I haven't returned Myra's roommates clothes yet. But it has just been two days, and I've genuinely been busy with work, and well Genesis. I spent last night at her place. If she noticed the sexual marks on my body, she didn't bring it up and for that, I was glad.

Myra and I have texted a little here and there, a few flirty texts from their side had me grinning like an idiot because the last time someone flirted with me over texts, I was in junior year of high school. Brian and I talked for an hour last night where I filled him in on the details of all the drama of my life, Steve had fun commenting in the back.

I am packing up my stuff when I get a notification from my monthly reminders that the rent is due. So far I haven't had any luck finding roommates. I met one person yesterday who showed up to look at the apartment but she gave me a super weird vibe and when I asked her if she'll be fine with having a partner or friends over, she looked at me like I'm crazy. I always prepare some questions in advance to ask the potential roommates so that it doesn't become a problem in future.

"Emma?" Blake's voice makes me look up from my phone as I collect my bag. "Have you found a roommate yet?"

Sometimes I wonder if Blake can read my mind. There has to be some explanation because there's no way in hell he always knows what's going on in my head.

"No, have you found a studio apartment?"

He gives me a side look, "Yes."

"What, really?" I ask, surprised. How come I can't find a roommate and he found an apartment? Life can be very unfair sometimes.

"Yes, and I talked to Nick too. Will you consider him?"

We make our way towards the elevator as I rummage my mind to make a decision. Actually, I have spent some time thinking about Nick as a roommate. He's chill, even though I've met him just once, plus in a weird way that I trust Blake, I trust Nick by default.

Genesis is also waiting by the elevator when we reach there and she smiles at me. "I was just about to call you."

"You were?" I frown, looking back at Blake who steps inside the elevator before us.

"Yeah," She says as we enter. "Do you want to grab dinner?"

My face splits into a huge smile but then a small voice in my head shouts boundaries at me! I promised myself that I would establish some boundaries with her to prevent myself from getting hurt. Honestly, I'm just protecting myself.

When we step out at the ground floor, I turn to her, "I would've loved to, but I'm kind of busy. Maybe some other time?"

This is the second time I've said no to her in three days. When she wanted to have sex on Sunday, I said no, and now to dinner. A sense of pride takes over internally as I give her a small smile and she nods at me, looking a little confused like she doesn't understand why would I deny.

I wave at her goodbye and look at Blake, "You coming?"

He nods as we walk together outside. I've snapped just five times at him since yesterday's brunch. I'm taking baby steps, and it might not mean anything to anyone but it actually amounts to a lot for me.

"Did you just leave Genesis speechless?" He laughs, and I can't hold back my smile as I shrug at him. "I like it."

"Thanks." I grin, and make a final decision about our previous conversation. "Ask Nick to drop by the apartment tonight? He can take a look and I have a few questions to ask him."

His face reflects the expected surprised reaction as he nods at me eagerly. "Yes, definitely. Thank you, so much."

"I'm doing it for myself, Blake, much like this supervision. Don't think highly of me." I remind him and he gives me a small smile.

"Still, it means a lot to me."

I nod, turning to my car. "Ask him to give me a call before he drops by? I wouldn't be home for another couple of hours."

"Sure."

I get in the car and switch from radio to my playlist before driving off. I have given my parents a lot of space and time to think about Odion's speech therapy situation. Dad promised me he would talk to him, but so far I haven't heard anything about it.

When I park my car, I make sure to get my bag that has chocolates for the twins. It's sometimes weird how attached to my family I am, especially because we barely live forty-five minutes apart, so I like to visit them frequently.

"Millie's here!" Caiden shouts when I step in, deciding to use my key.

He doesn't even greet me, his eyes fixed on the Xbox and flat screen in front of him. I shake my head disappointingly before I hear the twins' footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Em!" Ohana squeals with joy before wrapping her arms around me and Odion does the same.

This is one of the many reasons why I love coming back home. I look down at the two of them and place a kiss on their heads.

"Doing well, kids?" I ask and both of them nod at me. I turn to Caiden, mockingly. "How about you, kid?"

"I'm almost in the senior year. Stop calling me a kid!" He yells back at me, still focused on his game and Ohana giggles at our banter.

"Are Mom and Dad not home yet?" I ask, looking at the twins as we further move into the living room.

"Nope," Ohana mumbles as she takes a seat by Caiden and pinches his side which makes him give her a dead look.

"Millie! Tell her not to mess with me." He whines to me and I try to hide my amusement as he focuses back on his game.

"Why are all of you slacking around? I thought school gave lots of homework." I look at the three of them.

"All done." Odion grins at me, and it surprises me how proudly he said that. I ruffle his hair, giving him an encouraging smile.

"What about you, Cay? Did you do your homework?" I ask, looking at the screen to see that he's winning the game. I am almost tempted to act like Ohana and mess with him but then I tell myself to act like an adult.

"Don't know, don't care."

Ohana gasps at him dramatically. "How shocking."

"Nerd," he mumbles under his breath and I smack him on the head. "What the hell?"

"First of all, language! Secondly, go do your homework."

Honestly, I know he can be irresponsible sometimes but he's good at school. He's above average and much to my displeasure, he's on the football team. I asked him to go for basketball tryouts but he wanted to have his 'own thing'. I am just messing with him right now because I miss him. I have a huge age gap, almost a generation gap with Ohana and Odion, I look at them with my protective feelings but with Caiden, it's more on the fun side.

"Cay..." Odion starts to speak, and my attention goes to him immediately, including Ohana's but Caiden's eyes stay plastered on the screen.

That's the thing about him, he thinks we all coddle Odion too much. So, he takes up the tough roll to be indifferent to his struggles. "Yup?"

"C-can you teach me how to p-play?" He points at the controller in his hand and Caiden's eyes finally land on him.

He frowns at him a little and then looks back at the screen. "You want to learn how to play this one?"

Odion nods, looking a little nervous but then Caiden pauses his game and exits it. Ohana and I stare at each other in absolute surprise as he gives the controller to Odion and stands up to reach the cabinet below the screen and pulls out another one.

His eyes meet mine and he gives me a confused look, "What?"

"Did you just leave your game?" Ohana asks him.

Caiden shrugs, "It's not everyday my brother wants to hang out with me without having you attached to his hip."

Her face falls at his comment but then she looks at Odion who looks so excited as he takes a seat next to Caiden. She doesn't say a word as she comes to sulks back into the couch next to me and I make a mental note to have a talk with my idiot brother later. He doesn't do it on purpose, we just lack the filter that softens the things we try to say. It runs in the genes, we get it from Mom.

Ohana, however, is calm like Dad. She's the peace-maker which is a lot for her age. I pull her closer to me by the shoulder. "You know he doesn't mean that, right?"

She gives me a small smile. "Yeah, but he isn't wrong. Maybe I should give Odion more space to grow. Do you think I hold him back?"

She looks so much in doubt, it's almost painful. I look at the boys and notice how calmly Caiden's teaching Odion about the video-game. I'm aware of how low we're talking, they can't hear us and for that I am glad.

"I think you give him a lot of strength, O." I look into her green eyes, pretty much like Mom's. "I know Caiden can be harsh sometimes, but he doesn't mean it. Please trust me on that."

She pouts at me and then looks at Caiden. "He's always rude to me or is pulling pranks."

I try to hold back my smile. "That's because he's your big brother. I did that to him too, you know? That's what siblings are for."

"You did?"

I laugh, nodding. "Of course. I don't remember the number of times I have poured a glass of water over his face when he was sleeping."

"Oh my god, you're the one who taught him." She gasps loudly, pointing an accusing finger at me and I grin at her. "What else should I be prepared for?"

"I would like out for a tingling nose in the morning."

My mind goes back to the memory of the first day of my senior year, and how excited I was for it. So I woke up early and after taking a shower, my eyes landed on Dad's shaving cream in the cabinet. I had to sneak into Caiden's room but he's a deep sleeper like it's a task to wake him up for school, so it worked in my advantage when I pulled the classic prank on him.

I put the shaving foam on his palm and then used a Q-tip to tingle his nose. He walked right into that one when he slammed his palm over his face, and I had such a good time laughing. He was the same age twins are right now, and back then they were just four.

The funniest part wasn't the prank, but rather telling Caiden to chill out because 'it was just whipped cream'. The look of horror on his face when he actually licked his palm and realised the truth still makes me laugh. It's safe to say Mom was pissed as hell at me but Dad laughed for a few seconds too.

"Whatever he says, just remember, it's not whipped cream, alright?" I give Ohana a heads up and she looks at me like I'm crazy.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Before I can respond to her, I hear the front door opening and Mom steps inside the living room. She looks tired, like she usually does after work and I wave at her from the couch.

"Hey!"

"Em, what are you doing here?"

Caiden snickers at that question because he knows how much that annoys me and I shoot him a look before turning to my mother. "How many times have I told you that I don't like that question?"

"Sorry." She gives me an apologetic look before looking at her two kids. "Wait, Odion's learning video game?"

"Yes!" He squeals excitedly, waving the controller in the air.

I love how vocal he's being today. This will definitely help the conversation because he looks happier. I turn to my mother, "Water?"

"Yes, please."

I turn to Ohana and she gives me a look. "Why did you ask if you weren't going to get it?"

"So you could." I grin at her and she shakes her head before getting up.

Mom continues to look at Odion but then her eyes meet mine. I give her an assuring nod and she smiles at me. Before I can talk to her, I hear the front door opening again and immediately know from the sound of footsteps that it's my father. It's weird how familiar I am with my family's antics.

"It's a full house, I see." He smiles as soon as his eyes land on me. He makes his way inside the room and stands beside my mother before giving her a kiss and I loudly groan, realising that all my siblings are doing the same.

"Every damn day." I hear my mother curse under her breath before she looks at us. "Affection is a healthy way to show love, you know?"

"Yes, but we don't want to see that." Caiden points out.

Both our parents give us a look but then Dad turns to me, "What are you doing here?"

Oh my god. Really? This time Caiden laughs out loud and my mother tries to hide her smile.

"I am getting married."

Yes, that will serve them well.

"No, you're not." Dad's the first one to speak, scowling at me.

"Wait, what?" Mom looks like she has seen a ghost.

"To whom?" Ohana shrieks, spilling a bit of the water.

"As if."

Okay, that last one hurt. I give deadly glare to Caiden, "You need to get a grip around that tongue of yours, you know?"

"What? I didn't even say anything."

I am about to protest when Dad cuts me off, "You're not getting married, if that wasn't clear already."

His words cause me to frown, "What does that even mean?"

"It means you're twenty-four, you aren't allowed to get married yet."

"Seriously?" I look at my mother for an explanation but she's still staring at me in shock. "Since when have we decided an appropriate age to get married?"

"Anything above twenty-seven is acceptable." Ohana pipes in and I look at her in the utmost confusion. She shrugs at me, handing Mom the glass of water before she sits by my side. "Dad laid out the rules."

"That's ridiculous, you know that, right?" I focus back on my parents. It's like each time I come back here, everyone has lost a little bit of sanity.

"No. It's not." Dad shakes his head like he's the sanest person in the room. I don't think anyone of us is sane right now.

I'm arguing with my father over something which isn't even happening. Just when I thought we were all crazy, my mother speaks up. "He's right."

"Oh my god." I laugh at them, not being able to hold back any longer. "I'm not getting married, but if I meet someone in a year and want to marry the person, are you really going to be against it because I won't be twenty-seven?"

"Yes." Both of them answer together.

"Good to know, I'll keep the option of eloping as a top priority now." I joke.

"Wait, did you say you're not getting married?" Mom asks and I nod. "Oh, thank god. Don't ever pull that again, you almost gave me a panic attack."

Dad frowns at her, "You alright?"

"Now that she's not getting married, yes. Perfect." She smiles at all of us and I wonder if we all need family therapy.

"Told you, as if," Caiden comments and this time, I don't hold back my grunt.

"What does that mean? Enlighten me." I cross my arm across my chest.

"We've seen you over the years, Em. Who are you kidding? Settling down isn't your thing."

Ouch. I've heard that before when my friends joke around, in fact, I've said that to myself plenty of times. But it hurts twice as much coming from my younger brother.

"Caiden." Dad's pissed tone makes all three of my siblings freeze in place. "Apologise, and go straight to your room."

My father isn't the one to get angry at us, that's usually Mom's thing. But now the way Dad's staring at Caiden, I would be a little worried too. However, he looks like he didn't even say anything.

"Why? Am I a bad person for saying what everyone's thinking?"

"Since when are you a mind reader?" Dad snaps at him. "I still didn't hear your apology."

"Caiden, now." Mom glares at him and he scoffs, standing up.

"Sorry, your highness." He's about to storm off when Dad pulls him back with his t-shirt's sleeve. "What?"

"Phone." He holds up his palm.

Caiden looks back at me, glaring and I look at my father. "Dad, let it go."

"No, that is not how we speak to each other under this roof." He shakes his head at Caiden disappointingly.

My brother pulls out his phone and hands it over to Dad before going upstairs. I rub my temples and my eyes land on Odion who's observing everything silently. He doesn't handle the family drama well.

I probably shouldn't have come home. My parents are right, I'm a grown-up and I should have a reason to visit them. Otherwise, I'm just starting up unnecessary problems. Like always.

"He didn't mean it," Ohana tells me, giving me an apologetic look and I give her a small smile.

"I know." I nod my head at her even though I really don't know. He meant every word, from the looks of it. I stand up from the couch and turn to my parents. "Sorry, I shouldn't have come unannounced or made that ridiculous joke."

"Em, don't be like that." Mom steps closer, putting the glass away before she holds me by the shoulders. "This is your home, sweets. He shouldn't have said that."

I shake my head, clearing my throat to get rid of the lump that formed around it. "No, I know. He's in his stupid jock phase."

"Exactly, now, c'mon. We'll have dinner."

That wasn't the plan anyway. I was just going to stay for an hour, talk and leave. I look down at my watch, pretending to be running late.

"No, I actually have to leave."

When I see Odion make his way to me, I wait for his actions but then he wraps his arms around me and I try hard to hold back my tears. He looks at me with that adorable pout of his, "D-don't go."

I sigh, looking down at him as I cup his cheeks and press a kiss on his forehead. "I'll come to visit you soon. I have someone coming to look at the spare room, so I have to be back at the apartment."

That technically isn't a lie. My parents look a little unsure but then I pull up a wider smile which makes my mother's frown turn deeper.

"Are you alright?" Dad asks and I nod at him. "Alright, come here."

He pulls me into a hug and I try to pull away just as soon because I will end up crying if I don't rush out of here. My mother just squeezes my shoulder from behind and gives me a look that tells me I'm going to receive a phone call from her very soon.

"See you guys later." I wave at them before getting out of the house.

Once I'm in my car, I punch the steering wheel out of frustration as a few tears spill. I was being honest to myself when I said only my family is capable of making me cry, and feel like crap at the same time.

What Caiden said shouldn't be that big of a deal. But he has absolutely no idea how deep my insecurities run about ending up alone, and it doesn't even have to do with romantic partners. It's just a fear of abandonment, especially from my family. Dad knows it, that's the only reason he reacted the way he did.

I've worked a lot on it, I really have. But when my younger brother put it out like it's the most obvious fact, it just brought back those feelings. It takes me a few seconds to calm down and drive back home.

Just as I'm parking my car, my phone starts ringing and I answer the call from an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Emily? Nick here." I immediately recognise him.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Actually, I kind of forgot to give you a call and I'm almost near your apartment. Is it alright if I show up in five minutes if you're home?"

I sigh. Of course. It's so hard to remember to call the person you're visiting. "Yea, sure."

"Cool."

He hangs up the call and I make my way up to the apartment, instructing my mind to forget the conversation which happened at home. I didn't even get the chance to discuss about Odion. I'll mention it to my mother when we talk. I've actually looked up a speech therapist if they would agree.

"Hey!" I hear Nick's voice just as I'm unlocking the apartment. He looks at me. "Coming in or going out?"

"In." I smile at him, trying not to let my gloominess be evident. "Come on."

When he enters the apartment, he looks behind himself, down the hallway and I frown at him, stepping next to him to look outside.

"What are you looking for?"

"Blake was just behind me." He informs me and then we see him stepping out of the elevator. Right, of course, he came along. "There he is."

Blake waves at me and I pass him a tight smile before going in and keeping my bag on the kitchen island. I look at the two of them as Blake hands over the keys to Nick before they turn to me.

"Right." I clap my hands together dramatically. "This is the kitchen, and that's the living room."

I point from the island to the sofa. It really isn't much. There's a small dining table on the left side near the windows. I start walking down the hallway and Blake stays behind since he's already seen it.

Once we're outside the other bedroom, I look at him. "If you decide to take it, I'm going to make you sign a six-month agreement."

"Make it a year if I like it. I'm not graduating for another two years, remember?"

I smile at him. Finally, some reassurance. I open the door for him and he looks inside. Since it's already dark, I switch on the lights. He checks all the corners, looks out of the window and then turns to me.

"Bathroom?"

I nod, pointing down the hallway and he steps out of the bedroom. It's really not much either, just enough to fit a bathtub and get us by. I show him the laundry closet too.

"So?" I ask as we walk to the living room.

He looks at me and then smiles at Blake. "You were right, I like it. It's the perfect fit."

"Really?" I ask, surprised and relieved.

"Yes, I'll move in if you'll have me. We couldn't find anything under the budget for the two of us. His studio's much cheaper and I would personally suffocate in a matchbox like that."

"Hey, it's not that bad." Blake hits him on the shoulder.

"Sure." Nick mocks him before turning to me.

"C'mon, you guys can sit. Beer?" I look at them and Blake, like always, looks surprised but he nods nonetheless.

I pull out two beers from the fridge and hand it over to them. I take a seat across them on the recliner that I bought from my second salary. I was living out my obsession from the Friends tv show. But I cannot deny its comfort.

"Blake said you had some questions?"

I look at the said guy and he shrugs at me. "Alright, I need bathroom free between seven to seven-thirty, max seven forty. Good?"

Nick immediately nods. "Deal. I'm a morning person so either I'll take a shower before that, or after you. Anything works."

I smile at him. Good. I'm very particular about shower timings and it annoys the hell out of me when people hog it up. I had a terrible time in dorms.

"Are you a homophobe?" I ask, bang on. I don't like to beat around the shit and Nick frowns at me but immediately shake his head.

"No, not even close. Are you?" He scowls at me.

"No, I'm bi. Hence, the question." I give him a 'duh' look. "Are you good with it if I have friends or a partner over?"

"Yes, absolutely but that should go two way."

I nod, "Of course, I'm chill with it."

"Great. You don't get to eat the food that's labelled mine." He proposes and I immediately agree with that.

"Definitely. We split the expenses because it's not possible for us to label the groceries. Cool?"

"Absolutely."

"God, are you both done with twenty questions? I'm sure you'll work it out." Blake groans, chugging his beer and I frown at him. "What?"

"Alright, chill out!"

Nick laughs, "Okay then, can I move in within next couple of days?"

I nod at him, smiling. God, I can't believe out of all people I'm going to have Blake's best friend as my roommate.