THE SUN IS starting to set as I step outside, leaving streaks of orange and pink in the sky as I walk back in the direction of my car. I'm trying to rack my brain for a solution to my current situation, but everything that I think of, seems equally as insane as the last.
"Robyn!" Isla runs to catch up, grabbing my arm before I can take another step. "What the hell is going on?"
"They don't have a room."
"What?" she asks as my phone vibrates in my back pocket. A groan falls from my lips as I reach for it, suspecting it's my mom calling already, but my heart settles when I finds the goofy photo of Stevie lighting up my screen with her call.
"Hey Vee," I say, bringing the phone to my ear. "You are not going to believe my day."
"I was just about to say the same thing," she says with a laugh. "What happened?"
"Well, I am presently homeless," I say as my eyes dart to Isla. A part of me thinks this is all a nightmare, and I'll wake up tomorrow and still be in my bed in Malibu. The other part is knowing that right now, my best, and possible only option is making the commute. It's not the end of the world, but it's also the end of the world.
"What does that mean?" Stevie asks. "I thought you were moving into the dorms today?"
A snicker falls from my lips as I pull the phone from my ear, setting it to speaker phone so Isla can hear too. "Oh, I thought so too. It turns out my paperwork got lost in their system and they don't have a room for me, so I'm kind of screwed. I'm going to have to sleep in my car," I explain before the realization hits and my head starts to spin. "Oh God, I'm going to have to sleep in my car."
"You are not," Isla argues. "You can just stay with me until they get your room sorted."
"Isla, I'm not about to get you into trouble."
"They have to put you up somewhere!" Stevie argues over the phone. "How can they not have any extra rooms?"
"She said they're at full capacity," I tell her, hiding behind my hand. "What am I supposed to do? I can't call my mom. It's only going to prove I can't do this on my own, which is the exact opposite of the point I'm trying to make."
Isla looks at me with sad eyes, just as lost as I am when Stevie's voice hangs between us. "I mean... you're not completely out of options," she offers. "There is Greyson."
"Greyson... your brother, Greyson?" I ask as if I know another Greyson she'd be offering me up to. I try to ignore the flutter that fills my stomach knowing that her eldest brother lives in Los Angeles, full-time and the first boy that ever made me stupid.
I didn't think being boy crazy was possible, but Greyson crazy was definitely a thing, and I was absolutely a victim of it.
"Would he be up for that?" Isla asks when she sees me fall silent.
"I don't see why he wouldn't be," Stevie says. "He's barely home as it is, and he's got an empty room. Just sit tight, okay, Robby? I'll call him and see what he says."
"I seriously love you."
"I love you, too," she says. "You too, Isla! I'll call you back, okay?"
"Love you, too, Vee," Isla says.
I'm about to end the call when I remember she had called me. "Wait, you had something to tell me."
"Oh, it's not important. Don't worry about it," she says and before either of us can argue, she hangs up and I'm left to my own devices. I chew my bottom lip as I look at Isla, knowing I should probably stay put, but Greyson's apartment isn't that fair from the UCLA campus and I've been there before. Enough times, that I know how to get there now.
"Robyn, she said to wait," Isla says, watching the look in my eyes.
"Yeah, but he won't be able to say no if he sees me looking all pathetic on his doorstep."
"Robby," she says, but my mind is already made up as I head back in the direction of my car. She follows me without hesitation, arguing that I should stay all the way to my car, but when I open the door she stops as she comes to the edge of the sidewalk. "Let me know how it goes."
I grin. "Love you, Isla."
"Love you," she says as I slide into my driver seat, settling behind the wheel with a grin.
My hand hangs over the keyless start, pressing my foot into the brake pedal as the car comes to life. I'm almost thankful for the traffic that fills the busy roads as I pull away from campus, giving myself some time to figure out what to say to convince Greyson this is the best option for both of us, where I get all the benefits, and he has to deal with a roommate. It's a win-win situation, and I almost let myself believe he'll see it that way too when I park outside his building.
A tenant leaving holds the door open when they see me coming up to the door, letting me in without needing to get buzzed in, and as I wait patiently in the elevator for Greyson's floor, I grow more anxious. I rarely get nervous, but Greyson has always been a weak spot for me. I don't know what it is, but when I'm near him, I can barely think straight.
When I get to his door, I realize I should have waited for Stevie to call me back instead of going with my very over the top plan of ambushing him, but it doesn't stop me from knocking on the door. I press my lips together and steady my breath as I square my shoulders, standing taller as I wait for him to answer the door.
"Robyn?" Greyson opens the door with a confused look on his face and I can't help the smile that crawls onto my lips at the sight of his ice-blue eyes, the kind of eyes you can swim in if you spent long enough staring into them, and holy hell, I nearly forgot how pretty he is.
"Hi," I say as I shift my weight, squeezing the strap of my bag. "I'm... kind of in a bit of a situation."
"Oh?"
I nod. "I take it Vee hasn't called yet?"
"N–" he starts when his phone rings, showing me Stevie's contact on the screen when he pulls it out before answering it. "Stevie."
I wait nervously in the hallway, chewing my bottom lip, unsure of what Stevie's going to say when a laugh falls from Greyson's mouth. The sound making my heart skip and I quickly realize my crush is not going to help me in this situation. I thought I was over it, after Chase and everything, but standing here and looking at him, I have no idea how I ever convinced myself that was possible.
He's perfection in human form.
"You don't say," he hums as he leans into the door frame, giving me a knowing look. "Does this favor happen to have anything to do with Robyn?" he asks, meeting my eyes and I offer another nervous smile. "Come on, Vee, we both know she's not one to listen," he teases me and then holds the phone out to me.
I sigh in defeat as I take it from him, and bring it to my ear. "Hi."
"I told you to wait!"
"I know, but I figured he couldn't say no if I was standing in front of him."
I can already tell she's rolling her eyes. "You've met my brother, right? He wouldn't say no, Robyn. Especially not to you."
As soon as the words leave her lips, I look up and find his eyes on me. I know she's saying it because I'm her best friend, and he'd do anything for Stevie, but the small part of me that can't see that, wants his reasoning to be because of me.
"Yeah, I know," I say.
"Okay, well, I'm going to let you handle this," she says. "Give him the phone back."
I smile weakly as I hold it out to him. "Should I be worried?" he asks as he brings the phone up to his ear again, listening to whatever Stevie says before saying goodbye. "What's going on, Robyn?" he asks as he tucks his phone into his back pocket, taking a step back to let me into his apartment.
"I'm kind of homeless right now," I say as I turn to face him. "To make a long story short, the housing office at UCLA sucks, and it was either come here and beg you to let me stay or sleep in my car," I tell him as I settle on the arm of his couch.
He snickers but doesn't ask further questions. "Let me show you to your room," he says, taking the few steps that separate the bedrooms from the rest of the apartment floor. My heart settles as I follow him, stopping behind him as he points in the direction of his room. "You already know this is my room," he says before turning to the left. "This will be yours," he explains before pointing to the third door. "And your bathroom."
"Thank you, Greyson," I say as I step toward the guest room. "You are seriously saving my ass right now, and I promise I'll be out of your hair as soon as I figure something else out."
"Don't worry about it." He waves the comment off. "You're welcome to stay as long as you need."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I've got the extra room. You may as well make use of it."
"I'm going to make it up to you, and pay rent or something," I tell him. "I have the money back from my dorm deposit and they're going to give me a huge discount when they do have a room available for me, so it's the least I can do."
"It's not necessary," he argues. "Consider it a favor."
"Greyson, I can't stay here for free."
"Okay, then how about you take me out for diner to say thank you and we'll call it even?"
"That isn't nearly enough for letting me invade your space."
"Then a few dinners," he says. "You're you, Robyn. I wasn't about to let you sleep in your car. You're in a tight situation, and I've got the extra room. Just say thank you and let me help."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Okay," I say, biting my lip. "If you're sure."
"I am," he says. "You just have to make me one promise?"
"What is that?"
"You have to agree to say thank you every once in a while," he says. "It's only fair."
His eyes meet mine, and my lips curl up into a teasing grin. "No promises."