When the words first left my mouth, inviting Brewer to move in, I was sure I’d lost my mind. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. After all, it wouldn’t hurt to have a roommate to ease the rent a bit. LA is an expensive as fuck place to live, and diluting some of my bills will just put me in a better position when I graduate. And, over the years, I’ve learned I’m a bit too prickly for most roommates.

That’s what made Brewer perfect. He already knows what a crabby asshole I am. Which means there won’t be any surprises. As long as he’s not a secret slob, we shouldn’t have a problem.

And, not that I’d admit this out loud, having Brewer move in will mean I can take care of him better. I’ve been doing my best to make sure he eats and sleeps, but it’s difficult to do from a distance. Don’t ask why I care so much. I’ve come to accept that for whatever reason, it’s important to me that Brewer is healthy and taken care of.

Shaggy sits at my feet, wagging his tail, just waiting for me to notice him. He kind of reminds me of Brewer. He needs me to take care of him, which hits all sorts of deep buttons I don’t really want to think too much about. And, like Brewer, Shaggy won’t ask for help. He’ll just sit there looking cute as hell until I realize he needs something from me. Okay, maybe I’m overthinking this to an extent. But I do think this arrangement will be beneficial for both of us.

“What do you think, Shaggy, are you glad Brewer is moving in?”

Shaggy barks excitedly and scampers over to the door like he expects Brewer to appear any moment. Good thing Brewer is nice to Shaggy, and Shaggy likes him. Otherwise, Brewer would be on his own. Okay, probably not, but he’d have to learn to love my dog.

Feeling restless, I decide to take Shaggy down to Ballsy studios to visit and get out of the apartment for a bit. When I pick up Shaggy’s leash, he goes crazy for a minute, and I smile. Dogs are the best. Hey, that’s another way Shaggy reminds me of Brewer. They’re both hyper little psychos sometimes, but secretly, they love to just chill on the couch and be lazy all day.

Since I can’t take Shaggy on my bike, we make a long walk out of it, both of us in need of water by the time we get to Ballsy.

“Hey, Tank,” Heart calls out when I walk in. “Oh my God, you have a dog?” He crouches down—in nothing but a jock strap, I might add—and greets Shaggy.

“Yeah, and apparently he loves half-naked men as much as I do,” I quip as Shaggy jumps all over Heart, licking him and yipping excitedly.

“Holy shit, was that a joke? Brewer seems to be rubbing off on you.”

I grumble a response, not wanting to admit that maybe Brewer is forcing me to lighten up just a smidge.

“Heart, where’d you go? Campy is tied up on the bed, waiting for you.”

“Oh, shit,” Heart stands up quickly and wipes the dog drool off his chin. “It’s Tank's fault. Give me a minute to get my dick hard.”

I chuckle at the absurdity of this profession and walk farther in with Shaggy in tow.

“Oh hey, man,” Rebel greets, his eyes widening when he sees Shaggy. “Aw, what a cutie.”

“If I’d known dogs were such a dick magnet, I would’ve gotten one years ago.”

“Well, now you have one, so in a month or so you can put him to use,” Rebel points out quietly so Heart and Campy won’t hear.

My gut twists at the implication of Brewer and me breaking up. I mean, obviously, it’s not a real break-up, because we’re not in a real relationship. So why does it feel so shitty to think about? We knew from the start that this would end in a few months. It’s not like we’re going to fake date forever.

“Yeah,” I mutter. “Speaking of Brewer, we’re...uh...moving in together.”

“You’re what?” Rebel asks, his jaw dropping. “Are you fucking with me right now?”

“Oh my god, did I just hear Tank say he and Brewer are moving in together?” Campy calls from the bed where he’s tied spread eagle to the bed frame, waiting for Heart to be ready to start their scene.

Shit. Not that it was a secret, I guess, but...okay, yeah, things just got more complicated.

“Yeah. He lost the room he was renting, and it made sense, so…” I shrug.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Rebel asks, dropping his voice again so only I can hear. “You know this is way above and beyond the contract you signed, right?”

“It’s not about the contract,” I bristle. “And we’ve been spending a lot of time together; we understand each other better now. We’re...friends.”

“Wow,” Rebel rubs his forehead, surprise clear in his expression. “That’s great. I’m really glad something good came out of this whole thing. I was a little worried the two of you would hate me for orchestrating it, so I’m relieved to hear it’s working out.”

“It is,” I agree.

“Are the two of you…” Rebel trails off, and I raise my eyebrows, waiting to hear how he’s going to finish that question. Are we sure moving in is a good idea? Are we looking forward to the charade to be over? Are we falling for each other?

“I’m ready,” Heart calls out, walking onto the set naked with his erection bobbing in front of him.

“I’m going to get some water from the kitchen, and then Shaggy and I are going to head back out. But listen, do you think you’d be able to round up the troops to help with all the moving shit tomorrow morning?”

“Sure thing. What time do you need us at Brewer’s place?”

“Eight-thirty? Do you need the address?” I offer.

“Nope, I’ve been to Brewer’s many times.” Rebel chuckles, and I remember how close Brewer and Rebel were before Troy came along. For some reason, that reminder makes a growl rumble in my chest.

“Cool. See you tomorrow, then. And thanks for helping out.”

“Any time.” Rebel claps me on the shoulder and signals to the crew they’re ready to start the scene as I slip out with Shaggy again.

When I get home, Shaggy grabs one of his toys and retires to his dog bed. And I get to work dusting and cleaning out the extra bedroom that will now be Brewer’s bedroom. It’s been about a year since I had a roommate, so there’s a lot of dusting and vacuuming to deal with. But it’s better to get it done now than wait until Brewer’s stuff is filling the place tomorrow.

Yeah, it’ll be nice to have someone else around the apartment for a change.