They did not, in fact, bring it up. Quite the opposite. With each passing day, Kaitlyn began to feel more and more like the very topic of her presence was some unspeakable taboo.

  The first day had been bad enough. She'd honestly expected someone to raise the matter of her sticking around then, even if it took till nightfall. But no. Instead, when she'd announced she was heading off to bed, it had been met with a chorus of "Good nights" and "See ya's." As though it were completely normal. After getting ready for bed, she'd even come back downstairs to ask Vinny about it.

  "Are you… ok with me using the bed again?"

  Vinny waved her off from his perch on the couch. "Go ahead. Fuck if I care."

  "I mean, you probably should care. It's your bed and your room."

  "So?"

  He left it at that, as though the single word was somehow explanation enough on its own. Eventually, she gave up, sighing in defeat. "At least let me set up a bed on the floor for you. I don't want to feel like I'm kicking you out or something."

  That should have been a perfect opportunity for the guy to inquire about how long she'd be staying for or object, but no. It was like the matter had already been settled, but without anyone telling her about it. Even though she'd always known the guys were easygoing about this kind of stuff, this felt like a whole new level.

  Kaitlyn let out a long breath, letting her head fall back against the couch. Her hair was still slightly damp from the morning's shower. It was now the third day that she'd stayed with the guys, and the situation was still the exact same.

  Ok, this is getting ridiculous. Are they just gonna… dodge the issue forever? Is no one finding it strange that I just live here now? Are they too polite to kick me out?

  That last idea obviously couldn't be the case. Vinny and his roommates were many things, but overly polite wasn't one of them. She had no doubt that Vinny himself would be more than willing to bodily toss her out of the house if he really wanted her gone.

  Rubbing her face, Kaitlyn began to consider what to do. She'd been putting off a trip to the store until there had been some confirmation about her staying here. However, it seemed more and more like that might never come, and there was only so much more she could do with the current contents of their pantry. Even fetching the flour from her car to make some fresh bread only helped so much—especially when she had to cook it in a metal mixing bowl instead of a loaf pan or any proper container.

  I also wanted to wait on equipment and big purchases until the starting bonus from work comes in, which should happen by the end of the week. I figured all this stuff would definitely be figured out by then. But at this rate…

  The sound of heavy footsteps coming down the stairs drew her from her thoughts. Looking over revealed a bedraggled Vinny clomping into the living room, his hair freshly mussed from sleep. Dark circles hung beneath his blue eyes.

  Kaitlyn straightened in her seat. "Hey. You're up early."

  "Yeah. Unfortunately."

  The guy kept walking to the front door, pulling on his leather jacket and boots. She noted that he wasn't wearing the same white shirt and jeans as yesterday. These ones looked far less rumpled.

  At least he's using the clothes I washed. Thank goodness for that.

  "Where you heading?"

  "Why do you care?"

  She raised her hands defensively. "Just wondering, geez. I figured it's gotta be important if it's got you up this early."

  He grumbled, running a hand through his hair in a halfhearted attempt to tame it. He was moderately successful. "Mechanic. Gotta pick up my bike from the shop."

  Right. I forgot it was in the shop at the start of the loop.

  Her brow furrowed. "...Wait, are you walking?"

  "Duh. Chris already took the car to campus."

  "I guess, but… how far is it?"

  "I dunno, by that cheap-ass clothing store? Not like it matters, I still gotta go anyway."

  She grimaced. That wasn't anywhere close to here. Suddenly, the guy being awake well before noon made a lot more sense.

  "...Want a ride?" She offered. "I mean, I have a car too, you know."

  "Don't need it."

  The denial came instantly. Still, she pushed back. "Well it's not like I'm doing anything right now. And besides, I was thinking about heading to the store anyway. So it's not a big deal to drop you off on the way."

  "Told ya, I don't need it. I got legs, I can walk."

  Kaitlyn gave him a look. "Why are you being so stubborn about this? I mean, I know you can walk, but why would you? It's really not a big deal."

  "I don't like owin' people."

  "Vinny, I've been sleeping in your bed for the past few nights. If anything, I owe you. So let me do something in return, ok?"

  He crossed his arms defiantly, glaring at her. "Yeah, right. Like I'm just gonna ignore all the other shit you've been doin' around here."

  She met his look with a cool stare of her own. "You don't have to. I'm doing that stuff because I enjoy it, and because I don't want to feel like I owe you guys, either. But if you really think it's too much, then why haven't you said anything before?"

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  They stared each other down like that for a long moment. It was tempting to back down and look away from the guy's challenging gaze. However, Kaitlyn had grown a lot since they'd last seen each other. She wouldn't be cowed so easily, especially not by Vinny.

  Eventually, he scoffed, breaking eye contact as he turned toward the door. "Fine. Let's go."

  "Great!" She pushed off from the couch. "One sec, lemme grab my stuff."

  She darted upstairs to grab her wallet and keys as Vinny impatiently tapped his foot by the entrance. Moments later they were walking up the street towards Kaitlyn's car. Its sleek black form remained parked a discreet distance away from the house.

  "The fuck?" The guy snorted as they approached. "This is your car? What, your parents rich or somethin'?"

  Well, that's a better reaction than I'd feared. Mostly.

  Kaitlyn shook her head and unlocked the doors. "Nope. I've just got a good job."

  "You work? When? The only thing I've seen you do is be a damn maid around the house."

  "I haven't actually started quite yet. My first day is next week," she told him honestly.

  He shook his head in disbelief, but didn't say more. She slid into the driver's seat and started up navigation to the repair shop. Beside her, Vinny scowled and climbed in, his legs a little too curled up into his chest to possibly be comfortable.

  "You want to move the seat back or anything? It can—"

  "I'm fine."

  She almost pressed the issue, but bit her tongue. He'd already given more ground than she'd honestly expected by agreeing to accept a ride. Perhaps she should give it a rest—even if he was still being unreasonable.

  He does seem a bit surlier than usual this time around. I wonder why.

  To be fair, maybe this wasn't too out of line with his usual behavior. But the fact that their first interaction usually consisted of her comforting her—in the loosest sense of the word possible—meant that there was usually some glimpse of the softie below to counteract his cactus-like exterior. In fact, if she didn't already know about his kinder side, his behavior might have actually been enough to make her think twice about being so forthright with him.

  …Well, not entirely. If he actually had a problem with me, he'd let me know. I have no doubts about that.

  They took off, gliding smoothly down the street as morning light glinted off the Bowley's hood. Silence filled the space between them as Kaitlyn took them out of the neighborhood and onto the main streets.

  …Actually, this might be as good a chance as any. If they're not going to bring up our living arrangements, then maybe I should.

  It wasn't something that she particularly wanted to do. However, once she had her job at John Avenue Capital, she planned to order a lot of stuff for the house. Stuff that would raise eyebrows if her status as a semi-permanent roommate was being called into question. There was no way she wanted this unresolved issue hanging over her when that happened.

  Taking a deep breath, she gripped the steering wheel a little more tightly. "So… are we ever gonna talk about me staying with you guys?"

  Vinny glanced over at her. "What's there to talk about? You're already stayin', aren't you?"

  "I mean, yes, but are you guys ok with that? Really ok? I kind of just… walked in and didn't leave. I'm not sure if I've already overstayed my welcome."

  "Girlie, we'd tell you if you did. Stop worryin'."

  She shook her head, refusing to be put off so easily. "Ok, but still. That's not the kind of thing that I want to find out on the fly. I want to know how long you guys are cool with me sticking around."

  Vinny let out a long sigh, his head thudding back against the headrest. "I told you, stop worryin'. No one cares. Why are you bein' all weird about it?"

  "It's not being weird!" Kaitlyn protested. "If anything, you guys are being weird. I mean, seriously. I thought that by now someone would say something, even if it was just to say I could stay as long as I wanted. Is that crazy? But instead, it feels like everyone's been avoiding the issue like the plague."

  "You think they wanna scare off the housekeeper girlie that's makin' everyone tasty food? Hell no. You're a damn golden goose, Lynn. Fuck, they'd prolly give up their rooms too if you asked."

  She opened her mouth, then shut it again. That… does make a surprising amount of sense. Still, though. They weren't like this last time. Why?

  Maybe it had to do with how differently their first meetings went. Or maybe her food had just gotten that good. Either way, Kaitlyn couldn't deny that she felt a little bit uncomfortable about the change in treatment.

  She flicked on her blinker, checking the road as she took a right at an intersection. "You say 'they' like you're not part of it. I haven't seen you bringing any of this up, either."

  "See, that's the difference," Vinny pointed out. "They're scared shitless of you realizin' that there's better things you could be doin'. Me? I just don't care."

  "You don't?"

  He laced his fingers behind his head. "Nope."

  "Why? You're the one who's room I'm borrowing!"

  "So? Not like I'm usin' it much anyway. I figure you'll stick around as long as you wanna, then you'll ditch. Simple as that. You got a car, so 'snot like you need to ask permission."

  That was another difference in the situations, she supposed. Having a car did mean that she was free to leave whenever she wanted, without having to ask the guys for so much as a ride home.

  I guess that means I don't really need Vinny to go to the store, either.

  A pang of regret coursed through her. Sure, it was more convenient this way. She'd be able to fit way more groceries in the trunk than they ever could in the small cooler they'd strapped to his motorcycle. But it also meant she didn't have a good excuse to go on rides with him.

  They turned a final corner to reveal a smallish building comprised of corrugated metal. A pair of open garages revealed vehicles on lifts, each in the midst of some kind of repairs. A faded sign hanging above the door identified this as the mechanic that Vinny had named.

  Kaitlyn pulled into the parking lot. "Well, here we are. See you at home, I guess?"

  "Sure. Thanks for the lift."

  Vinny climbed out of the car and headed toward the door, stretching as he walked. His first few steps looked a little awkward and stiff to her eyes.

  She rolled down the window. "Call me if you need another ride for some reason!"

  "Alright, geez! What're you, my mom?"

  "Oh, don't be so embarrassed, sweetie. Have a great day at school!"

  He briefly turned around to stare at her. She gave him a cheery smile and a wave. He returned the gesture by flipping her off. She saw the hint of a grin cross his expression as he turned back toward the store.

  She chuckled to herself, watching the blonde's figure disappear inside.

  Well, that was enlightening.

  That short conversation had made one thing abundantly clear—it really was on her to bring this up to the other guys. That, and her worries about her staying were completely unfounded. The latter was a relief, of course, but the former…

  It's fine. I guess we can talk about it over dinner or something. Now that I know how they feel, it shouldn't be nearly as bad as if I was going into it blind.

  After Vinny had vanished from sight, she leaned over to adjust the passenger seat back a bit further. Then, she put the car into reverse, pulling out of the parking lot. Alright. Time to see how fast I can blow three hundred bucks on groceries.