The weight of my duffel bag dragged against my shoulder as I stood at the entrance of the apartment, staring at the door. This was it—my first real step into adulthood. Bills, rent, responsibilities. Exciting, terrifying, and above all… necessary.

Finding a cheap place to live in this city had been a nightmare, but I got lucky. A room in a nice apartment, close to my university, and the rent was split in half. I hoped that it was a woman, to would be reassuring. I wasn’t looking to take risks. I shifted the bag again, balancing the box in my other hand, and knocked on the door. A moment passed. Then, footsteps. The door swung open, and—

Oh.

The man standing there leaned lazily against the frame, arms crossed. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a sharp gaze that sized me up in an instant. His dark hair was messy, like he hadn’t bothered to fix it after waking up.

“…You’re not a woman,” I blurted out before I could stop myself