Fell In Love With My Roomy Chapter 40

I relish the scent of Kent's T-shirt and his room as I drift off to sleep. How close we are, and how he opens up to me.

I wish he could be like this all the time.

I don't usually get this warm when I sleep, but I wake up feeling sweaty.

I attempt to open my eyes and discover that I'm still snuggled up with Kent, who's holding me tightly. I'm still quite tired. I didn't sleep at all last night until I came here, and after that rescue mission, I'm physically exhausted.

I steal a glance at him, and I notice that he's wide awake, gazing up at the ceiling. However, as soon as he senses me moving, he looks back at me.

"Hey, Julianna," he whispers, causing my stomach to flutter. My favorite version of him is Morning Kent, with tousled hair, the beginnings of a beard, and kind eyes. He looks more like the boy next door than a mean person.

"Hi," I reply quietly.

We both wait for one of us to make a move, but neither of us does. Right now, it's just the two of us, and it makes me happy.

"How did you sleep?" he asks, making me swallow nervously.

"Um, not too bad," I say, wondering why that's the case. I can't seem to sleep on my own, but when I lie down next to him, I sleep through the night.

"Good," he responds, and I roll onto my back to get a better view of his room. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, really. I've just never been in this room before. You never let me in here," I whisper as I survey the plain and unadorned space. It lacks interesting or personal touches and has a simple, neutral design.

"There's not much to see," he says with a shrug. "How are you feeling?" he teases with a chuckle.

"It's not at all what I expected, but it makes sense," I laugh, and he joins in.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought it would be a total mess," I reply, and he rolls his eyes when I shrug. "But I guess this is how you'd decorate a room."

"We can't all hang up ten sets of Christmas lights and call it decor," he laughs, and I do too.

"It seems so devoid of color in here. No plants, pictures, posters, art, or anything," I murmur. "But you strike me as the type who gets things done."

"So, you think a plant could change things?" he asks, amused. "That could be a start," I jest, rolling my eyes, and he chuckles. "Most of my stuff is back home. I didn't bring it with me, and I haven't gone back to get it."

"That's understandable," I agree. "How often do you visit home?"

"Thanksgiving, Christmas, twice in April, and twice in July," he answers.

"And sometimes during spring break."

"Wow," I sigh, unable to fathom seeing my family so infrequently and being okay with it.

"It could be worse. Kyle only sees his parents once every six months."

"Yeah, that did make me sad the other night," I admit with a shrug.

"All of us want the same thing," he acknowledges. "I know your situation with your family is different."

"They're amazing," I say with a shrug. "Oh, shoot, I really should call home. I still want to see Mom, and I think I've waited long enough."

"I can drive you if you want," he suggests in a hushed tone, and my eyebrows shoot up.

"I couldn't ask you to do that; it's almost a 30-minute drive."

"I don't mind," he insists, and then he ponders for a moment. "What do you think?" The last time he asked, I declined, and for a good reason: we'd been holding hands for nearly 12 hours, something else I was trying desperately not to dwell on.

"O-okay," I whisper, and he smiles briefly.

I slip out of his bed and make my way down the hall to the bathroom to collect my thoughts. How did a girl nearly die on my watch last night, and yet Kent is the most important thing to me? I need to sort out what truly matters to me.

I swiftly get ready, don some comfortable clothes, and send a text to my mom from my phone.

ME [10:43 AM]

"I'm heading home to see my family, and I should arrive in about 30–40 minutes."

I slip my phone into my pocket and let out a sigh. My mind was exhausted. Last night, I really needed Kent. I needed someone who wouldn't pester me with questions and would simply be there for me. He was willing to help me again, just as he had when I needed my parents.

[MOM 10:48 AM]

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

[ME 10:49 AM]

"No, I'm already on my way. See you soon xx"

"Ready?" Kent inquires, and I reply with a "yes" as I grab my keys and my dry raincoat from last night. I accompany him to his car and settle into the back seat.

We don't exchange many words, and silence hangs in the air for quite some time. I knew that we both shared a similar sentiment – that we might have hugged, smiled, and laughed a bit too much in the last twenty-four hours. I couldn't think of any friend I had who resembled Kent in any way. Even the guys I had dated were nothing like him, and they never stirred up the kind of nervous excitement that Kent did. I never felt the urge to get close to them.

"How are you?" I reply with a "yes" when he asks.

"I-I'm okay," I sigh as I gaze out of the window at the passing scenery.

"You sure?" He inquires, and I meet his gaze. "The last time I drove you a long distance, you got car sick."

Oh, not yet, I reassure him with a shrug. I almost felt relieved that he remembered that.

"I'll crack the windows a bit to let in some fresh air, just in case," he says, shrugging, and I take a deep breath of the crisp autumn air.

"I think it'll be good to spend a few hours at home with my mom and talk things over with her," I respond with a shrug.

"Sounds like a plan," he replies. "Should I take the highway?"

"No, go through that intersection and take a left," I guide him, and he nods.

I direct him to my house. I lived a typical suburban middle-class life, and judging by Kent's expression, he found it rather fascinating.

"Which one is it?"

"Number 72, the blue one up ahead on the right," I confirm, and I smile as he pulls up in front of the house. I always felt better when I returned home. While I had started to consider my apartment as home, there was nothing quite like going back to where my family was.

"Will you be coming back tonight or staying over?" He shifts the car into drive and asks.

"I'm not sure yet," I admit with a shrug. "I'll figure it out as I go."

"If you need a ride, just give me a call. It's not safe to take the bus late at night," he advises, his tone serious, but I can't help but laugh.

"I know Kent is concerned, but I've been taking the bus for years. Plus, my mom will just pick me up," I smile, and he chuckles, rolling his eyes.

"All right then, I'll catch you later," he says, and I agree, unbuckling my seatbelt.

I contemplate whether I should say something to him. I knew I shouldn't leave things hanging, but I couldn't resist.

"Thank you," I murmur, placing my hand on the gearshift next to his. "I know that wasn't how you planned to spend your evening, and I also understand that it's not your usual way of spending time. It meant a lot to me and helped me immensely. Thank you," I whisper as I look at him, and he offers a half-smile.

"Anytime, honey," he tells me, and I move closer to hug him.

"Thank you," I repeat, and he releases me.

"No problem. See you when you get back," he replies, and I nod, opening the car door and stepping out onto the street. As I glance up at my house, I spot my mom walking down the driveway.

"Julianna?" she calls out, and I smile, even though my heart aches. "Oh, I didn't know you'd be arriving by car. I came out to see who it was," she says, and I smile as my eyes begin to well up. She approaches me and wraps me in a warm hug, instantly making me feel better. "Honey, you didn't take an Uber to get home, did you?" she asks, shaking her head. She steps back and peers through the open car door, adding, "Those can be so expensive."

"The driver's cute-"

"It's not an Uber, Mom," I emphasize. "This is Kent, my roommate. You probably haven't met him before," I explain, causing her eyes to widen.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she says, and Kent chuckles.

"That's alright. Nice to meet you, Miss Macey," he greets her as he reaches across and shakes her hand.

"Colleen," she corrects with a joyful tone.

"I'll let you two catch up, Julianna. Have a good day," Kent smiles, and I close the car door, leaving the window still open from our drive.

"Bye," I wave at him and smile. He returns the smile. Kent really knows how to handle parents.

As we approach the house, I lean on my mom's shoulder and listen to Kent's car driving away down the street. "So, that's the person you live with?"

"Yeah," I shrug. "You've met one of them, and two of the others."

"He's quite handsome-"

"He's a friend's mother. He just drove me home so I could come to see you," I clarify with a smile, my cheeks warming up.

"Why did you come home so suddenly?" She inquires, and my heart aches. Everything rushes back to me, and suddenly, Kent is the last thing on my mind. "If I had known you were coming, I would have picked you up-"

"Because I really needed to see you," I mumble, and she furrows her brow, clearly puzzled by my tone.

"Honey, what's wrong, Julia?" She asks, and I purse my lips.

"Last night, something bad happened at work," I mutter, and she sighs, offering me a sympathetic look before pulling me into a comforting hug. I hug her back tightly, grateful for her presence. I'm relieved that she knows how to comfort me.

"Come on, let me make you some tea, and then you can tell me what happened, okay?" She suggests, and I nod quietly behind her back.

It was heartwarming to know that so many people cared about me. The fact that Kent was one of them felt like a stroke of luck.