"The house is ready for you to move into," were Sebastian's cheerful words as he arrived at Bennett's house on Saturday afternoon.

I checked the date on my phone. It was only August 1st. "Really? Already?"

"I told them it was urgent. Everything checked out okay," he told me, sliding around me to enter the house. "And it's faster when you pay cash up front. Is Bennett here?"

I shook my head. "No, he went out somewhere with Henry this morning."

"Well, it's best that he isn't here for this."

"Haha, yeah." I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling slightly guilty. Bennett really didn't want me to move out and it felt kind of wrong planning it behind his back, but he knew it was coming. If he was here he could probably guilt me into staying. I wasn't sure if I was strong enough to turn him down. But I did know that Brandon and I needed our own space.

"We're here too!" another voice chirped and I looked out the door to see Ariana rushing up the steps with my brother in tow.

"Hi," I greeted them, stepping aside so they could enter.

Ariana stepped inside and her mouth dropped open. "Wow. This place is nice. The ceiling is so high!"

"Wait until you see the living room."

"Is it okay that we're here without Bennett?" she asked as she kicked off her shoes and placed them on the doormat.

"I already asked if it was okay that you guys came over, it's fine, as long as we don't ruin his couch," I said, trying not to grin.

My brother tried walking down the hall toward Lee's bedroom and I grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the stairs that led down to the kitchen. "This way, Brandon."

"But I want to check the place out!"

"Maybe when Bennett's here."

Brandon pouted, but still followed the rest of us downstairs. Ariana ran to the glass wall, her mouth open in awe, exclaiming how beautiful it was. I smiled as I realized I probably had the same reaction and Bennett had witnessed it just like this. It was actually a little embarrassing to think about.

Sebastian settled at the kitchen table, opening the briefcase he was holding and pulling out some papers and a tablet. "I have some pictures of the house here if you guys want to come look at it."

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked him as I pulled some paper cups out of the cabinet.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at me. "Where did you find those?"

"The cups? I bought them at the store."

"Huh."

"Bennett had the same reaction," I sighed. "What's wrong with paper cups? Better than plastic ones."

Sebastian shook his head, lips curving up. "Nothing. I'll have some water."

After getting the drinks, I sat down at the table next to Brandon and Sebastian pushed the tablet to me, opening the camera roll. "There are two houses, one is in Poughkeepsie and the other is in Arlington. You can choose from the better of the two. The first photos are of the one in Poughkeepsie."

"I'll probably stick to Poughkeepsie since it's closer to my jobs," I told him, swiping through the photos.

The house was gorgeous. It wasn't even comparable to my apartment. Everything looked brand new; from the paint on the walls, to the tiles in the kitchen, to the wooden flooring in the two bedrooms. The ceilings were high and the style of the house was modern with sleek counter tops and a beautiful shower and bathtub. I felt my mouth go dry, because if this wasn't Sebastian offering it to me, there was no way I'd be able to afford it. It'd easily go for at least thirteen hundred a month excluding utilities. And even though it was a friend offering it to me, I was still afraid it might be too expensive.

"So how much is it?" I asked as Brandon stole the iPad from me and started flipping through the photos again.

"How much can you afford?"

Suddenly my palms felt sweaty. It was a good question. The contract was over between Bennett and I— so the money he'd originally offered wasn't going to come my way. I still had all of the first ten grand saved and if I worked my normal hours between both jobs, I could definitely afford a little over a thousand. But I didn't want to offer something that was too low. I bit my bottom lip, unable to meet Sebastian's gaze.

"If you can afford $800 and the heat and electric bill, that is acceptable to me," he offered when I didn't answer.

"The bathroom is kind of small," my brother said bluntly before I could speak.

"And how small was it in prison?" Sebastian returned without missing a beat.

My jaw dropped. Did Sebastian just talk back? Even Ariana paused in her inspection of Bennett's house to come over to the table to see what was up. My brother narrowed his eyes at the other man. "Nice one."

Sebastian kept his face cool, but the twitching of his lip told me that he was impressed with himself.

"It doesn't matter if the bathroom is small, it's a place to live," I said to my brother, not wanting the awkwardness to last.

Brandon thinned his lips, tipping his chair back onto its back legs. "We shouldn't settle for something though. I'm out and once I get a job we'll have more money."

"Sebastian bought a house to help us out! We're taking his offer!"

Sebastian smiled meekly as my brother scowled and turned his head to the side. For some reason, he didn't seem to like Sebastian. He refused to look him in the eye or even speak directly to him. Maybe it was because he thought Sebastian was pitying us? Or maybe it was because Ariana had just chosen the seat next to Sebastian instead of him.

"Well you can move in anytime," Sebastian said, pulling a set of keys out of his pocket and sliding them over to me.

"Huh? You're giving me keys already? Shouldn't I pay you first, last, and security?"

"I know where to find you," he said with a smile. "Take your time. I'm not in a rush."

I leaned over in my chair to give him a tight hug. "I don't know how to thank you for this."

He chuckled, patting my back. "Good people deserve good things to happen to them."

I pulled back, smiling sheepishly. "Aw, you're embarrassing me now."

"Can I have a house too?" Ariana asked, elbowing Sebastian in the side. "Would you be my Oprah?"

Sebastian turned to face her. "Depends on what you have to offer me."

Ariana stuck her tongue through her teeth and I stared at Sebastian. What was this? Now he was making suggestive remarks? Or was I reading into it? I glanced at my brother who wrinkled his nose, as if smelling something disgusting. I could almost feel the question marks in my eyes.

Ariana had really gotten herself stuck in the middle of something here. And if Sebastian's actions were anything to judge by, he wasn't going to let my brother easily rekindle what he had with Ariana.

"My bet's on Sebastian," I said.

Ariana tilted her head to the side curiously and my brother clapped the back of my head.

Before any argument could start, I faintly heard the beeping of the front door alarm as someone began typing the code in. Sebastian and I exchanged glances and I felt a cold chill. Bennett wasn't supposed to be home yet.

I stood up from the table and took off for the stairs, hoping to intercept Mrs. Calloway before she noticed Ariana and my brother. As I did so, Sebastian ushered Ariana and Brandon to move to the side of the living room that couldn't be seen from the stairwell.

My heart lodged itself in my throat as I took the stairs two at a time, somehow making it to the top one before the door opened. I clutched the railing, my tendons as visible as my nervousness. I had to try and keep my cool.

Mrs. Calloway stepped through the door, an unpleasant expression on her face. Immediately her gaze slid to me and for a second, I swear she smirked. "Did you change the passcode or was it some attempt by my son to keep me out of his house?"

"Hello, Mrs. Calloway," I greeted her, trying to keep my tone balanced, even though I was recoiling at the sight of her.

"Once again you're here without my son present," she said.

"Aren't you doing the same?" I grimaced inwardly— so much for keeping my cool.

Her eyes sharpened. "I am not here to see him. I am here to see you."

"Me?"

"As you seem much more aware than my son, I figured it was easiest to come to you instead of try and convince him what a mistake pursuing your relationship is."

Oh god. This was it. This was the most clichéd moment of my life. I didn't even know how to respond. My life was a full out drama at this point. Bennett's warning hadn't come a moment too soon. I had to steel myself.

"Shall we talk?" she asked, stalking forward and gesturing down to the living room.

I quickly put out my arms, blocking the stairway. "We can talk right here."

A sneer passed over her face but she quickly schooled her features. "I will overlook you acting like this is your house for the moment. I will make it straight and simple. Bennett cannot date you. You will hinder his life."

"Well... duh."

She opened her mouth to continue and then paused, lips snapping shut. Clearly she didn't expect my response.

"I know you creepily searched my background and by now you probably know I'm pretty poor and have no business education, but guess what, I also know that," I told her. "So trying to fend me off like this won't work. You'll have to think of something better."

Her nostrils flared. "If you're aware, then leave him. Bennett is going to be the CEO. He needs someone who can support him, someone who knows the inside and out of the business world. Someone who makes ten thousand annually could never understand."

"Calling me poor won't insult me. Trust me, your son got me used to that," I said, shaking my head and tsking.

"And I bet you got used to having him solving all your problems for you," she answered snidely. "Don't think I don't know about you living here. Does he give you an allowance?"

I bristled. She really did know how to make someone angry. "I don't need Bennett to be able to manage my problems."

"Then prove it to me and leave him."

"Pass."

"Your age shows through your immaturity," she said sharply.

Although I appeared calm, I was about three seconds from passing out. I could feel my pulse in every inch of my body. "Why are you even doing this? It's not like we're engaged. There's still a chance we'll break up."

Her lips twisted and she let out a scoff. "Poor Bennett. He fell for a girl who doesn't even care for him half the amount he does for her. But as I've said before, I'm coming to you because Bennett is too blinded by his feelings to realize there would be no use in marrying you."

What did she mean by that? Bennett and I cared for each other the same amount. Did she honestly think he was considering marrying me? There was no way we were at that stage.

"He needs someone who was raised properly. He needs someone with the right background, someone who will help to build the Calloway name. There are lines of high class women wanting to meet with Bennett. What could you possibly offer him that no other woman would have?"

"My beautiful face and charming personality," I deadpanned. "And sorry, but you're not looking for a marriage, you're looking for a merger."

Her fists clenched tightly at her side.

I took careful breaths to not give myself away.

"Don't think speaking to you is the only way I could keep you away from Bennett," Mrs. Calloway said softly, the daggers in her undertone undeniable.

"Don't think words will scare me," I responded bravely. "Also, if you try to send me to another country, I'll just enjoy my vacation and come back. If you make me lose my job, hello there sugar daddy Bennett. If you call me every day on my cell phone to harass me, well, okay then Drake."

Oh, man. I was going to puke. I was so going to puke. Did I look as sick as I felt? It wouldn't be too intimidating if I did. I felt the sweat on my brow. There was no way I could keep this charade up much longer.

But maybe I didn't have to. Mrs. Calloway drew herself to her full height, ready to go off, but she didn't say one word. She scowled at me and was probably cursing me in every direction in her head, but she did nothing.

"Why don't you let Bennett live his life? You already ruined one son's life, can you really do the same to the other?"

I saw the snap in her and she rushed forward, arm lifted. I raised my hands to cover my face, shying away from the assault that never came.

Instead, when I opened my eyes, I found her frozen, eyes trained on something downstairs. Following her gaze, I saw my brother rushing up the stairs to me. Mrs. Calloway immediately fell back, her eyes trained on my brother's face. Brandon stepped in front of me. "Who are you?"

Mrs. Calloway slowly backed up, looking between my brother and myself. Then she abruptly turned on her heel and marched out the front door, slamming it loudly in her wake. I stared at the door, my eyes wide.

What was that?

"Who was that? Why was she talking to you like that?" Brandon asked, his voice filled with fury. "How dare she—"

"It's okay," I interjected. Why had she left like that? Why did she look so shocked by Brandon? It didn't make sense. Unless she thought I was having some sort of booty call while Bennett wasn't around.

I shuddered at the thought. Maybe that idea was enough to scare her away though. I'd leave if I were her, too.

Sebastian appeared next to me with Ariana behind him. "Did you see that?" I asked them.

"Yes," Sebastian said, his brows furrowed.

"Are you sure you don't know that woman?" I asked Brandon.

He shook his head. "I've never seen her before."

"Why did she look so scared of you?" I wondered out loud.

Brandon flexed his muscles. "I did work out a lot while in jail. Maybe the old hag was scared off by my biceps."

Ariana snorted and I rolled my eyes, feeling the tension in the room break. I highly doubted it was my brother's muscles that'd scared her off. But what had? Because whatever it was, it was effective and I could use against her. I just had to figure out what it was.

____________________________________

We're moving onto something I've been DYING to happen. I'm SO EXCITED FOR IT. You guys are probably like "oh no what is she going to do". Well, you'll see.... *evil smile*

So who's going to NYC Wattcon?! It's October 1st, make sure you go register your ticket! It's free but you have to sign up! I'll post the link on my twitter, so go check it out. I can't wait to meet everyone! I'm speaking on a panel with and !!