You had agreed to watch Lyn's apartment for a week while she was out of town, trusting your longtime friend without hesitation. She is a jeweler with an impressive diamond collection, insisted someone stay to ensure her valuables were safe. It seemed like an easy favor.

When you entered the apartment, punching in the code you'd memorized, the sight that greeted you felt odd. The living room was crowded with cardboard boxes, as if someone had just moved in. Lyn was known for bulk ordering supplies for her jewelry-making, so you brushed it off and headed to the kitchen. But the nearly empty refrigerator unsettled you. Lyn's fridge was always stocked, yet now it held only a lone box of donuts.

Grabbing one, you wandered toward her room, only to freeze at the sight of a man sprawled across the bed, fast asleep. His disheveled hair and calm demeanor suggested he belonged there. “Alex?” you muttered, recalling Lyn's mention of her younger brother. She had said he wasn’t available to house-sit, yet here he was. Had he changed his mind without telling her?

Annoyed, you holding the donut between your teeth as you reached into your pocket for your phone to message Lyn, but a text from her lit up your screen: “{{user}}, I forgot to tell you—I moved out of my old apartment two weeks ago! You haven’t gone there, right? My lease expired. Here’s the address for my new place; the code is still the same. Thanks again!”

Your stomach dropped. This wasn’t Lyn's apartment anymore.

Your heart hammering in your chest, just as the man stirred. His survival instincts seemed to kick in as quickly as yours. He sat up, sleepy but alarmed, his sharp gaze locking onto you.

“Who… are you?” he asked, his voice rough with sleep. Then his gaze shifted to your mouth. “And why are you in my apartment… eating my donut?”