Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
After knocking, I tentatively opened the door to Ian’s room. And then stopped and rechecked the name on the door. Was it really his?
Because it didn’t actually look like anyone lived there. The quilt on the bed was plain and white. There was nothing on top of the tall wooden dresser or the desk by the window. The bookcase had some books in it, all neatly lined up in a row, but otherwise, there was nothing to indicate the personality of the man who lived here.
No picture frames of family. No clutter on the nightstand. No shoes kicked off in the corner of the room. It didn’t take long to clean—there wasn’t even any trash in the trashcan.
I left the room knowing that I should be grateful that it didn’t take very long, but it also left me feeling uneasy. It had looked more like a hotel room than someone’s personal space.
After getting a new garbage bag, I approached the last room on the floor, Nelson’s. The noises from the room got louder as I got closer, and there was also a strange smell coming from that direction. Kind of a musky smell, but it was difficult to describe. Maybe a little like something burning?
I knocked on the door, but there was no answer, and no lessening of the video game noises behind the door. The smell was even stronger, however. I knocked again louder, and then put my ear to the door, trying to hear what was happening in there.
“I’d skip that one.”
I jumped and whirled around, spotting Ian. He was standing in front of his door. With all the noise from Nelson’s room, I hadn’t heard him walking down the hallway. “I knocked and there was no answer.”
He nodded. “I’m not surprised. While we were just playing a game to blow off a little steam, Nelson seems to be majoring in them.”
I laughed a little. A guy like that seemed different from someone studying architecture, like Theo, or wanting to be a doctor, like Ian. “Bennett told me to clean all the rooms of the guys staying here this summer. I already did yours.”
“Thank you.” If he was curious about my reaction to his surprisingly sterile room, he didn’t show it. “But I’m pretty sure Nelson doesn’t want you in there unless you’re good at first-person shooter games or selling weed.”
My jaw dropped. “That’s what that smell is?”
“Yep. And if you don’t want your clothes smelling like that, I’d stay out of there.”
“Okay. Thanks. Can you tell me where Grant and Bennett’s rooms are?”
“Upstairs,” he said, jerking his chin to the left. “Use that stairwell and you’ll come to Grant’s first. Bennett’s suite is in the middle.”
That sounded like Bennett… and it sounded big. I hoped it wouldn’t take too long because I really needed to get to the grocery store. Somehow, I didn’t think that the fraternity president would be understanding of me getting dinner on the table late, even though he was the one who’d assigned me all these tasks.
I thanked Ian and headed up the stairs, lifting the vacuum cleaner one step at a time. After a whole summer of carting beer and appliances up the stairs, I was going to have more muscles.
I did the math as I reached the third-floor landing. If Nelson truly didn’t want me to clean his room, then it would save me time. Hopefully the rooms up here wouldn’t take too long.
Grant’s room was first, and I knocked three times, just to be sure he wasn’t there, before entering.
It was a nice suite with a bedroom, a small sitting area, and a private bathroom. Though the furniture and art on the wall looked expensive, it didn’t feel like an oasis as Theo’s room had. But on the other hand, it didn’t feel empty and impersonal like Ian’s room.
I dusted, straightening up as I went. Grant had shed his tie and his shirt on the chair by the bed, no doubt after his outing last night. Was he one of the drunken guys I’d heard tromping up the stairs? Most likely.
Then I swept, which took a little longer. The floors were hardwood, and there weren’t many area rugs to move, but it still took some time to go over them. I dreaded the day when I’d have to mop in here.
I shut off the vacuum and breathed a sigh of relief at the silence that filled the room.
And then it was broken.
“Hey.” For the second time today, I jumped.
Grant leaned against the wall next to the open door. How long had he been watching me?
“Hi.”
He pushed away from the wall and strode into the room. “This is a nice surprise, finding a pretty girl in my room. And I didn’t even have to be charming to get her here.”
The flirtatious grin he shot me made my face flush, and I stammered out the first thing that sprang to mind. “You can be charming?” That really wasn’t the kind of thing one said to their employer, even in an informal situation like this, but it was too late.