Chapter 1
The woman living with me is ridiculously attractive. I mean, drop-dead stunning.
She was in the bathroom taking a shower, and I was in the living room shoving takeout into my face while scrolling through Netflix. Separating us was nothing but a flimsy piece-of-junk door with a broken lock.
Then a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the apartment.
Before I could even react, the door flew open and she came scrambling out of the steam, clutching a short towel that barely covered her. Her hair was dripping wet, water running down her arms as steam followed her into the room.
I’m going to be honest. I froze.
My brain completely short-circuited. I was locked in place for a solid three seconds, just staring.
“The water heater,” she gasped, shivering, her chest rising and falling fast. “It shocked me.”
“Look, maybe we can figure out where the leak is later,” I managed to choke out, trying my best to look anywhere else. “But maybe you want to put some clothes on first.”
I’m a content creator. Okay, that’s a fancy way of saying I’m a broke freelancer just starting out. My income barely covers keeping me alive. When you’re in my tax bracket, you cut corners wherever you can. Clothing, food, housing—especially housing.
So I found the cheapest apartment in existence. Old complex. Sixth-floor walk-up. No elevator.
How do I describe the interior design? Calling it minimalist would be an insult to minimalism. Calling it a disaster would actually be a compliment. It had the basics, sure, but everything was either broken or actively trying to kill you.
But hey, I’m a guy. I don’t need luxury. I need a cave to sleep in that keeps the rain off my laptop.
Rent was a thousand a month for a two-bedroom in this city. That was basically legal theft in my favor.
Chloe rented the other room for the same reason. It was dirt cheap. Also, it was a five-minute walk to her office.
Since the day she moved in, my life had been a complete mess.