn’t going to kill you. Half a milkshake, actually.”
His eyes widened at the sweating glass of frozen chocolate, but he pressed his lips together and ultimately resisted.