I checked my phone again and saw that I still haven't received any messages or calls from Sean. I shouldn't be surprised, I told him I didn't want to talk about it. I was actually a little surprised that he left.

I had been so overwhelmed since I first opened this god-forsaken letter. I tried calling the landlord this morning to dispute the charges, but it didn't look like I was going to be able to get out of this.

I guess I could use a lawyer, and I knew Sean had a great one. It just didn't feel right to ask him for help. I understood that we were in a relationship and we were a team; but at the same time, I'm used to doing things on my own.

Asking him for help with something like this made me feel like I was taking advantage. The same reason why I told him not to buy me an art studio. I needed to learn to take care of myself. The only issue was, I didn't have enough to pay the landlord. Not even in my savings.

The door to my dorm room opened and I saw Ellie come inside. "Hey, Lydia. I had the worst day today. I think I completely failed my Physics test."

I ran my hand over the back of my neck before taking a seat on my bed. "I'm sorry, Ellie. That sucks. I hope you did well on it."

"Me, too," she said before turning to look at me. "What's wrong? You look upset."

Maybe it would be a good to confide in Ellie about what was going on. She might be able to offer me some advice. Maybe she can help me with figuring out my options regarding how to handle this.

"You know that envelope you handed me that came in the mail?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Well, it was from my old landlord. Last year, I couldn't afford to pay rent and he evicted me. Well, I didn't have a permanent address until now and he sent this letter," I handed it to her, "saying I have to pay up."

I watched as her eyes darted across the paper. When they widened, I knew she was reading the total amount owed.

"Lydia, that's a lot of money."

"I know," I sighed and buried my face in my hands. "I don't even have that much in my savings account."

She handed me the paper back. "What did Sean say about it?" I closed my eyes tight and stayed silent. "He doesn't know, does he?"

I got to my feet and started pacing in front of my bed. "He came by yesterday for lunch and he knew something was wrong. He wanted me to tell him, but I need to learn how to handle things on my own."

She was quiet for several minutes before she got up and walked over to me. "Lydia, I love you and I'm going to be honest with you. When you lost your job last year and got evicted, you were on your own. You tried handling things on your own and got overwhelmed. It happens and I don't judge you for it." She smiled as she continued, "Look at you now. You're back in school, living on your own, and holding down a steady job. That's a huge turnaround."

She grabbed the envelope off of the bed and held it in front of me. "This is a big deal. If you, or anyone, tries to deal with this alone, it can get worse. You should talk to Sean. One of the great advantages of being in a relationship, is that you have someone in your corner when times get tough."

"I don't want to use him for his money, Ellie."

"You aren't. If the roles were reversed, wouldn't you be pissed if he hid something like this from you?"

Unfortunately, she was right. I would be pissed if he hid it from me. "So, what? I just let him pay this guy off?"

She looked over the paper again and frowned. "Lydia, when you got evicted, did he give you any legal notice from the courts?"

I tried to think back to when all that happened and it was hard to recall. "I don't think so. I was in a bad place then so my mind was a little scattered. I think he just told me to pay up or leave."

"Lydia, that's against the law. Okay, here's what you need to do. Go to Sean, explain what's going on. He can get you a good lawyer. But make a compromise. Tell him you want to foot the bill for his lawyer. That way you both are involved and neither of you have to give up nearly eight grand."

I thought about what she said and it seemed like a reasonable idea. She was right about one thing. I shouldn't have kept it from Sean. I needed to see him tonight. "Okay, let's get some food first then I'll go see him. I was too stressed out earlier to eat the lunch he brought me."

"Sounds like a plan," she said with a smile as she followed me out of our dorm.

God, I loved Ellie.

"Come on, Lydia. Knock on the door." I got to Sean's apartment ten minutes ago and haven't been able to knock. After my talk with Ellie, I knew coming here was the right thing to do. For some reason, I was having trouble actually knocking so I could tell him. "I'm not ready for this," I breathed and turned to leave. 

I barely made it two steps down the hallway. "Lydia? I saw you on the security camera. What are you doing out here?"  

I turned towards him and my mouth nearly dropped. He was completely naked, except for the towel around his waist. I could tell by his wet hair and the water dripping down his gorgeous body, that he just got out of the shower. For a moment, I forgot why I was even here. All my mind seemed to remember was how it felt when he was driving his hard length into me. I absently worried my bottom lip as my body responded to him instantly. 

"Lydia," he called again with a sexy smirk. He knew exactly what I was thinking. 

"Yes, hi. Sorry. Um, can I come in?" 

He stepped back and held the door open. "Of course you can. Why didn't you use your key?" He asked, shutting the door behind me. He started heading to his bedroom and I followed after him. 

"Right, my key. I completely forgot about it. A lot on my mind lately." 

He disappeared into his large walk-in closet. "I figured." I knew why he was being short. He was worried about me and he was probably upset that I didn't tell him what was wrong. 

"That's, uh, that's actually why I'm here." 

He emerged from the closet wearing a pair of black running pants and kept his shirt off. "Oh? Please, continue." He walked over to me and stopped a few feet away. 

"Well, I got this letter in the mail yesterday and that's why I was a little...off today."

He was silent as he read the letter. My knee was shaking nervously while I sat on the edge of his bed. I had no idea how this was going to go, and I was scared. Asking for help wasn't something I usually did. But Ellie was right. That didn't work out for me last time. 

After Sean was finished, his eyes met mine. "Why did you hide this from me?"

I heard the surprise and hurt in his voice and my chest tightened. Here we go. "At first, I wanted to try to take care of this myself. I knew that you would probably try to just pay the man to make this better and I didn't want that."

"Why are you showing me now?" 

"Well, I talked to Ellie and she made me realize a few things. First off, I don't have the money to pay for that." I glanced away before I continued. "She also made me realize that, if I didn't come to you with this, that things could get worse for me."

He still held my gaze and I got to my feet. "After talking with her, I understand your side a little better now. I would have been upset if you kept something like this from me. I love you and I know you love me. This is all still an adjustment period for me. I'm sorry for keeping it from you."

He let out a long breath before breaking his silence. "I'm glad you told me. And you aren't the only one who asked for advice." When I frowned, his mouth lifted in a half smile. "I called Michael. He told me that some things you do need to figure out on your own, and I have no problem with that. I'm so proud of you for all the progress you've made, baby. But something like this?" He held up the paper. "This is something we need to talk about as a couple. Look, I know ever since Portland I've been a little more paranoid about your safety."

"You have every right to be," I interjected.

"I know, but I need to work on that. Because you're right, I probably would have just paid this guy off to fix it for you." He glanced over the paper again. "So, how do you want to handle this?"

"Well," I started, "Ellie asked me if the landlord had given me a court documented notice, and he didn't. She said that was illegal and I should get a lawyer. So, I was thinking I could use your lawyer, but I would pay the fees if there were any. That way, we are handling this together. A compromise."

I got nervous when he simply stared at me. What was he thinking? That my plan was ridiculous? God, I hope not.

He surprised me when he cupped the back of my head and gave me a hard kiss. "God, I love you. That's a great plan. And, yes, I will let you pay." I knew that last part was driving him crazy, but I was glad he didn't start an argument.

"Really?" I asked excitedly.

"Absolutely. I'll make an appointment for Monday so the three of us can sit down and talk."

"Monday? Is he not available tomorrow?"

Sean chuckled darkly. "He is, but we aren't. We are leaving for our trip."

I instantly perked up. That's right! "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

He let the paper fall to the floor as he started pushing me back towards the bed. "No, it's a surprise."

He started kissing my neck and I knew I was going to be lost to his touch in the next few minutes. I was perfectly fine with that. "I love surprises."