Between Read Free

trying.
    "Hi , Rose," she smiles.
    Chloe was one of my nurses when I was in ICU. Again, I don’t remember but I don’t want to.
    "Hey. I think Finn here has issues."  He looks at me sharply, and I give him a saccharin smile, hoping he notices the double meaning of my words.
    "What’s up, Finn?" asks Chloe.
    "System’s down again."
    Chloe slides behind the counter , and Finn wheels his chair out of the way. She leans over Finn, silky-brown ponytail falling forward as she taps the keyboard. Instead of watching Chloe, Finn studies me silently for a few moments, not as though he’s checking me out, but as if I’m intruding. I don’t bother holding his gaze; the clock above indicates it’s finally time for the end of my shift. I say goodbye to Chloe and ignore Finn.
     
    ****
     
    One thing I really should have checked before agreeing to live in the house was the bus route. Yes, there’s a bus stop a few hundred metres from the front door, but the bus from the hospital only stops there once every three hours. Most buses stop at the bottom of the steep hill. 
    I consider this as I huff my way up the road. I guess I won’t need any workouts at the gym if I do this every day. My bag gets heavier with each step , and with burning calf muscles and a sense of triumph, I reach the front door.
    "Hello!" I call.
    Nobody sits in the popular spot on the sofa by the TV, so I dump my bag on the floor and wander to the kitchen. Washed dishes are stacked neatly on a wooden drainer and the table is wiped clean, but no one is around.
    Grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl, I bite into it and climb the steep stairs with my aching legs. At the top of the first set, I pause and lean against the wall. God, I’m unfit . A door opens, the room next to the one I think is Alek’s, and a girl walks out. Surprised eyes reflect my own confusion. I’ve never seen her before, and I’ve lived here two weeks.
    I tense. Is she robbing the house? She doesn’t look like someone who has broken in. But what would someone who robs houses look like? I scan her for a knife or similar weapon, but she wrings her shaking hands together. Empty. I hazard a guess she’s my age, but her make-up free, pale face could be any age between twelve and twenty. The girl’s emerald green eyes and curled red hair draw my attention. She's pretty in an unusual way. Alek’s girlfriend? 
    "Hi," I say and smile.
    The girl steps toward me and I step back, unsure of what she’s going to do. She doesn’t speak.
    "I’m Rose."
    The front door bangs open and closed; the girl’s eyes grow to the size of saucers, and she runs past me down the stairs. I debate whether to keep going to my room or follow her. The apple drips onto my hand and I suck the juice off as I follow her down.
    At the bottom of the stairs, I slam straight into Alek’s hard chest, smothered by his jacket and a scent of leather and sharp spice. "Sorry," I mutter and pull back. 
    Alek’s foot rests on the bottom stair, hand on the wooden stair rail as he pauses and studies my face. "What’s the hurry?"
    "None, I wanted to see if the girl was okay."
    He frowns at me. "What girl?"
    "The red-haired girl."
    "Oh. Her." His scrutiny of my face continues, and my cheeks heat up as I look back. "She’s gone."
    "I didn’t know anyone else lived here." 
    I want to ask why nobody told me more than four people live here, but the edginess about Alek I haven’t figured out yet prevents me pushing the issue.
    "She doesn’t. She’s visiting." He steps back to let me off the step. "Move. I need to get to my room."
    His rudeness stuns me , and I’m pretty mad with myself when I comply. Alek stomps upstairs. Is he incapable of going anywhere quietly? His leather jacket scent lingers. Perhaps the way his smell burrowed into my mind is what desensitises me to his rudeness, because it adds to his attraction.
    I shake my head at myself as I wander into the lounge. Edgy, hot guy in a leather jacket? Oh please, get a