chapter 3

NOAH. Housing mistake.

I caught her hand midway, my eyes running from her head to toe. Who the heck is she and why is she in my apartment? Could she be one of those stalker girls? But why would a stalker be trying to hit me with a mop stick?

My eyes paused halfway down as I noticed her trembling hands clutching the mop. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt, and her nipples were pointing outwards, my breath hitched. I didn’t even know what came over me, but for some reason, I couldn’t pull my eyes away. She actually looked… kind of cute.

She jerked her hand free instantly, the mop stick clattering to the floor.

“What the heck are you staring at?!” she shouted, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

I looked away immediately, heat rising to my face. What the heck is wrong with you, Noah?

“Are you…. are you a pervert or something?” she snapped.

I hesitated, still trying to make sense of what was happening. I come back to my apartment and see a stranger, a girl in..

I glanced at her again, just quickly this time. She was short, maybe 5’5”, with curly hair and soft features. Slightly chubby but in a curvy way. Cute legs, too since she was only wearing that T-shirt.

“Heyyy!” she screamed, stepping back.

I quickly snapped out of it. Yeah, I was definitely giving the wrong impression.

“Who are you?” I asked in a low tone. “And what are you doing in my apartment?”

“What?” she shot back, eyes wide.

"Your apartment?" she asked again, her voice low and confused.

I kept quiet for a moment, trying to make sense of what was going on. None of this was adding up.

*

"I think there’s been a misunderstanding, Mr. Reyes. We apologize for the inconvenience. However, there are currently no free apartments in the school housing. I think..."

"I won’t accept this," I interrupted, my tone sharper than I intended. "And I won’t accept people in my space. Do something and get rid of them." I demanded.

She looked at me with an unreadable expression, her eyes narrowing slightly. Beside her was a guy, probably her brother. He had brown skin, clean-cut hair, hazel eyes, and a perfectly calm look that screamed “golden boy.” The type everyone liked at first sight.

We were all seated in the living room after the earlier clash, waiting for the housing admin to sort things out. The air was tense, awkward silence filling the space.

"Dude, relax. You’re.,.. making," the guy muttered, leaning back on the couch but before he could finish..

"Jace..." she called softly, placing her hand on his arm as if warning him to stay quiet.

Her gaze shifted to me, this time filled with quiet defiance. "We didn’t want to stay here either, sir, if that’s what I should call you. But we also have rights, because we paid for the apartment."

"None of my business," I cut in sharply.

She scoffed, clearly irritated, while I turned my focus to the housing admin, who was tapping his pen on a clipboard.

"I paid for a three-room apartment because it was the only available housing at the moment," I said firmly. "And I clearly stated that I didn’t want housemates."

The admin cleared his throat. "I checked the records, sir. The payment made was for a single room. The housing agent who handled your transaction was fired two days ago."

"What?" I asked, stunned. My jaw slackened as I glanced at the girl, who folded her arms and gave me a look that said serves you right.

"Oops," the boy beside her muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

I rolled my eyes. This was messed up. Completely messed up.

"So what are we going to do about this?" I asked, my voice sharper this time. "Because I came here first, and I can pay for the two rooms again. I just want them out." I reached for my wallet to make a point.

"Why are you acting like we’re some pieces of trash? We didn’t want this either," the boy snapped, but I ignored him.

The housing admin cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable. "You’ll have to calm down, Mr. Reyes. There are no free apartments available at the moment since everything is occupied. But I’ll see what I can do to find another space for them. How about you manage with them for a while?”He suggested. I leaned back to the couch and massaged my temples. I couldn’t deal with this. I really hated it. How was I supposed to keep seeing her here?

My eyes flicked to her again, the oversized shirt, the messy curls, the confused look that somehow still managed to be cute. Against my will, a name slipped into my head.

‘Bambi’

Yeah. She looked like one, small, soft, and kind of sweet but still looked like she could cause trouble if she wanted to.

I shut my eyes and groaned quietly. Great. Now I was giving her nicknames. I don't like this. But I have no choice right now, I need to avoid and not interact with them till a solution is found..

I better avoid her, I better do. This is not good.