Horizon Lines

~5~

Aiden groaned as his alarm clock blared, knocking him out of his blessed oblivion. It had been the best night's sleep he'd had since he moved into his apartment and all he wanted to do was sleep all day and night.

Still, he had things he had to do today, and they couldn't be done if he stayed in bed. He shut the alarm off and rolled out of bed. He walked into his bathroom. He caught his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he turned the shower on. He took a moment to note his messy red hair, the faint lines on his face caused by his sleeping pillow, the freckles that covered his body. Man, he looked rough.

He snorted, changed out of his pajamas, and stepped under the hot water. As he showered, he thought of what he did last night, of stopping those guys from mugging that kid.

He was glad that he'd helped the boy out, but that had still been such a risky move and he cursed himself. He'd always been the type to intervene in any unfair situation, regardless if it was any of his business or not, which was why he stepped in during last night's incident.

Shapeshifters were supposed to keep a low profile anywhere they lived, and what he did last night was not keeping a low profile. He'd made sure to cover his tracks and not expose his world to the humans, but there was a possibility those guys could belong to a gang, and if they saw him around the city again, they'd probably try to get some payback.

He sighed. What was done was done. There was nothing he could do about it now. All he could do was be on constant alert.

He finished showering and had turned the shower head off when there was a knock at his door. He grumbled in irritation, wondering why someone would be at his apartment this early in the morning, and wrapped a towel around his waist before going to answer the door.

He opened the door to a pretty, slim young woman with thick black hair that fell almost down to her butt. Her eyes widened as she darted her gaze up and down him. It took him a second to recognize her. She was his neighbor next door, one of the main reasons he'd get irritable in his own home and be up all night when he should've been sleeping. The other reason was right next door.

The woman's eyes were darting up and down his body. He could tell she was checking him out. He was flattered that she apparently found him attractive, but more irritated that she'd come to his door after her and her companions' loud disruptions kept interfering with his day.

"Can I help you?" Aiden politely asked, trying to keep his tone as civil as possible even though he wanted to bark at her to leave. He had a full day ahead of him with lots of things to do.

The woman gave a slight jolt and jerked her eyes back to his face, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Yeah, uh, my name is Jordyn, Jordyn Baker," his neighbor said. "I know my boyfriend and I have been loud and disruptive, and I apologize, and I know this is totally random and crazy since we haven't even introduced ourselves to each other, but can I please stay here for today?"

"Huh?" Aiden stared at the girl, dumbfounded and completely taken aback by her request.

"My boyfriend and I had a pretty bad fight last night," Jordyn continued, a sheen of tears forming in her brown eyes. "He needs some space, and I've moved out to give him that, but I have nowhere else to go. I--"

"Woah, woah," Aiden said and held his hands up, so shocked by the girl's request that he had trouble forming words. "Look, I'm sorry you and your boyfriend got into a fight and all that, but you--you can't stay at my place."