I almost laugh.“Responsible?He’s the worst.He has no respect for me or this apartment.And I already told him—I want a refund.”
Another pause.Then: “Alright.I’ll talk to your father.You know living off-campus isn’t cheap, but we’ll look into something.Maybe a smaller place.Just… stay calm, okay?You’ll move as soon as we find something affordable.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“I mean it, Cameron,” she says, her tone firm now.“Stay away from thatFoxboy.I don’t want his behavior rubbing off on you.Honestly, how can someone raised in a decent home turn out so…indecent?”
She doesn’t wait for an answer before she hangs up.
I sigh and drop my phone on the bed.Maybe I exaggerated a little—just enough to convince them.But it’s not like I lied.Not really.Foxisintolerable.
And then… the door creaks open.
I glance up, already dreading what I’ll see.
Fox leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, and his ever-present smirk stretches across his face like he’senjoyingthis.
I groan.“What do you want now?”
He shrugs casually, like this is just another morning in paradise.“Just wanted to check on the little crybaby.Heard you calling Mommy to complain.”
I stand up, jaw tightening.“Seriously?”
“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”he says, pushing off the doorframe and stepping into the room.“All that whining about me.God, you’re such a girl.”
I glare at him.“Right.Because being a ‘man’ means acting like an entitled jackass and throwing a tantrum whenever you don’t get your way?”
His eyes narrow slightly, but I don’t stop.
“How’s that working out for you, Fox?You’re such a big, bad man, but your dad doesn’t even trust you to live on your own.”
The second the words leave my mouth, I feel the shift.
The smirk drops.
His face goes still—blank, like a mask falling into place.But his eyes?They darken.
The air in the room thickens.I instantly regret it.
Too far.
Fox stares at me, jaw clenched, fists tight at his sides.When he speaks, his voice is low and lethal.
“What did you just say?”He steps forward, closing the distance between us.I instinctively take a step back, trying to put some space between us.
“Look, just leave, alright?I don’t want to fight.”
Before I can react, Fox shoves me hard against the wall, his face inches from mine.His blue eyes burn with fury, and I can feel my heart racing.
“Watch your fucking mouth,” he growls.
I bite my lip and say nothing.
“Don’t ever talk about me or my dad like that again, you little piece of shit.”He glares at me for a moment longer, then turns and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
I exhale, staring at the door.What the hell was I thinking?Why did I have to provoke him like that?He deserved it, sure, but still…I should’ve kept my mouth shut.Fox is impossible to deal with.Why do I keep pushing him like that?The way Fox gets under my skin is unlike anything I’ve experienced before, and I can’t tell if it’s anger, attraction, or both.
It’s been weeks since that fight with Fox, and things have been eerily quiet between us.My parents still haven’t found a more affordable apartment, and it’s too late in the semester to secure a spot in the dorms.I’m stuck here, for now.
