“You dumb bastard, it’s not you living with a stranger, and I need to approve of them,” the brother said.

“You wanted a fuckin’ roommate, well I happen to think she’s perfect. She’s quiet, she’s going to school at the college, she hasn’t indicated that she has a boyfriend who will be coming over, and she has a steady job, what more could you want?” Dodger sounded like he was getting frustrated.

My face heated up with embarrassment. I would have preferred that my singlehood stayed private and not be broadcasted. “Which chick are we talking here? The pretty one, or the chubby one?” the ice cold voice said a little louder, and I knew he knew I could hear him. My head snapped up, and I glared. He was looking right at me.

Dodger spoke a little softer but was definitely menacing in his words toward his brother. “The blonde. Her name is Keegan, and she’s signing the goddamn papers. I’m not going through this again, brother. Go meet your new roommate and take a fuckin’ cold shower, you stink.” With that he grabbed some keys that were laying on the counter and walked toward the door. Before he left he addressed Macie and me, “I hope you like the place. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” He looked at his sibling and pointed. “Play fuckin’ nice.” Then he turned and walked out.

I kept my eyes level and didn’t remove them from the guy who was still staring at the door. I could have sworn I heard him growl. Resigned, he scrubbed his hand down his face and back up again into his messy hair. When his arm dropped by his side, he turned to face me. Straightening my back, I accepted his scrutiny. I wouldn’t show him that his words 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.

MY 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 it would be. What he said to Dodger that first day was etched into my memory, ‘the chubby one’. I hated that I found him attractive, but any attraction I felt for him faded quickly when he brought a girl home and had flaunted her right in front of me. Unfortunately she wasn’t the first one, either. Like all the others, she was the exact opposite of me. Where I was just over five-foot-tall, she was statuesque at around five-foot-ten. My hair was long, wavy, and blond, while hers was short and jet black. I was slightly on the more curvy side, but this chick was stick thin. He walked in, and her hand was in his back pocket, following slightly behind him. I had been sitting on the couch studying for a history exam when they had stopped in the kitchen. He went to the fridge and began digging around for something. When he turned around he had a can of whipped cream and a bottle of wine. He gave her a sexy smirk, and she giggled at him. Camden handed her the items and opened the cupboard that had the wine glasses. That was when she finally turned in my direction and saw me sitting there, watching them. Her eyebrows rose as though slightly startled.

“Who’s she?” the woman asked. Her tone was confused and slightly put off.

Camden had two glasses in his hand as he faced where she was looking. He looked at me, his brown eyes boring into mine and replied, “Nobody, just my roommate.”

She accepted his answer as all the explanation she needed. They both made their way upstairs to his room, and I heard the door close. I didn’t need much of an imagination to know what was going to happen. I sat there playing his words over in my head. I was nobody? He hadn’t even bothered to try to get to know me. How could I possibly be nobody? Was I that offensive to him? The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Instead of extending any olive branches to him, I’d be more than happy to be ‘just the roommate’. No friendship was required for our living arrangements. I’d hoped I could be friends with him, but it seemed that he wasn’t interested. Closing my book, I picked up my stuff and went upstairs. Shutting my door quietly, I thanked the wall gods for making ours a little thicker than normal apartments. I couldn’t fathom having to hear them getting it on. I’d probably puke.