Roman Roommate

30 - Valentine's Ball Part 1

The phone rang four times...then five...then six...and then:

"Hi, you've reached Carmen! I'm not available right now so be sure to leave a message and-"

I sighed and angrily pushed the end button. That was my ninth call to her since this morning and she still hadn't answered once. I was getting concerned. I thought about giving her a visit but I had to admit that I didn't want to get out of my bed either.

I had returned home from my parents' house to at least feed Theo but once I got there, I found that I couldn't leave. My apartment felt like a secret shrine to him. I would find something that reminded me of him in every room I would enter: the pot that he used to cook dinner once, the towel that he used to shave with that still smelled like aftershave, the cushion he sat on, and worst of all, the t-shirt he left behind.

I snuggled into my sheets wearing the t-shirt of his that I found in my closet. My eyes stung and resembled swollen red marshmallows from all of my past crying. I took a deep breath and picked up my phone. I tried Carmen's number again but was only met with her voicemail.

I tossed the phone on the bed and turned on my side taking in the familiar scent that reminded me so much of Jay. I could at least say his name now without having a water pipe burst sending out a flood of tears.

Theo gracefully hopped onto the bed and walked over to sit across from my face. He stared at me and his tail flicked about in concern. He meowed softly. I reached up and scratched behind his ears. He responded by closing his eyes, leaning into my hand, and purring deeply. He gave me a smile at least.

"I'm okay," I told him seriously giving him a final pat on the head. He looked at me with his wide blue-green eyes and stretched out to lie down next to me.

"I'm worried about everyone else," I admitted to him. Theo didn't even lift his head to glance at me. His tail kept flicking about as a soft purring filled the air. I began to stroke his tummy lightly.

"Carmen doesn't seem to be handling this well," I mumbled. Theo stretched his hands and his claws caught the cotton shirt I was wearing. I pulled it away from his paw.

"I'm doing just fine," I claimed turning away from him. "I deal with this in my own way. Don't judge me."

Theo only meowed weakly. I sighed after a moment. I was seriously just wallowing in my own pity. If I expected to ever get over everything then I needed to move on. I sat up in my bed and caught a whiff of Jay's smell from his shirt. My eyes began to water almost instantly. I could start the 'getting over it' thing tomorrow.

I had just rested my head back on my pillow when a faint knock came from my front door. I only rolled over onto my stomach and groaned into my pillow. I didn't want to get up and I most certainly didn't want to deal with visitors. The sound came again from the door and Theo quickly got up off the bed to check it out. I huffed and complained but followed after him anyway.

The knocking only seemed to increase as I neared the door and I opened it with a very annoyed expression present on my face. My irritation only grew when I noticed who was on the other side.

"What do you want?"

My mother gave me a sad look. She was either being sympathetic or judging me and either way, I didn't like it. Mom held up a hanger with a bag hanging off of it and thrust it into my arms.

"I know you aren't in the mood," Mom began. "But you have to attend the Valentine's Day Ball."

I rolled my eyes and took the bag that undoubtedly held a dress over to my couch in the living room. Mom followed closely behind me.