Page 9 of Guys Can’t Write Romance

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Daisy, his expression shifting rapidly from excitement to confusion to a poor attempt at composure. “Oh. You must be the neurotic girl Chad’s writing with.”

From the corner of her eye, Daisy saw Chad frantically waving behind her back, making slashing motions across his throat, while mouthing ‘Shut Up’.

“I mean... the very organized... uh... writer person...” Rhino trailed off, looking helplessly at Chad. “The one with the color-coded Post-Its? Not that that’s weird or anything. Organization is cool. Very cool. I organize my protein powders by flavor.”

“No, please,” Daisy said sweetly, her smile not quite reaching her eyes as she turned back to Chad. “Tell me more about what Chad’s been saying about me. Does he mention how I alphabetize my spice rack? Or maybe how I coordinate my closet by color?”

“Uhm... no comment?” Rhino said, looking increasingly uncomfortable as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

Chad jumped up with the sudden energy of someone who’s just realized the building is on fire. “Hey, would you look at the time? We should probably wrap this up. Don’t you have to go organize your sock drawer or something?”

“But I want to hear about my neurotic tendencies,” Daisy said, enjoying Chad’s discomfort far too much. There was something deliciously satisfying about watching him squirm. “Especially from someone who apparently can’t tell the difference between a hamper and the floor.”

“Can we take a rain check on it?” Chad asked hopefully, his expression a mixture of embarrassment and pleading. “I promise to lock the door next time. Maybe even clean up a little.”

“Oh, we’re definitely picking this up next time,” Daisy said as she packed up her laptop, making sure each compartment in her bag was properly zipped up.

She stood, smoothing her blouse with one hand, and turned to Rhino.

“It was... interesting meeting you. By the way, your protein shake is leaking.”

Rhino looked down in panic at the dripping bottle, giving Daisy the perfect opportunity to make her exit. As she left, she heard their conversation through the door.

“Dude, I am so sorry,” Rhino said, his voice carrying easily through the door. “You should have texted me that she was here.”

“Bro, you have no idea how dead I am.” Chad’s voice carried through the door. “We just called a truce like an hour ago.”

“But she’s kind of cool, right? In a scary, organized way?”

“Shut up, Rhino.”

“You survived,” Chloe said, her voice carrying from the living room as Daisy closed the apartment door behind her.

Chloe sat perched on a stool by the window, mid-paintbrush stroke on a ceramic mug, surrounded by her usual creative chaos of paints, brushes, and half-finished projects.

“How was the apartment of doom? Do you need a tetanus shot? Decontamination shower? Therapy session?”

Daisy plopped onto the couch. “Probably. And calling it an ‘apartment’ is a stretch. It’s more like a hodgepodge of terrible life decisions condensed into 800 square feet.”

From her perch across the room, Chloe grinned as she finished her paint stroke on the ceramic mug, adding it to a collection of similar pieces drying on the windowsill. “Details, please. I need a vicarious adventure through someone else’s chaos.”

Daisy took a deep breath, as if preparing to recount a harrowing survival story. “Okay. Imagine a frat house and a hurricane got together and had a kid. That would be Chad’s apartment.”

“Sounds like a war crime.”

“That’s being generous.”

“Was there at least a bathroom, or do they just go off the balcony?” Chloe asked, eyes dancing with amusement.

“I was afraid to check.”

Chloe abandoned her painting project entirely, spinning on her stool to fully appreciate Daisy’s tale of suburban horror. “How about the writing? Did you get anything done, or did you spend the whole time cataloging health code violations?”

Daisy let out a long breath. “Maybe a little.”

“A good little, or a bad little?” Chloe leaned forward, clearly sensing there was more to the story than Daisy was readily offering.

“It wasn’t terrible,” Daisy reluctantly admitted, sliding her pages from her bag and skimming over the notes Chad had written in the margins.

They really weren’t that bad; surprisingly insightful, actually, pointing out places where her dialogue felt stiff or where her characters needed more authentic reactions.

But then she remembered Rhino’s appearance and frowned. “But then his barbarian roommate showed up, and that was the end of that. Can you believe Chad told him I was neurotic?”

Chloe gave her an amused grin that spoke volumes. “I can’t imagine why.”

“Liking to have things organized and chaos-free does not make me neurotic,” Daisy insisted, as much to herself as to Chloe. She sat up straighter, as if her perfect posture might strengthen her argument. “It makes me orderly.”

“Right,” Chloe said with her characteristic sarcasm. “Because how would we know where to put the ramen noodles without those labels on the shelves.”

“Exactly.” Daisy either missed or ignored the sarcasm.

At that moment, their doorbell rang.

“I got it,” Chloe said, hopping from her stool and hurrying to the door in a flash of blue hair, already ninety-nine percent certain of who it would be. And she was right, opening the door to find Ava standing in the hallway outside.

“Ava,” Chloe said breezily, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Just in time. Daze was just telling me about the evening she spent at a boy’s apartment. Hint — it wasn’t Ethan.”

“Chloe!” Daisy groaned from the couch as Ava followed Chloe into the living room.

“What?” Chloe said, plopping back on her stool. “Just giving her the recap.”

Ava stopped in front of the couch and stared down at Daisy with concern. “You were at a boy’s apartment?”

“It wasn’t a boy,” Daisy groaned, shooting her troublemaker roommate a frown. “It was my demon writing partner.”

“And she’s going back tomorrow,” Chloe added with a mischievous grin, clearly enjoying the drama she was creating.

“No, I’m not,” Daisy said with a big shake of her head. “Tomorrow, it’s my turn to pick our writing spot. And I pick the library.”

Chloe did a double-take. “Does Chad even know what a library is?”

“He will tomorrow.”

“Will you bring your phone and film it?” Chloe said, clasping her paint-stained hands together in exaggerated pleading. “Please, please, please.”

“What for?” Daisy asked.

“Because I’m betting he re-shelves all the books so no one can find them. Or tries to order pizza to the reference section. Or mistakes the water fountain for a beer tap.” Chloe’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. “And I want to see it. All of it. For the sake of art and cultural documentation.”

Daisy sighed, considering the potential chaos of putting Chad in a place as orderly as a library. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Be sure to get all of it,” Chloe pleaded.

Ava, who had been observing this exchange with increasing concern, set her purse down and took a seat in the armchair opposite Daisy.

“Is Chloe right about his behavior?” Ava asked.

Daisy gave a reluctant nod. “Sadly, yes.”

Ava frowned and shook her head. “Why do you put up with it?”

“I don’t have a choice,” Daisy said, a note of resignation in her voice. “The moderator paired us up, so I’m stuck with him.”

“Why would your moderator do that?” Ava pressed.

“Because she’s evil,” Daisy said.

“She thinks he can help Daze fix her male lead,” Chloe cut in.

“My male lead is just fine,” Daisy said.

“Sure,” said Chloe. “If by ‘fine’ you mean dull and sleep-inducing.”

“He’s not sleep-inducing,” Daisy objected.

“Some of us would differ on that,” said Chloe.

“And some of us would be wrong,” Daisy shot back.

“Why not just ask Ethan to help you with that?” Ava suggested.

Chloe snorted. “Because the point is to make him less dull and sleep-inducing.”

Ava’s expression cooled noticeably as she shot Chloe a look that might have intimidated opposing counsel, but seemed to bounce off the fiery artist entirely.

“Your disdain for Ethan is entirely unwarranted. Ethan’s a mature, responsible adult, unlike this delinquent Daisy’s chosen to spend so much time with. ”

“I didn’t choose this,” Daisy said quickly. “It’s been forced on me.”

“Well, let’s just hope it doesn’t leave any permanent scars,” Ava said, her tone suggesting that she was already picturing worst-case scenarios.

And she had no idea of just how right she was about to be.