Chapter 3
That night, a strong wind suddenly swept across Lake Serenity.
The park issued a temporary notice that the road around the lake was closed, so our plans for the next day had to be canceled.
Cameron carried his laptop into the suite's living room as if nothing had happened.
"Since we're all stuck here, let's figure out our plans for after graduation," he said.
He opened up the business plan, then pulled up the floor plan for that apartment.
"The landlord keeps pushing us to sign the lease. Once we get back, let's move in. No more putting it off."
Sophie took the laptop before I could.
She scrolled through the floor plan, as if she were already the lady of the house.
"The living room would be too plain with that wood-toned style," she remarked. "A cream-colored look would be better for photos.
"And this second bedroom gets the best light. We could turn it into a streaming room."
Cameron nodded. "Whatever you want. If you like it, go ahead and change it."
I looked at her. "That's the apartment Cameron and I are renting. Why should we decorate it to your taste?"
Sophie seemed to realize she'd said too much and quickly explained, "Hailey, don't get me wrong.
"I just graduated and haven't found a place yet. Cameron said the apartment has three bedrooms, so he offered to let me stay for a while."
Cameron looked completely unfazed. "It's not safe for Sophie to live alone. The room would be sitting empty anyway. What's wrong with letting her stay for a while?"
He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, as if I were the outsider who had suddenly barged in.
I closed the laptop. "I don't agree."
Cameron was clearly taken aback.
Over the past four years, I had rarely said no to him.
When he wanted to start his business, I gave up a job I loved to help him build his team.
When Ryan needed equipment, I lent him my backup camera.
When Sophie wanted to get into the project, I revised her resume for her three times.
They'd long since gotten used to me giving in.
So when I finally said "no," everyone acted as if I were the one being unreasonable.
Ryan's expression darkened. "We've all been friends for over ten years. She's only staying for a few months. Do you really have to be so petty?"
Sophie stood up, her eyes red. "Forget it. I'll find my own place. Don't let me come between you two."
She said she would leave, but her eyes remained fixed on the second bedroom with the best light.
Cameron put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to leave."
Then he turned to me, his expression cold.
"You're not the only one paying the rent. Who says you get to call all the shots?" he snapped.
I didn't answer.
Seeing the tension in the room, Ryan pulled out his phone to ease things over.
"Let's watch the video of the apartment first," he suggested. "We can figure out the living arrangements once we're actually moved in."
He connected his phone to the TV and pulled up the video we'd taken when we toured the apartment.
The camera panned from the entryway to the living room.
The sofa hadn't arrived yet, but there were a few pairs of slippers on the floor.
As the camera passed the primary bedroom, Sophie was sitting cross-legged on the bay window, eating cake.
Her hair was still damp, and she was wearing Cameron's white shirt.
There were two wine glasses sitting on the coffee table.
The bathroom door opened.
Cameron walked out with a hair dryer in hand, deftly lifting her hair as he dried it.
The video lasted only a few seconds, but it left the living room in complete silence.
Ryan scrambled to stop the screen sharing.
Cameron snatched his phone away.
"We were just there to check the utilities that day," Cameron said.
Sophie's face went pale, and she hurried to defend herself, "It suddenly started raining, and my clothes were soaked, so I borrowed Cameron's shirt.
"Hailey, nothing happened between us. Don't read too much into it."
I watched the final scene before the video stopped.
Sophie was sitting on the bay window.
Cameron stood behind her, drying her hair.
The two of them looked so at ease, as if they'd already been living there for years.
That apartment was one I'd searched half the city to find.
From the location and natural light to the kitchen and balcony, every part of it held my hopes for the future.
But before I even moved in, they'd already been drinking there, showering there, and even wearing each other's clothes.
As for what really happened that night, I didn't want to know anymore.
I pulled out my phone and called the real estate agent.
"Ms. Brooks, I'm not renting that apartment anymore."
Cameron reached for my phone. "Hailey, are you done?"
I pulled my phone out of his reach. "I'm the one who signed the lease and paid the deposit.
"I'm not renting it anymore. Who do I need permission from?"
His expression hardened. "You're going to throw away all our plans for after graduation over a little misunderstanding?
"Even if you're jealous, there's a limit."
Sophie lowered her head, tears falling onto the back of her hand.
Ryan immediately handed her a tissue.
He spat, "Hailey, Sophie already explained. What more do you want?"
I looked at the three people in front of me, people I'd known for ten years.
I used to think we didn't need to draw such clear lines between us.
They could use my resources.
They could use my equipment
They could take up my time and energy without a second thought.
But I never imagined it would go this far.
I never imagined that one day, even my boyfriend would become something they treated as a "shared resource."