“Excuse me?” My tone climbs into screechy territory as I push to my feet. “Thanks for… whatever this was, but I’m not going to stay somewhere I’m clearly not wanted. You don’t need to do me any more favors.”
Grabbing for Dollyboy, I tumble forward as he scrambles through Ty’s legs. Some kind of weird hopping dance between the three of us ensues until Dolly is finally in my arms against his will. Ty’s gaze is wide, his expression indecipherable.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he shakes his head. “I didn't mean… I just meant that with the crime?—”
“Yeah, yeah, the crime.” I swat a hand in his direction as I turn toward the door, struggling against all fifteen pounds of my squirming tomcat. “The car thing is temporary. An in-between. I’m looking for apartments now.”
Ty’s heavy sigh forces me to turn around.
He saunters closer. “Avery, you and I both know living in your car with a cat isn’t ideal.”
I huff out a laugh. “And what is? Ruining the one good thing I have going for me by immediately breaching my contract?”
When I reach for the door handle, his hand comes down over mine. His grip is firm but gentle enough that he doesn’t crush my fingers as he keeps me from pulling it open. I stare aimlessly out the sidelightwindows flanking the front door. The sun is still rising in the sky, a thin mist from the nearby coast blanketing everything in a hazy filter. It’s something I’m not always up early enough to witness. By the time I wake up, the sun has heated everything enough that it dissipates. Seeing it now from inside Ty’s house with his warm hand wrapped around mine feels like an out-of-body experience. Am I really here right now? Did I really sleep in my car last night? A tightness sprouts in my chest at the memory. Being displaced—even for a night—was scary. If I yank this door open now, the only place I have to go is back to my old sedan.
“Hear me out.” Ty’s voice interrupts my looping thoughts. “It’s not permanent. It just isn’t a car. I’m not inviting you to stay forever.”
Dollyboy gives one last-ditch lunge as I turn to face Ty, falling from my grasp and landing on his feet below in a flurry of white dander.
Ty’s eyes dip to the floor momentarily. “Dollyboy’s his name?”
I nod.
“See, Dollyboy wants to stay.”
I press my forehead against a sidelight, most likely leaving some kind of gross residue, but that’s the least of my worries right now. The truth is, I want to stay too. Ty’s house might be sparse in the cozy department, but it isn’t a car. It isn’t a parking lot. It has running water. Actual beds. A million plants. Somewhere to fit a litterbox. No strangers tapping on the window or yelling unhinged profanities late into the night. At least I assume. It’s in a safe neighborhood, and it’s everything I’m missing right now.
I’ve never been one to break the rules, and I’ve neverintentionally jeopardized a golden opportunity when it arises—though that’s been few and far between. But given my circumstances—the roommate moving out and on with her flourishing life, the fact that I was no more than a squatter there for the past two years, and my name never made it onto the lease—I’m all out of options.
Telling Ty no means telling my dream no, and I’m not willing to do that. If I want to dance with the Vista City Kings cheerleaders, I can’t do it when my home base is a thousand-year-old sedan. Keeping my sanity intact in this city is hard enough without the added uncertainty of whether or not someone is going to burglarize my vehicle with me inside of it. A shiver runs down my spine at the thought. Moving back in with my parents isn’t even on my radar, and I don’t know my new teammates well enough yet to ask if anyone is in need of a roommate. If anyone found out just how bad things have gotten for me… I shudder. Ty knowing I’m basically homeless is embarrassing enough on its own. If I want to keep the one good thing I’ve got right now, the answer is clear.
“Fine,” I say, lifting my head from the glass and turning to face him.
“Fine?” he repeats, and for the first time ever, I can read his expression. He’s surprised. Maybe even a little relieved.
“Yes, but I can’t stay for free.”
“But—”
I hold up a hand. “Please, let me salvage a little dignity. I’m going to repay you whether you like it or not.”
He runs a hand over hisblond hair. “I figured the whole point of this would be for you to get on your feet again.”
I groan. “Ugh. Don’t say it like that. That makes it worse.”
Stomping past him, I reach for Dollyboy—the only source of comfort and familiarity present—but he evades me. I turn to Ty, empty-handed, peering around him and down the hall.
He follows my stare, gazing at the dark space with closed doors lining either side.
I sigh. “Which one’s mine, roomie?”
Maybe I should lose my apartment more often. This room isnice.
I smooth my hand over the luxurious fabric of the comforter. It’s velvet, pale pink and pillowy. So soft the clouds would be jealous. Coordinating throw pillows are arranged meticulously against the mauve, upholstered headboard. Pretty feminine for a guy whose house is decorated as much as a holding cell. Dollyboy has already made himself at home, curling up on the plum throw blanket draped across the end of the king-size bed. I reach out to stroke his head, but when he spots Ty, he’s on the move. Someday I will get to pet my cat again. Ty stares at the furball strutting over, and I fully expect him to ignore him. To my surprise, he leans down and runs a hesitant hand down Dolly’s back.
“He likes you.” I giggle, and Ty’s eyes rise to meet mine.
“He won’t leave me alone,” Ty says, dropping one of my suitcases by the walk-in closet.
