I slipped the key into the keyhole and got halfway through turning it before the doorknob was pulled from my hands as Chris violently yanked open the door from the otherside. He then closed it sharply just enough to fit his face between the door and the frame. He smiled and glanced from me to Octavia. 

“Wwwwelcome back” He said, happier than I felt he should be.

“Oh, cool. You got a boyfriend.” Octavia said, not even looking at the door and finger-combing her hair.

“What? He’s not my boyfriend!” I yelled back, attempting to shoulder barge the door open. Chris stood back suddenly and I almost fell through the doorway, to both of their amusement. I glared at Chris and straightened myself out.

“Is he always this much of a buzz-kill?”Octavia asked as she stepped in and pushed her suitcase off to the side. Before I could object, Chris answered.

“Hmmm, Yeah, pretty much. Hasn’t always been like this, but is mostly nowadays.” He said with a smile, sliding up to Octavia. She was a fair bit shorter than him and had to look up to look him in the eyes. She took a step back and looked him up and down, just like she had done before. Chris was the kind of guy where simple mind games tended to work on him. It wasn’t that he was stupid, he’s just a little… blissfully ignorant. Octavia looked him up and down, assessing him if you will, and then lent back and chuckled a little. Chris’s face slipped into confusion and he looked around and then down at himself. 

“What? whatdoI-” He started in confusion.

“Nothing,” I called from the kitchen bench. “She’s just being an asshole.”

Although he wasn’t dressed quite as crappy as Octavia, he’s seen better days. His hair was a lighter brown and had little dark blonde strands throughout it. It was a little shorter than mine, but only by a bit, and was wavy and slightly curly simultaneously. He had the startings of a small beard on his chin and along his jaw that connected to his moustache. He was tanner than we were and had lime yellow-green eyes. Despite his mildly stunning appearance, he ruined the effect by wearing a crusty old Master of Puppets shirt, sweatpants and odd socks. Chris nervously looked down and around and attempted to scratch some mystery stain off the collar of his shirt. As he did, he noticed Octavia’s bare feet in front of him, as she had taken her shoes off at the door. Right while his brain was in the middle of its confusion spasm, he could only manage to articulate a single word.

“Feet.”

Octavia giggled and I sighed deeply.

These are the people I’m stuck with. 

These are the people I need to make money.

To live.

We’re so doomed.

“Jeez dude, you never told me your boyfriend was so hot,” Octavia said, breaking my thoughts. She slid right up to him, chests touching, and put her arms straight out, rested them on his shoulders and giggled.

“Or is he your brother? I can’t really tell, but there is always one ugly brother” She purred, as she led him on further. With Chris with his back to me, Octavia could see past him to me, and glared at me with a smile. “I’m gonna make you regret all those things you said~” the gaze clearly said. I swiftly went over and pulled Chris away from her, much to his annoyance. Octavia smiled once more then glided past us.

“I’m using your can, don’t touch my stuff” She called as she wandered towards the bathroom. As the sound of the door closing and the lock clicking finished, I snapped my head towards Chris and pulled him into the kitchen area. 

“Dude! You could’ve replied to my text and said she was hot, cuz’,

uh,

SHE IS.

I would’ve stolen a pair of your pants or something to look better. You know how good my ass looks in jeans-” Chris started, mesmerised. I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. 

“CHRIS…Chris. We’ve been friends since middle-school, yeah?” I started. 

Chris nodded.

“And you know I hate to see you get hurt?”

Nod.

“So please trust me on this, don’t get into her. She’s clearly leading you on. You’ve already been divorced, don’t put yourself into another bad relationship.” 

Instead of a nod, I was returned with a frown. It definitely pissed him off for me to use his ex wife like that. I wasn’t trying to make him angry, only trying to prove a point. 

“You’ve known her for hardly ten minutes” Chris hissed back at me. “You don’t know”

“Neither do you” I sneered back through gritted teeth. I sighed and dropped my hands from his shoulders. 

“Just… keep it in mind, ‘kay? I’m just trying to help. Watch what she does. Regulate yourself.” I said, taking a step back and leaning against the bench. 

“I’ll try, but did you see those tits? JESUS CHRIST, if I-” Chris started before I started slapping him to shut up. Just as Chris managed to wrestle me into a headlock my phone buzzed again. 

“I’m getting sick of all these people talking to me” I said as I reached around to grab my phone out of my back pocket as Chris refused to release me from his grip.