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Easton: Thanks, Ez. We don’t know how to repay you. This is too much.
Ezra: Any friend of Stephen’s is family. We’ve got your back. You keep my omega’s sister safe and we’re even.
Easton: That we can do
An older man walked outside, a limp in his gait and a cigarette hanging from his mouth.
“You the new renters?” he asked in a harsh voice. His expression was almost a scowl but I had a feeling he was all bark.
“We are,” I confirmed. “Do we need to sign anything?”
“Nah, they handled it for the next three months. You’ll just need it if you stay longer,” he promised with a wave of his gnarled hand. His gray hair was sticking up at odd angles and he smelled like old smoke. Despite how rough around the edges he seemed, the apartment complex and grounds were nice enough.
We’d never lived in a nice home so maybe this would be our first chance at making one.
But as Theo said… this was temporary.
“Here are the keys, quiet hours after ten, trash pickup is on Wednesdays. Need anything, there’s a packet with important numbers on the kitchen counter,” he offered before tossing the keys and turning back to the little office that was nestled between the two apartment buildings.
“Which one is ours?” Jordan asked. I held up the keys to show him the old-style motel keychain that had a silver printed 5D printed on it.
“Then let’s grab our stuff,” Theo offered as he opened the trunk and started handing out our duffel bags. Outside of that, we each had a backpack and that was it.
The furniture came with the unit and we didn’t have much outside of that. We hadn’t ever truly called anywhere home longenough to accumulate much outside of the clothes on our backs and a few extras.
“The building on the left is D,” Jordan pointed out as we reached the main door. We pushed it open and I let a sigh of relief out at how clean and quiet it was.
We made our way up to the first floor and walked through until we found our unit. Theo plucked the key from my hands and unlocked the door. His hand hovered on the knob, hesitating to push it open.
“Come on,” Jordan said. His voice had a gentle edge and he put a hand on the beta’s shoulder, encouraging him to take that step.
Theo still didn’t move and when his brown eyes turned on me they were full of panic. On instinct, I took over, pulling him back gently and pushing it open before grabbing his wrist and pulling him inside.
The breath of relief he let out reassured me that it was the right choice to make.
We all moved forward to inspect the place. It was only a one bedroom but it wouldn’t be an issue for us, we were used to close quarters.
The kitchen had new appliances even if it was a bit small, there was a kitchen table already in place, and the living room was small but cozy.
“This works,” Jordan said, a smile finally peeking through his stoic expression. His eyes met mine for a moment before he looked back at Theo who was dropping his bag down and looking around.
“I’ll take the couch. I know whatever bed is in there isn’t big enough,” he offered.
“We’ll see,” I said. “We haven’t even gone in there yet.”
Theo gave me a look but pushed open a door on the far side of the room. It led to a bathroom.
“You’re going to have to duck to wash your hair, Eas,” he laughed before moving onto the next door.
This time, it was a bedroom, two full-sized beds pushed against the walls with a night stand between them. It wasn’t ideal, but it would fit us all.
“No couch for you,” Jordan said firmly. “We can share. Easton can have his own.”
“That’s fair,” Theo said, eyeing me then the bed and nodding before choosing one and stretching out.
For the first time since we walked in, a smile spread across his face. The tension bled from my body and I turned around to head for the kitchen.
“When do we introduce ourselves to the girl?” Jordan asked as he followed me, Theo on his heels.
