2
The next day, as I was getting ready to head out, I ran into Lucas face–to–face.
I had rented him the apartment above mine. The elevator was working fine, so he must have been deliberately waiting there.
When I opened my door, I saw him quickly step back. He had been standing right outside my apartment.
My heart skipped a beat as I suddenly thought of all those news stories about women living alone who end up as victims.
In that moment, I deeply regretted not having Ryan come over earlier.
“Amelia? I thought you weren’t home?” Lucas said.
Those words sent chills down my spine.
If he thought I wasn’t home, why was he waiting outside my door? What was he planning to do?
Trying to hide my fear, I replied coldly, “I got back early this morning. What are you doing outside my apartment? My boyfriend will be here any minute. If you don’t need anything, he can head to your place earlier”
Lucas scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. “My cat got out. I thought I heard meowing coming from your apartment. Did it maybe sneak in there?”
3:59 PM
<
As he spoke, he tried to peek into my apartment, his eyes darting around.
“I don’t have a cat. Go look somewhere else,” I said firmly.
But he ignored me and took a step forward, wedging his foot in the doorway.
“I’ll just take a quick look. I won’t bother you, I promise. Please let me in, he insisted.
I instinctively tried to close the door, but I was no match for a grown man, even a skinny one like him.
“If you don’t back off, I’m calling the police!” I threatened.
Just then, my savior arrived.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Ryan shouted.
With one hand, he yanked Lucas away from the door and slammed him against the opposite wall. Lucas let out a yelp as he hit the wall and slumped to the floor.
“Were you trying to break in? I’m calling the cops!” Ryan pulled out his phone, looking ready to actually call.
Lucas scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain, and quickly apologized to Ryan.
“No, no, please don’t! I was just trying to find my cat. She closed the door on my foot when I tried to look inside. I wasn’t breaking in, I swear. It’s all a misunderstanding!”
“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to!” Ryan snapped.
Lucas turned to me and bowed deeply, apologizing profusely.
Now that I had calmed down a bit, I wanted to confirm one more thing.
“This is my boyfriend,” I said, gesturing to Ryan. “Didn’t you say your plumbing was broken? Why don’t we go take a look now?”
Lucas’s expression flickered for a moment before he replied, “Oh, the plumbing? I actually managed to fix it myself yesterday. Everything’s fine now. Sorry for the trouble.”
With that, he turned and left, not mentioning the cat again.
I was in no state to go to work. All I could think about was Lucas trying to force his way into my apartment.
If Ryan hadn’t shown up, I didn’t want to imagine what might have happened.
I sat on the couch as Ryan brought me a glass of water.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently.
Im fine. How did you get here so early?”
Ryan stuffed a bagel in his mouth. “Your message last night freaked me out. I flew back first thing this morning and came straight here. Good thing I did.
“How long is your lease with this guy? Just terminate it. Having someone like that living nearby is like a ticking time bomb.”
So I sent Lucas a message saying I was terminating his lease.
He didn’t reply for a long time.
But I saw that the post about the crush had been updated:
“The female tenant has a boyfriend. He’s tall, dark, and handsome. But I think I still have a good chance. After all, girls these days prefer slim, fair–skinned guys like me.
“I went to her door today looking for my lost cat. We chatted a bit, and she even batted her eyelashes at me. Her boyfriend caught us and
3:59 PM
<
“Now she says she doesn’t want to rent to me anymore. It must be her boyfriend’s idea. Can anyone tell me what I should do?”
Now I was certain the poster was Lucas. Even if the earlier similarities were coincidental, there was no way this could be another coincidence.
He must have stolen the profile picture from someone else.
Some commenters were starting to catch on:
“Homewreckers are despicable.”
“Even if you’re handsome, it’s not okay to break up someone else’s relationship.”
But some people still believed in “looks are everything“:”
“She flirted with him too! It’s not like the guy is delusional.”
[9]>
“OMG, not only is he gorgeous, but he’s also an animal lover? I’m in love!”
“I live for this kind of forbidden romance!
“Keep pursuing her! Maybe she’ll dump her boyfriend and get with you. The tenant could become the landlady!”
I forwarded the post to Ryan.
4
“Tall, dark, and handsome‘? Excuse me, this is called a sun–kissed glow. I worked hard for this tan, thank you very much! What does he know?
Who would want a scrawny guy who goes down with one punch? My lean muscles are what’s trendy now!”
Ryan’s finger swiped left, opening the poster’s profile.
“Wait a second. This photo…”
