Chapter 1 Two New Roommates

Amber Madison had been hiding a juicy secret from everyone she knew for years. Back in high school, she was juggling two boyfriends who just so happened to be twins! But things took a sour turn, and the relationships ended abruptly before Amber left for college up north. She never spoke to them again.

Nowadays, things weren't going great for Amber. Jobs were scarce, and even college graduates were struggling to find decent gigs. To make matters worse, she'd been sexually harassed at her previous job and had to quit, spending six months in Arlington and getting nothing in the end. But she was back living with her parents now, who'd helped her find work as a designer. The job had its downsides, though, with long hours and low pay. The only upside was that Amber was living rent-free.

The only problem was that Amber's office was located in a swanky new zone, while her parents lived in the old city area. That meant an hour and a half commute each way every day. With only a grand left in her pocket, Amber was seriously considering renting a place closer to work.

But her mom, Jenny, wasn't having it. "What's the big deal with a longer commute?" she scoffed. "You think living out there is better than living here?"

Amber rolled her eyes. "Uh, yeah, Mom, I don't wanna spend my whole life stuck in traffic. And don't even get me started on how tired the job will be. I need my beauty sleep!"

Jenny just waved her hand dismissively. "Cut the drama, Amber. If you move out, don't expect me to help you out financially."

But Amber wasn't going to let her mom stop her. She started scrolling through rental options, and eventually found a sweet deal near her workplace. It was in a high-end community, but the rent was surprisingly affordable. The only catch? It was a shared apartment with two male roommates.

Amber wasn't sure about living with dudes she didn't know, but she really wanted to live closer to work. Her mom was quite a reserved woman, so Amber didn't even dare to tell her that she was going to share the place with two men. When Amber told Jenny that she was planning to move out, Jenny's only response was, "Share an apartment with your messy habits? You'll probably get kicked out in no time!"

Amber thought about it for a while, but eventually decided to take the plunge. She arranged a viewing for the next day at noon, since she knew she wouldn't be able to drag herself out of bed earlier than that. Plus, she had an interview at work in the afternoon, and she could get the two things down once.

In that morning, Amber dressed to impress. She wore her best suit, killer heels, and carried her only designer handbag. But after a one-and-a-half-hour commute, she felt like she was losing her dream in the crowded traffic. Her clothes were wrinkled, and even her carefully styled hair was messed up.

It was then that Amber realized she needed to make a change. She didn't want to waste the best time of her life stuck in traffic every day. She wanted to be beautiful, and that meant getting more sleep. So she decided to rent the apartment, even though it meant sharing with two guys she didn't know. "After all, sometimes you've gotta take a risk to get what you want," she thought to herself.

Amber met up with the rental agency and scoped out the apartment. The place looked awesome, and the agent was working hard to convince her that it was the perfect spot. "These two guys are super clean and always busy with work, so they're never around," he said. "Plus, the price and location are unbeatable. You gotta give me an answer today, though, because there are a ton of other people who want to see it."

The agent saw the excitement on Amber's face and knew he had her hooked. As a young adult new to the real world, Amber was an easy target for his slick talk. Her mom had given her some cash to help out, but after signing the lease, Amber realized she'd have barely any money left.

Still, the memory of her grueling commute was fresh in her mind, and Amber made the tough call to sign on the dotted line. The contract took almost all her cash and even a little on her credit card. "Why is rent so dang expensive?" she muttered to herself.

The landlord was a no-show, so the agent gave Amber his contact info. Amber didn't even notice his name was Ryan, as she was in a rush to make it to her interview. The interview was easy-peasy, and HR gave her the thumbs up right away. With her work permit in hand, Amber realized coming back to this apartment might not be such a bad move after all. At least she had enough cash to get by.

Moving in was a piece of cake for Amber, since she didn't have much to bring with her. She fibbed to her mom that she was moving in with some female roomies and only packed a suitcase. She couldn't let her folks deliver her stuff to the house because they wouldn't let her live with two men. Before taking off, Amber texted her mom, "Hey Mom, starting work tomorrow and found a place. Moving in now."

Jenny thought Amber was still acting like a little kid, just taking off without any warning. She was even more peeved when she got home and found that all the food in the fridge was gone, including the half-empty carton of milk that Amber hadn't finished.

"Even that home invader last time was more polite than her," Jenny grumbled.

Amber got to the house around 4 pm, but her roomies weren't home yet. She quickly packed her stuff, thankful it was summertime so she could bring less clothes and bedding, and she figured she'd go back for her other stuff later. Her belongings were sparse, and she finished packing by 5:30 pm. She wiped the sweat from her brow and felt a little grubby, so she went to take a quick shower.

Unfortunately, Amber was forgetful, especially in a new environment. And she'd made a pretty big oopsie: she'd forgotten to bring a towel. She didn't feel like putting on her undies or bra again, so she just threw on a big t-shirt and headed back to her room. But as she walked by the living room, her two roommates came walking in.

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