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“Nah. Just roommates.”
“I see. And how did you meet her?”
“I’m working on her car,” I said, deciding to leave out the fact that I found out about her apartment online. She was silent for a moment before she finally sighed.
“Well, be careful. You just got out of a relationship, so you don’t need to rush into anything.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know, Ma. I’m not ready for anything serious anyway.”
“Good. Well, I’m glad you’re out of that hotel at least, though I’d rather have you here with me.”
“I know, Ma,” I said, pulling out a pair of shorts and a tank top from a dresser drawer.
“Oh, and Kayla asked about you.”
“I’m sure she has,” I muttered.
“Have you talked to her yet?”
“Briefly.”
“What did she say?”
“I don’t remember. It was brief,” I said, though I did remember. Bitter memories of our conversation trickled into my mind. It made me both frustrated and upset that Kayla thought she could rip my heart out and then try to use her rich girl charm and words to try to wiggle herself back into my life. I hated that she thought her privilege worked in every aspect in her life. Little did she know, her money had no influence on me. I didn’t care who she rubbed elbows with or how much she was worth, it would take a lot more than saying sorry to reverse the damage she’d done, if that were even possible.
“Maybe you two should talk face to face. It’s hard to really talk about something so serious over the phone, don’t you think?”
“Ma, if you want to see me, just ask me to come to you. Don’t make this all about Kayla. I have no interest in seeing her or talking to her and I wish you’d respect that,” I said, probably a little more firm than I’d intended.
“I just want you to be happy, son.”
“And I am. I don’t need that drama and everything else that comes with her in my life right now. I’m fine,” I said, pulling the shorts on. “I have to start cooking. I’ll call you again soon.”
She sighed. “All right, O’Shea. Take care of yourself.”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” she said and hung up. I tossed the phone on the bed with a sigh. It was the same conversation every single time I talked to her since leaving. For someone who was so against me proposing to Kayla in the first place, it was equally baffling and irritating that she was so hung up on me working things out with her. Even in the off chance that Kayla and I got back together, there was no way in hell I would propose to her again, which would make a relationship pointless.
I slipped the tank top on with a sigh. After what happened with Kayla’s proposal, I didn’t know if I’d ever be confident enough to want to propose to any woman. The pain in rejection alone was enough to cripple my ability to love or to have anything serious with a woman. Either way, now wasn’t the time to think about all that. A relationship was the furthest thing on my mind and after being locked down for five years, I planned to live this bachelor life as long as I could.
I finally headed back toward the kitchen, hearing Ashton’s voice.
“I don’t know about this, guys,” she said. I paused, creeping closer and peeking around the corner. She leaned against the counter as she talked on the phone, her eyes fixated on the ceiling. She listened for a few moments before she spoke again.
“I mean he isn’t doing anything per say…but, I don’t know. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” She listened some more. “I don’t even know the damn man to like him! That dream I had doesn’t mean anything. His face his happened to show up when I was dreaming of someone else.”
Having dreams about me already, huh? A grin pulled at my lips as I continued to listen. “And then he came out of the shower in just a towel not too long ago.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Of course I did! He has the body of a fucking god, how could I not look?”
I snorted, causing her to snap her attention in my direction. “I have to call you back,” she said quickly and hung up the phone. I entered the kitchen, trying to appear nonchalant as I fought the laughter bubbling in my throat.
“Don’t mind me. Just here to cook some food,” I managed to say as I moved past her.
“How much of that did you hear?” she asked behind me.
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
