That Little Screening Room

Chapter 2

"Meryl." Don smiled.

Meryl couldn't believe Don was standing at her door, well really, his door. He was even more dashing than she remembered, standing there with stubble on his face, t-shirt, jeans, and a cast. A CAST! "Oh my goodness Don, are you okay?" She exclaimed.

"Can I come in and sit?" He asked laughing.

Meryl was embarrassed; he knocked on his own door as she stood there in her robe and a towel on her head. "Oh, of course, it's your apartment." She laughed as she took his duffle bag from him and helped him as he wobbled over to the sofa.

"Thanks. I am sorry for catching you off guard. I tried calling yesterday when I was headed back from Europe but you didn't answer, so I just came back." He smiled.

"Don, this is your apartment, please don't apologize. Well, I am going to go change." She said laughing uncomfortably as she went to change.

***

Don took a deep breath. She was even more gorgeous than he remembered standing there so pure in her bathrobe and no make-up. He couldn't help but feel butterflies in his stomach when he saw the way her face lit up whenever she saw him. 'STOP IT! She is just a friend, she was just being nice. Her boyfriend died not that long ago.' He told himself. Well, he was back due to his accident and he couldn't tell her to leave, she had no place to go. He would never kick anyone out on the street, he especially couldn't do that to Meryl. He felt this connection to her, something he couldn't explain, and not after everything she had gone through the past year. He would ask her to stay. She was a friend, and she was also a good friend's sister, there was nothing inappropriate about that. Men and women all over the city were roommates, it was too expensive for young people starting out to live in a decent apartment in the city all by themselves. It was settled, he was going to ask her to stay in his apartment for as long as she needed to.

***

When Meryl came back out she saw Don trying to put a pillow on the coffee table and put his leg up on it. She could tell he was getting frustrated as the walking cast greatly limited his mobility.

"Here, let me help." Meryl said smiling as she put the pillow on the table and carefully grabbed his leg and propped it up on the pillow. "How is that?" She asked.

"Great, thank you." He smiled. "Meryl, I am sorry for just showing up unannounced." He really did feel bad.

"Don, as I keep saying, this is your home there is absolutely no reason to apologize." She stressed.

"Well, as you can tell I had a motorcycle accident when I was in Europe, so I had to come back home." Don started to explain.

"Are you okay? Can I get you anything?" She asked concerned.

Meryl's concern melted his heart. "No, I'm fine, thank you."

"Well, I will pack up my things and leave you in peace." She smiled as she got up until Don's pulled her to sit back down.

"I was going to ask you to stay as long as you need to. Please don't feel like you have to leave. It would be nice to have a roommate and we aren't exactly strangers after our letter writing these past weeks." He smiled.

Meryl couldn't believe what she was hearing; Don wanted her to stay in his apartment. He wanted her to be his roommate. 'This is crazy.' She thought. "Don, you are a very nice guy, but you don't have to do that." She said.

"I am not doing it because I feel I have to, I am doing it because I want to. I can't tell you what our correspondence meant to me while I was in Europe. When I was in the hospital I re-read those letters and they kept me entertained. It would be nice to have a roommate. I would really love it. Plus, we have really hit it off and I would love to have your company." He smiled. He hoped he wasn't laying it on too thick but the thought of her out in the city alone and homeless broke his heart.