Disclaimer: This series deals with themes of cheating and dubious consent. I hope you enjoy it. Feedback is appreciated.
*****
"I don't understand why we can't just get our own place," muttered Leah, gazing scornfully at the stack of lease renewal papers scattered atop the kitchen counter. She loathed the idea of her and her boyfriend, Josh, signing away an additional year of their lives in the apartment they shared with his buddy from college. "You know I can't stand being around that arrogant piece of shit anymore..."
"I know you don't like him, but Ethan is my best friend, and it's just unrealistic for us to try and afford a place on our own right now, babe," Josh replied. "Just one more year. By then we should have enough saved up to move out on our own, and you'll have your degree. We just have to make this small sacrifice for our future, and besides, I know you'll warm up to him if you give him a chance," he added.
"I seriously doubt that," Leah said through her frown. Her boyfriend's logic was sound though, and she couldn't deny it was the sensible choice. She had moved in with the two men only a month prior, and she and Josh were barely earning enough to afford the shared living space they currently had. An additional year of hardship would end with her finally achieving her bachelor's degree at the nearby university, at which point she could start her career and be stable enough to gain more independence.
Josh studied Leah as she contemplated his reasoning. He handed her a pen, and to his relief, she took it and began adding her signature to the many pages. "Thanks, love. I know it's not ideal, but I really appreciate your understanding."
"Yeah, yeah... But we should really establish some new rules around here. I'm getting sick and tired of Ethan bringing random sluts home and disturbing our peace." Leah took the opportunity to try and gain a little more control in the household. Ethan treated the place like he owned it, and Josh always turned a blind eye, allowing his friend to walk all over him. It was one of several reasons why Leah despised living with their roommate.
"That's fair... I'll talk to him," Josh responded, now adding his signature to the document. He didn't enjoy the thought of confronting Ethan about his habits, and secretly wished his girlfriend was a little more easy-going.
Just then, the apartment door swung open, and Ethan strolled in with his usual confident gait and cocky smile. "Hey, roomies!" His eyes fell to the freshly inked lease agreement. "Oooh, so we made up our minds, did we?" The tall, well-dressed man shuffled in between the couple and picked up the pen to seal the deal. Leah had to stop herself from ripping up the papers on the spot.
"Yup. One more year together," Josh answered, grinning.
"Well this calls for a drink, doesn't it?" Ethan announced rhetorically, trading glances with each of them as he added his name to the many pages. Josh grabbed a bottle of vodka and some glasses, and poured the three of them a shot. After filling in the last blank, and slamming the pen down, Ethan raised his glass. "To another fun year!" The trio drank their shots, one more reluctantly than the others, and Ethan continued speaking. "I mean, I could afford this place on my own, but it's way more fun having you guys around! Plus we all save a ton of cash this way."
Leah visibly grimaced. The man's arrogance never failed to disgust her. "Before you get too carried away, I think we should discuss some things," she said. Both men turned to her, Josh looking nervous. "I think you should treat Josh and I with a little more respect. We live here too, and it's not fair that you're constantly coming home really late with different women, not giving us a heads up, and then being... unreasonably loud all night."
Ethan remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly letting her words sink in. Leah had the brief thought that perhaps she had finally gotten through to him, until he spoke. "Jealous much?" He said sarcastically, laughing. She crossed her arms, fuming, and he added, "C'mon... I'm just fucking with ya, Leah. I get it. I'll be better about that. I promise." Ethan extended his hand towards her and she rolled her eyes, but shook his hand anyway. Before releasing her from his firm grip, he murmured under his breath, "I'd rather take your sexy ass to bed any night of the week..."
Leah recoiled, her expression twisted in disgust. "You're a fucking asshole!" She raised her eyebrows at Josh, suggesting he had better defend her in some way.
"I'm sure he's just kidding around..." The boyfriend muttered.
"Of course I'm joking!" Ethan bellowed. "I would never try to steal you from Joshy here," he said condescendingly, wrapping a muscled arm around his smaller friend and jostling him around. "If you were single though-" Leah's icy glare interrupted him. "I'm just saying you're a catch, okay? Learn to take a compliment!"
"I'd prefer if you never complimented me again! I don't want any of that from you," she explained sternly. Ethan's crude comments highlighted another major reason she disliked him. He was always stealing suggestive looks at her, and making inappropriate remarks about her appearance. She felt as if he regarded her as nothing more than a sexual object. Whenever she brought it up to her boyfriend, he would minimize it, making excuses that his friend was just playing around, and that it was just his sense of humor.
"Alright, sheesh. Sorry..." Ethan apologized with a hint of sarcasm.
The trio spent the rest of the night in relative peace, sipping drinks and discussing their days at work. Leah felt a mild sense of relief that she had at least confronted her unwanted roommate and finally spoken up for herself. Still, she knew that there was a long year ahead of her.
*****
A few weeks later, Leah was finishing up an assignment on her laptop when a distressed looking Josh suddenly came home, far earlier than usual. "Everything okay, babe?" She asked worriedly, noticing he was carrying a large cardboard box.
"Fuck... I... Just got fired..." He replied, avoiding eye contact and dropping the container onto the kitchen counter.
"What!? Why?" Leah shoved her laptop to the side and rushed over to him.
Josh sighed heavily and began to explain, "I... It's so fucking stupid... I backed up some sensitive documents on my personal USB drive so I could work on them here one night, and apparently that violates some confidentiality policy. I guess they scanned all the computers in the office looking for that sort of thing. I tried to explain, but they wouldn't listen... HR just called me into an office and told me they had no choice but to let me go."
Leah didn't know what to say or do. She had never seen her boyfriend so distraught. "Can't you just give them the files back?" She asked, knowing it probably didn't make sense.
"They demanded I turn over the drive to them, which I did, but they said it was policy to terminate anyone who broke that rule... Fuck!" Josh was pacing around the room now, pulling at his hair. "Now any accounting job I look for is going to ask why I got fired. This is not good..."
"We'll think of something," she said reassuringly, not really believing her own words.
That night, the worried couple broke the bad news to their roommate.
"Well what are you gonna do? Gonna break this new lease on me already?" Ethan asked, looking less calm than his usual self. "I was counting on your guys' portion so I could invest more."
"I don't see any other option. There's no way we'll be able to afford rent right now. Any extra money we had has gone towards Leah's student loans..." Josh lamented.
Ethan fell silent for a minute or so, his eyes darting back and forth, when an idea occurred to him. "Tell you what, I'll cover your share of the rent until you get back on your feet."
"Huh? No... No, you can't do that," Josh brushed off his friend's proposition.
"I can. I'd rather just front you the money for a bit than deal with trying to find a new roommate. Way too much of a hassle," Ethan argued.
"Bro, I appreciate the offer, but that's asking way too much of you...I don't even know how long it will take me to land another job."
"I'm sure it won't take that long. Besides, where would you even go? Everywhere remotely close to Leah's school is just as expensive if not more, and where would you get the cash for a new security deposit and all that shit? As far as I can tell your options are here or the streets."
Ethan's words hit both of them hard. They hadn't even had the time to consider how desperate their situation was. He was right. As of right then, they didn't have enough money to live anywhere, let alone even be approved as tenants with their current situation. Leah chimed in first, "I could try to find a part time job or something..."
"No, your focus is still getting your degree. I don't want this to fuck up our future. Plus that wouldn't be enough income anyway," Josh replied. "I guess... since there's no other option... We'll have to take you up on your offer, Bro. I'll pay you back when I can of course."
"Don't worry about the money. You guys can start paying me back right away, in fact," Ethan said, grinning smugly. "Hear me out.. You won't owe me a dime for the rent I cover while you're out of work, but... Leah has to sleep in my bed three nights a week."
The room fell dead silent, the couple doubting they had heard him correctly. Josh simply muttered, "What?"
Leah felt her blood boiling, and stammered, "You must be fucking joking..."
Ethan chimed in again before they could process his ridiculous demand any further. "I'm not joking, and before you get any ideas, it's not a sexual thing at all.. I would be spending a great deal of cash to help you guys out, and I would need something big in return that makes me feel like it's worth it-"
"Not sexual my ass! What in the hell are you talking about?" Leah interrupted, her face bright crimson. She shot a glance at her boyfriend, shocked he wasn't more outraged.
"Well, for one, I just prefer having a woman's company. It helps me sleep better, but it's getting a little tiresome having to go on all these dates just to find a new bed buddy. They always want a relationship, and I'm not interested, so I have to go out and find someone else all over again. It's expensive too, and since I'll be a lot shorter on cash in the near future, having Leah around will make that whole situation a lot easier on me," Ethan explained calmly.
"...Sleeping buddy? You expect us to believe that!?" Leah challenged him. "There's a lot more than sleeping going on in there, which we are forced to listen to all the time by the way."
"Sure, we usually end up fucking, but my point is that I want a break from all that without having to sleep alone every night." Ethan continued the level-headed explanation of his terms, despite the mortified look on his roommates' faces. "Plus, it bothers me that you hate me so much, and this will give us some time to get better acquainted. It's honestly a great deal for you guys. Just think it over, and let me know." With that, he turned for his bedroom and left the dumbfounded couple standing awkwardly in silence.
"So... we're obviously not doing that," Leah said finally.
"Yeah, no way. We'll explore our options more tomorrow," Josh agreed.
"Why didn't you say more? You just stood there while he suggested the most degrading thing! Some fucking best friend you got there..."
