APARTMENT 304

🥵Apartment 304 ❤️‍🔥: chapter 9

When He Stops Pretending

Ethan didn’t say much the next morning.

Not unusual for him—but this silence felt different.

Sharper.

Like something in his mind was still stuck on the conversation from the night before.

I noticed it immediately.

“You’re doing that thing again,” I said while pouring myself a glass of water.

He looked up from his phone.

“What thing?”

“Thinking too hard.”

A faint exhale left him.

“I’m always thinking too hard.”

“That sounds exhausting.”

“It is.”

That was the most honest thing he’d said all morning.

I leaned against the kitchen counter, studying him.

“You could try relaxing,” I suggested.

His eyes flicked to mine.

“You could try not saying everything you think.”

I smiled.

“And ruin your entertainment? No.”

That earned the smallest hint of a smirk from him.

Progress.

Then his phone buzzed again.

He glanced at it briefly—then pocketed it like it meant nothing.

But I noticed the shift in his expression.

Subtle.

Tight.

“Work?” I asked.

“Something like that.”

Before I could press further, he stood up.

“I’m going out for a bit.”

“Oh,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Okay.”

He hesitated at the door.

Just for a second.

Like he wanted to say something else.

But instead—

“Lock your door,” he said.

“I always do.”

His eyes held mine a moment longer than necessary.

Then he left.

---

Two hours later, I regretted not going out too.

Cabin fever hit fast.

So I changed into something simple—jeans, a fitted top—and decided to grab fresh air downstairs.

The building café was small, usually quiet.

Perfect.

Or so I thought.

I was wrong.

The moment I walked in, I noticed someone watching me.

A man near the counter.

Maybe early thirties. Well-dressed. Confident smile.

He approached almost immediately.

“Hi,” he said smoothly. “I’ve seen you around the building.”

“Have you?” I replied politely, already slightly annoyed.

“I’d remember a face like yours.”

I forced a small smile.

Not interested.

But he didn’t pick up on it.

Or he ignored it.

“I’m Daniel,” he continued, stepping slightly closer. “You’re new here, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, if you need anything settled in, I’m pretty familiar with the place.”

There was something about the way he said it.

Too confident.

Too close.

I shifted slightly.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

But he smiled like I hadn’t spoken.

“I could show you around sometime. There are better spots than just your apartment.”

That’s when I felt it.

A shift in the air behind me.

Not sound.

Presence.

I didn’t even have to turn around.

I knew.

Ethan.

“Funny,” Ethan’s voice came, calm but low. “I don’t remember asking for a tour guide.”

Daniel turned slightly.

“Oh—hey. I was just talking to her.”

Ethan stepped beside me.

Not touching me.

But close enough that everything about the space changed instantly.

“I can see that,” Ethan said.

His tone was polite.

But his eyes weren’t.

They were locked on Daniel like he was calculating something.

“I’m Daniel,” the man repeated, offering a hand.

Ethan didn’t shake it right away.

Just looked at it.

Then finally—

“I know who you are,” Ethan said.

The smile on Daniel’s face faltered slightly.

I glanced between them.

Something was off.

“You do?” Daniel asked.

Ethan finally shook his hand.

Firm.

Controlled.

But there was nothing friendly in it.

“Yes,” Ethan said simply. “I do.”

Silence stretched.

Uncomfortable now.

Daniel pulled his hand back slowly.

“Well,” he said, trying to recover, “I didn’t realize you two were together.”

That word hit differently.

Together.

My heart skipped slightly.

Ethan didn’t correct him immediately.

Instead, he glanced at me briefly.

Just a look.

Not asking.

Not forcing.

Just… checking.

My breath caught.

I didn’t look away.

Daniel laughed awkwardly.

“Right. Anyway—nice meeting you.”

He left quickly after that.

Too quickly.

The moment he was gone, the café felt quieter again.

But Ethan didn’t move.

Neither did I.

“You didn’t answer him,” I said softly.

Ethan’s jaw tightened slightly.

“About what?”

I hesitated.

“Whether we’re together.”

Silence.

Longer this time.

Then he finally looked at me.

“I didn’t think you’d want me to.”

That answer surprised me.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

A beat.

Then, quieter:

“Because it changes things.”

I stepped a little closer.

“It already changed things.”

His eyes flicked down to me—brief, unreadable.

Then back up.

“You don’t realize what kind of attention you bring,” he said.

“That sounded… possessive.”

A pause.

Then he exhaled slightly.

“Maybe it is.”

That honesty made my chest tighten.

I didn’t step back.

Neither did he.

“You looked like you were about to break his hand,” I said softly.

A faint smirk returned.

“He was too close.”

“So were you just now.”

That wiped the smirk away.

For a second.

Then he stepped closer.

Slow.

Intentional.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked quietly.

The question wasn’t casual.

It mattered.

My heartbeat picked up.

I looked up at him.

“No,” I said honestly.

That was all it took.

His expression shifted—subtle relief mixed with something deeper.

Something possessive he wasn’t even trying to hide anymore.

“Then don’t stand so close to other people,” he murmured.

I almost smiled.

“You’re jealous.”

“I’m aware.”

That simple response made my stomach flip.

Ethan leaned slightly closer—not enough to touch me, but enough that I could feel him clearly.

“This is new for me,” he admitted.

“What is?”

“Caring who you talk to.”

My breath caught slightly.

“And is that a problem?” I asked softly.

He studied me for a long moment.

Then quietly:

“Only if you leave.”

The words hung between us.

Heavy.

Honest.

Unfiltered.

And for the first time…

I understood something clearly.

Ethan wasn’t just letting me into his space.

He was starting to feel like I belonged there.

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