“All right . . .” My voice trails off. “Any tips to get on his good side?”
Brent pauses for a second to think.
“Don’t be yourself,” he offers helpfully.
I snort. “Okay. Got it.”
I hope I do get it. I’m not sure if I can survive another night being homeless.
***
Done with my classes for the day, I peel the note from my laptop and punch the address into my phone. Google Maps tells me that it’s a twenty-five minute walk to Kayden’s apartment. Not bad, though it could be worse. Mine and Beth’s apartment was an agonizing forty minute walk to anywhere remotely close to the city, so we usually either took the T or just car pooled with Jax.
My jaw clenches hard as the thought of them slices through my mind. I had woken up to a barrage of missed calls and texts in the morning; most of them are from Beth asking if she could meet up with me to explain everything, and that she misses me and wants me to come home. After skimming through some of them, I decide to block her number, not wanting to get emotional about seeing her name light up my phone again. I want to hate her right now, not feel guilty for abandoning her and ignoring her messages. There are also several messages from my dad asking me to call him, and I’m hoping he’s not going to try to convince me to make amends with Beth.
I check my call history again. At least Jax hadn’t bothered with the call spamming. He probably thinks I’ll be the one who caves in first and calls. Jax holds his ego too close to beg for me to come back. His detached nature was one of the things I used to admire about him, simply because there was nothing that could faze him. He was confident—often to the point of brazen arrogance—but it sure made him invincible to everyone around him.
Not this time.
I know there aren’t a lot of things that Jax cares about—in fact, I used to be the only thing that he ever cared about, apart from fighting. Jax lives and breathes MMA. We used to train together at UFG, and all those sessions with him was what inspired me to take up training as a professional career.
If I really wanted to get back at him, I could go head to head with him in the cage. I’d maybe even win a round. But he’s still got a hundred pounds on me and the fight wouldn’t be fair with our physiological differences. It won’t prove much other than the fact that I can barely hold my own in a fight against him.
It’s going to be tough figuring out how to hit him where it’ll hurt the most. I just need time to plan my next move.
Staring up at the exposed red brick exterior of the apartment complex, I soak the feeling of comfort and ease up eagerly as I slip through the gates and into the elevator.
I hope Kayden’s home. Brent didn’t tell me what time he finishes his classes, so if he’s not around I guess I’ll have to wait until he returns.
I hear loud clicking of what sounds like heels against the concrete echo from the floor below me, and I peer over the ledge to see who it is. A mess of strawberry-blond hair bounces into my view as a woman leaves her apartment with her phone squashed between her ear and her shoulder.
“Are you guys coming home for dinner tonight? Simon’s cooking lamb ragù and he wants to know how many portions to cook. And I’m asking now so Daniel doesn’t get a chance to complain that we didn’t cook some for him,” she asks whoever’s on the other end, loudly enough for everyone in the apartment building to hear.
She pauses for a moment, tips her head back to feign a loud laugh—a sultry and beautiful sound that fits her sharp, striking face—and continues with her chatter. After a while, I notice her end her call and walk to the elevator.
“Hi, excuse me, um,” I say, quickly intercepting her at the stairs beside the elevator before she disappears from view. Her head tilts up upon hearing me. “I was wondering if you can help me? I’m looking for apartment 4-B but it’s not between 4-A and 4-C.”
She nods in understanding, climbing up the stairs to meet me at my level. “Yeah, that’s cause it’s behind there.”
She points to the little corner to the far left of me, blocked by a half wall.
“Oh right. Thanks,” I murmur before stepping in the direction she gestured to.
“Hey, wait.” Her voice stops me in my tracks. I whirl around and see her catching up to me, her Louboutins barely able to keep up with her legs. “Sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”
“Sienna.”
She beams at me and sticks her hand out confidently.
“I’m Cara. Nice to meet you. We don’t get a lot of new people around here.”
“Yeah. I’m actually checking out a space here,” I tell her.
“I heard this guy was renting out a room so . . .”
“Right.” Her eyes flicker briefly toward the 4-B unit and a frown marks her lips. “Well, be careful. The guy who lives there . . . he’s not so friendly. Tried offering him cookies once when he moved in. Took them and slammed the door in my face. My boyfriend, Simon, finds him superweird.” When she registers the doubt on my face, her facial expression perks up into a reassuring smile in compensation. “But I’m sure you’ll have better luck, though.”
I like her optimism. It’s been a while since I’ve encountered someone who has the same kind of radiant energy as hers. And she’s undeniably gorgeous. Bright, gleaming face with angular cheekbones, a pair of plump lips, and a long, slender body to match. I would kill for her metabolism, to be able to keep a figure like that.