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stung a bit harder than I should have allowed. This guy was clearly a gym rat. His muscles had muscles, and I haven’t stepped foot in a gym since… well since I was in high school and was forced to participate. I refused to let someone make me feel less than what I was and certainly not this asshole. His eyes remained on me the whole time, never once looking at Macie. That had never happened before. She was always the noticeable one. I blended into the walls. He’d obviously formed some sort of opinion about me, because he shook his head and walked over to stand in front of the table. He loomed over the two of us before he finally spoke.
    “Sign the papers. No boyfriends, no chick parties unless I know about them, I’m the one who goes grocery shopping and does the cooking, and no loud music. You stick to those rules, and we won’t have any problems with each other.” His eyes narrowed the slightest little bit at the corners.
    “And what if I don’t agree to them?” I asked, addressing him for the first time since he walked in.
    He placed his large hands on the table and leaned in so he was closer to me. I could smell his sweat and some other delicious scent that invaded my senses. “Believe me Blue, you won’t find another place like this with my same offer. You’d end up paying twice what I’m asking. So sign the fuckin’ papers. There’s a spare key in the basket by the sink.” He stood up and started walking upstairs.
    My head was swirling. “Wait, Blue? My name is Keegan. And I didn’t even get yours.”
    It was all I had to argue with. He knew he had me, and I was going to sign regardless. Hopefully we didn’t end up killing each other before the year was up.
    He paused a few steps up but didn’t turn around. “Nothing to explain. And the name is Camden.” Then he continued upstairs, and I heard the shower running.
    “Holy shit on a stick, this is going to be fun,” Macie said, smiling bigger than I’d ever seen.
    Holy shit was right.

M Y FIRST WEEK IN THE APARTMENT was a bit sketchy. The night I signed the papers I went home to tell my mom and sister I was moving out. My mom didn’t have much to say. I think she realized what was in store for her, and her partying and days of relying on me so much were going to be nonexistent. She looked at me, simply said, “I hope you’re happy,” and walked away. I wasn’t sure how to take those four words. She was either being flippant and snarky, or she was sad and didn’t know what else to say. Sarah, on the other hand, didn’t take the news well at all. She cried and ran into my arms. As sad as it was, I explained to her that I was an adult, and I needed to be out on my own. I made sure she knew that she could come see me anytime she wanted, and she could have a sleepover if she missed me too much. When I told her that, my thoughts drifted to Camden, and I mentally high-fived myself. His little rules didn’t include no sleepovers with little sisters, so take that to the bank. I brought her over to see it a couple days later. Mom didn’t want to come, which was fine, and thankfully Camden was out. Sarah fell in love. She ran all over the place and dove onto the couch. I laughed at her silly lightheartedness. She was going to be fine, and I planned on bringing her over as much as possible.
    I found out after a couple of days living here that Camden was a gym owner. I’d gone over and over in my head how a college student could possibly afford to live here and ask so little for my portion of the rent. I chalked it up to the same situation as Macie. I figured Mommy and Daddy paid for everything. I was very much off my mark. I never pegged Camden as being a business owner, and it turned out he wasn’t a college student. I would question him about it, but he was hardly ever home. And when he was, he never had much to say. I had scolded myself those first few times when I heard the front door open, and my heart would pick up its pace, knowing who