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Her mouth twitches, so I press the advantage.

“The bedroom window doesn’t lock either.”

“It’s on the third floor.”

“People can climb.”

“Thank you, Spider-Man.” She laughs. Really laughs. Head tipped back. Eyes squeezed shut. And for a second, I forget what we’re arguing about.

Then she looks at the application, and her smile disappears. “I can afford it.”

There it is.

I shove my hands into my pockets. “You’ll find a better place.”

“You don’t know that.” She starts walking again.

I follow her down the sidewalk, putting a little distance between us and the building.

“You’ve only been looking for three days. So, take your time and find your dream place. I meant what I said upstairs. You can stay with me as long as you need to.” I fall into step beside her. “Or if you don’t want to stay with me, let your brother put you somewhere until you find an apartment that suits you?”

Her expression changes immediately. “No.”

“He can afford it.”

“I know.”

“So?”

“So, I’m not letting my brother pay my rent.”

“Why?”

“Because I have a job.”

“An internship.”

“A paid internship.”

“I didn’t mean–”

“I know what you meant.” She blows out a breath.

“I love my brother. I love my parents. But I don’t want to move to Chicago and immediately call Declan because I can’t figure out how to take care of myself.”

I look at her. She’s staring straight ahead now. “I need to do this on my own.”

I understand that better than she probably realizes. More than I’m ready to explain, so I nod. “Okay.”

She glances at me. “Okay?”

“Okay.”

“No argument?”

“You want me to argue?”

“No.”