Bad News

*Ding Dong

"Wait!" Amara answered in annoyance.

She makes sure to wrap her bathroom towel around her body tightly before opening the door. Furrowing her brows, she looks at the delivery man in front of her, who seems to be frozen in place. The man scans her from head to toe before swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Ah--"

"Are you done ogling?" she bluntly pointed out.

The man embarrassingly turned his head away when he heard what she said. His whole face noticeably turned red. With trembling hands, he hands over a letter before turning away quickly. Poor innocent boy, he must be. Well, you can't blame him. Amara is fully aware of her oozing sexiness and charm. Added to the fact that her towel barely reached to cover what should not be seen, and the rest is her fair thighs and slender legs.

She closed the door and opened the letter immediately when she read it came under her landlady's name. Somehow, it smells terrible news.

--

Dear Amara Mondragon,

Thank you for your valued tenancy. This Notice is to inform you that beginning on March 01, 2022, the $850 monthly rent for the unit you currently occupy, 069 at Xavier Heights, will increase to $999 per month. This rental payment is due on February 22, 2022.

This Notice is given to you seven days before your next rental payment. If you wish to continue your tenancy, a new monthly rental fee of $999 is required. Please be advised that all other terms of your August 2021 rental agreement remain in effect.

Please sign the Notice below, indicating your agreement and continued tenancy. If you disagree, you have seven days to indicate your disagreement and subsequent termination of tenancy.

If you have any questions regarding this issue, please contact the rental office and ask for your landlady's name.

Sincerely,

Pauline Sy

--

"Oh freaking great!"

Just when she thought her life couldn't be more troublesome, God decided to dump her another stack of problems. Weakly sitting down on the dining chair, Amara mindlessly dials her best friend's cell number.

*ring ring

"Gia, where are you?" she blurted after her friend answered.

"Oh goodness! Please don't call me that right now, Amara. I'm with the family. Dad is going to have a heart attack if he hears it." A soft masculine voice in a whisper tone can be heard from the other line.

Amara chuckled in response. Her gay friend never fails to lighten up her mood, no matter the circumstances.

"Alright, Giovan. Can we meet this weekend? I need your help this time."

"Oh really? Amara Mondragon finally asks for help! Should I confess to my Dad about my sexuality now?" Giovan teased.

"Go ahead; I wouldn't mind being your nurse when you're battered and bruised, dear."

"Gosh, no thanks. You might end up killing me instead."

"Glad you know. See you this weekend, girl. Don't ditch me or else--"

"Yes, yes, your highness. Thank you for your malevolence."

After the call, Amara sighed deeply. She looks around her single bedroom apartment, where she has lived for the past six months. She still remembers how gratifying it was when she first moved here because the money she paid was all from her hard work and side hustles, not from her grandparent's richness or her scumbag father.

From where she is sitting, Amara can directly see a small living room in front of her, consisting only of a 3-seater sofa and a coffee table, and across it is a tv and a small cabinet. Natural morning light is peeking from the glass sliding door beside it, which leads to a balcony.

On her right side, there are two closed doors. One leads to the bedroom, and the other is to the shared bathroom. The dining table only consists of two seats, and behind it is a corridor-style kitchen. Though the apartment is small, it is complete with utilities and appliances. And more than enough for two people to live inside or should I say, it's designed perfectly for couples.

Amara stands up and heads to her bedroom to dress up now, feeling the cold from the air conditioner. From the door, you can directly see a modern enclosed bunk bed.

This is what she likes about this apartment because it is well designed and with intelligent furniture layouts.

Below the lower bed were cabinets and the stairs to the upper bed area are with hidden cabinets too. Another feature of the bed is it has a curtain where you can decide to pull it to cover your privacy when you sleep. Beside the bed is the floor-to-ceiling closet cabinet. Across it is a vanity table, and across from the bed is the study table. It is spacious for one person living alone. And it is comfier when you have one more person in it: especially when Giovan visited her here and sleepover.

But now, she has to share it with anyone other than Giovan.

With her current circumstances, the best solution for her problem with the rent is to look for a roommate to split the costs immediately, or else she risks sleeping on the streets with all the bills from her college tuition and her savings coming short! Other than that, she still needs to find a new agency to continue her part-time modeling career. It's really troublesome!

Finding another apartment is also out of the question because it is a much more convenient place for her university life as it's only a walking distance from the campus.

But the most troubling question is, who would dare to be a roommate of Amara Mondragon?