Page 17 of Off Limits

We stopped in front of the small space across from my room and tucked into the far end of the apartment.

The den was really more of a bonus room and was barely big enough to fit a single bed and a dresser. I hadn’t gotten around to furnishing it yet, so the space was empty.

“Is your landlord the type to give you the whole day to get your shit out, or is this the type of situation where your stuff isgoing to be on the sidewalk by nine a.m.?” I asked as he studied the small room.

“Stuff on the sidewalk by nine,” he said, his tone as defeated as the stoop of his shoulders. “Or eight, according to the letter.”

“I have to leave for work early tomorrow, and I won’t be back until late. I can give you my spare key and the code to get into the building, but I can’t help you move your shit. You’ll have to figure that out on your own.”

“Not a problem,” he said quickly.

“Come on. I’ll get you the spare key.”

He followed me into the kitchen and waited as I dug around in my junk drawer.

“The code to get in is 310790.” I pressed the key into his waiting hand. “If the super asks why you’re moving stuff into my apartment, tell him you’re dropping it off for me. I doubt he’ll notice, but if he figures out that you’re staying here and asks you about it, tell him you’re my stepbrother and you’re visiting for two weeks.”

“Why two weeks?”

“Because any more than that and I’ll have to pay extra for my utilities.”

He chewed on his lip and nodded.

“A few house rules because I’m not going to be here when you’re moving your stuff in,” I said, getting back to business. “Stay the fuck out of my room, and don’t mess with my stuff. The hot water tank takes forever to refill, so try to keep your showers under twenty minutes, or you’ll get blasted with cold water.

“Stick to the guest parking areas, but try to move between the front and back lot if you can so it’s harder to track how often your car is here. It might be worth parking on the street every once in a while too. And use the back entrance. It’ll be easier to hide your comings and goings. We’ll figure out splitting up the kitchen later. Just remember what’s yours until we get thatsorted. Keep what you want in the bathroom, but don’t be a slob about it.” I paused, racking my brain as I tried to think of anything else he needed to know now.

“I’ll dig my camping mattress out and put it in the den tonight so it’ll be ready for you tomorrow. I think that’s it for now,” I said when nothing else came to me. “Questions?”

He shook his head.

“I guess I’ll see you after work tomorrow?” I said lamely, not sure how to end the conversation.

“Tomorrow.” He shot me a small smile. “Thanks.”

I shrugged and followed him to the door. “Remember this if I ever have to ask you a favor.”

He cracked a small smile, and we stood there for a few beats, staring at each other. It felt like there was more to say, but nothing came to mind.

“Have a good day tomorrow.” He shot me another small smile and pulled the door open.

“You too,” I said as he slipped out into the hall.

When he was gone, I trudged back into the kitchen to finish packing my food for tomorrow.

I’d just agreed to let Asa stay with me after spending the last four years actively avoiding him. Hopefully my generosity didn’t come back to bite me in the ass.

5

ASA

The soundof the front door closing caught my attention. I paused what I was doing and glanced at the doorway to the den.

I’d spent the last few hours moving my meager possessions into the apartment and trying to make the den work as a bedroom.

The space was small, which wasn’t a big deal since I was used to living in a single room, but it also didn’t have anything in it that I could use. No closet, shelves, or furniture other than the camping mattress that was barely bigger than a single bed and had taken way too long to fill up, even with the electric pump.

It wasn’t ideal, but it was infinitely better than sleeping in my car. I could deal with it for a few weeks while I looked for something else.

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