"Dad, I'll be fine," I say to my dad outside my apartment building. "Don't worry about me. I'll take care of myself."

"But, pumpkin, you don't have to leave," he says with puppy dog eyes. My dad is a very sentimental person. He cares a lot about family, especially since mom left us. She suffered from stage 4 ovarian cancer. Luckily for her, she survived longer than most women, but she spent most of her time in bed and under treatment.

"Dad, I'm 25 now. I can't live with you for the rest of my life," I remark with furrowed brows.

"Well, you can. I can provide for you until you have kids or even after you have kids or maybe even when you have grandchildren!" He smiles nervously.

"Dad!" I laugh. "You're ridiculous." I shake my head. I watch as the last of my belongings are taken inside the building, and the people set my couch on the sidewalk. Guess they're too lazy to take it up for me. As expected from a cheap moving company. I couldn't afford to get a better one. "If you want to help me then help me take my couch inside." His body sags, and he nods sadly. We each take an end of the couch and move it inside. "Looks like we'll have to back it upstairs." I set it down and huff out a breath with a hand on my hip.

"Looks like you need some help," a man, who I assume is the landlord, comments as he walks down the wooden staircase. Apparently, he's an uprising author that goes by the pseudonym 'Rowan Osburn'. His real name is Collin Gray, as informed by my older sister who's a fan of his work. I don't know what he's doing being a landlord since he could get exposed by the tenants because he's famous. People can easily recognize him, and I'm pretty sure he's well off. He has chestnut-colored hair, hazel eyes, a toned body, and a dashing smile.

"You must be Collin Gray, my landlord, I presume," I say.

"The one and only." He flashes one of his charming smiles my way.

"Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Gray." I stretch out my hand for a handshake.

"It's nice to meet you too, Julia Heldin. Please, call me Collin." He shakes my hand in return. His hold is gentle, which is weird to me considering he looks like the type to have a strong and firm hold. "Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Heldin." He smiles to my dad, and he nods at him. He also seems very nice; I thought he'd be an obnoxious writer who'd have a grim face and would shut everyone out after interacting once. "Let me help you with that," he says.

"No, no. It's fine. My dad and I can handle it," I respond.

"It's not good to let a lady carry a heavy object. Let me do it, please." He looks at me earnestly, and after hesitating, I move out of the way for him to grasp onto the couch.

"Guess I'll just direct your movement up the stairs then." I smile a little. He nods then slowly walks up the stairs backwards. After a few quick maneuvers, my couch is safely set into my apartment room. My dad lies on the couch like a saggy potato. "Dad, get out, please. The move is done. I've finally settled in. A promise is a promise," I state.

"But...But what if you don't have everything you need?!" he asks frantically as I push him out the door.

"Dad! No buts! You said you'll leave me alone after seeing me move in. I'll be fine, I promise. Alright?" I look at him with knitted brows.

"Fine, but call me when you need something. Okay?" he responds and finally leaves after I nod and give him a hug, which went on for a little too long. I sit on my couch and sigh as I look around the room.

"May I talk to you, Julia?" Collin appears by my door frame and leans on it, which makes him look like a model off of a GQ magazine.

"Yeah, sure. Come in," I reply and pat the seat next to me. "Do you want anything to drink?" I ask as he sits down.

"No, it's fine. This won't take long," he answers.

"So, what is it that you want to talk about?" I question, turning to face him.

"I want you to do me a favor."

"Sure. What can I do for you?"

"Can you please keep me being your landlord a secret? I don't want to cause a commotion." He smiles with a finger over his mouth as if shushing me.

"Definitely, but my sister knows. She won't tell anyone. That's okay, right?" I ask, looking at him. He nods and stares at me for a while in silence. I clear my throat and ask, "What about the tenants here?"

"They're all either my friends or my family relatives."

"Oh, okay." I nod. He looks at his watch and sighs then gets up.

"If you need anything, just come to me anytime. My room is on the top floor," he declares, standing by my door frame once again.

"I'll take you up on that offer sometime." I smirk, and he chuckles then shuts the door behind him. I exhale a breath and say to myself with a smile on my face, "What a day and what a guy."