Landlord Wars(35)

I flinched. “Wait, what?”

She glanced at the door as though Jack might barge in at any moment. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you!” Then she was up and scavenging for the clothes she’d thrown on the floor last night and pulling them on over Jack’s T-shirt.

I attempted to process what she was saying. “You…kissed him?”

She stopped what she was doing and glared. “A little more than that, Soph. Stop being such a prude. I told you I slept with him.”

For some reason, I couldn’t utter the S-word in relation to my sister and my roommate. Jack was more like a brother. That was why I figured he and Elise bickered. Like they had their own sister-brother thing going on—though now that I thought about it, that didn’t seem right either. Jack had always been a little too focused when it came to Elise.

And then I was furious. “Wait, you’d been drinking. Did that asshole take advantage?”

Funny how my roommate could go from a good guy to a total jerk in the span of a heartbeat. But if he’d taken advantage of her, he was about to lose his favorite appendage.

Elise pulled the bag she’d been carrying last night onto her shoulder and closed her eyes, letting out a slow breath. “Simmer down. I was stone-cold sober by the time I dream-moaned his name. I’d had a very dirty dream about your roommate, for some unfortunate reason, and it woke me. And then I saw him sleeping beside me, and…”

I held up my hands in anticipation. “And?”

“I sort of—attacked him. Or really, I rolled on top of him and kissed him lightly on the lips.” She touched her mouth. “Sexiest peck of my life. He seemed taken by surprise for all of a hot second, and then he was kissing me back, and—we slept together. And it was ridiculously hot, but now… Nope. Can’t face him.”

“Ohhh, shit. Shit, shit.” I looked around, suddenly understanding her distress, because holy hell. Jack and Elise? Max was insanely protective of Jack. I could only imagine what he’d think if he found out Elise had snuck into Jack’s room. Jack was in a vulnerable state after his last relationship. Max was going to kill me!

She glanced past me to the window. “How high up are we? You have a fire escape, right?”

“I think so,” I murmured, distracted. “Wait, Elise. You can’t climb out of my window to avoid Jack. Have you lost your mind? Go talk to him.”

“Can’t,” she said and unlatched the window. She perched on the ledge and fumbled with the escape ladder. “There’s no way I can face your roommate ever again.” She lifted her leg over the ledge, then looked back. “Sorry, Soph. Guess I won’t be seeing you until you move out of this place.”

I scrambled after her. “I’m not moving, remember? I could be here for years. Be an adult!”

She shook her head. “He knows I had a crush on him now. I can never face him again.”

I tugged her back toward the room, but she resisted. “You have a crush on Jack?” I asked.

Her face contorted, and she batted at my hand, dislodging it. “Lower your voice! Had—I had one. My crush is gone. Now I need to get out of here. Close this behind me, will you?” she said as she descended the metal steps.

Elise was doing it. She was actually risking her life to avoid Jack.

I leaned over the ledge and watched nervously as she made it to the pavement from what looked like a sturdy escape ladder—freaking Landlord Devil and his attention to detail.

Elise peered around, then ran away like a cat burglar.

Where was she going? That wasn’t even the direction of the closest bus stop.

Running from a one-night stand via the fire escape had to be the worst walk of shame in history.

By the time I got myself together and entered the kitchen, Jack had left our apartment. His bedroom door was wide open, the bed made, and there was no sign of him.

What was wrong with these two? Jack was a late-night working hermit, and now he was leaving by seven in the morning? You’d think they were sixteen, not in their late twenties. Then again, I’d run for my life after Max kissed me, so fleeing romantic situations had apparently become an epidemic in the building.

Max would probably blame me for what happened last night. Or maybe not. I didn’t know. I wasn’t used to amorous, kissing Max. I was used to the Max who chewed me out, and this seemed like something he’d blame me for.

Unable to stomach anything heavy, I made a fruit smoothie and took off for work, hoping the distraction would do me some good.





Chapter Sixteen





Sophia





This Saturday, Green Aesthetic had a few events to coordinate, and considering the trucks lined up in front, every vendor in town had shown up on our doorstep.

“No, not the Presidio,” Victor said into his cell phone, his back to me. He pointed feverishly at a man with a stack of boxes on a hand dolly and gestured for the guy to move out of the way. “The white miniature rose plants,” Victor continued, “are going to the 40 Under 40 Awards at the Fairmont.” His long-sleeved, tucked-in button-down was wrinkled in the back, and his short blond-and-gray hair was sticking up at odd ends.

I stepped aside for the guy with the dolly, and Victor caught sight of me, his shoulders sinking as relief flooded his features.