Page 3

Chapter Three

"Yes, I understand that rent is supposed to be paid monthly." I roll my eyes to the ceiling since my landlord can't see me over the phone. "What I'm asking is if I can get a small extension for this month."

"And I'm telling you, you need to either pay or I'm going to find a new tenant who can pay," he says, enunciating each word as if I'm an idiot. "This is a business, not a charity."

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I ask, "When do I need to pay by?"

"Like every month, you need to pay by the seventh. If you can't do that, you need to move out by the eighth. Now get the money together, and stop calling me begging for an extension." He hangs up without a kind word.

At this point even if I could apply for and get a regular, full-time day job, I wouldn't get paid soon enough to cover the rent.

Who knows if whatever I'd get paid would even cover it.

My landlord keeps jumping the rent higher and higher every month, it seems, to keep it in line what he calls “market inflation.” Really, it's just increasing it until no one afford it.

I could ask Sasha if I could stay with her for a little while, and she'd say yes, but having to see every day how much better she's doing in life than me may push me over the edge. And she'd also see how much of a failure I am right now.

What I need is a miracle.

Dumping my uneaten bagel in the trash, I shuffle the bills that have accumulated on the counter into a pile to make room for the dirty plate.

Things have kind of gotten away from me around this place as I've tried to write more in order to make more money.

Basically, at this point I need not only a miracle in the short term, but maybe to switch to writing something different, something sexy, for the longer haul.

But I have so little experience with that, I'd need to do a ton of research.

Uncovering the flyer from those guys looking for a live-in girlfriend, I stare at it. I don't know why I kept it. I should have thrown it out the minute I left their house last week.

It's a terrible idea to let any guy pay me to be his live-in girlfriend, let alone five guys I don't know. To basically let them use my body however they want for as long as I live with them and let them pay for everything.

It would solve my financial situation for right now though, and they didn't say there was a minimum time that I had to live there. Maybe I could stay with them while I save up a little bit of money again to live on my own. It's not like I'd be spending anything on bills, I'd only be making money.

Maybe finding the flyer tucked into this stack of unpaid bills is supposed to be some sort of sign? The universe telling me not to give up on my dream because there's a way to make it work?

Great.

Although, I do need more experience if I want to write something spicier and more to market.

I could gain that experience from the five of them, if I really committed to this role.

And an artist needs to give everything for their art.

I think I read that somewhere. So it wouldn't be them using me so much as all of us using each other.

This viewpoint makes the whole idea a little more palatable, though it's not like I can see any other choices at the moment. Moving back home or in with Sasha would both be admitting defeat, that I can't survive on my own, that I'm not good enough.

I can't do that. Not yet.

I need to become a live-in girlfriend.

Before I can talk myself out of what I'm about to do, I grab my coat and head to the train.

As I step onto the platform, though, something occurs to me and I nearly falter.

What if, because I've waited so long, they've found someone else to fill the position?

Or they won't accept me because I turned them down the first time?

Or I'm not pretty enough? What if my reaction to the whole thing tipped them off that I am nowhere near as experienced as they probably want their shared girlfriend to be?

Even as all these doubts cloud my mind, The El rattles on. I have to at least go and see at this point. I'll just have to be humble and nice and convince them I'm the woman for the job.

Unless it's already taken. Then I don't know what I'll do.

I practice my speech, laying out my entire argument why they should hire me as their live-in girlfriend as I walk from the train station to their house. Moving in with them will be worth it in the end. It has to be.

Keeping in mind that the last time they told me I knocked too softly, I bang my fist against the door before stepping back to wait. Either way, once this door opens, I'll know my fate. I'll either become a live-in girlfriend, or a washed-up writer sleeping on someone's sofa.

The door flings open, startling my speech right out of my head. It must be one thick door for me not to have heard any movement on the other side.

"You guys need to take a fucking turn answering the door sometimes," Miles yells back up the hall. As soon as he sees it's me though, his face lights up. "Wow! You came back."

"Um, yeah." Forget just my speech disappearing, all of my words seem to have fled as well. I can't chicken out now. It's this or sofa city. "Is the position still open?"

"It is. Does that mean you'll take it?" Miles's eyes grow bigger with each word.

"If I can move in today or tomorrow." I close my eyes and take a breath. I've just sealed my fate.

"You can move in right now." Miles backs up into the hallway. "Come on in, I'll show you where your room is and get you a key."

"There isn't anything else you want to ask me before we all live together?" This whole thing still sounds super sketchy and like a bad idea, but there’s really no going back now.

"No." Miles scratches his head and looks up to the ceiling. "I can't think of anything."

"Well, my name is Clarissa." How could he have overlooked such a big question? I thought computer people were supposed to be smart.

"We've just been calling you Hot Girl, but Clarissa works too.

" Miles leads me upstairs, pointing to each door as we walk down the hall and telling me who sleeps in each room.

My head is spinning because I'm actually doing this.

There's no way I'm going to be able to remember this.

All I'm taking in right now is that this upstairs hallway is just as dark and dingy as the last one.

I just need to keep breathing. Everything is going to be okay.

So what if I'm moving in with five strange guys I met because of a flyer.

And so what I'm now trading my body for a place to live.

At least I'm going to be able to continue to follow my dream of being a full-time writer and get the experience I need to write higher heat books.

That's what I need to keep reminding myself of. I’m still a good girl. They aren't using me, I'm using them.

"And this one here will be your room." Miles opens the door at the very end of the hall. "It's the only one with an en suite, and we thought it was only fair for it to be yours."

Miles looks a little sheepish as he admits this last part.

I'm not sure if it's because they wanted to do something nice for me—or whoever their live-in girlfriend was—or if it's because of the room itself.

It's not a bad room, but it's not great either.

Empty. Basic and boring. Very beige, with some faded paint rectangles where past tenants had pinned up posters.

Overall, though, I could do a lot worse for a free room.

Well, not free. I'll definitely be paying in one form or another. At least for a little while.

"It's great." I force a to smile even though I'd rather curl up in a ball and cry. "Thank you. It's really sweet of all of you to let me have my own bathroom as well."

"You're welcome." Miles blushes even deeper. "We could help you move if you want. I mean, we don't have an ARAM until this evening. Until then we're just co-oping against bots."

Although I have no idea what Miles just said, they're clearly making an effort to be sweet, at least for now. For some reason, their kindness makes me want to cry even more.

"I actually haven't started packing yet." Yikes, I have so much to do. I can't believe this is actually happening. That I'm agreeing to this ridiculousness. "I didn't know if you'd gotten someone to move in or not already."

Miles looks down and toys with a loose trim board with the toe of his shoe. "You were actually the only one who showed up to even ask us about it."

My first thought is, That's because all the other women in this town have way more dignity and self-preservation than me .

But it's clear Miles doesn't see it that way.

He sees it more as being rejected, and I can't help but feel bad for him.

The flyer was kind of creepy, but maybe they just didn't know of any other way to find a personal connection since so much of their lives seem to be online.

"Well, their loss is my gain." Oof. No wonder my career is suffering if I use cliché phrases like this.

"True." Miles smiles a little more, but it's not the same as when I first walked through the front door. "Let's go tell the guys."

I follow him back down to the first floor and he peeks his head into the computer room.

The other gamers don't even look our way, completely focused on their screens.

All I can see are different colors moving around fast. And even though they're all wearing headphones, the room is nearly deafening with the clacking of keyboard keys. Loud, fast, and hard.

"Faker, you're overextending and these creeps will collapse on you." Helix pulls back one of his headphones and asks, "Who was at the door?"

"Clarissa. She's agreed to be our girlfriend and move in," says Miles, a note of pride in his voice.

The computer screens all freeze as the guys turn in unison to look my way.

"Hi." I wave awkwardly because I really don't know what the protocol here is. I'd always imagined if I were ever to move in with a boyfriend it would be a moment for hugging and excitement. But I don't know these guys. And there are five of them.

"The flyer worked," says Quintin in awe.

When no one else says anything, I decide it's time to go. If this is going to be my future, I might as well start right now. Besides, I need to be out of my current apartment and have it cleaned by end of day tomorrow.

"Well, I'm going to go get started on my packing." I point to the door—as if they don't know which way I'm about to go in their own house. "I'll try to start moving in tonight so I can have everything settled at my apartment tomorrow."

"We have an ARAM tonight so we can't help you then," says Lionel immediately.

"That's what Miles said, and that's okay.

" I'll need someone to help though, and I can only think of two people who will be willing to help me on such short notice.

I don't want to make the call, but I will. I’m annoyed that I'm having to make so many unpleasant choices lately, so many things I wouldn't do under normal circumstances, but I need to keep the end goal in mind.

It will all be worth it when I'm a full-time author with an amazing career.

"You'll need a copy of the key," says Helix, reaching into his pocket and producing a set of keys. He finds the one he wants and starts pulling it off. "This way you won't have to interrupt or bother us."

"Thanks." I can't decide if this is sweet or annoying.

How many guys will give you not only a key to their place almost as soon as they meet you, but their own key at that?

Although Helix is also making it clear that their little game and their needs are above mine even when I'm doing them this favor of agreeing to be their live-in girlfriend.

Well, they're also doing me a big favor, but they don't need to know that part. This isn't a normal relationship where we tell each other everything and confess our deepest secrets. This is a business exchange.

They're all staring at me. Am I supposed to kiss them goodbye or something? I don't want to drag this out any longer than necessary. And I'm not ready to take so much initiative, even if they are handsome. This all feels so quick and sudden. I've just met these guys.

"Okay, good luck with your game. I'll see you later."

"Oh, and Clarissa?" calls Helix when I'm only a few steps from the gaming room. "You get on birth control."

"Uh. Okay." I practically run down the hall and out the front door, desperate to be out of there and away from their intense gazes. This is going to be difficult, but at least I've solved my problem on my own like a big girl without having to call my parents for money.

Although I'm about to call them to borrow their truck. And maybe ask for help carrying my bed frame. I'll just have to figure out how to explain my new living situation to them.

And then there are Helix's parting words.