❝But, God, when I look at you
My brain goes, "Ah"❞

Aiden's laughter echoed through my head like an unending plague in the days that followed. In my rage, I'd thrown my dinner at him without thinking but fortunately, the noodles and honey chili chicken inside it were still salvageable. The same couldn't be said about my street cred anymore.

I'd done my very best to position myself as this formidable roommate to him so he wouldn't take me for a joke. After what he'd said to me, my Swiftie side had raged. But I'd felt a little guilty about intruding in his work, having put myself in his shoes.

Which is why I'd stepped out to get dinner from a Chinese place close by for the both of us. And in the twenty minutes I'd been gone, Aiden had proven himself to be a big-ass hypocrite.

I scowled at my wall, sinking even lower into my blanket as I replayed everything that had happened in my head for the billionth time.

I wish I'd handled it better. I wish I'd stuck around in the kitchen long enough to clock him in his stupid laughing face.

But, no. After getting over to his side of the kitchen island, all I'd done was make him swear not to tell Evan a word about my writing before grabbing my iPad, scrounging up my food, and storming away. He'd said yes, still cackling like a moron, so I wasn't sure how much sincerity that promise held.

Considering five days had passed and Evan hadn't texted me anything salacious about my hobbies, I figured I was still safe.

With a groan, I rolled over on the bed and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. I had a couple of comment notifications from Patreon that brought an instant smile to my face.

Another great chapter, Eros!! You make my day with your updates. Thank you <3

Oh my good god, I was fanning myself throughout this. This was spicy AF!

My girlfriend and I spent the night bingeing Forbidden Lillies. We can't wait to hear what happens next for Lady Alice and Charlotte. It's been a while since the last update but check your inbox for something to motivate you to do the next!

Curious, I opened my Patreon Inbox, eyes widening at what I saw.

It was a picture of two older women. I chanced a guess they were in their mid to late fifties but they sported youthful, coy grins, dressed in Victorian-era clothing with their arms around each other.

One of them was taller with blonde hair in an updo that resembled Charlotte's and had her arms wrapped around her shorter counterpart from behind who stood, grinning at the camera, with her luscious brown locks let down over one shoulder.

She held up a small paper to the camera and I had to zoom in to make out the words written on it.

We wish we'd read Forbidden Lillies when we were younger but happy to see you inspire and help a new generation of women to find themselves.

We love you ErosInk!

Along with the picture, they'd donated $150.

My eyes welled up with tears and I rubbed them away with the back of my hand, holding my phone to my chest.

Your words are powerful, Harper.

My dad's voice echoed in my head, his stern but loving tone drowning out the last of Aiden's laughter.

They have the power to not only change worlds but to create new ones. Better ones. So use them wisely.

"I will Dad," I said, smiling and sitting up. "I will."

I started to sit up when my phone chimed. A new email.

My eyes widened when I saw the subject.

After shooting out hundreds of applications, I had finally gotten my first interview request for a Senior Audit Associate position at a popular audit and consulting firm. One that could potentially solve all my problems.

"The interview's today?!"

Talk about a New York minute.

I kicked off my sheets and jumped out of bed, practically running to my bathroom. It was conveniently located opposite my room. I was still salty that Aiden had gotten the master bedroom with the attached bathroom for himself, but this arrangement was fine.

Was, being the keyword.

Because, for some mother-shitting reason, he was in it.

Steam billowed out of the door when I opened it and caught me in the throat, making me erupt into a fit of coughs. The sound of hot water running from the frosted glass-enclosed shower along with what sounded like the world's worst rapping made me stop at the threshold and stare.

That fucker.

"Aiden," I said, my voice drowned out by the worst rendition of Eminem's Lose Yourself that I'd ever heard.

"-mom's spaghetti, he's nervous, oh yeah."

I breathed in deeply and stepped in, closing the door behind me gently before tiptoeing to the toilet. His silhouette was in the process of soaping its armpits when I pulled the trigger-and by that, I mean flushed the toilet.

"On the surface, he looked-FUCKING ICE."

Aiden screamed.

I flushed the toilet again. And then a third time, still staring at his silhouette with deadpan anger and only a very minimal percentage of satisfaction as it jumped back from the running shower head.

A second later, the shower door slid open and a dark wet head peeked through the gap, pinning me with the steely glare of fury that I'd now gotten used to.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Flushing you out of my bathroom."

Aiden winced when I did it again, cutting off his warm water.

"Get out."

"I don't like tubs."

I blinked, my hand still resting on the flush as he hurried to explain.

"My bathroom. It's got a tub. I don't want to stew in my own filth like that."

"Wait..." I paused, my eyes widening at the implication of what he said. "How long have you been using my shower?"

"Long enough for you not to notice."

"Aaaaand flush."

"FUCK!"

Aiden hopped back from the water, a sliver of his butt showing through the gap in the shower door that I hadn't signed up to see. I wish I could say I looked away.

I mean I did, but not immediately.

He scrambled forward to turn off the water and then moved back with a huff, half slamming into the separating glass.

"What are you doing up early anyway? Don't you normally sleep in till 9?"

"I do but I...."

My voice drained out as I stared at his silhouette patting itself down on the other side. We made sure not to run into each other often, with the efforts increasing from my side since his little discovery. But we'd officially been living together long enough for him to know my patterns and routine.

There was a familiarity there I didn't like.

"But you what?"

He slid the door open and I damn near lost my entire vocabulary.

Aiden stepped out with a light gray towel wrapped around his lower half but it was ridiculously short, stopping a couple of inches below his knees and showcasing the strong calves you'd expect from an athlete. That and more hair.

He was a hairy guy, I was starting to notice.

For the first time, I saw the length of his arms that he normally had hidden beneath hoodies and sweaters. Long dark strands coated his skin, now beaded by droplets of water that still clung to his body.

His chest was strangely less matted compared to the rest of him. But it was also a lot more defined, with tight muscles and a deep cut of a scar running over his left pectoral that caught my interest.

I gulped and forced my eyes away as he moved past me to the sink, grabbing what looked like an aftershave. Or cologne. Either way, whatever he popped open smelled nice and musky. He slapped some of it on his palms then on his neck and jawline.

"So?" He asked, looking at me expectantly while leaning back against the sink, rubbing his chin. "Why are you up?"

I opened my mouth to answer when he brought his left hand up to his wet hair and ruffled it. Droplets of cold water shook off his long, inky black strands and hit my cheeks. They needed the cooling effect but that just made them burn to life even more.

"Harper."

I blinked and stepped back. What was I doing, drinking him in like he wasn't the world's biggest dipshit?

Tearing my eyes away from his semi-naked form, I glared at the now-open shower.

"It's none of your business," I mustered up, sounding more quiet than angry.

"What, got more writing to do about Sir InksALot?"

I stiffened.

I didn't want to look at him but when I brought myself to, Aiden had this big toothy grin on his face that I wanted to smack right off.

"Excuse me?"

"Isn't that the character's-"

"It was Lancelot, you dick," I snapped, stepping forward. "And my handle is ErosInk. If you're going to insult me, do it right."

It was of little use to me that I was just a bit taller than my apartment foe. Our height difference was no longer an intimidation tactic I could use or even wanted to really. It just pissed me off to the world's end that currently, Aiden was winning this.

Whatever this was.

"Right," he said. "So the world awaits to hear what happened after Queen Guinevere sucked off the knight's pointy sword, eh? All 1.2 million of your followers."

"W-what?"

"I checked out your profile," Aiden added in a matter-of-fact way while stretching.

I ignored the way the muscles in his stomach rippled. A stomach I wanted to rip into, in a totally violent way, if I could.

"You're quite the porn writer."

"Stop. Calling. Me. That," I hissed and stepped in closer.

Fuck, he smelled like Christmas.

To my horror, my getting close to him only egged him on. Aiden smirked and pushed himself off the counter, his bare chest brushing against my tank top as he brought his lips to my ear.

"What would you like me to call you then?"

I felt something twitch downstairs. And it wasn't my Harpette.

Was he-

Before I could look down and confirm, Aiden moved to the side with sudden fluidity and speed.

"I-"

"Enjoy your shower, milady," he tossed over his shoulder before shutting the door behind him.

My hand fluttered to the top of my hip, still feeling an odd tingle there where I'd felt the pressure of his pointy sword.

The heat crept up into my cheeks but I ignored it, stripping out of my clothes with a speed I didn't know I'd possessed once I reminded myself what little time I had to get ready for the interview.

Hopping in, I closed the shower door behind me and turned on the hot water.

"Fucking ICE-!"

Of course.

Of course, he'd used up all the hot water.

That little shit.

_____

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