= Chris POV =

  The apartment felt cavernous now, an empty shell stripped of all Sarah's things, leaving only the tension hanging thick between us. The movers had taken the st of her boxes, and the click of the closing door echoed like a final nail sealing her fate.

  Sarah stood in the center of the spotless room, her arms wrapped around herself as if the chill of the night air had seeped into her bones. Her eyes were locked on me, desperate, pleading, and utterly lost.

  “Please, Chris, don’t do this to me. Please. I am literally homeless right now—for real this time,” she begged, her voice barely above a whisper.

  I ignored her. I had to. If I let her words sink in, if I allowed myself to feel sympathy now, I’d unravel completely.

  “Ma’am, that’s the st of the boxes. Shall we proceed to the storage unit?” The mover's voice broke the silence, cutting through Sarah’s fragile whimpers.

  “Yes,” I said briskly, not even looking at her. “I’ll be right over. When you get there, start unloading onto the trolleys in the lobby.”

  The man nodded and left. The door shut behind him, and we were alone.

  “Why are you ignoring me?” Sarah’s voice wavered, the pout on her lips trembling.

  I snapped.

  “Because I am literally starving, exhausted, and I have had it up to here with your insanity, Sarah!” My words hit her like a sp, and she flinched.

  Her eyes widened, glossy with unshed tears, and her bottom lip quivered as she opened her mouth to speak.

  “I’m so—” she started, but the apology was lost. I didn’t care.

  I closed the distance between us in two strides and grabbed her, pulling her flush against me.

  “Can I kiss you?” I asked, my voice husky, my breath fanning her face as my lips hovered just inches from hers.

  Her eyes darted to my mouth, and then back up to meet my gaze.

  “Y-Yes,” she stammered, as if she couldn’t believe what was happening.

  I didn’t wait for her to second-guess herself. My lips crashed into hers, ciming her in a way that was raw and unrelenting. My fingers tangled into her hair, pulling her closer, while my other hand gripped her waist so tightly she gasped. Her initial resistance melted away as she clung to me, her nails digging into my shirt and then into my skin beneath it.

  The kiss deepened, bruising and desperate, neither of us willing to let go even as the world seemed to tilt beneath our feet. My head was spinning, and when I finally pulled away, both of us were breathless.

  “One,” I said, my voice rough.

  Sarah blinked, dazed. “One what?” she asked, her voice trembling as she tried to catch her breath.

  “One payment. You owe me two more, or else you get two strikes.” I checked my watch. 11:30 PM. “And seeing as the day is almost up, you most definitely get two strikes.”

  “No, seriously. You can’t seriously be keeping this stu—” She stopped herself mid-sentence, biting back the words, and then groaned as her hands ran through her hair.

  Her voice broke when she spoke again.

  “Oh my God. I am actually homeless right now.” She sank down to the floor, burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook, and for a moment, I thought she might fall apart completely.

  I didn’t know whether to feel guilty or relieved. My emotions were tangled, raw, and impossible to sort out. But even as Sarah crumbled in front of me, the hunger that had simmered between us lingered, electric and impossible to ignore.

  And I knew we were far from done.

  +++

  “Yeah, and I am in possession of all your belongings. You don’t even have the deposit to pay me even if you wanted to. Oh, and you didn’t mention how exactly you nded this illegally rented out apartment. Was it perhaps by sleeping with her husband to get it?” I asked, but I already knew the answer. Sarah had slept with guys in the past during our college days for less.

  Sarah looked down and rubbed her arm sheepishly. “Well, at least I got him to write out an actual tenancy. The st apartment that I got evicted from, the guy didn’t even give me a contract,” she said meekly.

  I walked away from her, seething. I rubbed my face with my hands. I was so tired, so exhausted. The exhiration I felt every time I kissed Sarah was not enough to keep this engine running, but it was just enough.

  Sarah was clearly not safe. If I just left her to her own defenses, the question of ‘Would she end up in another hopeless situation to get by?’ was 100%.

  Hopeless. Literally useless.

  I thought after college she would have become a lot more independent by living on her own, but it seemed that she still needed dear ol’ Chris to pay the rent and deal with unwanted pests like past or present cheating boyfriends that came around to dorm rooms asking for a cuddle during mid-term exams.

  I turned around and walked back over to her. The ache I felt as I saw Sarah awkwardly sitting there in the few clothes she had in her possession right now made me want to just crumble and give her anything she wanted, but I was clearly being taken advantage of here.

  I crossed my arms and stared at her. Yeah, if she was going to burden me this much, then the least she could do was make it worth my while.

  Sarah looked up at me, her eyes wide and unsteady, and something in the way she bit her lip sent a wave of heat through me. My patience was hanging by a thread, and the fire simmering in my veins burned brighter as her gaze lingered too long.

  “Get up,” I said, my voice low and commanding.

  She obeyed, shaky and unsure, but her body practically hummed with nervous energy as she stood in front of me.

  “Prove to me you can be worth it,” I murmured, stepping closer, my fingers brushing the curve of her jaw before tilting it upward. “Show me, Sarah.”