ALICE

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Ugh..." I mutter, the stinging pain in my head causing me to hide beneath my covers, trying to block out the world for just a moment.

That attempt doesn't stop the alarm, though, and unfortunately I was smart enough to place the alarm clock on the chair at the other side of the room, ensuring I have to get up to actually turn it off.

Fuck. Can't I just be stupid sometimes?

The alarm keeps blaring and I get out of bed with a groan, almost crouching to the chair until I slam my hand on top of the alarm clock, enjoying the sweet silence the second it fills the room.

"That's better..."

I bathe in the silence for a moment, resting my back against the wall as I let the rays of sunshine kiss my skin, the warm feeling almost causing me to fall asleep again.

I'm not a morning person. Never have been, never will be.

But today is the day I'm moving into Elijah's house and Felix will be here in an hour.

At least I hope so...

"Well, there's no time like the present, right?" I groan when I get up, instantly regretting that burst of enthusiasm when last night's countless beers hammer straight into my head, reminding me of the ridiculous idea to get plastered yesterday.

"Fuck..." I mumble when I shuffle into the bathroom, desperately needing to erase that hangover stench to feel alive again. The shower does its job, and I take a minute longer to just stand in there, letting the weight of today rain down on me, my thoughts blaring through my mind.

God, I'll move in with a stranger today.

A hot, rude, arrogant one at that...

Shit. What did I get myself into...

Well, I did it, and there's no use in dwelling in my own misery, right?

I drag myself out of the shower and slip into some jeans shorts and a grey top, deciding I don't need to look presentable to move out of my house today. I'm glad I sublet the apartment to a friend of mine for the time I'm gone, he's on jobs here occasionally and said he could use the space. That way the move will be more comfortable, and I don't have to take care of finding another tenant and figure out where to put all my stuff.

I'm taking some of that with me, my bed and closet, and of course my porta filter coffee machine are more than essential for my survival, but the rest will stay in the apartment until I come back. It saves a lot of hassle.

The doorbell rings just when I get said coffee machine to work, and I quickly rush to the door while the coffee flows, greeting him with a laugh when I see he's actually wearing sunglasses.

"You're such a cliche..." I say, and he just massages his temple in response.

"Ugh, I need coffee..." He groans and pulls me into a quick hug, but I quickly rush back into the kitchen, stopping the coffee right in time.

I foam some milk and pour it on top of it before I push it over to Felix, who already took a seat on the kitchen island behind me. "Here you go. I show you my appreciation by giving you the first cup of coffee in this house."

"Wow, I feel honored." He chuckles before taking a sip, and I shoot him a wink before I work on another cup, letting the smell of the fresh brew fill my nostrils as I watch it flow through the machine.

"So, are you excited?" Felix asks, but I keep watching the coffee pour into the cup as I think of an answer to his question.

I do feel a little nervous. I mean, I will move in with someone I barely know. Of course I'm nervous. Who knows what this guy is up to...

"I don't know," I say as I turn around with my cup of black coffee, leaning on the island as I take a cautious sip of my hot coffee, "I'm usually so good at reading people, but I can't with this guy. He's... Mysterious. And that honestly kind of scares me..."

Felix takes off his sunglasses and shoots me a smile, his kind and trusting eyes meeting eyes when he retorts, "I understand that. I lit a candle for you in advance, and I felt good! I think this is going to be okay."

It almost hurts how much I have to suppress the eye-roll at Felix's remark. I appreciate his effort and I love him to bits, but I just don't believe in this spiritual-candle-mumbo jumbo.

"Yeah, I guess we'll see..."

"Dude! Is that guy loaded?" Felix asks as he pulls up in front of the extremely expensive looking house. It doesn't look big, but it's one of those houses with a wooden facade that plays with big windows. It looks modern, like out of a real estate catalogue.

"Well, as far as I know his father bought him the house... And that guy is rich as hell."

Felix nods his head as he parks the moving truck right behind a Range Rover, "Yeah, no shit. Of course he drives a Range Rover, too..."

I sigh when I grab my messenger bag and get out of the truck, just now noticing the older-looking Mustang that's parked right in front of the Range Rover, I'm guessing these people really have money... Looking around the entryway a bit, I try to come to terms with the fact that this will be my home for the next few months.

That thought doesn't really want to stick, though, and I shake it off as I aim for the large wooden door, ringing the bell spelling Howell as I wait for someone to answer.

"Well, hello there." A guy that looks somewhat familiar opens the door just as Felix steps behind me. The man flashes his teeth when he grins, offering his hand with a wink.

Ugh. Playboy.

"Hello," I shake his hand, "I'm Alice. This is Felix."

Felix shakes his hand as well and Mason studies him with narrowed eyes, looking between him and me before he says, "Nice to meet you, I'm Mason... Is this your boyfriend?"

Both Felix and I start laughing at that question, shaking our heads profusely. We get that a lot, and believe me, I wish it were true. He's handsome and kind, and I mean he's my best friend for a reason, but that's all. We've known each other since we were kids, and that's it. Best friends for life.

"Nah," Felix says with a shake of his head, "She's basically my sister."

I nod, nudging Felix's shoulder with a smile before I turn back to Mason in front of us. "True. Now, where's Elijah?" I ask, looking over his shoulder and into the house.

"He's in the library... He asked me to give you this." Mason hands me a keyring with three different keys on it, all of them looking shiny and new, just like this house.

"Ah..." I roll my eyes, "I see how this will go..." I say as I study the keys, and the longer I look at them the angrier I get. I mean, what a fucking asshole is that guy?!

I'm the one moving in with him, not the other way around. He could've at least had the decency to open the goddamn door. It's so disrespectful... I immediately know I have to show this man that this is not how things will go.

"Can you start bringing the boxes in?" I turn around to Felix, who immediately nods his head. "We can just put them in the hallway for now. I need to do something first."

"Aye, aye, captain..." My best friend winks before walking back to the truck while I spin around to face Mason again, who is now looking at me with wide eyes.

"Now, where is that library you were talking about?" I ask, nodding inside the house.

There's a mischievous smirk playing on his lips as he steps aside, letting me inside the house. "Follow me..."

I do as he says, looking around the white blank hallway as I walk behind him. The house looks like Elijah himself just moved into here, everything is so neat and it even still smells like fresh paint as we walk past two other rooms and the kitchen until he points to a room at the end of the hall. "There you go. Have fun."

He winks before he steps aside, letting stride past him. The second I reach the door I give it three firm knocks, hoping to hell he will open that damn door without question.

It takes a while, but after a minute or two the door opens, revealing a way too good looking Elijah in sweatpants, holding on to the door as he studies me, those now rather grey-blue looking eyes heating me up with one single glance.

I don't know what it is, but something about the fact that he is so goddamn sexy infuriates me, and the way he looks at me doesn't make things better either. What also doesn't help is the baritone of his voice when he says, "Hello, Alice."

Okay, Alice. Show him who you are.

"This is how you want to start this, Elijah?" I ask, wiggling the keys in front of his face.

I see how he swallows. He probably didn't expect me to call him out on his rudeness like that - but boy, oh boy, did he decide to mess with the wrong woman today. I'm not only pissed, but I'm also hungover. It's a deadly combination.

"I didn't know you'd expect me to welcome you," he says, and I raise an eyebrow at that answer, trying not to lose my shit right here and now.

Who the fuck does this guy think he is?!

"Yeah, you know what? You're right." I shove the keys back in my pocket as I step aside. "I don't need you to welcome me. What I need you to do is show me my damn room, though."

I wave toward the hallway, showing him that I want to keep going now, and he just sighs as he runs a hand through his hair, nodding his head before he answers, "Yeah. Okay. Come with me."

He shuffles out of the room, and I don't fail to notice how he clenches his jaw the whole way to the stairs, taking a deep breath before he takes one step at a time. He's slow, but I don't ask why. I just follow him up the stairs, but when he basically keeps himself upright by clutching to the railing at the top of the stairs I can't help but ask, "Are you okay?"

I'm not surprised when he doesn't answer, honestly. He just points to the hallway and says, "Last room on the right."

God, I don't know why this guy is so rude all the time, but it seriously annoys me.

I won't give him the satisfaction of showing him that though, and so I walk right past him and into my room, slamming the door behind me.

The room is huge, and I honestly can't wait to get my belongings in here, to make it my home for the next six months. I know this is temporary... But still. I want to be comfortable in my "own" home.

And as Felix and I carry my boxes into my room, I just realize that this is it. I'll live here for the near future, and I'll start my new job on Monday. This is the change I've wanted.

Granted, I didn't expect to be moving in with a stranger, but it is an upgrade to my earlier living arrangement, and I also am looking forward to starting my new job, to get my name out there, to get this career going...

We'll just have to wait and see how this roommate thing turns out, in the end. It can't be that bad... Right?