Roommates with Benefits [18+ only]

30. I am not sharing you

There's one thing Lukas Bennet might be better at than sex. Well, ok, two things, he's a great cook as well. But the second thing he's better at than sex is ... avoiding personal talks. Every time I tried to bring up the subject throughout the past three days, we ended up naked. Not that I'm complaining, but I thought we had come far enough for him to feel like he could be vulnerable around me.

Then again, I'm one to talk. I run off every time it looks like my barriers are rocking due to the guy himself. I guess I can't expect him to open up to me if I keep on fleeing when it's my turn to be vulnerable around him.

The truth is, we both have traumas to process, and on one hand I think we could do it together, on the other ... if all the books I've read and the movies I've seen have taught me anything, is that there's nothing that bonds people more than getting over trauma together. It could be a dangerous path.

I guess that's why I ended up agreeing on going on a date with Sean tonight. At the very least, it will keep me far from Lukas for a few hours. We really spend way too much time together. He barely even goes out with his friends anymore, with the excuse that he needs to study, which he doesn't, since he ends up watching whatever movie with me. And of course, things inevitably end in my room, also because his is still unlivable.

I wanted to call the landlord and tell him, see if he would send his handyman to fix the mess, but Lukas insisted I shouldn't, said we're going to do it ourselves this weekend, since I'm not supposed to go to Newark anymore. I have no idea how, since neither of us has ever done this type of work, but I guess it could be fun.

Coming from a long, stressful shift at work, all I wanted was to take a bath and spend the night relaxing, or maybe go to sleep early, instead I was supposed to prepare for my date with Sean. About which, by the way, I haven't said a word to Lukas yet. I don't even know whether I should.

Our deal allows dates and as long as it doesn't get to a third one, it won't affect our particular situation, so, technically, I'm not really supposed to inform him. I sincerely doubt there will be a second date. I like Sean, I do, but as much as I am curious to see how it goes and I want to use this chance to get over my fears, the fact remains that I'm not ready for a relationship yet.

I was about to unlock my front door, when I heard someone call my name. Turning around, I spotted the most gorgeous redheaded girl I've ever seen, well, her head, since the rest was hidden by the wall. "It is Tara, right?" She wondered. "I ... heard Lukas call you that."

"You know my roommate?"

"Yes. Well, no, not really. We only bump into each other in the elevator every now and then." How come I've never seen her instead? "I'm Ariel, I moved here a few weeks ago."

I nodded. The neighbor I heard talk to Lukas a while back. "Ariel?" I repeated, unsure I caught it right. Who would name their kid that? I mean, a redhead called Ariel, she must have been bullied hard.

She chuckled, a bit nervously. "Yes, I know, like the mermaid ... it's actually not. It's my grandmother's name, my parents had been meaning to give that name to their first daughter but they had 4 sons and ... well, the movie was uh ... bad timing."

I wasn't really interested in her villain origin story, I was more wondering how come I haven't seen her a single time in weeks, yet Lukas bumps into her a lot. I couldn't help thinking that there was something I was missing. I shouldn't jump to conclusions and by now I know him enough to know there's a lot more behind the smug façade, but ... a tiger doesn't change its stripes, does it? As Kelly would say, once a player, always a player.

Ariel chewed on her lip nervously, eyeing me carefully, which confused me. How is someone that looks so breathtaking nervous? Then I noticed that her red hair was all wet and she was hiding the rest of her body on purpose. "Um ... are you alright?"