"So, when's your interview, again?" Ayla asked, hugging her purple binder to her chest as we walked to class.

"Today, after school." I replied, letting out a somewhat shaky breath.

"You seem nervous." Kassie tilted her head at me.

"A little." I admitted.

"You'll be fine Lyn." Ayla reassured.

"Me on the other hand, I'm not so sure." Kassie said.

"You'll do fine coaching the team while I'm gone. You know the routines." I told her.

"Yeah, and you know how to boss people around." Ayla giggled, and Kassie shot her a glare.

"You don't wanna get mouthy with me right now, or I might have you over in the corner doing wall sits all practice."

###

"How'd it go sweetie?" My mother smiled as I walked through the door.

I plastered a fake look of disappointment on my face, and shook my head.

"Oh, I'm sorry dolly." She said, approaching me, her arms spread out.

As she embraced me in her arms I started giggling.

"What's so funny?" She asked, pulling away from me and grabbing my shoulders.

"I got the job." I replied, my smile reaching ear to ear.

She rolled her eyes, scoffing at me and smacked me lightly upside the head.

"You little..." she muttered turning back to her dishes in the kitchen sink.

I walked over to the drying rack and started putting away the few dishes that sat there.

I gave one of the glasses a curious look. It was the glasses my dad used for scotch whenever he had guests over.

"Mom, why are dad's good glasses out?"

"Oh," She turned to face me, her hands still in the soapy water. "We were going to tell you guys at dinner, but your father had an old friend from work over, who also got laid off. And we decided that until everyone is back to work again, we'll rent the basement out to them."

My eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

"Wait, so other people are going to be living with us? Like people I've never met."

"Oh sweetie it'll be fine. He's a very nice man, and he's friends with your father. Besides no one in the household ever steps foot in the basement anyway. It's just all spare bedrooms."

"Am I going to meet these people before they move in?" I was still in shock.

Like how long was she going to keep this from me? And how long has she known?

"They're bringing over some of their stuff tonight. And we're going to show his son around the house. He's never been here. In fact I don't think I've ever met his son." She muttered the last part, but I still heard it.

So she's never even met one of them, but she's letting them move in.

"But from what I heard his son is a very nice boy."

I sure as hell hope so.

###

The door bell finally rang, and I shot up from my spot on the couch.

I flattened the wrinkles out of the blouse my mother made me wear, and fixed my wavy hair.

My father opened the door, smiling and shaking hands with the mystery man.

"Ray, hoes it going bud?" My dad greeted.

"I'm good, yourself Greg?" The man replied in a deep voice.

"I'm great, come on in, I'll help ya get your stuff brought in."

The man was tall and had a navy blue button up on, tucked in to blue jeans. His eyes were chocolate brown and his thin hair matched his eyes. I'd say he looked to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties. The same age as my dad.

My dad took the cardboard box from Ray's hands and set it down on the floor.

As Ray stepped out of the doorway another body emerged from behind him.

The boy was about three inches taller than Ray, with crystal blue eyes, and sandy blonde hair. A  large tattoo decorated his arm from his wrist up past the sleeve of his Champion t-shirt.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

Standing in my entry way was Caiden Cummings.

The same Caiden Cummings that acts practically bipolar towards me.

The same Caiden Cummings who's friend I'm going out on a date with.

That Caiden Cummings was going to be living in the same house as me.

"Ray, Caiden, I'd like you to meet my family, that's my wife Lindsay, my son Case, and my daughter Ashlyn." My father said, snapping me out of my daze, as he motioned to each of us.

I shook hands with Ray and Caiden, neither of us saying anything about knowing each other.

"So, why don't we help you guys bring your stuff in?" My mother offered.

"That would be great, it's all in the truck."

Ray and Caiden led us all outside and to a brand new looking ford, the box filled with boxes of stuff.

I reached for a small box, labeled; family photos, and lifted it with ease.

I watched as Caiden reached for a much larger one, his biceps flexing under the weight.

He followed Case back in to the house and to the basement, as I trailed behind.

I watched in awe at his back muscles under his tight shirt. And as we descended the stairs, I couldn't help but sneak a quick look at his butt.

Damn. This guys got an ass some girls would kill for. Lucky bastard.

I set the box down on the counter of the small kitchenette in our basement.

"So what rooms are what?" Caiden spoke up, directing his question more at Case than at me.

"Those three are bedrooms, and those two are bathrooms." He replied pointing at the rooms that all lined on wall, leaving the room we were in right now as a living room, and kitchen.

Loud footsteps could be heard, as my parents and Ray walked into the basement.

"Did you pick a room yet?" Ray asked his son. But when Caiden shook his head, he told him to 'hurry up or I'll pick for ya'.

Caiden approached the farthest room from the entrance, it was one of the smaller ones, but that didn't seem to bother him.

I followed him in carrying a few boxes with his name on them.

The walls of the room were painted a dark blue, and, a double bed was pushed in the left corner of the room. Next to it, sat a small night stand with a lone lamp. And a desk on the left wall. A very small window was just above the bed on the back wall.

"Where do you want your stuff?" I asked.

"Um," He glanced around the room. "Just right over there would be fine." He pointed next to the desk.

I placed the boxes down on the hardwood floor, and turned to leave the room.

"Thanks." He said, his back facing me.

"For what? Helping you with your stuff it wasn't that hard." I replied, a little confused.

"No," He turned around and took a step towards me, out bodies only a few inches apart now. "Thanks for letting me stay in your house."

"I mean it's not a big deal, it's not like your some weird stranger, a least I know who you are."

I was partially lying, I wasn't super okay with this, but it's not like anything I said now would make a difference.

"Yeah." He gave a small smile and shrugged, as I turned away, and walked out of the room.

I collected more boxes, most marked as 'Caiden's Clothes' or 'Caiden's stuff'.

As I brought more stuff to him, I noted that the majority of his possessions were clothes.

That's something me have in common.

As I started helping him hang up shirts, I opened several boxes of dress shirts and dress pants. Most of them looked unworn. And lots of expensive clothes as well. Like Champion, Crooks and Castles, Puma, Hollister, American Eagle, Vans, And Billabong.

Why would someone who can afford all this need to live on n a house with another family?

Maybe I'm just overthinking it, he could have a job, and pay for this all by himself.

Although when I drove him home, he lived in the nicer part of town.

And I'm pretty sure that he has his own car too.

So why the actual hell do they need to live with us?

"Ashlyn," My mother's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Why don't you show Caiden around the rest of the house? I don't think he's seen it yet."

A/N:
Here you go. I'm not exactly sure if this is considered a cliffhanger or not. I think it kinda is, but still not sure.

-Grace 🍒