Chapter 2 The Conversation

“Is there something I can help you with, little girl?”

I felt like the ceiling collapsed right on top of me, crushing my heart until it couldn’t beat for a moment.

My eyes widened in disbelief at what I was seeing.

A man… was standing there—naked—with eyes that scanned every inch of me as I lay naked on the bed.

“Zoe! What’s going on?” Jack’s voice from the video call snapped me back to the harsh reality.

I had been… well, pleasuring myself with Jack on the phone. I was in my brother’s apartment and thought I was safe—Zach said he wouldn’t be home until late. So… what the hell was happening here?

Shit!

Realizing my situation, I immediately ended the video call with Jack. My brain couldn’t process anything except one thing: get dressed and run out of the room to figure out what was going on.

“What?” the man muttered in surprise as I bolted past him, bumping into his arm so hard I nearly tripped.

Oh God… don’t tell me I entered the wrong apartment?

But that couldn’t be right. Could it? There’s no way Zach’s apartment would have the same passcode as the neighbor’s. And I would have to be completely insane to enter the wrong unit.

No… I couldn’t have messed up.

My brain worked overtime as I stood in front of the door, trying to recall Zach’s apartment number.

I didn’t make a mistake.

This is the right unit.

“Is there a problem?”

I nearly cursed out loud when I saw that man again, now fully clothed, stepping out of the apartment and looking confused.

“Who are you?!” I snapped, unable to keep the tremble out of my voice as the edge of panic hit me.

“Who are you, little girl?” he shot back.

Asshole. This guy was such an asshole.

“Why the hell did you break into my brother’s apartment, you creep?!” I stomped my foot in frustration, though I knew yelling wouldn’t solve anything.

“Break in?” He furrowed his brows, clearly confused. “What are you even talking about?”

God, I was the one who should be confused right now!

“You broke into my brother’s apartment and violated the owner’s privacy! Are you completely insane?”

If this guy were really dangerous or delusional, staying here was definitely not safe. Dammit—I needed to run!

“Hey! What are you doing?!” he shouted as I dashed toward the elevator. I didn’t care what he said.

Nor did I care about the confused stares from a few residents as I frantically hit the elevator button, trying to shut the doors before he could catch up.

“Is something wrong, miss?” an older woman beside me asked gently, touching my shoulder.

“Where can I find security? Someone just broke into my brother’s apartment—I think he’s a thief!” I looked at her, panic written all over my face.

“There’s no way a thief could get into this building,” a man who had been standing quietly in the corner finally spoke up. I noticed several other people were now looking at me curiously.

“Why would I run away in fear if I were lying?! Why would I make something up when I could’ve just stayed comfortably in the apartment if everything was fine?” My voice was shaking. I was fully panicking now. The fact that I’d left my phone in the bedroom during my rush to escape made it even worse—I couldn’t contact Zach for help.

All I could do now was find security and have them throw that trespassing creep out of the apartment.

“Alright, we’ll come with you and sort this out,” the man said, walking ahead of me as the elevator doors opened.

“Come, dear. I’ll go with you, too,” said the kind older woman beside me.

Honestly, I was a little shocked. It is rare these days to find people who still care about strangers. Most people just minded their own business, but somehow, I had gotten lucky on this horrible day.

Whatever was going on, the security team followed me to Zach’s floor right away after I explained briefly what happened—of course, excluding the part where the naked guy saw me… doing stuff.

“According to our records, this unit is registered under Zachary Drew Langston. Is he your brother?” one of the officers asked as we rode the elevator.

“Yes,” I nodded quickly. “My name is Zoe Grace Langston. I’m staying at this apartment for two weeks while my parents are out of the country. Zach’s my brother—he’s a doctor and had to leave for the hospital. I can’t contact him because I left my phone in there and can’t return alone.”

“It’s alright, Miss.” The Black security guard who first welcomed me at the front desk looked at me calmly. “We’ll resolve whatever issue is happening. The receptionist already contacted your brother, and he’s on his way here as we speak.”

I let out a deep breath of relief.

At least I wouldn’t be alone anymore.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you until your brother gets back,” said the older woman beside me.

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

I felt like crying. I wanted to run to Mommy and tell her everything. I felt violated—someone had seen me naked. But how could I tell her the truth? Mommy would kill me if she ever found out I was… doing that with Jack.

“Do you know the door code to this apartment, Miss?” the security guard asked once we reached the unit. He stopped in front of the door and glanced at me.

“Of course, I do. Do you want me to open it?”

“We need permission from Zachary Drew Langston to enter, and he granted it once the receptionist informed him of the situation. He said we could proceed as long as you authorize it.”

I stepped forward, ready to key in the passcode. But before I could do anything, the door swung open from the inside, making me jump.

“Hey, little girl.”

The same man. The same calm expression.

I stared at him, stunned. I hadn’t expected him to still be here after everything.

“You left your phone in the room. It kept ringing,” he said casually, handing me the device like nothing had happened.

I was honestly baffled by how calm this annoying man was. “Him,” I turned to the security guards. “He’s the guy who broke into my brother’s apartment!”

“What?” he raised an eyebrow.

“What are you waiting for? You should arrest him already!” I snapped, pulling my phone from his hand and taking a step back.

“Sir, may we see your identification? We’ve received a report that you’ve unlawfully entered Zachary Drew Langston’s apartment.”

“What?” The man blinked at them, then looked at me with disbelief. “What are you even talking about?”

“May we please see your ID? There might be a misunderstanding. I believe I’ve seen you around Mr. Langston, many times over the past few months.”

Now I was the one furrowing my brows in confusion.

What was going on?

“Yes, of course you’ve seen me. I live here,” he said with a slightly raised voice as he reached for his wallet. “Wait here. I’ll grab my ID.”

Before stepping back inside, he glanced at me for a moment. He didn’t say anything, but for some reason, I found myself lowering my gaze when our eyes met.

“How could he live here? This is my brother’s apartment!” I asked the guard, my voice growing more frustrated.

“It looks like this might just be a misunderstanding,” the guard said, still looking confused.

“What kind of misunderstanding?! This is my brother’s apartment!”

“Yes, but—”

“Zoe?”

I turned quickly at the sound of Zach’s voice.

Well, that was faster than I expected, but thank God. I had no idea what I was supposed to do next.

“Zach, there’s a thief in your apartment!” I rushed to him, grabbing his arm in panic.

“What?” he looked alarmed. “Are you okay?” His voice was filled with concern.

“I saw her running toward the elevator in panic, so I accompanied her to see security,” the older woman explained.

“What’s going on?”

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding—”

“There has been a misunderstanding,” came a voice from inside the apartment. “They think I broke in, Zach.”

I frowned and looked at Zach in confusion.

Wait, he knew this guy?

“Max?” Zach raised his brow. “What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t I tell you I’d be back this week?” The guy—Max—handed his ID to the security guard.

“What?” Zach was still frowning, which only confused me more.

“What’s going on, Zach?” I tugged on his sleeve, desperate for answers.

“Zoe…” Zach exhaled, rubbing his forehead. “He’s my roommate,” he finally said.

I blinked in disbelief.

I didn’t mishear that… did I?

***

I had no idea what to do now.

My lips had been sealed ever since Zach gave a brief explanation and introduced me to the tan-skinned guy now sitting across from me.

Zach also took a moment to explain to everyone who had gathered outside the apartment—two security guards, Mrs. Harridge, and Mr. Morgan from the floor above. They finally left to resume their day after Zach apologized for the commotion I caused.

“I’m sorry about all this,” Zach finally said after we sat in awkward silence for nearly five minutes in the living room.

I was still in shock from everything that had happened—the fact that I’d caused such a scene on my very first day here.

“Well, it’s just a misunderstanding. I’m not offended at all. Though your sister seems… very startled,” Max said, his voice clearly mocking me.

I couldn’t stop myself from lifting my head to glare at him.

“He’s my roommate, Zoe. He was out of town for two months and just returned this week. I forgot he was coming home today—the same day you arrived. That’s what caused all this confusion,” Zach tried again to explain.

“I want to go back home,” I huffed, scowling.

“Zoe…”

“I’ll talk to Mom and Dad. You just need to take me home.”

“Zoe, please don’t be like this. It’s just a misunderstanding, right?”

The problem is that a misunderstanding caused a stranger to see my naked body.

“Come on, little girl, don’t sulk like that.”

I glanced at Max with increasing annoyance.

Anyway, I can’t force myself to stay in this apartment with a stranger who’s seen my naked body.

Damn it. I can’t do this. And damn it again, I can’t tell Zach either.

“He does live with me, and I promised Mom and Dad that you’d live with me too. This apartment has three rooms, and we can use them together, right?”

“Are you guys gay?” I stared at them suspiciously.

“Damn, I’d rather have your boobs than suck his dick, little girl.”

I was speechless when I heard his answer. I felt like slapping his lips, which were now smirking at me.

“Watch your mouth, you bastard!” Zach threw a pillow at Max, who caught it swiftly.

Damn. It would actually be safer if they were a gay couple.

But I forgot that my brother has a girlfriend, and she’s a woman.

“Well, I’m trying to do that, Zach,” Max replied, staring straight at me. “If I don’t watch my mouth, something else might happen between your sister and me.”

I’m just a high school student, and I don’t have much experience with men besides Jack and a few teenage boys who’ve approached me, but from the way Max looks and talks, I can already tell what’s on his mind.

This man has a perverted mind and lecherous eyes.

Unfortunately, he’s seen my naked body. I don’t know how many times I’ve said that this man has seen my naked body, but who wouldn’t be surprised by what happened? I have a boyfriend, and I’ve always been a loyal girl. What would Jack say if he found out what happened?

“What are you talking about? What were you doing when Zoe came?”

“Taking a shower,” Max answered casually. “And I came out of the bathroom and found her…”

I felt like every second that passed was like a step toward the gallows.

Damn it. I hate situations like this, especially when I noticed his eyes staring at me as if he were making a deal with me.

Damn it. This guy is a jerk.

“What was Zoe doing?” Zach asked impatiently.

Damn it. What should I tell Zach if this guy says I was masturbating while talking to my boyfriend on the phone?