I step into the lobby and find the security guarding the door nods briefly at me, greeting me with a smile. I return his smile as a polite gesture even though uneasiness stirs inside me from the way he gazes at me. The look he throws me makes me shudder, and his eyes roam my features longer than they should.

Even after I resume walking to the elevator, I can still feel his stare lingering on me.

I'd noticed that he'd been watching me since the very first time I stepped into this apartment with my parents when we were looking for a place for me to stay. He'd stolen glances at me while my parents weren't looking, but I'd thought that it was normal because I was new.

However, now that Dad and Mom are gone, the gaze he shoots me feels even more uncomfortable.

I press the button next to the elevator and shake my head in denial. Geez. Look at what I'm doing. I'm becoming paranoid like Dad. My parents have just left me for a few minutes, and I'm already worrying about a security guard. I'm sure that this is just an unreasonable restlessness because there's no doubt that this apartment has the best security in place -- Dad wouldn't have chosen it if it hadn't.

I should be worrying about my new semester in college, not about a normal security guard trying to keep an eye on a new occupant of this apartment.

"Are you really planning to follow all your dad's rules?" Sienna's voice echoes in my ear as I lean back against the headboard of my bed while talking to her on the phone.

I'm already wearing my favorite pink pajamas, ready to sleep in my new room. Hearing Sienna chatter before bed is one of our rituals. I chuckle as she lets out a long frustrated sigh from the other side of the line.

I shrug. "It's not like I have any choice. I don't want Dad to drag me back to Texas if I break one of my promises. I don't think I can lie to him either."

Sienna grunts. "I know, but what about the boys rules?" she asks in disbelief. "I mean, this is your chance to meet new guys. What if there's this hot, smart, perfect guy in your new campus in Seattle that you can't resist? What if this prince charming wants to date you?"

I laugh. "That sounds very tempting."

"I'm not joking," she insists, and I can imagine her rolling her eyes. "I'm serious. You're not thinking about being single until you turn 30, are you?"

"Well, you are still single too," I counter.

"At least I have crushes," she cries out in frustration. "I told you about them all. I told you that I had a crush on my university star hockey player. I told you about the hot nerd who tutored me during our group assignment. I even told you when the new captain of the soccer team was looking fine as hell. You, on the other hand, never tell me anything about boys. You're always the listener here, and to be honest, I'm very worried about it."

"Worried about what?" I bite my smile, waiting for her to say more.

"Worried that you may just become a nun." She lets out an exasperated sigh, and I laugh out loud. "Come on, Nev," she pleads. "You gotta give me something. Anything."

Silence creeps in, and I know that she's thinking about the possibilities that can happen on my new campus.

"I'm waiting for the exciting news." She huffs. "I won't even mind if you tell me that the professor is hot."

"Sienna," I almost shout in disbelief. "That's not even appropriate."

She chuckles lightly. "Nevermind. Maybe I've read too much Wattpad."

My eyebrows rise. "You're still reading Wattpad?"

"You still haven't installed it?" she echoes in great disbelief. "You should. Maybe it will give you some inspiration. Maybe it will awaken your adventurous side."

"I am adventurous," I correct her. "I love to try new things. I love to travel the world."

"Not with boys," she adds. "You might figure out your preference there. I personally think that you would like the hot nerd type, you know," she mumbles cutely but then quickly corrects herself, "wait. I think you love athletic guys." She sounds like she's indeed scrolling through her Wattpad reading list. "Or maybe you would like to read about older men. That's hot." She breathes. "Right. What about a professor? CEO?"

"CEO?" I blurt out. That one word somehow piques my interest.

"Yeah." She says. "Now I know your fantasy."

I'm at a loss for words. I don't know how to respond to her.

"I'm sure that there are plenty of CEOs in Seattle, but it will be awesome if you bump into a hot one."

At this point, I don't even know whether she's joking or not.

"Are you sure that your Dad isn't around anywhere near you?" I ask cautiously. "Because if he hears about this, we'll be dead."

She tsks. "Don't worry. I'm safe in my room."

I can only shake my head in disbelief and chuckle. Sienna and I have different personalities, but we never get bored with each other. We can talk for hours about anything. The only reason why I don't talk to her about boys is that I really don't have anything to share.

We continue chatting for a few minutes, and when we finally hang up, my eyes already feel heavy.

I glance at the clock on the wall. 9 PM. It might still be a bit early, but I just can't help the yawn escaping my mouth. I've had a long day today.

Before going to bed, I check the things around me. A sigh leaves my lips when I pick up the latest book I read from my bed. After making sure that I've placed the bookmark between the right pages, I put it on my nightstand. Bookmark, check.

My eyes land on the big brown teddy bear Dad gave to me when I was 10, the one I never left and has always been by my side every time I go to bed since then. I engulf the fluffy bear in my arms and sigh in contentment.

"Goodnight, Mr. Bear." That's such a lazy name to name a teddy bear, but I don't give a damn about that. I put Mr. Bear in the corner of my bed beside me and smiles. Mr. Bear, check.

Then I grab my favorite lavender face mist from my nightstand and spray it on my face and body, inhaling the soothing scent. Perfect.

Lastly, I turn off my bedside lamp, causing the room to be dark except for the dimmed light from the living room and the city lights sparkling outside my bedroom window. I lay my head down on my plushy pillow, close my eyes with the smile still plastered on my face, and pull my bedcover closer to my chest.

Just after I let out another sigh, hoping that I'll have a sweet dream tonight, my phone rings that my eyes snap open. A groan escapes from my mouth as I grab it from my nightstand.

Dad's number is on the screen. Oh, God.

I pick up his call.

"Nevaeh." His anxious voice rings loudly in my ear. "How's it going over there? Is everything okay?" His curiosity is all over the air. "Can you sleep comfortably in your new room? Is there curious neighbor bothering you--"

"Dad." There's a hint of frustration in my voice. "I was just trying to sleep. You've called me five times already since you left Seattle today."

I can hear Mom chuckle in the background. She whispers to him, "Come on. You have to give her some space."

"I'm just wondering if everything is okay over there," Dad says. "I was starting to worry about you not being able to sleep."

Even though it's sometimes frustrating, I can't help the smile on my face from knowing how much Dad is concerned about me.

"You're the one who can't sleep over there, aren't you?" I joke but not entirely. I know that it's the truth. He can't sleep because he's worried about me.

His silence confirms that my assumption is right.

"Don't worry. Everything is good, Dad," I assure him. "I'm a big girl, remember?"

Dad sighs. I know that my decision to live on my own is still heavy on his part. Even though he's happy that I'm happy, I can never make him stop worrying about me.

The call lasts for a few more minutes, during which I tell him about my plans tomorrow. After we hang up, I huff and throw my head onto the pillow again, closing my eyes to sleep.

Just when I think that I'm finally dozing off, I hear something crack from the living room. Since I didn't close the door to my bedroom, I snap my head in that direction and sit up.

Even though I didn't turn off all the lamps in the living room, it's still too dark to make out anything from here.

I'm positive that I was just hallucinating because there's no way that someone can break into my place.

No one can barge in unless they have the key.