Page 7

Kota

W hen we were first told that there was no way out of our leasing fiasco, Bridget and I had a complete meltdown— after the boys had left, of course.

We’d tried everything to fix the situation.

After speaking to nearly every person in the leasing office, they all told us the same thing. Unless we were okay being financially penalized or subleasing our apartment, there was nothing they could do.

Subleasing seemed like our best option, so we contacted every apartment complex in the area, but none of them had any available two-bedrooms left, so that option was ruled out.

Bridget and I even tried scaring the boys out by hanging up our community period calendar. It did bother the shit out of Crew, but Lane wasn’t affected in the slightest.

I’d truly thought that this had to be some messed up karma for something we’d done. My mind even went as far as to think Claudia used some dark magic to curse us somehow.

It had only been a week since moving in, but I’d admit, living with the boys wasn’t that bad so far.

But that was probably because I was staying away from them as much as possible.

After all, rule number one was set in place for a reason.

Stay out of each other’s way.

I carried my full laundry basket to the washer and began throwing my dirty clothes in. When I grabbed my laundry detergent that was on the shelf above the washer and dryer, my brows knitted.

There was a small stream of detergent that had dried along the side.

First of all, this detergent had been brand-new.

Second of all, I never let it spill on the side because I hated when it got sticky.

I set my basket on top of the dryer and stomped into the living room.

Crew was lying shirtless on the couch, one arm draped behind his head. “Sup?” he said when he noticed me.

“Did you use my laundry detergent?”

He shrugged against the couch. “I thought it was mine.”

I held up the bottle. “It has a giant K written on it.”

He shrugged again, his eyes back on the TV. “Sorry.”

“Ugh,” I groaned, marching away. I could hear Crew let out a quiet giggle, causing me to backtrack. “I heard that.”

“Okay?” he said with no regret, fighting a devious smile.

Was he trying to fucking test me? Because if so, I’d make sure he knew I wasn’t joking.

“It’s not funny!”

“Okay,” he repeated.

“I mean it. Knock it off. I know where you live.”

He raised a brow, amused. “What’re you gonna do? Chop my balls off in the middle of the night?”

I stepped forward, my jaw tight. “Don’t tempt me.”

Crew’s smile disappeared and he gulped so hard that I could see his Adam’s apple bob.

Good. He was scared.

I tipped my chin up as I strutted out of the living room, much more content knowing that Crew was sitting there worrying about keeping his precious balls intact.

After starting the washer, I began getting ready. It was a Saturday morning, and my mom and I usually met up for lunch twice a month. Today would be the first time I’d see her since before we moved in.

My mom and I had lived in a small town called Millstone for my entire life. It was only an hour away from Cedar, but my mom and I usually met halfway at a diner called Betty’s. She’d been taking me there ever since I was little, so it was our own special place.

I knocked on B’s door as I placed the strap of my black purse over my shoulder.

“Hey,” I smiled as B appeared in the doorway.

“Hey,” she smiled back. “Heading to lunch?”

“Yep! Can you do me a favor though?”

“That depends...” she said curiously. “Is it anything dangerous or illegal?”

Jokingly, I rolled my eyes. “No. I was just going to ask if you could switch my laundry into the dryer when it’s done.”

Her smile returned. “Oh! Sure, I can do that.”

“Thanks,” I said. “What are you up to today?”

She sighed, leaning her head against the doorframe. “Oh, you know. More research.”

I was raised by a single mom who had been my superhero. When she was in college, she and my dad, who I typically referred to as “The Sperm Donor”, had only been dating for a few months when my mom got pregnant. He tried convincing her to get rid of me, and although she was pro-choice, her choice was to keep me. The Sperm Donor disappeared long before I was born. I never met him. And at this point, I wouldn’t want to.

On the other hand, Bridget had been given up for adoption when she was born. She had never met her biological parents, and although her adoptive parents were loving and accepting, she was on a mission to find her real parents, or at least her mom. She’d been doing research since she was still in high school, and her research led her all the way to a town near Cedar, which was why she decided to come here in the first place.

I gave her a subtle smile of encouragement. “Find anything new?”

She shrugged unenthusiastically. “Not really.”

“You’re so close, B,” I assured her. “Don’t give up.”

She gave a faint smile. “I won’t.”

“Good,” I said. “Now, I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Kay,” she nodded. “Drive safe!”

***

“Oh! There’s my Kota girl!” my mom yelped, drawing me in for a bear hug.

“Hi, Mom,” I smiled as I squeezed her back.

We sat down at a booth and within minutes, Stella, our waitress, was standing in front of us. She turned to my mom, “Coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

“Orange juice?” she asked me.

I nodded. “Yes, please.”

Betty’s was a small diner, consisting of a small staff. My mom and I had been coming here so often for so long that all the waitresses knew our names and our usual orders. Hell, I was pretty sure they knew us on a personal level too.

Not only had they overheard dozens and dozens of our conversations over the years, but they sometimes joined in, and we’d chat about our lives, both the good parts and the bad ones.

Once Stella pranced off to get our beverages, my mom placed her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands.

Her beauty always amazed me. With tan skin, a perfect smile, and kind, brown eyes, her presence captivated everyone she met.

My mom was of Filipino heritage. Her parents, my grandparents, were born in the Philippines, and they both emigrated to America with their own families at young ages. Attending the same college, they met and fell in love, getting married right after graduation and having my mom shortly after. Their love story had always been my favorite; I never got tired of hearing them tell the story again and again.

Even though our roots were Filipino, our family didn’t practice a lot of Filipino customs other than traditional cuisines at family gatherings.

Since I never met my dad, I had no idea growing up what ethnicities I’d inherited from him, but a few years ago, I actually took a DNA test because I was interested to find out. Apparently, I had some Irish and German genes in me as well.

“How’s the new apartment?” my mother asked.

I internally cringed. I still hadn’t told her about the boys.

“Oh yeah,” I said, slightly nervous to drop the bomb. “It’s... interesting.”

“Why?” Her brows creased with worry. “Is everything okay between you and Bridget?”

I was quick to assure her. “Yeah! Everything’s fine with B, but...”

“But?”

I sighed, spitting the words out as fast as a speeding bullet. “But we’re living with two boys.”

She eyed me in silence for a moment, blinking repeatedly. “Excuse me, what?”

As Stella brought our drinks out, I explained what happened with our lease and my mom seemingly relaxed a bit, falling back against the booth cushion.

“Okay,” was all she said.

“Okay?”

“I’m just relieved this wasn’t something you two orchestrated and kept as a secret from me.”

“No, no. Of course not.”

“Well, are these boys at least clean?”

“For the most part,” I replied, sipping on my OJ. “One of them is cleaner than the other.” Lane, of course. “And I’ve caught him cleaning up after the messy one a few times.” Crew, of course.

“Are they nice?”

All I could do was laugh.

She raised a brow, concerned. “Kota?”

I lightly smacked a hand on the table, still laughing.

“Kota,” she repeated, sharper this time.

“Sorry,” I said. “Um, one of them is alright, I guess. I don’t mind him too much. The other one though really knows how to aggravate me.”

My mom peered at me over her cup of coffee. “Does it happen to be the same one that’s messy?”

“Of course, it is.”

“Ugh,” she groaned, “men.”

“You’re tellin’ me, Ma.”

“Have you put him in his place?”

“Many times,” I said confidently.

“Good,” she smiled proudly. “You know better than to ever let a man tell you what to do.”

“I know,” I grinned. “Just like my mama.”

The smile she gave held so much pride. “Exactly.”

After lunch with my mom, I headed straight home. Bridget and I were planning on going out later, which meant that I needed to get some homework done beforehand in case I was cursed with a hangover tomorrow.

The moment I stepped through the door, my mouth smacked open, and my keys made a loud clatter against the floor. I let out a distressed scream as if I’d forgotten we had neighbors.

Crew was still shirtless on the couch, but this time, he wasn’t alone. A pretty, tan girl with dark hair was straddling his lap, their mouths going at it.

It was like they hadn’t heard me scream the first time. “What the hell!” I shouted.

Their lips finally parted, eyes sliding over to me. Crew looked unaffected, indifferent. But the girl’s brows wiggled around in confusion.

Her head snapped back to Crew, eyeing him like he was a three-headed monster. “You have a girlfriend?” she roared.

Hands remaining steadily on her hips, his brows drew in. “What? No—”

“Yes, he does,” I butted in. “We’ve been dating for a year and a half, so I suggest you leave before things get ugly.”

She scoffed in disgust, peeling his hands off her and grabbing her belongings off the floor. “You’re a whore!” she shot at Crew.

I covered my mouth with the back of my hand, attempting to hide the massive smile on my face.

“Alysha, wait!” he stood, shouting after her as she rushed past me and ran out.

The second the door shut behind her, I burst out laughing.

Crew’s jaw twitched, his eyes glazing over with hatred. “Really?”

I shook my head, my rage returning. “What do you mean really ? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Crew threw his hands up in frustration, looking like a large toddler having a temper tantrum. “She’s probably gonna go run around campus telling everyone I have a girlfriend. No girl is gonna touch me now!”

I knew Crew was the biggest playboy on the hockey team but hooking up with a girl in the middle of our living room was too much, even for him.

It was a sign of complete disrespect to everyone else in this apartment. Not to mention it was gross. I mean, we all sat right there, every day .

His dirty dishes in the sink and the disarray of his belongings around the common areas was already enough. But this? No way in hell was I dealing with this. I didn’t want to be scared to see naked bodies every time I walked into my own apartment.

Leaning forward, I grew more agitated by his lack of self-awareness and maturity. It felt like he was feeding me a grenade of bullshit and it was about to make me explode any second. “ That’s what you’re concerned about right now?!”

Crew squinted his eyes at me. “You don’t have anything to be concerned about right now.”

I laughed once without humor. “What about the bodily fluids that are probably on our couch?”

Rolling his eyes like I was an idiot, he said, “There are no bodily fluids. We didn’t get that far.”

I wished my gaze was lethal enough to kill him right then and there. I motioned to his bare legs. “You’re standing there in boxers!”

“So? Have you never seen a dude in boxers before?”

A deep growl rippled out of my mouth. “The bottom line is that you have a bedroom for a reason!”

“I didn’t wanna take her in there.”

“Why?”

“Because, well...” He shifted around, almost sheepishly. “I just washed my sheets, and I didn’t wanna have to wash them again.”

My teeth clenched together, hands drawing into fists at my sides. Voice climbing, I screeched, “You mean with my laundry detergent?” But Crew just let out a quiet huff, sounding bored. “And what,” I added, “so you were just gonna fuck her on the couch?”

He bobbed his head side to side.

This kid was unbelievable. It felt like he was practically daring me to step forward and punch him straight in the face.

“You’re fucking disgusting,” I spat, stalking towards my room. I turned over my shoulder. “You better lock your door tonight!”

“Why?”

“Because I’m cutting your balls off and selling them on Ebay!” I screamed, slamming my door.

I puffed out a breath and I was pretty sure I could see smoke come out with it.

Goddamn. This was going to be a long year.