Chapter One

Shayla

I was so excited to move out of the dorms when I started my sophomore year. I imagined freedom and a taste of being an adult, which I guess I'm getting. But my roommate is a nightmare. She stays up all hours of the night and rarely, if ever, cleans up after herself. I do feel more like an adult, but not one with freedom. I'm constantly cleaning up after her and asking her to be quiet so I can get some sleep. I didn't realize that leaving the dorms would mean that I was going to be someone's mother.

Still, I've been trying not to let her snobbishness get to me. We're both only nineteen, after all. Everyone adjusts to being an adult on their own time. Just because I've been cleaning up after myself since I was a child doesn't mean she has.

After the day I've had, I'm looking forward to getting home. I cleaned the kitchen before I left, and I've been thinking about making a one pot pasta dish I saw on my Instagram feed. Despite how tired I am from my intense course load, I might even offer a plate to my roommate.

All of those thoughts fly out of the door when I walk into the apartment. Music is blaring from her room, and the kitchen is trashed. Apparently, my blessing of a roommate decided that I cleaned for her. Rage courses through me, and if I wasn't so exhausted, I'd march into her room and demand she come out here and clean this mess up.

Defeated, I drop my backpack to the floor and leave. My friend Nicole is working at Lucky's, the off-campus favorite bar and grill, tonight. As much as I want to be in my bed and locked away from the world for the night, I need to eat. I'll be able to chat with her and eat a meal that I don't have to cook or clean to make.

I consider driving myself, but the walk isn't too long and the weather's nice. It's a crisp, brisk fall day, probably one of the last in the season. It does wonders in clearing my mind, and by the time I walk through the double doors of the full restaurant, I'm more excited about having dinner than frustrated with my roommate. I can focus on that when I have a full stomach.

"Shayla!" my friend Nicole says from her host stand. "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight."

"I wasn't expecting to be here tonight," I admit, glancing at the groups of people milling around. "Think you have room for one?"

"Technically I have room for two," she laughs as she taps at the touch screen in front of her. "Daisy coming?"

"God no," I say, not bothering to hide my disgust. "Judging by the mess in the kitchen, she's already had dinner."

"Is she still not cleaning up after herself?" Nicole says, grabbing a menu and a set of silverware from beneath her stand.

"Of course she isn't," I groan, acknowledging her boyfriend, Dom, who also works here, as he walks up to the stand.

"Disgusting," she says, passing the things in her hand to Dom. "Take her to table fifty-two."

"You can't do it?" he snarks, earning himself a smirk from my best friend.

"You still suck at the computer," she replies before turning her attention back to me. "Tell me all about your horrible roommate later tonight?"

"Gladly," I say before following Dom though the store.

"Julie will be over soon," he says when we stop at a tiny booth that's only big enough for two people.

"Thanks, Dom," I say, sliding into the seat and opening the menu.

Just like he said, Julie arrives at my table a few seconds later to grab my drink order. I ask for a glass of water before scanning through the appetizers. Maybe I'll go all out and get myself a three-course meal. I think I deserve it after the day that I've had.

I'm bouncing back and forth between the mozzarella sticks and artichoke dip when Nicole walks up to my table with a sheepish expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" I ask, unsure of why she might look so guilty.

"Nothing's wrong," she assures me. "I was just wondering if you'd be open to a dinner guest. He's one of our regulars and really nice. You can say no if you're not comfortable with it, and I wouldn't ask if we weren't so busy."

My first instinct is to say no. I'm not a particularly outgoing person, and usually the idea of spending an extended period of time with a stranger gives me anxiety. Something tells me to say yes, though.

"Sure," I say after a long pause. "I haven't even gotten my drink yet, so the timing is perfect."

A wave of relief washes over Nicole's face at my response. "You're the best. I'll bring him over."

She disappears for about twenty seconds. Then, when she comes back, there's a tall, muscular man that must be around thirty following behind her chattering away. His short black hair is peppered with strands of gray. When his warm, brown eyes lock with my own blue eyes, it feels like the world stops.

"Leo, this is my best friend, Shayla," Nicole says, placing his silverware on the table. "Be nice to her. She's had a hard day."

"I'm always nice," he says as he settles in across from me. "Thanks for letting me join you, Shayla."

"It's no problem," I reply, unable to ignore the way his deep, masculine voice makes my insides melt. "Might be nice to have company."

"Look at that, friends already," Nicole says, giving me a wink that lets me know she's picked up on my attraction. "I need to get back to the front. Julie should take good care of you both, though."

"Julie's a sweetheart," Leo says when Nicole walks away. "Feels like she's always here, but she's always got some interesting fact about American history."

"Huh," I say, following his line of sight to Julie who's walking over to us with my cup in her hand.

"Hi Leo," she says as she places my drink on the table. "Diet Coke?"

"You know it," he replies. Then, he glances at me and says, "You want to split an order of mozzarella sticks?"

"How'd you know I was thinking about ordering an appetizer?" I ask, feeling a playful smile plant itself on my face. "That sounds great."

"We'll do that, then," Leo says, smiling up at our server.

"Perfect," she says as she jots something down in her book. "And are you two ready to place your order?"

"Can I do the ribeye medium rare with the broccoli and mashed potatoes, please?" he says, reciting his order like he's done it a thousand times before.

I'm not quite ready to order, but that sounds pretty good, so I say, "I'll do the same. But can I get my steak medium?"

"Absolutely," she says cheerily, her pen moving a mile a minute. "I'll get that put back and your appetizer should be out soon."

With that, Julie walks away leaving Leo and I alone. I sip at my water, not knowing what to say. I want to talk to him, though. His charisma is charming, and even though we met a few minutes ago, I want to know everything about him. If only I was better at talking to people.

"So, Nicole said you had a bad day," he says easily. "Wanna talk about it?"

"It's nothing, really," I say, shaking my head. "Just roommate troubles."

"That can't be fun," he says, tilting his head sympathetically.

"It isn't," I sigh. "I know it's normal for roommates to have different standards for cleanliness, but Daisy is a slob. I cleaned the kitchen before I left for campus, and when I got home, it was a wreck."

"And that's how you ended up here?" he guesses, smiling at Julie when she gives him his soda.

"Exactly," I say. "I just didn't have it in me to clean everything again, so here I am."

"Your reason for being here is better than mine," he concedes, leaning in conspiratorially. "I'm hopeless in the kitchen. I ruin everything I touch."

"I'm sure you're not that bad," I say, giggling at the serious look on his face. It's hard to believe that less than an hour ago I was in such a bad mood. I wonder how Leo's done it.

"Oh, I am," he assures me, leaning back and taking a sip of his Diet Coke. "I burn everything I try to cook. Except for chicken. Every time I try to make chicken, it comes out undercooked."

"Maybe you just need practice," I say with a reassuring smile. "I wasn't a very good cook when I first started either. My mother used to say I was hopeless."

"So, you had a teacher?" he asks, quirking a thick eyebrow. When I nod, he scoffs good-naturedly and says, "That's definitely what I need."

Before I catch myself, I'm saying, "I could teach you if you wanted."

Something flashes across Leo's face, and for a second I worry that I've offered too much or that he thinks I'm flirting with him or something – I don't really have much experience in that department. It isn't until after words are out of my mouth that I realize how they come off. After a beat he doesn't seem bothered.

"You know," he muses, tapping his fingertip against the tabletop, "I'd like that."

Before I can say anything else, Julie arrives with two plates and a platter of mozzarella sticks. Our conversation slows down, but Leo tells me about his construction job as we work our way through the appetizer. Then, when we finish and our entrees hit the table, he asks me about my major, and I share that while I haven't declared it just yet, I'm considering going into communications or psychology.

We discuss the finer points of each path, and even though I don't feel like I'm any closer to making a decision, the conversation has given me a new perspective on both. Leo's at least a decade older than me, and with that age comes wisdom I don't yet have. By the time we finish eating, I'm sad that we'll be saying goodbye soon.

"One check or two?" Julie asks as she grabs our empty plates.

"Just one," Leo says, shooting me a grin. "I'd like to pay for my new friend's meal. She was gracious enough to let me join her. It's the least I can do."

"You don't have to do that," I say when she walks away.

"I want to," he says as he finishes his drink before pulling out his wallet. Then, when Julie hands him our check, he passes a few bills to her, telling her to keep the change. "It was nice meeting you, Shayla. Maybe we'll run into each other again."

"Yeah," I say, watching him leave with wide eyes. "I hope we do."

"Me too," he replies as he gets up and leaves the restaurant.

As I watch him go, disappointment seeps in. He definitely turned my mood around and made me feel better, but it feels like our time together was far too short. He was funny, attractive, and interesting. I've never felt so drawn to a man before. While I'm walking home, I remember that Nicole said he was a regular and decide that any time my roommate's acting up, I'll head to Lucky's for refuge.