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"Another day, another apartment hunt fail?" Vanessa asked me on the phone while I walked home.

"It was a very discouraging day for me today, Vanessa, don't rub salt in the wound."

"Bite me," she teased while laughing. "What happened?"

I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I saw some of the filthiest apartments with delusional people demanding rent higher than my current apartment. I saw some good apartments too but I didn't go to see them alone and there was a couple who was willing to pay higher rent, so they got it. The landlord called just to remind me in advance to pay him rent if I'm staying by the end of the month, and if anything else happened, I swear I'll kill somebody," I gritted out, grinding my molars.

"Relax," she sang, "where did you go afterward?"

"To buy candy."

She paused. "Okay?" It was a question. "Then eat some candy, take a breath. It's a new dawn, it's a new day tomorrow. I'm sure you'll find an apartment. If not, I'll tell you what, move in with me."

"You already have a roommate."

"You can... crash on the couch? At least until you find yourself a real job and apartment."

I held the phone between my ear and shoulder while taking out a lollipop, stopping by a trash can to toss the wrapper before popping the lollipop into my mouth.

"I know you can't do much for an architecture company but my boss's assistant was just fired if you want to try."

"No," I mumbled, "I'd get fired on the first day. I don't know the first thing about architecture. Being someone's assistant is such a big job, I'd faceplant into failure," I complained before putting the lollipop back in my mouth as I reached my apartment building. It was then that I noticed the car parked a few feet behind the apartment building entrance. I know that number plate, I drove that car everywhere, every day for two years straight. "Uh, I just got home, so I'll call you back, Nessa."

"Okay."

I didn't wait for her bye and just hung up, quickly walked to the window, bending to look through the window, even though I knew they were tinted and I wouldn't be able to see since it was dark out already. I knocked it three times and it rolled down, revealing Vince's familiar face.

He had on one of his usual full-sleeve, black fitted v-necks and he had sunglasses on his head. It's seven in the evening, he doesn't need those sunglasses. "Get in the car," he ordered.

"No," I hissed.

"Get out of here."

"Demi, you have to come back."

"I said no, how many times do I have to tell you?"

He shot me a look.

"No means no," I drawled, putting the lollipop back in my mouth angrily and straightening up, beginning to walk away.

"Demi!" he yelled.

I rolled my eyes and continued walking.

"Demi!" he screamed again, his voice so loud and deep. I've never heard him yell at someone like that. Some people stopped, looking around in confusion.

"Demi!"

I huffed in frustration, spinning back around and speed walking to his car, climbing in the passenger seat, and rolling the window up. I turned to him. "What?!"

He shifted gears without waiting for permission and started driving.

"Vince, stop the car," I groaned, digging my heels into the mat.

"I'm not going anywhere with you and I'm certainly not getting out of the car. Stop the freaking car. Let me go home."

"I'm not letting you out of this car until you hear me out," he said calmly. He looks calmer this time, not as desperate. Not begging anymore, just demanding, per usual.

"Vince," I said sternly.

He stopped at a red light, turning to me after turning on the child lock. Even if I unlocked it manually, it would lock back up automatically. He turned to me, resting his wrist on the wheel while his elbow to the other arm lay on the console. He had a certain look on his face. A look I got often as his assistant. A look that simply just said, "If you don't shut the fuck up and listen to me right now, you're going to regret it, I promise." And I didn't want that coming out of his mouth directed at me, so I shut up.

"Where are we going?"

"We're circling," he shrugged.

"People know your car," I mumbled.

"Then we can go to your apartment."

"People know your face," I huffed.

He grabbed the back of my seat, looking behind. He leaned over, grabbing a black hat and pulling it on.

My eyes narrowed. "Do you really think wearing a hat makes you invisible? Look at you."

He didn't react and started driving us back.

"You're taller and broader than an average tall person, you're like a mountain," I mumbled. Kids could probably climb him, like climb him.

He kept quiet and parked at my apartment before killing the engine. I got out first and waited for him. He climbed out, fixing the hat on his head and walking around the car to me.

"You're being so stupid wasting your time," I mumbled, staring up at him. He pushed me towards the entrance and I stumbled a little, walking ahead and past our doorman who smiled at me and gave Vince a nod. I can't believe he bribed Mr. Diego like that. I walked to the elevator, pressed the button to my floor while praying nobody came into our elevator.

The doors were just about to close when someone pressed the button, opening them back in. "Hey," she grinned, stepping in. Oh no. This is Bunny, my neighbor. I moved into this apartment when I started working for Vince and she moved in a few months after that and baked me brownies. She's an amazing neighbor but she tends to throw a few parties. She's in her final year of college, I think. She bent down a little, taking a peek at Vince who was standing behind me. "Oh, it's you," she chuckled.

My eyes went wide. "What do you mean?" I asked immediately.

"He was waiting outside your apartment last night. I'm Bunny, by the way," she said to him.

He nodded, not introducing himself.

I don't think she... recognizes him. Maybe she doesn't care for hockey.

But hockey definitely isn't what most of his female fans care about. Not all, but most.

She nudged me gently. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend," she teased.

"A... boyfriend?" I cleared my throat, nodding slowly. "Sure. Yeah. I mean... I didn't tell you?" I laughed forcefully.

"No," she chuckled, "plus, I never saw him around until now."

I nodded softly, humming. "I usually went over."

Vince cleared his throat and the elevator stopped at our floor. We climbed out and I got into my apartment quickly, Vince right behind me. "You have a nosey neighbor," he said, taking his hat off and running a hand through his hair.

"She's nice."

"She's a kid," he scoffed.

"Okay, grandpa."

He rolled his eyes. "Where's your bathroom?"

I sighed but pointed to my room. "In there."

He went over, his shoulders brushing against the doorframe on each side as he did. I went and plopped down on the couch, letting my hair out of the bun it was in and staring at the ceiling. What does he really want? I highly doubt he's dumb enough to just make me his assistant again. That's too risky for his reputation, he can't put it at stake. But he's in trouble, he said. I wonder what's going on. He came back and moved around the coffee table, sitting beside me, a safe distance away.

"Say what you have to say and go, stalker," I mumbled, exhausted from the long day I had.

"Stalker?"

I turned to him. "You are. You're waiting in your car like one, just waiting for me to show up."

"I would have killed you already if I wanted to."

"Stalkers aren't always murderers, maybe you're a kidnapper," I shrugged.

He let out a soft sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose before clearing his throat. "Listen to me."

"Listening."

"You need to come back into work."

I groaned, throwing my head back. "This again?"

"Demi," he said sternly and then paused.

I turned to face him.

"They'll kick me off the team," he admitted quietly.

I stared at him, my eyes trying to read his face. Was he joking? I sat up straighter and crossed my legs under me, turning my entire body to face him. "Wait, what? They can't do that, you've been there from the beginning. You were one of the first to make the cut."

"It doesn't matter. With all the bad press, people show up at games just to hate and Peters says the team can't suffer because of that. So, if nothing dies down, I'll be benched and if it still doesn't die down, I'll be kicked off," he explained. "And it doesn't look like it's dying down any time soon."

I swallowed down my pity and guilt and said, "Well... that's your problem, not mine."

"I said listen," he scolded, "that means you don't talk."

I closed my eyes and took a breath, listening.

"Coach and James both think that it would be best if I do something that makes the crowd like me more, hate me less. And what's something that almost everybody likes?"

I stared at him blankly, resting my elbow on the back of the couch and holding my head.

He lifted a brow at me.

"You said listen, don't talk," I replied.

He huffed in frustration and ordered, "Talk."

"What? I don't know," I mumbled, picking fuzz off my sweatpants.

"A romance."

I froze, my nails pinching the fabric. My eyes shot to his. "What?"

"A romance," he shrugged. "You and me, Tiffany."

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