Everett Holden had sworn to live the rest of his life a single man, but his plans are disrupted when he finds himself sharing an apartment with his best friend's ex - the one woman he detests with every fiber of his being yet simultaneously desires...
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WHEN THE WEEKEND finally arrives, I spend most of my Saturday helping do some of the chores around Everett's house. He thankfully hadn't returned the envelope of money I threw at him a few nights ago, but still. There were only a couple hundred bucks in there, and to live in a house as nice as this one? I know the amount in that envelope wasn't a fraction of what I should be paying. The least I can do is clean around here to compensate for my lack of funds.
With the music turned up loud on the speakers, I sweep, dust, and mop my way downstairs. I'm almost done with the kitchen when a gasp emits from my mouth, a hand flying to my chest. Everett has finally woken up and is standing at the bottom of the staircase with a raised brow.
"Jesus, you scared me," I breathe out and turn down the speaker. "It's about time you woke up. Noon? I didn't take you to be a late sleeper."
"Why would you? It's not like you know me." His long, muscular body strides into the kitchen and pours himself a bowl of cereal. When he sits on one of the barstools, I rest the broom against the fridge and cross my arms over my chest. "What?" He asks.
"Do you enjoy being miserable? I don't get you, Everett. You walk around with a big fucking storm cloud over your head all the time, and for what? Living your life couldn't possibly be that bad."
He narrows his eyes. "You know nothing about my life. Stop while you're ahead, Emery."
"Enlighten me, then. If I stay here until I get back on my feet, I should know the reason behind your moods so I can be sure to stay fucking clear of you when you're in them."
"You know what?" The spoon he's holding clatters into the cereal bowl, that familiar tension falling between us. "If anyone should have a storm cloud over their head, it should be you. An eviction notice, no money, no parents, no living relatives at all... Your life is falling apart in front of your very eyes, and yet you still find the energy to joke and laugh and be fucking nice. If we investigate anyone's moods, it should be yours. It doesn't make sense."
The devastation that this living arrangement between us was too good to be true hits me all at once. After all, Everett Holden can only be nice for so long. I should have known it'd be coming to an end at some point. I'm being transported back to middle school when he teased me about my bracelets. The same one he was staring longingly at two nights ago. Ever since then, he's been cold and distant. I don't know what the fuck happened.
It'd be stupid to cry in front of him, so I shove the broom back in the closet and push past him.
I should have known better.
I never should have gotten my hopes up.
"Emery—" He starts, but I stomp up the stairs to drown him out.
•─────⋅☾☽⋅─────•
"Lou-Lou, no." I tug at the poodle's leash when she tries to launch herself at another dog on the sidewalk, muttering an apology to the owner. Dog walking in downtown LA makes me more money than the hardware store, believe it or not. Wealthy CEOs who don't have the time or busy housewives who don't want to be bothered. Plus, they tip very well.
