Chapter 2

"Chloe, babe, can we talk about something?"

Austin’s voice came through the speaker, dripping with an overly sweet, apologetic tone.

He rarely talked to me like this. My stylus paused on my drawing tablet, leaving an unnatural dark smudge on the cat whiskers I was sketching.

"Sure, what's up?" I tried to keep my voice casual, but an alarm bell rang in my head.

Austin had been incredibly busy lately. We hadn't had a proper date in over a week.

"So, you remember Mia? My mom’s friend’s daughter. Her college dorm is undergoing some emergency maintenance, and she wants to visit the city for a few days... and, well, she needs a place to crash."

He paused, clearly trying to gauge my reaction.

My heart sank.

Mia. I remembered her.

She was the girl Austin’s mom basically treated like a daughter. I’d met her twice. She looked sweet, but whenever she smiled at me, the warmth never reached her eyes.

"For how long?" I asked, my voice turning a bit cold.

"Like... a week? Maybe less," Austin said vaguely. "She's just a young girl in a big city. Hotels aren't safe, and my mom..."

I stayed silent.

My apartment wasn't big. It was a one-bedroom place, my sanctuary where I lived and worked as a freelance illustrator.

I loved my solitude. My slight social anxiety made me instinctively reject the idea of a stranger invading my personal space.

Especially someone I barely knew, like Mia.

I was about to reject the request—I could offer to pay for her Airbnb or recommend a safe hotel.

"Chloe..."

Austin’s voice suddenly turned incredibly whiny, almost pleading.

"I know you hate being disturbed. But... if you don't agree, my mom will definitely make her stay with me. You know my apartment only has one bed. I really don't want another girl staying at my place, not even for a few days."

His words were like a sweet treat, perfectly soothing my insecurities.

The boundaries he showed made me feel like I was his "one and only."

The slight annoyance and suspicion I felt were instantly washed away by his sweet words.

Maybe I was just overthinking?

It was just helping out a family friend for a few days.

I sighed and gave in. "Fine. But she can’t disturb my work."

"You're the best, Chloe! I knew you'd understand!"

Austin’s voice instantly cheered up. "I'll bring her over tomorrow! I promise she'll be on her best behavior and won't bother you!"

After hanging up, I looked at the half-finished cat on my screen. The anxiety I thought had gone away started creeping back up.

Was it really... just about crashing for a few days?