Page 5 of Bro Amazing

I need to become a live-in girlfriend.

Before I can talk myself out of what I'm about to do, I grab my coat and head to the train. As I step onto the platform, though, something occurs to me and I nearly falter. What if, because I've waited so long, they've found someone else to fill the position? Or they won't accept me because I turned them down the first time? Or I'm not pretty enough? What if my reaction to the whole thing tipped them off that I am nowhere near as experienced as they probably want their shared girlfriend to be?

Even as all these doubts cloud my mind, The El rattles on. I have to at least go and see at this point. I'll just have to be humble and nice and convince them I'm the woman for the job.

Unless it's already taken. Then I don't know what I'll do.

I practice my speech, laying out my entire argument why they should hire me as their live-in girlfriend as I walk from the train station to their house. Moving in with them will be worth it in the end. It has to be.

Keeping in mind that the last time they told me I knocked too softly, I bang my fist against the door before stepping back to wait. Either way, once this door opens, I'll know my fate. I'll either become a live-in girlfriend, or a washed-up writer sleeping on someone's sofa.

The door flings open, startling my speech right out of my head. It must be one thick door for me not to have heard any movement on the other side.

"You guys need to take a fucking turn answering the door sometimes," Miles yells back up the hall. As soon as he sees it's me though, his face lights up. "Wow! You came back."

"Um, yeah." Forget just my speech disappearing, all of my words seem to have fled as well. I can't chicken out now. It's this or sofa city. "Is the position still open?"

"It is. Does that mean you'll take it?" Miles's eyes grow bigger with each word.

"If I can move in today or tomorrow." I close my eyes and take a breath. I've just sealed my fate.

"You can move in right now." Miles backs up into the hallway. "Come on in, I'll show you where your room is and get you a key."

"There isn't anything else you want to ask me before we all live together?" This whole thing still sounds super sketchy and like a bad idea, but there’s really no going back now.

"No." Miles scratches his head and looks up to the ceiling. "I can't think of anything."

"Well, my name is Clarissa." How could he have overlooked such a big question? I thought computer people were supposed to be smart.

"We've just been calling you Hot Girl, but Clarissa works too." Miles leads me upstairs, pointing to each door as we walk down the hall and telling me who sleeps in each room. My head is spinning because I'm actuallydoingthis. There's no way I'm going to be able to remember this. All I'm taking in right now is that this upstairs hallway is just as dark and dingy as the last one.

I just need to keep breathing. Everything is going to be okay. So what if I'm moving in with five strange guys I met because of a flyer. And so what I'm now trading my body for a place to live. At least I'm going to be able to continue to follow my dream of being a full-time writer and get the experience I need to writehigher heat books. That's what I need to keep reminding myself of. I’m still a good girl. They aren't using me, I'm using them.

"And this one here will be your room." Miles opens the door at the very end of the hall. "It's the only one with an en suite, and we thought it was only fair for it to be yours."

Miles looks a little sheepish as he admits this last part. I'm not sure if it's because they wanted to do something nice for me—or whoever their live-in girlfriend was—or if it's because of the room itself. It's not a bad room, but it's not great either. Empty. Basic and boring. Very beige, with some faded paint rectangles where past tenants had pinned up posters. Overall, though, I could do a lot worse for a free room.

Well, not free. I'll definitely be paying in one form or another. At least for a little while.

"It's great." I force a to smile even though I'd rather curl up in a ball and cry. "Thank you. It's really sweet of all of you to let me have my own bathroom as well."

"You're welcome." Miles blushes even deeper. "We could help you move if you want. I mean, we don't have an ARAM until this evening. Until then we're just co-oping against bots."

Although I have no idea what Miles just said, they're clearly making an effort to be sweet, at least for now. For some reason, their kindness makes me want to cry even more.

"I actually haven't started packing yet." Yikes, I have so much to do. I can't believe this is actually happening. That I'm agreeing to this ridiculousness. "I didn't know if you'd gotten someone to move in or not already."

Miles looks down and toys with a loose trim board with the toe of his shoe. "You were actually the only one who showed up to even ask us about it."

My first thought is,That's because all the other women in this town have way more dignity and self-preservation than me. But it's clear Miles doesn't see it that way. He sees it moreas being rejected, and I can't help but feel bad for him. The flyer was kind of creepy, but maybe they just didn't know of any other way to find a personal connection since so much of their lives seem to be online.

"Well, their loss is my gain." Oof. No wonder my career is suffering if I use cliché phrases like this.

"True." Miles smiles a little more, but it's not the same as when I first walked through the front door. "Let's go tell the guys."

I follow him back down to the first floor and he peeks his head into the computer room. The other gamers don't even look our way, completely focused on their screens. All I can see are different colors moving around fast. And even though they're all wearing headphones, the room is nearly deafening with the clacking of keyboard keys. Loud, fast, and hard.

"Faker, you're overextending and these creeps will collapse on you." Helix pulls back one of his headphones and asks, "Who was at the door?"

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