'Goest & Fucketh Thyself' displayed through the phone's screen as a manicured-finger tapped on it.

"What does that mean?" the owner of the manicured hand asked while hovering on a lean boy of her class. Her black pixie-cut hair stayed like a black apple firmly attached to her slender shoulders.

"Go and fuck yourself," the owner of the phone said lazily leaning against the chair.

"Excuse me?"

"That's what the phone says."

"Why do I get the feeling you are telling me to fuck off?" she asked, raising her brow as her beautiful eyes washed over the boy.

"I didn't know, you're smart."

"How dare you!" Anger oozed out in a layer through her voice snapping most of the students' attention. However, the whole class didn't pay any heed to them as they knew Annabeth was probably the twenty-fifth girl of the college who was going to be dumped by South Hill college's number one asshole; Samuel Johnson—of course, after their several one-night stands, that is.

Samuel took a deep breath and looked at her with an even lazier gaze. He was tired of reciting the words all over again. "Annabeth, I'm sure, we had fun but I guess...it's over."

The last bell rang announcing the classes were done for the day. The students should go to their respective places but they gathered around the two famous personalities of the college expecting some new drama.

He got up to his six feet two inches towering over a frozen Annabeth. Her expression was hard to decipher as the muscles from her jaw twitched in anger while her walnut green eyes shrunk as if in any moment a stream would flow down from them. She was a beauty and an egotistical creature but when it comes to the most wanted bad-boy—'one of the' as there were several in South Hill—of the college, he was in a league higher than her.

He was The Johnson from the Johnson brothers. Youngest of the five siblings, son of Merrick Johnson of Johnson group and technologies and the jerk-est of them all. With his black hair and a small beauty spot above his right eyebrow, he was the lingerie-reaping bad boy without any bikes and tattoos.

He never liked tattoos.

He looked at his watch; it was four and he had a meeting.

"I'm busy. Move!" He said as he took his bag over his shoulder.

"I'm not done with you!" Annabeth snarled, eyes turning red.

"But I am, sweetheart." Samuel didn't smirk nor he was fond of making fun of a girl after spending their nights together. He was simply bored as always. He certainly didn't want any relationship and as far as he knew, he had made it clear before their first night. After two weeks—which was the longest relationship he had—when Annabeth started to get attached with him, he decided to get through this one as well.

"I am the daughter of the Mayor! You can't just fuck me and go away!" She shouted making his earbuds throb painfully. Same speech; same technique over and over again as the last girl was a famous-some-sort-of-business man's daughter he didn't even remember the name of, shouted it as well.

He let out another sigh and put his hands in his pockets while leaning against his desk. Fatigue slowly took a tour on his body as this week he had cleaned his whole apartment and now another bothersome situation had occurred. Nonetheless, this conversation was getting on his nerves. Normally he was a very patient man but he didn't like the fact that she sounded as if he used her—it was partially true, however. Annabeth was one of that many girls who liked to be pampered with gifts, compliments and of course, various relationships. While with Samuel, she had already two other people on her to-do list and Samuel was well aware of that. However, she had no inkling that he knew of her shenanigans.

A scoff came out of Samuel's mouth, and with a smug grin he said, "I'm pretty sure, you enjoyed David and Ralph's company."

The audience who had gathered there gasped while Annabeth stiffened in her place. "Wh-what do you mean?"

He leaned until he reached her ear and whispered, "Unfortunately, David is my junior and he is my friend."

She gasped and froze while Samuel headed toward the exit leaving behind a shocking figure. He had to reach his apartment before five as a prospect would be coming to rent a room in his apartment.

And he didn't like to be late.

*****

"Shit!"

A few colourful words left as tripping on a plain floor was just as embarrassing as any woman who had chosen to wear a short skirt on a windy day.

Kennedy rang the bell while composing herself once more.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind the door and it swung open. If Kennedy wasn't in a building, waiting for her room-owner, she would definitely mistake the god-like creature in front of her as a supermodel of Vogue or some runaway model. He stared at her with his grey eyes like a dark cloud had come for a storm.

"Err... I... Um... I was here for the rent?" A stuttering mess she was. Sometimes—a tiny amount of her brain which was continuously bickering with her and gave her a lot of criticism that any human being can get in their entire life—she wondered, how the hell she got the last job?

The mesmerising piece of God's art; the room partner who was still staring at her with a fine brow arching above his long eyelashes, said, "I'm sorry, but I am already expecting someone else."

"Really? Is this Samuel Johnson's apartment?"

"Yes, I'm Samuel Johnson." She looked at the tall frame before her; she reached hardly his shoulders.

"Then you were expecting me." She gave him a tight lipped smile.

"You're... Kennedy Smith?" He asked, doubt visible in his voice.

"Yes—?"

"I was expecting a boy."

"I'm so sorry that I am a girl—"

"What?"

"I mean, no! I'm Kennedy Smith and my brother called you the other day." As she was very busy to find a job so that her previous landowner would not kick her ass out, she had asked her brother to find an affordable—preferably cheap—room where she can share it with a partner. She didn't have enough money to rent the entire apartment like before. "Wait! It's not reserved only for boys, is it?"

"No. It isn't. Can you show me your ID?" He asked his body still concealed behind the door.

"Yes, here's this." She handed her details.

He took it and inspected for a moment while Kennedy peeked—at least she tried to peek—at the room but he had adjusted himself like a giant mountain in the middle of a valley. It was hard to take a glance.

"1992, from Ohido," he mumbled in his breath as he looked through her documents and finally took a look at her, "How long have you been here?"

"For two years after passing out of college." She nodded.

"What do you do?"

Kennedy felt like she had somehow stumbled upon here for another job interview but she won't be getting any payment instead, half of her wages would be gone at the beginning of each month.

"I'm an employee at High Tech Coding—ex-employee, apparently." As it was bankrupted and she didn't have enough money to go to her parents, she needed to survive here in minimum wages.

"How are you gonna pay me then?"

"Oh! I do work at a convenient store not far from here. It's temporary while I'll find another job. Your offer was a bit affordable for me so I can keep searching while staying here."

He nodded and made a way for her to enter.

"So, we'll share the room rent, right?" She brought herself in while asked.

"No. The apartment is mine, actually. I just need extra money but I can't work part-time." His reply was to the point and from what she could gather, he seemed like a serious guy. She wanted to ask him a few questions but she could not gather the courage as his deep voice and straight answers left no choice to question him more. And there was another thing about him that she could not look into his eyes for more than two seconds; his every step, each movement screamed a strange authority.

She nodded.

"Let's get you inside your room."

She trailed behind him while her eyes gazed around everywhere. It was a normal apartment with a drawing room and an attached kitchen. One couch stayed at a corner as if it was abandoned and had no importance in his life. The cushions seemed like they were stained with oil. Seemingly, he hadn't bothered to clean it. Smudges of dust resided on the shelves but the floor was spotless. He surely had no time for cleaning but did it anyway. He painfully needed a good architect as well.

"I've tried to clean as much as possible." Samuel's voice bloomed through the room near the drawing-room and there was another door opposite of it. It must be her land Lord's respective chamber and curiosity took birth in her belly about how it would look like. She had never shared a room with anyone other than her little sister, that is. But with a boy! It made her nervous. On the other hand, he was three years younger than her so she can treat him like she treated her brother.

Her eyes fell on his back muscles followed by the strong thighs under his black jeans which had good cuts and soothing to one's eyes. He maybe was lean but had the right amount of muscles in the right places.

'Treating him like a brother' bounced off from her head.

Friend.

She would treat him like a friend.

"It's okay." She entered the room flustered with her own ridiculous thoughts and her eyes landed on the peach painted walls. The room was small with a tall room-owner in it. But she had to praise him for troubling himself with the decorations as the selves were dust-proof—however, the showpieces and books were not in order—, the single bed at the corner felt comfortable and the cupboard was specious.

"Another thing." He turned, his back muscle flexed with him that can be seen through his black T-shirt. Kennedy's eyes drifted from his abdomen to his grey eyes, instantly. With high cheekbones and a small dot on his right eyebrow, he was irresistible. She gulped wondering if she needed to give the idea of sharing an appointment with a boy, another thought.

"As I don't use the kitchen much, I'm afraid, I don't have enough equipment there. If you need anything, let me know."

She nodded stiffly still thinking about the idea however, she had no choice as the convenient store won't give her a handsome salary to rent an entire apartment, "Okay, So, when can I move in?"

"Any day would be fine."

"How about tonight?"

"As you like it. But there are a few rules you have to follow, which I'll be following as well for..." he took a moment to arrange his words, "...better environment."

She nodded.

"No friends are allowed." It wasn't like she had many friends there anyway, just one, Sheila and she was already busy with her husband and children.

"Okay," she mumbled.

"No loud Music."

"I have earphones."

He gave a curt nod and resumed, "Clean everything what you are using whether it's the kitchen or the bathroom. I've already prepared a chart for both of us. What day you'll be on cleaning and cooking duty, see there." He pointed at the refrigerator where a yellow note hung.

"Cooking?" She asked.

"You didn't think I'd make you a meal every day, did you?"

"No?"

"Good. Because I won't." He surely had a rough tongue and Kennedy would have to be careful while talking with him.

"On Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, I'll make breakfast while you'll make dinner. If you're at home at lunchtime, make yourself lunch. We can adjust according to your schedule." He instructed and she felt she had entered a boarding school.

"No, it's okay. My shift starts at 9 so any day would be fine."

"Great. Monday, Thursday and Friday you'll make breakfast."

"What about lunch?"

"I do it on my campus. And Sunday, we can discuss if you have a day off."

All she could do was nod with her at most concentration.

"Where do you study?" She asked finally after his instruction ended.

"South Hill."

She thought if she could ask him further, however, she let it slide and said, "I'll come by nine, then. And shall I give you the advance now?"

"You shall." He brought out a key and gave it to her, "Here's the key."

She mumbled a thank you and gave him the rent, feeling her purse had already lost its weight.

She prepared to leave when he said, "There's another rule I forgot to mention before. Do not disturb me unless you actually need my help."

And then he closed the door.

She stared at the door for a few minutes before thinking about her astonishing roommate and how exciting it would be her next few months.

___________

1st December, 2020