Chapter 1
~Riley’s POV~
A heavy sigh left my lips as I searched endlessly for a new place to stay. My second year of college was about to start in a week, and I only had five more days until my landlord would evict me. The clock ticked loudly with each second that passed as if it were mocking me. I’d been searching for a new place to stay for days now but to no avail. All the decent places were either over my budget, or they were too far away from school. I was running out of time and was starting to feel desperate.
During the first year of college, I split rent with my best friend, Alicia, but things changed 180 degrees during the summer. She met a guy outside the USA and briskly moved to Paris, leaving me with the full rent over my head. I was happy for her, I really was. She’d found love overseas and was living out her dreams. But her leaving had left me in a tough spot, and now I was the one struggling to make ends meet.
There were no more empty spots at the college dormitories, and begging to stay at a sorority didn’t sound too appealing. They were gossiping like no tomorrow, and let’s not talk about the ridiculous rules.
Right, the sorority was not an option. I’d rather live in a box on the street than deal with their petty drama and endless rules. But if not the dormitories or the sorority, then what else was left? I was starting to feel like I was running out of options.
My fingers fidgeted with a strand of my blonde hair, wrapping it around my finger as I stared blankly at the pink streaks that ran through it. The vibrant color was a remnant of my rebellious phase from last year when I’d gone on a binge of self-expression.
I’ve always been the misfit in high school, never fitting in - not like I was putting tons of effort into it, anyway. I’d always been the lone wolf, never quite belonging to the clicky groups or cliques. I’d been perfectly content with that, actually. I wasn’t interested in fitting in with the ‘popular’ crowd or following the latest trends. It was just me, and that was enough.
One of the ads I’d found online was from a 57-year-old guy who was looking for a roommate. He specifically wanted a young female, which was a huge red flag in my eyes. I avoided responding to his ad like the plague. I shuddered at the thought of living with him, imagining the worst-case scenarios in my head - from being spied on to worse. No, sharing a place with a creepy old guy was definitely not an option.
As I scrolled through the next batch of listings, my heart sank with each one. They were all either ridiculously overpriced, run down to the bare walls, or came with some weird, unexpected conditions.
I did a double-take when I came across a listing that caught my eye. Three guys were looking for a roommate, and they didn’t specify if they wanted a male or female. They even guaranteed a private bedroom, and the rent was within my budget. Even more impressively, they went to the same uni as me. I clicked the link to the ad, scanning it over quickly, trying to find a catch. There had to be something - there always was. But the more I read, the more legitimate it seemed. Three guys, university students, same school as me, and the price was more than reasonable.
My heart started to beat a little bit faster with excitement. This could be exactly what I needed - an easy way out of my current predicament. But then reality came crashing down on me like a bucket of ice water, reminding me of how dangerous this could be. These were strangers, after all, and I couldn’t simply walk into a strange living situation blindly, especially as a woman.
I took a deep breath and calmed my nerves. It wouldn’t hurt to at least have a chat with them. Worst-case scenario, I’ll say no if they turn out to be creeps.
Without wasting a minute, I emailed them, informing them that I was interested. I hit the send button, my heart pounding against my ribcage. I was definitely entering uncharted territory, but what choice did I have? I was desperate for a place to stay, and this seemed like my best bet. I couldn’t help but wonder what these guys would be like. Would they be normal or weird? Kind, or jerks?
I tried to push my reservations aside, instead focusing on the fact that at least I was doing something instead of sitting around waiting. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I was a strong woman who could take care of herself. I could do this. I could handle three unknown housemates.
To my surprise, I received an email back within a few minutes. The guy who sent me the email introduced himself as Xavier Jones. He informed me - that he and his roommates, Yuri Sokolov and Angelo Bianchi, were all university students like me, and that they were in desperate need of a fourth roommate.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Their need mirrored my own, which I thought was a good start. They all needed me as much as I needed them. As I continued reading, Xavier went into some more detail about the living situation and house rules.
He explained that the house was situated on a 10-minute walk from college - a perk for me since I wouldn’t have to commute every day, and it was a pretty nice area. They expected a certain amount of rent each month - which was within an affordable range - and some housekeeping duties. All pretty basic, nothing unreasonable.
My eyes skipped through the rest of the email. One of the guys, Yuri, was born in Russia, and the other, Angelo, was Italian. They all seemed like pretty normal guys. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of excitement at the prospect of living with international guys.
This could be interesting. Different cultures, different backgrounds... I could gain some new perspectives, and who knows? Maybe make some lasting friendships. But then again, they were still strangers. All the guys may have been normal, but in reality, I had no idea who they exactly were. I was literally entering this without any info on these guys whatsoever, which wasn’t a very assuring thought.
I closed my eyes, trying to think things through rationally. I had a week left to find a place. There wasn’t time to do a full background check on these guys, not with the deadline hanging over my head. But I couldn’t just jump into this blindly either. I needed to know something - some basic information. My fingers hovered over the keypad, itching to respond to Xavier’s email.
I typed out a brief response, suggesting a meet-up at their place so I could get a feel for the place and the housemates. I also mentioned I would like to conduct an ‘interview’ before making a final decision. I paused for a moment, unsure if the request was too much. I didn’t want to come across as paranoid. These guys likely weren’t serial killers-to-be, but still, I had to remind myself I was a small, young woman after all.
Not to mention, the fact that they hadn’t asked for my name was pretty strange. The guys hadn’t even enquired about who I was, what I did, how old I was... nothing. They probably just assumed I was a dude, but even that felt off.
My eyebrows shot up in surprise as the guys responded almost instantly. They agreed to my request and said they would love to meet me and have a chat. They even mentioned they were going to suggest the same thing. I felt a small weight leave my chest. These guys weren’t unreasonable or weird after all, and they actually had common sense. I couldn’t help but feel a teeny-tiny bit of hope that this might actually work out.
The guys confirmed the time for tomorrow, and I couldn’t believe how fast things were progressing. I still had lots of questions and concerns, but at least I was going to meet them and get a better idea of what I was actually getting myself into.
I had to admit I was a little nervous, but also kind of excited. I was about to meet three foreign guys, which was an entirely new experience for me. I wondered if I’d seen the guys on the campus before. It was a huge place, filled with thousands of students, and it wasn’t impossible. I’d definitely had classes in various departments and had explored the different buildings, but that didn’t mean I would have necessarily seen the guys.
My heart fluttered as I thought about the possibility. Had I seen a glimpse of them? Had we ever crossed paths? The chances were slim, but still, the thought sent a weird thrill through me.
I set these thoughts aside and waited for tomorrow, counting each hour as it passed by. The day went by slowly, with each hour creeping by at a snail’s pace. Despite trying to keep myself busy with various chores and distractions, my thoughts kept circling back to tomorrow and the meeting with the guys.
The next day came and after my morning routine and one intense hour of pilates, I started to prepare myself for the awaited meeting. I took my time preparing myself for the meeting, trying to calm my jitters. I wanted to make a good first impression, while simultaneously hoping to avoid sending the wrong message. I didn’t want to lead the guys on after all or give them the wrong idea.
All I wanted was a nice, cozy spot to stay, somewhere that wasn’t overly expensive. If I got that, I’d be happy. I wasn’t looking to score a free place to live or even an overly luxurious room. Just a clean and relatively comfortable place with good housemates.
After a much-needed shower, I spent a bit of time on my hair and makeup, wanting to look presentable and confident. I chose a simple outfit - a pair of black cargo jeans, a white tank top with a cool design, and my black and pastel pink Nikes. It was a casual look, but I thought I pulled it off. I stood in front of the mirror, checking myself out. My platinum blonde locks hung in soft waves over my shoulders, and my makeup was subtle, emphasizing my blue eyes and rosy-tinted cheeks. Not bad.
I glanced at my hair - the platinum color with soft pink strands. I was well used to getting looks, because let’s face it, it’s not a color that blends in. I hoped the guys weren’t some seriously conservative type, the kind who had strong opinions on girls with piercings and hair colors.
But in all honesty, if they had a problem with my appearance, then it was their problem, not mine. I’d always embraced self-expression, and I wasn’t going to change that just for some strangers. With a final check in the mirror, I grabbed my black leather jacket, my purse, and a few of my necessities. I couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of nervousness mixed with anticipation.
As I was about to walk out the door, I stopped for a moment. Here I was, about to meet three strange guys I’d only seen through photos. It was both a scary and exciting prospect.
I pushed down the nerves and focused on the positive aspect of the situation - I was doing this because I needed a place to stay, and if they turned out to be jerks, then I would just decline their offer and find somewhere else. Simple as that. With that thought, I squared my shoulders and walked out of my apartment, locking the door behind me. It was time to do this. I checked the address where the house was.
I quickly double-checked the address on my phone and started making my way towards the guys’ house. I’d never been to the area before, but I was confident I could find it without issue. I passed through some smaller, local streets filled with family-owned shops and small cafés. I took note of the environment, committing it to memory in case I ever needed directions back. The area was actually kind of nice so far. It wasn’t a highly luxurious area, but it seemed like a good community, and it didn’t look like a spot where crime was high. Not a bad place to live, if these guys weren’t lunatics.
Finally, I arrived at the address. The first thing I noticed was that it was a two-story house surrounded by a decently sized lawn. Not a mansion, but definitely not a small place, either. I took in the surroundings of the house, noticing the garage and the front patio. The house was clean and obviously well taken care of, and I couldn’t see any glaring red flags so far.
I took a moment to compose myself, taking a deep breath to steady my racing heart. There was only one thing to do now - knock on the door and meet the guys.
