Liar boyfriend Chapter 1

My lease was up after three years, and my landlord refused to renew. I was scrambling to find a new place, which is a nightmare in this city. My best friend, Maya, saw the apartment listing online and was furious on my behalf.

"This landlord is a total psycho," she grumbled, scrolling through the pictures on her phone. "You offered to pay more, and you've kept the place spotless. Why is he so desperate to rent to someone else?"

Impulsively, she stabbed the "call" button on the listing, planning to mess with him a little. But when the call connected, we both froze.

The voice that answered was my boyfriend's.

* * *

Maya had him on speaker.

A familiar "Hello?" came through the phone. The voice was quiet, but it hit me like a lightning bolt. It was my boyfriend, Leo. I couldn't believe it. I reached out to stop Maya, but my hand hovered uselessly over the screen. We just stared at each other, stunned.

"Hello?" he said again, a little louder this time.

Maya recovered first. Clearing her throat, she pinched her nose to disguise her voice. "Hi, are you the landlord for apartment 1204 at The Goldcrest?"

"Yes, I am."

She shot me a look, then continued, "I saw your listing online, and I—"

"Sorry," he cut her off, "the apartment's already taken. Someone put down a deposit."

He hung up.

Maya shot up from the couch and threw her phone onto the cushions.

"Holy crap! The apartment you've been renting for three years... the landlord is Leo?" she exclaimed. "This is like something out of a bad movie!"