Free Bachelor Number Five (The Bachelor Series, Volume 1) by Kenneth Rosenberg Page A

seemed like he was just a character in a drama, created by a screenwriter out of thin air.  Knowing that she’d be working in the same restaurant that he had made it clear that Bachelor Number Five was every bit a real human being.
    After parking her car a few blocks away, Amanda walked back to her building and breezed up the front stairs.  Inside the apartment, Lauren sat cross-legged on the couch with a section of the Sunday newspaper in her lap.
    “Hey roomie!” said Amanda.
    “Hi.”  Lauren’s response was flat.  Something was wrong.
    “What’s up?”
    “Nothing.  What’s up with you?”  Lauren folded the paper and put it down beside her.
    “Big news!  I got a job!”
    “Oh?”
    “Yeah, at The Hamburger Hut!  I start on Tuesday!”
    “Congratulations.”
    “Why don’t you sound like you mean it?”
    “No, that’s great.  I’m happy for you.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Is there anything else you have to tell me?” Lauren asked.
    Amanda wracked her brain for anything out of the ordinary.  “I don’t think so.  Why?”
    Lauren nodded toward the coffee table.  Amanda saw the rest of the newspaper stacked haphazardly.  Beside it was a single five dollar bill.  “Is that mine?” said Amanda.
    “It is.”
    “Peter dropped it by?”
    “He did.”
    Amanda took a few steps toward the table and picked up the bill.
    “Would you mind telling me why you’re loaning money to Peter?” Lauren asked.
    “I saw him in the laundry room yesterday and he didn’t have any change.”
    “Uh, huh.”
    “What!?” Amanda laughed, astonished by the apparent gravity of the situation.  “Can’t I be civil to my next door neighbor?”
    Lauren thought about this for a moment.  “You can do whatever you want.  Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    “Fine, I have been dually warned.  I was just doing him a favor.”
    Lauren picked up her section of the newspaper and began reading once again.  “By the way, he told me to tell you that he ran into your dream boy last night, whatever that means.”
    “What?  That’s what he said?”
    Lauren peered up from the paper.  “Do I have to repeat myself?”
    “Did he say anything else?”
    “That was it.”  Lauren shuffled her paper.  “Who’s your dream boy?”
    “I don’t know.”  Amanda retreated to her room where she closed the door and then flopped down on her bed.  Could it be?  She looked at the photo of Grant tacked up on her bulletin board.  Had Peter really run into him?  And had they actually spoken?  Or was it all just a misunderstanding?  Maybe he saw someone who merely looked like Grant.  Or maybe he was only teasing.  Amanda wanted to walk right over and ask him, but she knew that would mean leaving herself wide open to the wrath of Lauren.  Instead she decided to wait until Lauren went out.  After half an hour, though, her roommate showed no signs that she’d be leaving anytime soon.  Eventually, curiosity simply got the best of Amanda.  She couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.  Amanda got to her feet and walked back out of her room, past Lauren without saying a word, and on out the front door.  At apartment number eight she gave three loud knocks on the door.  After a short wait it swung open.  Standing on the other side was Peter, all decked out in skin-tight black biking shorts and a red jersey splashed with corporate logos.
    “Hey, Amanda, what’s up?  Did you get the five dollars?”
    “Yeah, I got it, thanks.”
    “Great.  What’s going on?”
    “I heard you met somebody last night.”
    “Oh yeah!”  A light smile showed on his mouth.  “Funny, huh?  I ran into that guy on your wall.”
    “Where were you?!”  Amanda fought to retain her composure.
    “I was at this diner I like to hit up after hours.  Mel’s.  Have you been there?”
    “No.”
    “You should try it sometime.  Great burgers.”
    “Yeah, so that guy on my wall?...”
    “He was sitting at a table a few booths down