CHAPTER 15- HOUSE HUNTING
Kylie’s POV
My dampened mood cheered up for some reason and I immediately rushed across the street to say hi to him.
“Hi!!!!” I said as I skipped my way to him like a kindergartner.
“Kylie?” Joe turned towards me, momentarily pausing the serious conversation they were engaged in.
“Hi, Joe.” I smiled. Joe and I never talked, we just knew each other because he was on the team and I was Justin’s girlfriend back then.
He asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I live in the dormitory.” I pointed my finger at the building I just came out of. Joe looked at Elijah who was still maintaining his silence.
I said, “I did not expect to meet you both here.”
Joe opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but Elijah topped him, “He came here to meet his girlfriend. I just tagged along.”
“He has a girlfriend?”
“I have a girlfriend?”
Both of us asked in unison.
“Yes, you do.” Elijah looked into his friend’s eyes and said in an assertive tone. Joe was silent for a while before something clicked within him. He said, “Yes, yes! She is my girlfriend.” He then looked at me and said in a hushed tone, “We just started dating a few days ago so things are not that deep.”
“I see.” I commented before asking, “Did you manage to contact her? I can go in and call her if you want.”
“No. She will be here soon.” Joe put his hands inside his pocket and smiled awkwardly.
Elijah asked, “Where are you off to?”
“Oh, it’s a long story. I am looking for a house to rent near school so I am going to visit a few listings.”
“Is it so?” He said, “Are you going alone?”
“Yes. Jessica was supposed to accompany me but she got urgent work at the last moment.” I shrugged at my bad luck.
Successfully unlocked! ant.”
Elijah suddenly offered, “I can com Successfully
“Really?” My lips parted into a grin. Was he not busy?
He looked at the watch tied around his wrist and said, “I am free.”
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CHAPTER 15–HOUSE HUNTING
He had no idea how thankful I was for his generous offer. Even though this part of the city was considered a safe neighborhood, I was still skeptical about going to a new place alone. I immediately agreed to his offer lest his temperamental side change his mind.
We both caught the bus and rode to the first house which was just ten minutes away from the school premises.
Elijah and I had a little trouble finding the right house as the address was a little vague. When we finally reached the said building, we were bummed to see that the house looked… ancient.
There was algae on the wall and the infrastructure looked really weak.
“Are you sure we are at the right house?” He asked.
“I don’t know…”
Elijah looked at me with a confused expression, “What do you mean you don’t know? You did not look at the pictures online?”
“No…” I did not dare to look at him. I am sure he would be judging me heavily right now.
The subtle commotion made by us attracted the ears of the residents inside. A middle- aged woman with a built frame strode out of the house, asking, “Who are you? What do you want?”
I recognized this voice. She was the owner of the house with whom I spoke on the phone.
“Hello, I am Kylie. We spoke on the phone regarding the house you were renting out.” I grinned politely.
My introduction seemed to have rung a bell as her tone immediately softened down,” Oh, you. Please come inside, I was expecting you.”
Elijah opened the gate and let me in like a gentleman. The house owner took us to the second floor of the house and was bitching about the previous occupants of the house.
“Seriously. I did not want to rent this house after what they did but you sounded like a very nice girl over the phone so I agreed.” She said, her words backed up by the rumbling of the bunch of keys in her hand.
She opened the door of the house and let us in.
One look and I was immediately disappointed. The house looked more like a haunted hospital ward rather than a house.
The paint on the wall was worn off, the window was broken and there were spider
webs on the walls.
Was she seriously gatekeeping… this house?
Elijah and I looked at each other and without even saying anything, we both
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CHAPTER 15–HOUSE HUNTING
understood what was going on in the other person’s mind.
The landlady asked us to look around the house and we did. Honestly, there was nothing much to look around. The house had no separate bedroom; it was just a narrow space with one kitchen and a small bathroom. The house was so small that Elijah looked like a giant standing inside it.
“So, what do you think?” The landlady triggered the question seeing that none of us were talking.
I forced a smile and said, “The house is really pretty. Can we know how much the rent is?”
The rent around this area was affordable since it was for students but not everyone was generous. I had to make sure that my rent fit into my budget; I didn’t want to give half of my salary in rent.
What will I be left with for college then?
I did not mind the condition of the house. If it was affordable, I was down for it. But sadly, the price that the landlady put forth was outrageous.
“Eight hundred? Are you for real? The ad said you are looking for students to live here.”
I said.
“Yeah, I am.” She said.
“How can a student afford this? We don’t even have proper jobs.”
“That’s none of my concern. This is what the rent looks like around this area and some students are paying this price for accommodation.”
I did not appreciate her tone and the way she spoke to me. I was seriously questioning her sanity at this point.
Elijah stepped forward, maybe he understood that I was losing my patience. He said, ” Thank you for your time. We will get back home and contact you.”
The last looked at his face blankly and then took a glance at me. She accepted the fact that we did not like the house and shook her head, “Alright. Have a nice day.”
“You too.” I replied before following Elijah out of the house.
Once we were in the streets, I finally let out my disappointment, “That was not good.”
The man silently nodded, even I could say that he was disappointed. I cheered up and gathered back my broken spirit, “You know what, it’s ok. This was not the last house, I have a few more options. I am sure we can land on something.”
Three hours later…
“I can’t believe this.” Itossed my bag on one of the empty chairs at the restaurant table that we were occupying, “Six houses! We looked at six houses and none of them were good.”
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“It’s okay. Calm down.” Elijah replied as he sat down next to me.
“How can I? I don’t have much time to look around. By the end of this week, I will be kicked out of the dormitory.” I clutched my temples.
None of the houses were good; if one had the issue of water facilities, the other had shady male occupants making it a terrible accomodation for a single girl. I said, “I don’t think I will find anything that will fit in my budget.”
“You know you can come live with me, right?” The man said. I looked up at his blank face, trying to determine if he was serious or just teasing me. I said, “No, you have helped me enough. I can’t make you sleep on the couch every day.”
“Was I not good in bed?” His tone was too serious for the line he just threw. My face immediately started to burn and I turned away, “Can you be serious for one moment?”
“What? I am serious. I thought I was well–behaved the last time we shared a bed. I didn‘ t even let a finger slide across your body.”
I shook my head, avoiding answering his question. The waiter came to take our order, Elijah ordered himself a burger with a side of fries and asked me what I wanted to have.
“Nothing!” I said in a stoic tone.
Elijah handed over the menu back to the waiter and said, “She will have the same along with a strawberry frappuccino and chicken nuggets.”
I was not upset, instead I felt a pang of happiness within me because he knew what I liked.
He placed his hands around my shoulders and said, “I will help you find a house. Don’t worry.”
“Really? You will?”
“Yes, I am from the neighborhood. I know where to find a house that won’t drill a hole in your pocket.”
“Thank you but… it’s okay. I have already troubled you enough. I can’t make you work more.” I seriously was feeling guilty for this guy. He was just a fake boyfriend but he was helping me more than Justin ever even tried to.
The boy said, “I know you can do it alone but you don’t have to.” He pulled my chair closer to him, making my heart race, “Just sit down and relax, let you man do the work for you.”
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