I raise my brows and take another sip of my latte. “No, but hit me anyway.”
She pulls out her phone, taps open the photos and shoves it across the table. “We’re moving in together. Look at this place.”
At first, I think it’s a joke. The apartment in the picture looks like a hotel suite with light gray walls, huge windows, and screams of luxury. There’s ahugepool. There’s areally nicegym. There’s even a rooftop with a fire pit and one of those dog-friendly fake grass areas.
“Um…” I stare at the photo, then at Riley. “How the hell would we afford that?”
She grins. “I toured it yesterday. It’s half a mile from your office, three blocks from my studio, and the rent is only slightly soul-crushing if we split it. Also, look at the amenities!” She scrolls through the pictures—a library with real books, a yoga studio, an espresso bar in the lobby.
I don’t know what to say. I want to say yes so badly that the word is burning a hole in my tongue. But then I remember my bank account, my panic attacks, the fact that I have made it exactly four days at my new job and could be fired at any moment for fucking one-third of the bosses.
Riley’s face falls. “You hate it? Ugh. Just tell me if you hate it.”
“No!” I shake my head. “It’s amazing. It’s just… are you sure you want to live with me?”
She laughs so hard she snorts. “Please. We survived two years as dorm roommates. You think I can’t handle your weird sleep habits and emergency cheese stashes?”
“I stopped doing that,” I lie.
“Whatever. The point is, I need to get out of my shoebox of a place before I die of claustrophobia. And you need to get out of that deathtrap apartment that costs three times more than it should.”
I stare at the pictures on her phone again. “What’s the catch?”
Riley breaks into a huge grin. “The catch is, we have to sign by Monday to get the discount. And we need first month, and security up front. I’ve got my half saved. I figured with your new job, you could swing it. If you can’t… I can cover you.”
She says it so matter-of-factly, even though she knows about my financial panic spreadsheet and the fact that I’m still eating Raman noodles most nights.
“You know what, I’ll just cover it. You pay me back.” Riley bumps her cup into mine. “Let’s just do this.”
My chest tightens, but this time it’s not from anxiety. It’s from the intoxicating rush of things possibly getting better.
I look at Riley, who’s practically bouncing in her seat. “You really want to do this?”
She nods, so fast her braids whip around. “Yes. Absolutely. This is going to besogood for us. I promise.”
“You know what?” I breathe out. “Okay. Tell me when and where, and let’s give it a look.”
“Ah!” Riley squeals. “Yes! I already set an appointment for Friday evening!”
I smile, but as excited as I am, I already feel the increased pressure. If I sign a lease for a place that I canonlyafford because of this new salary…
That means Ireallycan’t get fired.
Chapter 9
Maddy
“Good Morning,” I clear my throat, his coffee in my hand. My heels clack against the concrete floors as I cross to Adrian’s desk and hand him his coffee.
“Nice to see you here early.” He somehow grabs the coffee without ever looking away from his screen, which takes a skill I’ll never have. “Thank you, Madison.” He sets it down on his desk and then makes a shooing gesture with his hand.
I frown at it and roll my eyes when my back is to him.
That,I have learned, is the easiest way to deal with his frustratingly sexy but angry and egotistical nature.Ugh.
“Madison.” His sharp tone stops me before I make it out the door.
I spin around, plastering the smile back on my face. “Yes, Mr. Frank?”
