Dak stood up from the kitchen table and walked to the sink in silence. He rinsed out his mug and placed it in the dishwasher.

“Is something wrong?” asked Brody.

Dak shrugged and said, “I need to go pick up the keys to my apartment. It’s a newish complex I haven’t lived in before. I made arrangements while I was still on the boat. They probably wonder where I am since I didn’t show up yesterday.”

Brody stood up from the table and stepped up behind to wrap his arms around Dak’s muscular bare chest. “You don’t need to go there. You can just stay here with me. In fact, you can spend the whole two weeks here. It will save you money, and I’ll be in heaven.”

“It sounds like I don’t need any money,” growled Dak.

Brody laughed softly. “Well, it’s not like we’re gonna be millionaires or anything. It just gives us a lot of flexibility.” He leaned in close and whispered softly in Dak’s ear. “Just stay here. I’ve got these two days off. We don’t have to do anything but be together.”

Dak tore away from Brody’s grip. He shouted, “Don’t smother me!”

Brody’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh, fuck, I’m sorry. I’m coming on too strong. Yeah, I’ll bring it down. You just need to tell me. I’ll back off.”

Dak turned around and shook his head. “I’ll go get my clothes and pack my shit up. I need to take care of the apartment. I’ll give you a call later, Brody.”

---

When he stepped outside Brody’s front door, Dak exhaled. He felt like he’d been holding his breath for the last half hour. He climbed into his truck and took three deep breaths while pounding on the steering wheel. Dak moaned, “What the fuck? Back to school? Shit, I guess I’m not smart enough for the librarian’s kid. Shit!”

Dak slammed the key into the ignition and drove off. Ten minutes later, he entered the main office for the apartment complex, and he tried to calm down and relax. He knew that it wouldn’t make a good impression if he tore through the door like a caged beast waiting to explode.

The receptionist looked up as Dak opened the door. A little bell jingled announcing his entrance. She had long blonde hair and red-framed glasses. He read the name “Mary” on a name tag pinned on her chest. She asked, “May I help you?”

Dak’s voice and expression were both flat. He said, “I’m moving in. My name’s Dakota Preston. I contacted you about a week ago from the riverboat. Your manager said there would be a furnished studio available for me.”

He chuckled to himself while he watched the receptionist stare at his arms. She was admiring his muscular body, and she was tongue-tied when she began to speak. “Umm…yes…Mr. P…Preston?”

“Yes, that’s Dakota Preston.”

She tore her attention away from his muscles to check her computer screen. “I have it right here. We had you scheduled for move-in yesterday, but it’s no problem today.”

He asked, “Is there anything special I need to do?”

She looked up again with a broad smile on her face. “There’s a couple of documents to sign, and then I give you your key. That’s about it. The apartment is ready. If you have any problems, you just need to call the office, or feel free to stop in anytime.” Mary pulled the key out of a drawer and said, “Wow, I live in the next building over.”

Dak smiled. “It will be good to have you as a neighbor.”

She blushed in response. “Yeah, I’ll see you around. I’m always here in the office.”

Dak didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was barking up the wrong tree. He took the documents and a pen before finding a chair in the small waiting room. With a quick glance, he saw that it was a standard rental contract like the ones he’d signed multiple times when returning from the boat. Within seconds, Dak signed it and returned it to the receptionist’s window.

She handed him the key. “It’s building C. It’s the second building past this one. You’ll find an inventory list. Check to make sure everything is there and then return the list sometime in the next few days. Oh, and there are complimentary towels at the poolhouse if you need those. It’s a great pool.”

“I’ll have to check it out.” Dak smiled as he turned around and found his way back to the truck. He had a new admirer, and he was a little worried she might be too interested. Fortunately, he was only in the apartment for two weeks.

The apartment was on the second floor of a two-story building that held a dozen units. Dak had a balcony outside the front door, and the rear of the building faced woods that tumbled down the side of a ravine.

Dak stepped inside to see a plain but serviceable furnished apartment. The sofa looked like a leftover from the clearance sale room at a furniture store. He tossed his luggage onto it and pulled his phone from his pocket. He wasn’t surprised to see a text message from Brody. It read:

Dak sighed heavily as he read the message. It was too much. He didn’t want to deal with it at the moment. Instead, he was happy to see that furnished apartment in this complex meant a TV, too. He found the remote control lying on a coffee table and aimed it at the screen. It was time to relax and forget both the boat and Brody. Dak needed relaxing solo time with a reasonably comfy couch, the TV, and take out food later.

Dak was disoriented when he woke up hours later on the apartment couch. At first, he didn’t know where he was. He glanced around at the nondescript paintings of woodland scenes on the wall while trying to remember. The prickly sensations on his forearms disappeared when he spotted the apartment key on the coffee table.

He got up and looked out the living room window. It was already starting to get dark outside. That meant he had slept for more than six hours. Dak was used to the pattern of a few days of heavy sleep after getting off the boat. His body shut down when it no longer had to contend with fellow deckhands and the noises of the tow.

Dak found his way to the shower to wake himself up. He dressed in clean clothes and thought about his plans for the next day. He had a full suitcase worth of clean clothes in his storage unit and pots, pans, plates, and silverware to set up the kitchen. He was eager to go out for dinner. The boat hired a qualified cook, but Dak looked forward to something different. Before leaving the apartment, he set his phone on mute. He wasn’t ready to deal with Brody just yet.