The Rental

𝙇𝙀𝙄𝘼

I wasn't sure what to expect as I waited in the foyer. Or more so, who to expect.

Mateo, who greeted me at the door and saved me from the cute dog that tried to jump my bones, was shockingly handsome.

   Yes, I'm in a relationship but I'm not blind. I wasn't really expecting anyone attractive to open the door.

  Or at least that attractive.

  With light brown eyes and dark hair, his face was proportional in a way that can't even compare to Rowan. I almost got flustered meeting his eyes. His lips were heart shaped, and a small mole rested above the top one.

   Mateo made his way upstairs. I waited for the garage door to open.

After a while, the sound of hard footsteps neared. The door swung open, nearly falling off the hinges, and I jumped at the suddenness.

  The man that stood there looked older.

Compared to Mateo's baby face, a man looked down at me.

   He's tall.

   Really tall.

At least six foot four.

I cleared my throat and made a poor attempt at steering my mind away from the sweaty inked muscles bulging from his plain black shirt, as well as his hazel eyes, and the jet black strands framing his forehead. He seemed almost out of breath, like he was very busy in there.

Before I could peek past him and look inside, he slammed the door shut.

  It was hard to pinpoint the source of my hammering heart.

  Get it together.

"Reed?"

He nodded with a frown then made his way to the living room. I was perplexed for a second before deciding to follow him. The dog stirred in excitement as he entered the room, tail wagging and thrashing in her cage as she whined to get free. He silently motioned to the living area. The furniture and everything was nice. Much better than I expected.

To be honest, I didn't have many options. The area is insanely crowded because school is in effect. All the college towns and dorms are full, so I was left with crappy off campus options. I didn't want anything too expensive, as I'd negotiated with my parents to allow me to pay for my own expenses, but I also didn't want anything farther than 30 minutes from campus because I heard traffic gets bad.

  But this...is a very pleasant surprise.

   "This is the living room." He said plainly. "For the most part, the dog stays in her cage. If anything, she'll most likely be moved to Mateo's room so she's not a bother. Only other thing down here is obviously the kitchen, as well as the garage and the room here. Garage and room are off limits. Everything else is free to use. Just pull your own weight with groceries and cleaning up after yourself, and we won't have a problem."

  He turned to me. For some reason, I froze under his gaze. I caught a quick glimpse of the soft tissue scars lining the side of his eyebrow before he turned away. "Got it?"

   "Is that a pool?" I questioned instead of agreeing, walking past him toward the yard. It was relatively small, but a great sized swimming pool sat in the center. A few dog toys lined the tile surrounding it. I also noticed the grill still had some tools lingering around it and I smiled, as that meant the yard is put to use often.

My mind flickered back to the recollection of my family's New York penthouse at Central Park East. Always chilled no matter the time of year. Lighting grey. Marble counters always free of any traces of cooking or signs of life. The infinity pool overlooking the upper east side, pristine and untouched.