Sharing Space (closed)

http://i.imgur.com/4nO5P8H.jpg

The extra bedroom was still giving her pause.

Olivia leaned back against the wall of the small space, coffee mug in hand, still in her pajama bottoms and buck rogers tank top. It was a NICE little space. It was smaller than the main bedroom, obviously, but it had a charm of it’s own, and the closets were big. It even had a small attached bathroom. It just felt like such a waste to use it as anything other than a bedroom.

She sipped from her mug, pondering. The temptation was to use it as workout and yoga room, but she had the treadmill in the living room, and half the reason she had sprung for such an expensive place was because it had a veranda where she could do her yoga, so why even bother? Still, if she wasn’t going to do that, then what?

The answer was staring her right in the face. The college campus was less than three blocks from here. SOMEONE needed the room. It would actually be an amazing steal for a college student. There was a washer and dryer in the hall closet, they could use her Wifi… even the water pressure in the shower was decent. Olivia took a lot of pride in the fact that she was able to take care of all her living expenses on her own, even handling the behind-the-scenes elements of her business, but she wasn’t so proud that she couldn’t use the extra income.

Still… ugh. The idea of meeting someone and sharing her space with them… she really liked to think she was past all that. Maybe a really nice person would be pleasant to have for the company… someone to occasionally watch a movie with, or something. Her work basically meant that traditional dating was out, and she rarely ever missed it at all, but it could be fun to have a roommate.

That is, of course, if she LIKED the roommate. She turned, leaving the empty bedroom and went into the greatroom. The lofted ceiling, with it’s tall industrial windows and exposed brickwork, made the entire room feel much larger than it was, but it also used its space well. The kitchen was sunken down a few steps, allowing plenty of room for the overhead loft which looked down over the main living area. She hopped up the spiral staircase, set her coffee mug down on the coffee table in front of the black sofa, and dropped into her chair in front of her new computer. She had found early on that she needed a high-end machine for her work. She had essentially had to become a web designer by default, and had actually started to take on a few clients on that end; people that had no idea what she actually did for a living. She grabbed her mouse, and started in with some judicious googling, leaning some of the pros and cons to having a lodger. After an hour or so, she had come up with a list of qualities she was looking for; someone clean, conscientious, friendly, trustworthy….

She thought for a moment, and added another item to the list: discreet. She didn’t take clients in her home anymore, it was part of the reason she had taken a new place. The actual legality of what she did was… well, it wasn’t STRICTLY illegal, but the definitions were, at best, a little fluid. If she decided to bring someone into her life, then she needed to feel like she could trust her. Once that was done, she composed a minimalist ad, and emailed it to the nearby college’s campus paper; “Room available. Female tenant only. Wifi, cable, utilities included. Laundry facilities. 24-hour security. Two blocks from campus. Rent reasonable, let’s discuss.”

She leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. This… seemed like the right thing to do, but it really depended on who turned up. In the meantime, she mused, looking at the clock, she was meeting a client in two hours.

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Two weeks later she sat at her vanity, speaking into the air. "Okay,” She said, leaning forward in her chair, turning her face to the opposite side as she applied her makeup, “yea, that’ll be fine. I’ll see you in an hour. Yep. Bye!” She reached out with her unoccupied hand, carefully ending her call, trying not to get concealer on the screen.

She had gone through this process four times already, and it hadn’t worked out very well. Two of the girls had been pretty obvious partiers, and she just wasn’t up to having to babysit a twenty-year-old while she tried to score molly. The third had SEEMED like a really nice girl. She had even liked her on their first meeting. She had started the paperwork for her lease, but when they met for coffee to go over it, it came out that the girl was deeply religious. And a conservative. Olivia had never been so grateful to a coffee shop for playing Fox News.

The last girl, though… She had taken the cake. She was wearing a halter top and tight red vinyl hip huggers with a straight face, as though no one had ever explained to her that she wasn’t Britney Spears circa 2003. She was INTENSELY into herself, which on it’s own would have been fine, if she hadn’t decided to explain that she was definitely going to be having guys over, and asked Olivia if she thought she’d be able to handle that.

She rolled her eyes, applying a tiny bit of bronzer. She felt herself wanting to get catty about the girl’s attitude, but that didn’t make her much better. This is the nonsense she was getting sucked into, thinking about inviting a college-aged girl into her home. She had gotten very close to shitcanning the whole idea, but she had one more reply, and this last girl had managed to convince her to try it ONE more time.

Closing up her makeup and turning off her small vanity light, she stood up, found the blouse she had pulled out of her closet and left lying on her bed, pulled it over her arms, buttoned it, and headed out to the kitchen. Thinking it would be nice to have some snacks set out for her guest when she arrived, She took out a wooden cutting board, sliced a few pieces of cheese and set them out along with some crackers, and added a small piece of honeycomb she had picked up at whole foods. She wrapped the whole thing in saran wrap before she put it in the fridge, and then filled a pitcher with water from the dispenser in her refrigerator door. She cut a few slices of cucumber and lemon and set them in dishes ready to put in glasses…

She looked around. That was pretty much it. What was she going to do for the next hour? She sighed, and went into the living room, turned on her TV, and grabbed the PlayStation controller.

"Taylor Spence?" The teaching assistant called her name and she raised a slender arm cautiously while looking around the room to see if there was anyone she knew. Her first class as a junior with a declared major meant upper level courses and a bunch of people with whom she had not had any courses prior to this year. She put her hand down once she was recognized as present and sat through a dry lecture about the contents of the syllabus, the expectations for attendance, and the weird proclivities of the TA who clearly thought he was more that than he actually was. She felt bad for him, embarrassed really. Her phone gave a warbling rattle in her purse midway through the period and she looked to down to see a text light up the phone's face. It was from her mother, and of course it was half supportive and half nagging.

Good luck on your first day! How is the house search going? She sighed and put the phone away without responding. Her mother was just worried. She understood. But the question stressed her out every time. A month ago she learned that her roommate for the summer was not re-enrolling in school, leaving her with too much house and too little income, which was going to force her to move. A month later, she had not found any place that was either suitable, presentable, or within her price range.

"Miss Spence," the TA droned. "your presentation will be October 7th." The girl looked up, suddenly paying attention and concerned she had missed part of the topic at hand.

"Presentation?" She asked the girl to her left, who quickly showed her a place on the syllabus where each student was responsible for a research paper and defense of the paper during the semester. She nodded a thank you and retreated into her seat, hoping to avoid incoming fire from the TA in the form of any other questions or instructions. Nearly an hour later, the class was dismissed and Taylor slipped into the hallway of the old building, before walking across the campus to the student union. She was in form fitting khaki shorts that showed her athletic, slightly thick build, and a comfortable tank top from Banana Republic - sharp, yet casually cute, and she noticed a few boys here and there smiling her direction as she passed. When she got to the union she pulled a copy of the Daily Collegian and ordered a coffee, hoping to kill some time between classes and peruse the ads. Moments after sitting down, she found something that seemed promising:

“Room available. Female tenant only. Wifi, cable, utilities included. Laundry facilities. 24-hour security. Two blocks from campus. Rent reasonable, let’s discuss.”

Taylor thought it sounded promising and called the number associated with the ad. The girl on the other line sounded measured and pleasant, certainly not immature and seemingly sincere. After speaking a few moments, she made an appointment to look at the apartment. Three days later, she had been approved to move in and was eager to get to know her new roommate, Olivia. She had seemed nice at the interview, but something seemed more....mysterious. She couldn't determine what it was. But Taylor was excited to be moving in, though she worried a bit about how she might pay all her bills and her tuition. She would find a way. She knew she had to.

“I think I can do that for you, Mr. Jansen…” she said into her headset, sitting back in her computer chair in her t-shirt and boxer shorts, her leg tucked up to her body. “Absolutely. The MGM Grand high rollers lounge. Mm hm. I’ll be in red. Yes.” She was careful to smile, reaching up to touch the mic to keep it at just the right distance from her mouth as she spoke her sign off. “I can’t wait to spend some time with you, Mr. Jansen.”

The call ended, and she pulled the headset off, dropping it on the table, rocked back in her chair, and threw her arms up in the air. “YES!” she shouted, kicking her bare feet in the air. An entire weekend in Vegas! This would be all the money she needed to make for the month in one shot! She looked at the rightmost of the three monitors she ran on her computer, opening quickbooks… and squealed in delight. MORE than a month!

She ran her hands through her hair. Okay… logistics. She had to get to Vegas TONIGHT. He had offered to pay to fly her down, but she had declined; it was important that she always appear to be completely at ease with the setting, and a woman in the high rollers room could get anywhere she wanted on her own. She brought up google maps, finding the route; it was about a four and a half hour drive. It was almost five now. If she left in the next hour or so, she’d be able to check into whatever room she found, get ready, and get to the hotel with time to spare…

She quickly went online to find a hotel room for herself. It was rule one; you HAD to have your own room. She searched prices, and quickly discovered that there was no fucking way she was getting a last-minute deal for a room in Vegas this weekend. Instead, she went over to Airbnb, and quickly found a very nice little condo just thirty minutes from the city for a hundred bucks a night. She booked it, printed her documentation, and started down the spiral staircase. As she passed the kitchen, she smelled fresh baked cookies, and grinned.

Taylor had lived with her for almost two weeks now, and was just an absolute delight. She was absolutely stunning, but had a sweet, friendly demeanor to her. She was quiet, and clean, and conscientious… and she baked. Even now, she would be in her room, on a Friday night, studying away, the sound of whatever music she listened to percolating quietly into the hall outside her door and no further. Olivia didn’t want to jinx it, but taking her in as a lodger was probably the smartest thing she could have done. She really liked the girl, and was pretty keen on actually becoming friends with the girl.

She slowed down outside the door, a thought forming. Well… why not? It was a Friday, the girl could absolutely stand to take a day off. Besides, a four and a half hour drive would be much more fun with company.

She knocked gently on the door, and waited for an invitation before she entered. The space was sparsely furnished… She had wondered if Taylor was a little light on finances. “Hey,” she offered, smiling at the younger girl. “I just found out I have a work engagement in Vegas for the weekend. I’m staying at a condo just outside town, and I’m about to go pack and drive in tonight. Would you like to come along?”

She thought about it for a moment, and then folded her arms devilishly. “I’ll be Ubering into the city from the condo, so you can borrow the jag.”