Room For Rent

Chapter Four

As soon as we walk through the door, a staircase leading to the upper level sits immediately to my left. A second staircase leading downstairs sits to the right.

Connor motions us towards the right, and we all proceed to go downstairs. The stairs lead directly to a large communal area. Two doors break up the pristine white walls.

My father does not even hesitate to open the door closest to the staircase. This door opens into a bedroom that is a bit smaller than the room in my previous apartment but is the perfect size for a single girl living on her own. It definitely wouldn’t fit a king bed, but it will do nicely for me. My dad walks in and does a thorough inspection of the walls and floors.

I note the doors to the closet and step towards them, beginning an inspection of my own. The closet is a bit small, but I don’t have many clothes to fit in here anyway. Turning around, I see that the bathroom is located on the other side of the room. I purse my lips. While this is great for late-night bathroom trips, having a guest over would be awkward. Not that there is anyone that I would invite over any time soon.

Pushing the depressing thoughts from my head, I turn towards Connor, who is politely letting us inspect his house. I thought that I could feel his eyes tracking me as I walked through the room, but now looking at his polite but impassive face, I wasn’t so sure.

“I bought the house six months ago. It passed a full inspection by a contractor. I would be happy to get you a copy of the report, Mr. Wilson.” Connor is the epitome of politeness and doesn’t even look annoyed at my father for kicking his walls.

“Yes. I would like that. Thank you. Can never be too cautious with my daughter,” my father’s voice is polite, but there is definitely a warning in his words. Connor’s only response is to nod. He turns to me.

“What do you think, Natalie?” I take another look around the room, surprised to find that I can very easily picture myself in this house.

“Was the second door the door to the laundry room?” I ask, walking back towards the common area.

“Yes, it is. This is one of the few areas that we will need to share. The other is the kitchen.” Connor proceeds to show us the laundry room and then takes us upstairs towards the kitchen. On our way, I note that he also has a common area, though a bit smaller than downstairs. Three doors up can be seen, each closed tight. There are signs of someone living here on this level versus the complete sparsity of the lower level. It is not surprising since he has lived here for a while. I don’t see any signs of the lady who spoke earlier, but I try not to linger on that.

The kitchen is perfect for home-cooked meals. A lovely dark espresso table containing four chairs of the same wood sits on the far side of the kitchen. After a quick perusal of the kitchen, we make our way towards the table.

"Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself, Natalie? Then I can tell you about the house and myself." Connor says once we are all seated. Seeing through his ploy, I give a slight chuckle.

"You mean, tell you about myself, and you will decide if you want to give me the full details on the roommate situation?" I say my smile is professional with just a hint of coy.

Connor gives a small rumble of a laugh, "I prefer the term 'housemate.' It sounds better but yeah, actually. Am I that obvious?"

"A little bit." My smile widens of its own accord. During this entire conversation, Connor's eyes haven't strayed from me once. His focus on me is a bit daunting. It feels like he is trying to look straight through me.

Nervous about what he might see, I clear my throat and begin.

"I'm a marketing manager at a developing company that specializes in consulting business and people on organization and financial matters. I'm 24 years old; I graduated from the University of Colorado two years ago with a degree in marketing. I'm not much of a party-er, so you don't have to worry about that. Um, I'm not sure what else to say."

"That is a great start. Did you bring the information for the credit check?" I nod and hand over the information. "Great. What I'm looking for is someone with a low-key lifestyle and steady employment. You seem to fit that bill."

Connor gives me the deposit information and a copy of the lease to look over. While my dad and I look over the lease, Connor runs the credit check.

It seems that Connor is eager to get someone moved in and helping with rent. The lease is thorough but clearly copied off the internet. The lease specifically says that the house will only split between the two of us.

Without agreement between both parties, no additional people shall live in the home for the duration of the lease.

I guess that means that the owner of the voice won't be living here. I'm so not ready to analyze the hope that blooms in my chest.

My dad has been strangely quiet this whole time, but he was only here to provide backup if Connor was some psycho.

I'm definitely not getting any psycho vibes from Connor, but it is clear that there is more to this housing situation than he is letting on.

If it weren't for the renter-friendly ironclad lease, I would be concerned. As it stands, I'm just incredibly curious.

"Well, it looks like everything checks out. So, if you say yes and sign the lease, you can move in as soon as tomorrow."

"That fast?" My dad says. Picking up on the urgency from Connor.

"Well, the area is clean and ready. Your daughter has an outstanding record with previous landlords. As far as I am concerned, Natalie can move in as soon as she wants."

Both dad and Connor turned to look at me.

"So, Natalie, what will it be?"