City Alpha

Chapter Two - Zoey

∎Zoey∎

Trying to find accommodation wasn’t as easy as Zoey had anticipated. Her so-called roommate, Cassy, had gone ahead and rented the room out to someone else. Zoey glanced over at all her belongings and sighed. This transfer had meant to be the start of something new and here she was, homeless. When her phone started ringing, she quickly took it out of her pocket and stared at the screen. It was her mother; she had been hoping it was Cassy.

“Hey mom,” she said happily as she answered.

“Hi honey, are you all settled in?” her mother asked, and Zoey once again looked over at all her stuff.

“Yeah, I’m getting there,” she lied. Her mother hadn’t been too fond of the idea and Zoey wasn’t about to tell her what had happened.

“That’s good, what is your roommate like?” another question Zoey didn’t want to answer.

“She’s great!” she lied once again. “Listen, mom, it's getting late and Cassy has invited me to join her for dinner,”

“Oh! Well, that is so sweet,”

“It is, isn’t it,”

“Alright honey, I’ll talk to you later,” her mother said before the line went dead. Zoey sighed as she shoved her phone back in her pocket. She didn’t know anyone yet and the pile of boxes and bags wouldn’t be easy to carry around without a vehicle.

“Hey Zoey,” Zoey glanced over her shoulder to see Cassy and her new roommate standing on the steps.

“Sorry, I’ll leave soon,” she said as she stood up. “Do you know anyone that could help me get this stuff out of here?”

“Do you have a place to stay?” the other girl asked, and Zoey considered lying once again. However, it wouldn’t help her.

“No,” she admitted. A look of guilt flashed in Cassy’s eyes, but Zoey wasn’t about to make her feel any better.

“There’s this guy from my English lit class that could help you out for a few days,” the girl offered, and Zoey eagerly accepted. If she could just have a few days to figure it out, then that was already better than emptying one of her boxes and using it to sleep in. The girl nodded and took out her phone and Zoey glanced away. However, Cassy came over to her and although Zoey wanted to tell her off, she didn’t.

“I’m sorry,” Cassy said.

“It’s fine,” Zoey said dismissively.

“It’s not. When you didn’t show up, I gave the room to Miranda. She’s been asking me for months,” her explanation wasn’t worth listening too and Zoey merely nodded to entertain the girl. Miranda finally got off the call and came back smiling.

“He said they have space in the garage for your stuff and that you can use the sleeper couch, if you don’t mind it,” Miranda informed her. Zoey squealed out happily and eagerly accepted the offer. It didn’t take long for the mysterious guy to show up and when he did, Zoey wasn’t all that impressed. It was clear that he and Miranda had some kind of thing going on.

“I’m Cane,” he said, introducing himself as he helped her load everything onto the back of his truck.

“Zoey,” she told him. Cane stopped, staring at her curiously but then shook his head and continued. When it was time to leave, Zoey was not at all surprised to see Cane try and get a date out of Miranda. Zoey gave them some privacy as she climbed into the passenger side of the truck.

“Yes!” Cane exclaimed when he finally joined her and turned on the ignition. “I’ve been trying for weeks to get her to say yes,” he then explained as he pulled away from the curb. Zoey wasn’t sure what to say, so she just smiled at him politely. “I feel like I know you from somewhere,” he suddenly said, and Zoey frowned as she turned to face him. She studied him closely but eventually shook her head. His long shaggy light brown hair and brown eyes suited him rather well and he had a nice smile. Although Miranda was tall, with dark blonde hair and bright green eyes, Zoey could see the two of them being together.

“I don’t think,” Zoey finally said as she turned back to the front. Cane didn’t say anything further as he drove them to his house. She was rather curious about him and whether he could be trusted.

“So, I live with two other guys, Justin and Marvin. They are cool with you hanging with us for a few days, but I have to warn you, we are like wild dogs,” he said. Zoey giggled at his interpretation of them acting like wild dogs. However, seeing as they are college guys, she couldn’t imagine them being any other way. “We do our daily chores, so the place isn’t messy, but we eat a lot, and we don’t spend all that much time at the house,”

“Oh, and you are sure they don’t mind me crashing for a few days?” Zoey asked, wanting to make sure she wouldn’t be any inconvenience. “I don’t mind doing chores and I’m a great cook,”

“You are? That’s great, neither one of us can cook so we have a lot of take-outs,” Zoey smiled as she knew that this was the way she could repay them. After all, she wouldn’t be able to afford to pay them and looking for another place to stay.

“I’ll do the cooking then,” she said with a smile. Cane nodded as he pulled into the driveway of quite a nice-looking house.

“Justin’s parents spoil the hell out of him, so…whatever you need, just give him the list,” Cane said before he hopped out of the truck. Zoey sighed as she climbed out. Spoilt rich college guy, oh yay, she was looking forward to meeting the other guy. She couldn’t remember his name, but she was already against this Justin guy. “Marvin!” Cane yelled out. “Come give me a hand!”

“Whaaat?!” Marvin came storming out of the house and Zoey froze as she stared at him. Marvin was a lot bigger than Cane and although he was definitely cute, Zoey wasn’t sure this had been such a good idea. Marvin’s hair was cut short, and she wasn’t sure, but it looked brown. His green eyes held hers for a moment before he turned around and went back inside the house.

“What the…?” Cane hurried in after Marvin and Zoey sighed as she started unloading her things off the truck. She felt self-aware as she struggled with one of the boxes. She knew it was going to fall and there was no way she would be able to stop it. Zoey took a step back and closed her eyes, waiting for the loud bang as her precious box fell to the ground. However, when nothing happened, she opened her eyes to see another big guy unloading her things.

“Justin?” she questioned as she took in the sight of him. He seemed familiar but she couldn’t place him. His sandy blonde hair and dark blue eyes held her captivated as the two of them stared at each other.

“Hey,” he said, breaking the silence. Zoey shook her head as she watched him effortlessly take her things off the truck. Was he a bodybuilder? She wasn’t sure but she enjoyed watching him as his muscles flexed and tensed under his top. He was quite attractive, and it wasn’t until the last box was on the ground that she remembered.

“Business!” she called out. “That’s where I’ve seen you before!”

“Yeah,” he said as he started to carry her things to the garage. Zoey picked up a smaller box and followed him. He didn’t seem like much of a talker but out of the three of them, he was definitely the better-looking one. Zoey blushed at her train of thoughts and decided it would be better for her to just keep talking.

“I hope this isn’t too much of an inconvenience. I had arranged to room with Cassy but when I didn’t show up yesterday, she leased with Miranda. I mean, I get it, but seriously, she could’ve just called me, and I would’ve told her I was running late. I promise I won’t get in the way and I already offered to cook!” she knew she was rambling but at this point, she couldn’t help it. “I can also do washing and ironing, well, I mean, if there is anything you need ironing. I could do that too, I mean, I am against cleaning up your room and the bathroom. Speaking of bathrooms, how many are there? Or will I be sharing with you guys?” she let the question hang in the air, but when he didn’t answer, she shrugged and continued. “It’s alright if we have to share, I don’t mind. Although I’ve never shared a bathroom with a man before, so…” Zoey froze when she looked up to see that Justin was standing inches away from her. She lifted her head to see him better and a soft sigh left her lips. He is very sexy.

“You talk a lot,” he pointed out and she sighed once again at hearing his deep voice. Justin then leaned in and kissed her lips. It was brief, it was hot and by the time it was over, Justin was back at the truck getting another box. Zoey had no idea what to do with herself and the fact that he had just kissed her, seemed to have rendered her speechless. She went back to the truck and grabbed her bags. Cane came rushing out and helped her before leading her into the house. Zoey looked around and she couldn’t help but smile. The open plan kitchen and sitting room were quite big and she was impressed by how clean the place was. Cane sat her things down by the large sofa and hurried back out to help Justin.

“Hey, sorry about before,” Zoey turned to see Marvin come into the room. “I’m Marvin,”

“I guessed, and it’s ok,” she said as she took a deep breath and inched closer to him. Marvin watched her suspiciously. “Does your friend always go around kissing girls?” she questioned softly. Marvin smiled as he glanced over at the front door that still stood open.

“No,” he said firmly before he politely excused himself and went outside. Zoey shrugged as she looked around the open plan kitchen and sitting room. The white tiles and white walls were complemented by different shades of blue. The sofa was dark blue with light blue cushions. She was impressed by the design and she had to wonder just how rich Justin’s parents were. She wanted to explore the house further, but it was at that point that all three guys re-entered the house.

“Let me give you a quick tour,” Cane said as he hurried forward. Zoey couldn’t tear her eyes off Justin, even though he had already gone into the kitchen. “You’ve seen the kitchen and sitting room,” he pointed out. “Over here is the bathroom, I am the only one that uses it, but we can share,” he glanced over at her and she quickly nodded. “This is my room,” he pushed open the door and Zoey took a quick peek inside the room. He then showed her Marvin’s room and then Justin’s. Not one of the rooms looked like a mess and once again Zoey was impressed with how neat and tidy everything was. She did notice that all three guys had a lot of clothing in the washing baskets. When the tour was over, Cane led her back to the kitchen. “Where’s Justin?” Cane asked Marvin. Zoey went over to the sofa and sat down as she tried to listen in on the conversation.

“He went out,” Marvin snapped. “He’ll be back soon,”

“Is he bringing food? I’m starving,” Cane complained as he came into the sitting room and sat down on the large pouf.

“I’ll call him,” Marvin called out. Zoey couldn’t help but wonder why Justin had gone out. He had kissed her and that was that? She wasn’t sure if she would survive living with him even for a day.