Roommates

Chapter 1

"Cara, things have to change," Jane stated.

Those were the words I did not want to hear. I hated change. Change was like having an unorganized room, chaotic and unnecessary "What do you mean?" She was my agent. She should know better than to say that to me.

"You have to publish a new book soon," Jane said.

"I'm working on it," I said exasperatedly. Working on it meant going through a series of ideas and coming up with a bunch of random crap.

"That's great, but you have to do something quick because... you're losing money."

"What do you mean I'm losing money!" As far as I knew, I still had plenty to live comfortably.

"You know how hard it is to make consistent money as an author when your name isn't Patterson or Rowling. You live in Manhattan for God's sake. You know it's not cheap." I could hear Jane shuffling through some papers on the phone.

"What are you suggesting?" I knew I wasn't going to like what she had to say, but I couldn't dance around this topic.

"Well...you can move."

"No! That is not an option. All my things are here and I like this place a lot. It's quiet enough for me to work without leaving the apartment and it's close to all the things I like." I really liked my apartment. It was situated near Sutton Place. A 2 bed, 1 bath apartment with large windows on three sides of the living room. They provided a great view of the city and in the distance, you could make out the lights of Time Square during the night. A long kitchen island separated the large stainless steel kitchen from the living room. Everything was meticulously organized just the way I liked and the thought of having to move everything again made me nauseous.

"Or...you can get a roommate," Jane suggested.

"Roommate?" Was she crazy? "Jane, how long have you known me?"

"I know it's not your thing to live with someone else, but it can be a great thing."

"How?" It was a nightmare to even imagine. I could not live with someone else. Being around people, irritated me.

"It will split the cost of the apartment in half and you can maybe gain a new friend or at least learn something new?"

"Like how much I hate people?"

"Don't be so negative, Cara."

"It's kind of hard not to imagine my roommate being a serial killer or a slob."

"Don't worry we can work on those. You can choose your own roommate and see how well it goes when you meet her."

"I don't like this idea at all Jane. I can't live with another person. I can't even live with my own sister."

"Just try it out Cara or will have to figure something else to cut out."

I ran my hand through my hair and tried to take a deep breath. "Let's say I agree to this. How will I find a roommate?"

"Don't worry I got this all figured out for you so that all you have to do is focus on your story."

"Okay, do you want me to make a list of requirements for you?"

"Don't worry I got it all covered."

If she said don't worry another time, then I'm going to really worry or get very annoyed, probably both. "You've been thinking about this for some time. Haven't you?"

"Yes, and I...may have found someone already."

"Jane!" If she has already been thinking about this then how bad has my financial situation been? I didn't think I was the type to spend a lot of money on things. Sure, this apartment was expensive, but I made a lot of money after my second novel went on the New York Time's bestseller's list.  I used most of the money to help my parents retire early and paid off any student loans my siblings and I had.  Okay, maybe I did use a lot of money then.