Page 11 of At Your Door

“Hey! I tried calling you earlier to let you know I was coming by, but you didn’t answer. Would you believe you’re the first person on the list?” Griffon says, and my brows furrow in confusion.

I clear my throat, trying not to sound groggy. “I’m sorry, you have my number?”

She looks a little confused but continues. “Of course, I got it from when you inquired about the problem with your toilet.”

It’s a statement, not a question, and she raises her eyebrows as she watches the realization hit me—she’s here to fix my toilet.

I finally take in her maintenance uniform: a dark gray utility jumpsuit. She’s holding a toolkit in her other hand, and I almost want to laugh at how picturesque it all seems. She looks like she’s about to shoot a porno. Her long orange hair, usually the show's star, is pulled back into a smooth, tight bun, accentuating her jawline and cheekbones. Her blue eyes, though, are center stage, especially with the gray jumpsuit making them pop.

I’m quiet for a moment, trying to think of something to say, but I’m overwhelmed. Of course, after all these years of spamming Ben with complaints about the issues in my apartment, he finally hires someone to help, and it just has to be a supermodel. Now, I’m supposed to let her into my place willingly?

“And you put ‘Please come as early as possible’ in the special notes, so I figured I’d get started early,” Griffon adds.

“Uh, actually, I fixed the issue with my toilet a while ago,” I finally manage to say. I avoid her eyes because I know I’m lying, but hers don’t waver.

“You mean the toilet I just heard screeching through the walls?”

My head snaps up, and my eyes widen. “You can hear that?”

Before Griffon can answer, a fully dressed Eleanor appears behind me, and I instinctively step aside.

“Of course, she can hear that. I told you it sounds like nails on a chalkboard! I have to plug my ears every time!” Eleanor exclaims.

I shut my eyes tightly. The last thing I ever wanted was for El to meet Griffon. She’s shy, but not as bad as me. Everything is just more matter-of-fact with her. After last night, I definitely don’t need her stirring things up further.

“Hey! I’m Eleanor, Mia’s best friend. You must be Griffon, right?”

Their words blur together as they introduce themselves, drowned out by my racing thoughts. What the hell am I going to do?

She cannotcome in here.

This has to be crossing a line in whatever game this is.

I’m spiraling now.

“I actually have to get to work, so I’ll have to reschedule this. Thanks, though,” I blurt out, loud and short, making both of them look at me, eyebrows raised.

“Don’t be silly. I can cover your shift—” Eleanor turns to me with a mischievous smile. She knows exactly what she’s doing. “—unless you want Griffon working in your apartment alone.”

Her grin grows as my eyes widen.

I glance at Griffon, who looks like she’s holding back laughter at my obvious discomfort. The smirk on her face only makes me more annoyed.

“Is it even safe for you to work with tools after a night out?” The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them, and I feel El’s hand hit my side. Griffon’s head jerks back, her eyebrows raised.

“I mean, because I heard your door open late last night, that’s all,” I stammer, folding my arms across my chest and clearing my throat, still avoiding eye contact.

Griffon chuckles softly, but before she can respond, El cuts in again.

“Please, don’t mind her. She’s always grumpy on Mondays.”

I turn to glare at El as Griffon laughs, but she’s not even looking at me.

“Anyway, I’ve got to get going. Nice meeting you, Griffon! See you later, Mia!”

My mouth falls open, speechless that El is actually letting this happen. She just winks at me before moving swiftly past us both.

Griffon turns in El’s direction. “You too! See you around!”

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