I had always been careful about my space. My apartment was small, yes, but it was mine, a carefully curated refuge where every shelf, every cushion, every book had a place. I liked it that way—neat, predictable, controlled. But when I posted the ad for a new roommate, I hadn’t expected Mara. And yet, the instant she stepped across the threshold, I realized I would never see my apartment the same way again.She had a presence that filled a room without even trying, a kind of effortless command that made me both nervous and breathless. Her hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders, dark and glossy, catching the light in a way that made it impossible not to look. She smiled at me—a slow, knowing smile that seemed too intimate for a first encounter—and I felt my pulse hitch in response. She carried a small suitcase and a tote bag, but it was her energy, the subtle confidence in her stance, that left me unmoored. I cleared my throat and tried to sound casual, but my voice betrayed me, a
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