ᴀ sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ's ᴅᴀʏ - Nick Miller

ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴡ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ

Cassandra huffed as she hauled the final box off of the elevator, placing down on the floor with a grateful sigh. The loft she was supposed to move into was across the hall, the door practically buried in boxes. It was probably a fire hazard, but that was an issue for... someone else. 

Cassy clambered over the boxes, using her brand-new key to open the door, and inhaling the scent of... cheese? She cried out, seeing a shirtless man stirring a pot on the stove, other boxes filled with junk littering her apartment. He was not entirely naked, for he was wearing underwear and... an apron. She scared him, and he screamed, flicking the spoon across the room and splattering his apron with cheese.

"What the hell?" He asked, looking down at his apron. "This was my Hedley and Bennet essential apron!"

"What the hell are you doing in my apartment?" She cried, frowning.

"Your apartment? This place hasn't been leased for years." He replied, frowning right back as he turned off the stove. She pulled the contract out of her pocket, waving it in his face.

"Get out!" She yelled.

"Alright, alright. I'm going. I'll have to come back later for my stuff, though. If I don't get rid of the stains now, it'll set-" He began, scrubbing at the corner of his apron.

"I don't care! Get out!" Cassandra yelled. He scowled in her direction as he removed the apron from his head and walked out of the room, climbing over her boxes. She slammed the door shut behind him, rubbing a hand over her face.

I suppose my first stop will be to get some cleaning supplies. She thought, glancing up at the cheese splatter on the ceiling. She'd also need a ladder.

-

After a few hours and one trip to the nearest Walmart, Cassy had cleaned the entire apartment, as well as brought her boxes inside. She pushed all of the ones that didn't belong to her out in the hallway, and made sure that both locks on the door were well functioning. She did not want that to happen again. 

The moving people were supposedly coming to deliver her furniture tomorrow, so she'd have to last until then. She looked around the small loft, mentally planning where everything would go. She liked to read, so she had a large, low bookshelf she could put under the window. There was also a balcony, so she could probably keep some of her plants outside. A standard bedroom and adjoining bathroom, as well as a spare bedroom she could use for an office. 

Cassy had moved to LA for one reason and one reason only: to get away from her crazy ex. His name was Simon, and he was a grade-A sociopath. Not really, but that was what you referred to someone as when they were as insane as he was. He kept tabs on where she was at all times, memorized her contacts, traced her calls. He was... not okay in the head.

So, she moved here for a chance at a better life. Without Simon. She was a medical examiner, which some people found weird or creepy, but it was just what she did. Finding a job at the USC Medical Center was fairly easy, and it being LA, there was never a shortage of bodies for her to perform autopsies on. 

Cassy continued to unpack, placing all of her clothes in the closet, piling up her books neatly before the movers brought her furniture. She had just barely finished putting her silverware in a drawer in her kitchen when there was a knock on the door.

She walked over, opening it to see it was the same guy from before, now fully dressed.

"Hello." She said lowly.