I will say that Robert was a true gentleman at dinner. He had exemplary manners and even though I certainly wasn’t hanging on his every word, I thought his enthusiasm about banking was cute.
Afterward, he hailed a cab and rode back to the East Village with me. When we reached my building he told the cabby to wait so he could walk me to the door. I asked him to come in. I figured Will was playing a wedding since he’d been gone all day. When we entered the apartment, it was dark and I was relieved when Jackson came to greet us. Will was gone but he had obviously come home because there was a Wurlitzer 200A electric piano resting against the wall next to the front door. I spotted a note on the counter:
NATE WAS GETTING RID OF THE WURLY AND I
THOUGHT YOU COULD HAVE SOME FUN WITH IT.
Robert saw me smile at Will’s thoughtfulness. “What’s that all about?”
“My roommate Will is a musician and he brought this electric piano home for me.”
“Will?” I think he was surprised I had male roommate.
“Yeah, Will. We’re just friends,” I said.
“Is he like the starving artist type or what?”
I scoffed and then told Robert that Will was a talented musician who played in a band that was going nowhere because of the lead singer was terrible. I said he was a hard worker who deserved to have a successful music career in some capacity. Robert disregarded anything positive by shrugging. Apparently my speaking in a complimentary way of another male toyed with his ego.
I changed the subject to my life in Ann Arbor, which was much more Robert’s speed. I let him follow me to my room so I could show him a picture of my mom.
“She’s beautiful, like you,” he said as he leaned in to kiss me. He wasn’t a bad kisser, it just seemed like his tongue was really big. My head was not where it should have been. I was thinking about the logistics of the kiss instead of enjoying it. I pulled his body into mine as I leaned back on top of the short dresser and ran my hands up behind his head, letting my fingers move through his hair. The moment intensified as he unbuttoned the top three buttons of my blouse so my lacy bra peeked out. Our kiss went deeper, then his mouth went to the crook in my neck and I moaned appreciatively. He grabbed my leg behind my knee, hitching it up as he slowly ran his hand under my thigh to my bottom, lifting my skirt in the process. It felt good to have a man’s hand on my ass.
“Knock, knock,” Will said, standing in the open doorway. We abruptly stopped and took a step away from each other. I adjusted my skirt and looked down at my open shirt, deciding I would draw more attention to it if I tried to button it up. “Sorry to interrupt. Shall I close this door for you?” Will asked, expressionless. He looked directly at me when he spoke, never once glancing at Robert.
“No, no.” I looked at Robert.
He looked back inquisitively. “Do you want me to go?”
I shrugged and gave him a look like sorry, but yes. “I’ll call you about Jacob’s lesson?”
He nodded. I turned away from him and came face to face with Will, who for some reason was still standing in my doorway. I mouthed “What?” and gave him a dirty look. His lips curled up into a ridiculous grin.
I shook my head and decided it needed to be done. “Will, this is Robert. Robert, meet Will, my roommate.”
Will smiled genially and reached out to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you, man.”
“Likewise.” Robert eyed Will. By his look I guessed he hadn’t expected my live-in “just friend” to be so good-looking.
Will reached over and hugged me, then let his mouth brush my cheek. “Night, Mia,” he whispered. I shivered. He put his hands on my shoulders and stared at my face for a second too long. His smile had faded. It was the first time I saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. His hands slid down my arms slowly and then he turned and shuffled almost aimlessly across the hall and into his room, closing the door without making even the smallest sound.
“Is he always that affectionate… and strange?” I heard Robert ask, but I was a million miles away, thinking about the pained look on Will’s face. “Mia?”
“What? Oh yes, he’s very affectionate.”
“Oh, is he?”
“Yes, I mean no. No, no, we’re just friends,” I said, trying to sound convincing even though I wasn’t sure I believed the words myself.
After Robert left, I hoped that Will would come out of his room, but he didn’t and I couldn’t bring myself to knock on his door. I wanted to thank him for the Wurly and apologize for the awkward moment, but I didn’t get to.
The next day was extremely hot out. I worried about Jackson in the apartment. At noon, I decided to go check on him. He greeted me at the door and I was relieved again. I leaned against the counter in the kitchen to listen to the muffled voices and music coming from Will’s room. I watched as a very petite woman came strolling down the hallway. She looked to be about fifty years old and she was either wearing a very short dress or she had no pants on. Her eyes were caked with a ton of dark makeup and she wore way too much silver jewelry. If it weren’t for her inappropriate attire and slightly haggard appearance, I would have thought she was pretty. She made her way to the fridge and grabbed a beer.
“Hi, I’m Teeny.” She smiled and stuck her hand out.
“I’m Mia. You’re a friend of Will’s, I take it?”
“Yeah, we’re friends,” she said seductively.
Bile began to rise in my throat. “Enjoy your beer, Teeny,” I said before heading to my room. As I passed Will’s room I looked in. He was sitting on the windowsill with one leg inside and one leg out. He was smoking. He turned and looked at me impassively. I waited to see some sign on his face. It was hard to tell anything from his look, except maybe indifference like, Can I help you, or What are you staring at? Without a word, I went into my room and shut the door to collect myself. Moments later I heard Will and Teeny giggling and then I heard a little scream from Teeny. I decided to bolt out of there and head back to the café. I couldn’t help but glance back into Will’s open doorway as I passed. He was giving Teeny a piggyback ride, hopping around like a f**king asshat. Teeny was spinning an imaginary lasso like she was going to rope a calf. I dry heaved and then shot down the hallway and out the door.