Andrea’s heart skipped a beat or two when Aries closed the door after his friends left. Finally being alone with him within the close confines of the cozy two bedroom apartment, made her realize what she had done. She had moved in with a guy she hardly knew. She had broken the first rule from her dad’s, Gary Bradford’s golden rulebook! He would be so shocked. Her older brothers, Adam and Anthony couldn’t ever imagine breaking it while she, the black sheep of the family, had already done so. 

She noted the way Aries was looking at her curiously as if he was just as embarrassed as she was. “So, that bedroom will be yours,” he said hesitantly. Andrea looked at the bedroom he pointed and then back at him. 

“Thank you for saving me once again. I’ll soon look for an alternative accommodation for myself and vacate your place,” she said, feeling like an unwanted guest already. 

“Do me a favor. Go home to your folks. How old are you? Seventeen?” asked Aries, looking almost bored and angry. Andrea glared at him. 

“I’m eighteen, for your information. Just because you saved me you cannot order me around. It’s my wish whether I want to go back home or stay here and study,” she stated angrily, picking up her luggage and staggering towards the room he indicated. “I’ll pay you rent as well as other expenses till I am able to find a place for myself,” she yelled over her shoulder. Aries rolled his eyes. As if he would accept money from a kid! 

“Cut the crop, kid. Just be grateful that I’ve saved you,” he said, walking towards his room. Andrea emerged from her room to carry the rest of the stuff. Her eyes went wide seeing Aries stripping off his shirt with his door wide open. Aries noted the look on her face and strode towards the door to his room. 

“Stop checking me out,” he stated, giving her a glare. Andrea blushed and looked away.

“In that case you should have closed your door,” she pointed out.

“This is my house. I’ll do what I want,” said Aries impatiently. The girl was getting to his nerves. He had expected her to be a meek and innocent little thing but slowly her claws were emerging and he was already repenting having brought her home to disrupt his privacy. 

“Then these are my eyes, I’ll look at what I want to,” argued Andrea, pulling her suitcase to her room. She wouldn’t unpack because she had no wish to live with Aries.

“Whatever you do, do not ever enter my room. I hate it and I’ll punish you if you do,” said Aries grimly. 

“Same goes with you,” said Andrea. “I’m thankful that you saved me and all. I’ll treat you to food in return if you want me to but that’s all. You won’t have any other right over me. We are strangers and will continue to remain so till I leave your place. Till then I’ll share the expenses,” said Andrea, pushing her last luggage inside her room and shutting the door close. Aries was stunned by her little speech and a faint smile flashed across his face. 

She wasn’t a doormat as he had thought her to be. The girl had fire. He had underestimated her so much. This was going to be fun. He was stunned that even after going out of the way to save her on two occasions, she hadn’t fallen for him already. He had thought that she would be crushing on him just as the girls in the college were. How could she be immune to a super hero such as him? It would now be a challenge for him to make her fall for him. 

“How long will you stay immune, Andy? I’ll make you fall for me. When the experienced girls couldn’t resist me, you’re just an innocent kid, simply putty in my hands,” muttered Aries to himself. With this newfound determination, he changed and lay down on his bed. 

Andrea closed her eyes as she lay down on her bed. She couldn’t tell her family that she had left the dorm. She had to lie low and avoid having them visit her. She thought about the sweet and serene life she led till last week back home in the small town of Burnsville, Albemarle County, Virginia. Her family owned large tracts of farmland growing strawberries, peaches, nectarines, cherries, apples and pumpkins throughout the year. In addition their orchards offered ciders, preserves, candied fruit and other farm-fresh treats. Their huge number of grass-fed cattle produce one of the much in demand dairy products and meat. Recently, Adam, her oldest brother, seven years older than her, had started his own horse riding classes at the ranch. Life was so much different there but she had no regrets having left Cranberry Farms behind for her studies. 

Pursuing computer engineering had been her dream from a very young age, having started training from her cousin, Adrian. He was the son of her uncle Harry Bradford, her dad’s oldest brother. Adrian couldn’t ever fight the family and pursue the subject like he had wanted to. He was forced into the family business when he was just eighteen. The oldest of all the Bradford children, he always had supported Andrea, the only girl in the family. He pushed her to pursue her dreams unlike him. It was because of him that she was here. No, she couldn’t let him down. She would leave Aries’s apartment soon. 

Her phone buzzed with an incoming call from Lisa and she smacked her forehead. In her haste, she had forgotten to inform Lisa that she would be moving out. Lisa stayed in the building opposite, having taken a late admission. As such she shared a room with two bit*hes and her life were miserable. She couldn’t move out as she wasn’t financially stable. Her dad had abandoned them when she was in her mother's womb. Her mom who was an elementary school teacher and lived in New Jersey all alone, struggled to bring her up.  As such Lisa was glad to receive a 75 per cent scholarship for her studies. She worked part time at a café to pay off the dorm and food expenses. The third time, she accepted the call. 

“Where are you? I just heard that Melissa and you had a fight. I came over to see you but Scott told me that you left with Superman the first?” asked Lisa with horror. Andrea chuckled at the nickname. 

“Yes, he saved me once again and brought me home. So who’s Superman the second?” she asked with interest. Lisa rolled her eyes at her friend. Wasn’t it obvious? 

“Obviously the other one. Superman I and II stick together, don’t they?” asked Lisa. Andrea chuckled more.

“Yeah, like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,” she said and they both burst into giggles. 

“So what are you two upto?” asked Lisa with interest. 

“Nothing. We argued and I’m locked in my room and he’s in his,” said Andrea. 

“Oh, it initially happens that way then you’ll be locked together in a single room,” said Lisa.

“What rubbish! I won’t be staying here with him forever. I’ll look for a place to stay tomorrow,” said Andrea. 

“Great, we can stay together. I’m tired of Gwyneth and Dana fighting the whole time over my head. I’ve landed a nice job at the café next door. The pay is good and I think we can share the expenses,” said Lisa. 

“That’s great. I’ll see you in class tomorrow, bye,” said Andrea hanging up. She felt much better after talking to her best friend. She and Lisa met on the college campus on the day they were taking admission and had clicked instantly. She was the only friend Andrea had in the city and the same was true for Lisa as well. It would be so nice to be able to stay with Lisa. Lisa’s mom was too strict unlike her own mom, Linda Bradford.

If she was close to anyone in the whole world, it was her mom but sadly her mom didn’t stand a chance against her dad’s short temper. Despite being a master degree holder in sociology, her mom had to spend all her life on the farm just being a homemaker. She wasn’t allowed to teach at the community college nearby. Her dad was too rigid and never budged an inch. So when Andrea battled with her dad and left home, it was her mom who had secretly transferred some money into her daughter’s bank account. Andrea was thankful to her mom for her silent support. 

A lot of people had put their faith and trust in her abilities and she couldn’t let them down. So living here with a guy was definitely not feasible in her case. She could hear Aries in the other room. It seemed as if he too hadn’t been able to sleep. Was it because of her presence in his home?