CHAPTER 4

KAI

There were three things I had learned by the end of Knox Vale's first day in our house.

One, he was incapable of putting anything back where he found it.

Two, he apparently believed every room belonged to him.

And three, living with him was going to test my patience in ways I hadn't prepared for.

The proof came at 7:12 the next morning.

I walked into the kitchen, still half-asleep, opened the cupboard, and stopped. My favorite mug was gone. I stared at the empty space, then opened another cupboard. Nothing. I checked beside the sink. Nothing. I checked the drying rack. Nothing.

I slowly turned around.

Knox was standing by the counter, drinking coffee. From my mug.

I stared at it. He took another sip, then noticed me.

"Morning."

I pointed at the mug. "Why are you using that?"

He looked down. "This?"

"Yes. That."

He examined it as if he'd never seen it before. "It's a mug."

"I know it's a mug."

"Then what's the problem?"

"That's my mug."

He looked at it again. "How was I supposed to know?"

"It's always there."

"So?"

"So it's mine."

He looked around the kitchen. "Does everything in this house have your name on it?"

"Some things."

"Does the refrigerator?"

"No."

"The sofa?"

"No."

"The toaster?"

I stared at him. He smiled. "Just checking."

I walked over and took the mug from his hand.

"You want it back?"

"Obviously."

"Okay."

He let go, and I tipped what was left of his coffee into the sink, washed the mug, and only then poured myself a fresh cup. Behind me, I heard him laugh.

"You're serious."

"Very."

"I wasn't finished with that."

"I don't know where your hands have been."

He put a hand over his chest. "Wow."

"Don't be dramatic."

"I'm offended."

"You'll recover."

He laughed again. I ignored him and took my coffee to the table.

For approximately thirty seconds, everything was quiet. Then Knox helped himself to a different mug and sat down across from me.

I looked up. "Why are you sitting here?"

"It's a table."

"There are other chairs."

"I know."

"Then why this one?"

He shrugged. "This one was closer."

I stared at him. He stared back. I took a sip of coffee. This was exactly why we needed rules.

I put my mug down. "Okay."

Knox raised an eyebrow. "Okay what?"

"We need rules."

He almost choked on his coffee. "Rules?"

"Yes."

"For living in a house?"

"For living in *this* house."

He leaned back. "You're serious."

"Very."

He looked amused, which annoyed me.

"Go ahead, then," he said.

I grabbed my phone from the table.

"What are you doing?"

"Writing them down."

"Of course you are."

I opened my notes app. "Rule number one."

Knox waited.

"Don't touch my things."

He looked at the mug in my hand. "Noted."

"Rule number two. Don't eat my food."

"I haven't."

"You almost did yesterday."

"You gave it to me."

"I did not."

"You released it."

"Because you wouldn't let go."

"Technicality," Knox said.

I gave him a look. "Rule number two: don't touch my food."

He nodded. "Fine."

"Rule number three."

"How many are there?"

"I don't know yet."

He laughed. "You're enjoying this."

"I'm not."

"You definitely are."

I ignored him. "Rule number three: keep your things in your room."

He glanced toward the hallway. "My bags are in my room."

"Your shoes aren't."

He looked down at his feet, then back at me. "These?"

"No. The ones you left in the hallway last night."

"I forgot."

"Don't forget."

"Okay."

"Rule number four: don't make unnecessary noise."

He frowned. "What counts as unnecessary?"

"Anything loud enough to wake me up."

"You sleep like the dead."

"Exactly. So if I wake up, you've failed."

He laughed. "That's fair."

I kept typing. "Rule number five..."

"There's a five?"

"Yes."

"You're serious about this."

"Very."

He rested his elbows on the table. "What's rule five?"

"Don't bring random people into the house."

He blinked. "Random people?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

"Then how do you know they're random?"

I closed my eyes. "Knox."

"I'm asking a legitimate question."

"Just don't bring people here without telling Ethan."

"Okay." He nodded, then smiled. "Anything else?"

I looked at him. "Yes."

"What?"

"Don't annoy me."

He laughed. "That's impossible."

"Then try."

"I'll consider it."

"You'd better."

He stood and took his mug to the sink, and I watched him rinse it. Then he looked over his shoulder. "Where's the bin?"

I pointed. "Beside the fridge."

He walked over, stopped, and looked at me. "Anything else, boss?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Stop calling me boss."

"Okay, boss."

I glared at him. He laughed.

I knew this was going to be a nightmare.

By afternoon, it got worse.

I came home from work and found Knox's racing boots beside the front door. I stared at them, then at the ceiling.

"Seriously?"

No answer.

I picked them up and carried them upstairs. His bedroom door was open. He was sitting on the floor, surrounded by racing equipment.

He looked up. "What?"

"Your boots."

He looked at them. "Oh."

"They were downstairs."

"I forgot."

"You keep forgetting."

He shrugged. "I've been busy."

"So am I."

"I know."

"Then remember."

He smiled. "You're very passionate about these rules."

"Because nobody else follows them."

"Maybe your rules are too many."

"There are five."

"Exactly."

"That's not many."

"For you, maybe."

I set the boots beside his bed. "Just keep your stuff in here."

"Yes, sir."

I turned. "Don't."

He smiled. I walked away, then stopped.

"Actually."

He looked at me. "What?"

"Rule number six."

He laughed. "We're adding another?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Don't call me sir."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

He grinned. "Yes, sir."

I grabbed a cushion from his bed and threw it at him. He caught it.

"That was assault."

"Good."

He laughed, and I walked out before I could hear whatever stupid comment he was about to make.

Downstairs, I found Ethan on the sofa, looking at his phone.

He looked up. "How's it going?"

"Terrible."

"Already?"

"He's impossible."

Ethan smiled. "I told you."

"You knew."

"I did."

"And you still did this."

"You're welcome."

I dropped onto the sofa, and Ethan looked at me. "What happened?"

"He's everywhere."

"That's generally how roommates work."

"He's not a roommate."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "He's living here."

"Temporarily."

"Still counts."

I groaned, and Ethan laughed.

Then Knox came downstairs and stopped when he saw us. "What are you two talking about?"

"You," I said.

He nodded. "Sounds about right."

Ethan looked between us. "What did you do?"

"Apparently, I've broken six house rules," Knox said.

"Six?" Ethan asked.

"Five," I corrected. "The sixth one isn't written down."

"It still counts," Knox said.

Ethan started laughing. "You made rules?"

"Yes."

"For Knox?"

"Yes."

He shook his head. "You're impossible."

"I'm trying to maintain some order."

Knox sat down. "He's very serious about order."

"You should be grateful."

"I am."

I looked at him. He was smiling. Not the irritating grin. Just a small smile. For some reason, I looked away first.

Ethan's phone rang. He stood. "I need to take this." He walked toward the hallway, leaving Knox and me alone. Again.

I looked at the dark television. He looked at me. Neither of us spoke.

Then Knox said, "You know, you're not as bad as I remember."

I turned. "What does that mean?"

He shrugged. "You've changed."

"You said that yesterday."

"I know."

"And you still haven't explained it."

He looked at me for a moment. "I haven't figured it out."

"Then stop saying it."

"Maybe I will."

"Good."

He smiled, then reached for the remote.

I grabbed it first.

He stared at my hand. "Seriously?"

"Rule seven."

"There is no rule seven."

"There is now."

"What is it?"

I held the remote against my chest. "I choose what we watch."

He laughed. "Absolutely not."

"House rules."

"That's not a house rule."

"It is now."

He reached for the remote. I moved it away. He reached again, so I stood. He stood too.

"Give it."

"No."

"Kai."

"Knox."

He stepped closer. I stepped back.

"You're being ridiculous."

"So are you."

"Give me the remote."

"Make me."

The words left my mouth before I thought about them. Knox stopped. For one second, we just stared at each other. He was closer than I'd expected, close enough that I could see the faint crease beside his eye when he smiled. I suddenly remembered I was still holding the remote.

I looked away. "Fine." I tossed it at his chest. "You win."

Knox caught it. He looked almost surprised. "That easy?"

"I changed my mind."

"Sure."

He sat back down. I sat at the opposite end of the sofa. The television came on, and neither of us said anything.

Then Ethan returned. "Everything okay?"

"Fine," I said.

"Perfect," Knox said at the same time.

Ethan looked between us and smiled. "I don't believe either of you."

I rolled my eyes.

The evening continued. For once, there was no argument. No fighting. No stolen food. No complaints. It almost felt normal.

Until later that night.

I walked upstairs and stopped outside my bedroom. Knox's door was directly across from mine, and it was open. He was inside, sitting at the desk with his laptop. He looked up.

"Night."

"Night."

I went into my room and closed the door. Then I opened it again. I don't know why. Maybe because I had forgotten something. Maybe not. Across the hallway, Knox was still sitting there. He looked up again. Our eyes met. Neither of us said anything.

I closed my door and leaned against it. This was ridiculous. It had only been two days. Two days. And already, having Knox across the hallway felt strangely different from having him anywhere else.

I shook my head. No. I wasn't going to think about it. I had rules. Rules were simple. Rules kept things under control.

I turned off the light. Then I heard a knock on my door.

I frowned and opened it. Knox stood there, and his expression was different. Serious. No smile. No teasing.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He held something out.

I looked down, and my stomach dropped. It was the telemetry report I'd been working on. The one I'd left on the kitchen table.

Knox looked at me. "You analyzed my test session?"

I swallowed. "Yeah."

His eyes stayed on mine. "Why?"

I didn't have an answer.

And for the first time since Knox had moved in, I realized he wasn't teasing me. He actually wanted to know.