You have permission.
I fall asleep with Sawyer’s words on my mind. Funnily enough, I have a blissful sleep while I cuddle my Care Bear. I may be an adult, but I like to have something to cuddle at night. It makes me feel safe.
When I pad out to the kitchen the next morning, Payden is already up and making coffee.
“Morning sleepyhead,” she says.
“Hey.” I wave, then plop myself onto the stool at the counter, yawning.
“You smelled the coffee?”
“Uh, huh.”
“The usual?”
“Yes, please.”
We’re ideally suited as roommates because Payden is quiet and doesn’t poke into my business, and when she’s home, we don’t have to fill silence with words. We just both go about our lives.
“Are you going to Manny’s party on the weekend?”
“Uh, huh, but I have nothing to wear. Fancy a shopping trip? Some of the girls are going, and Manny offered to be our stylist for the day.”
She laughs. “Well, he knows what looks good on a woman.”
“Except shiny lycra,” I laugh. “I’ve been told it was bad.”
“I’m sure if anyone could pull it off, it’s him,” she says, pouring foam into her coffee as she puts my cup under the spout, changing out the pod.
“I’m free all of Thursday afternoon if that suits?”
“I’ll make sure I get off work early. I haven’t been shopping in so long.”
“I know what you mean. Work has been nuts lately, I barely have time to do food shopping,” she says.
We usually split the bills, or she’ll buy groceries one week, and me the next. I pay my way, and contribute to the cleaning, too. I’m not as neat as my bestie Sawyer, but I do have a tendency to leave piles of mess everywhere. I’ve been conscious of trying to put things away as soon as I’m done with them since moving in here. So living with a neat freak has, in fact, actually helped me.
“I can do some after work if you’d like. What do you fancy for dinner?”
“Oh, I’m having dinner with some clients,” she sighs. “So, I’ll be late, but you know I love leftovers for an easy meal tomorrow. Surprise me.”
“Those damn clients work you really hard,” I say, grateful when she passes me my mug.
“Especially this one. Oh, before I forget, someone broke into the mailbox downstairs,” she says. “Which is weird. I called the super, and he’s looking into the surveillance. I hope it’s just kids. They managed to leave us all the bills, though.”
“Ugh, people are shitty. Have they nothing better to do?”
“Clearly not.”
“Okay, well, I’d better chug this down and get in the shower.”
She smiles, tilting her head. “I’d better get going myself. Lock me in for Thursday, I can pick you up from work.”
“In the sports car?” I ask, excitedly.
“I don’t drive anything else, so I guess so.” She winks.
“Yippee! Can I drive?”