7: Want to Stay at My Place?

“It’s fixed,” Brandon said.

Karen looked at the repaired bike and sincerely praised the man, “Thank you, you’re amazing!”

“How much do I owe you?”

Brandon frowned slightly. “Owe me for what?”

“For fixing the bike and the ice cream.”

“No need, no need to be so exact.”

The man had his back to her, water droplets still glistening on his short black hair.

Luckily, Karen had brought some cash today. “No, that won’t do. I’m leaving the money right here.”

She needed to go; she still had to find a place to rent. If she waited until noon, it would be too hot.

Looking at the half-eaten ice cream in her hand, Karen felt a bit of regret. She shouldn’t have taken it earlier—now she couldn’t finish it.

When she lifted her head, she met Brandon’s intense gaze.

“What’s wrong?”

Karen softly murmured, “I can’t finish it...”

Brandon looked at the ice cream she had taken a few bites of, grabbed it from her hand, and finished it in a few bites.

Karen’s eyes widened, and her face turned bright red. He... He ate the same ice cream she had!

Brandon noticed the girl staring at him, amusement hidden in his expression. “If you haven’t had enough of staring, why don’t you stay for lunch?”

“Yeah,” Jason chuckled.

Before he could finish laughing, Derek smacked him on the back.

“Ow! What are you doing?!”

Derek gritted his teeth. “What do you think?”

Jason cleared his throat, almost letting the secret slip.

Karen looked at the two men acting strangely, her left hand behind her back nervously clenching. Her pale skin made the blush on her face even more obvious.

“You two, get out of here!” Brandon scolded, worried they’d scare off the girl he had feelings for.

“Brandon, I should get going. Thanks again for fixing my bike.”

Karen put on her sun hat and tugged at the strap to tighten it, but her hair got caught.

“Ow…”

Brandon frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“My hair got stuck...”

They were standing close, and Karen could feel the man’s breath, making her face flush even more.

“Don’t move,” his deep, magnetic voice came from above, sounding like a soft, steady drumbeat.

Karen stood still as his rough, warm fingers brushed against her cheek while he gently untangled her hair.

“All done,” he said, adjusting her hat with both hands.

“Thanks.”

Karen knew her face must be bright red, so she didn’t dare look him in the eye.

“Did you find a place to stay yet?”

“Not yet.”

Brandon looked at her fair, delicate face. “I’ve got two empty rooms at my place. Want to stay with me?”

Karen quickly shook her head. “No, it’s alright. I’ll keep looking.”

She really didn’t want to live with a man, even though he had helped her multiple times, and they were on somewhat familiar terms.

“Alright,” he replied, but thought to himself, **You won’t be able to run away.**

---

From a distance, Karen saw a group of elderly folks sitting under a tree, playing cards.

She parked her bike and walked over.

“Sir, do you know of anyone nearby who’s renting out a place?”

The old man didn’t answer her directly but instead called out toward a nearby open door, “Smith! There’s someone looking to rent!”

A plump woman wearing an apron came out of the house.

“Ma’am, do you have a place for rent?” Karen asked.

The woman untied her apron, eyeing Karen up and down, even walking around her in a circle.

Karen swallowed nervously. Are landlords this strict these days? Do they really need to examine tenants so closely?

“Hold on a second, dear,” the woman said.

Karen nodded.

Less than a minute later, Mrs. Smith came out of the house holding a piece of paper. On the paper was a drawing of a girl with big eyes, fair skin, and a bracelet on her left hand.

Mrs. Smith compared the drawing to Karen carefully.

Big eyes, fair skin, sweet and cute, a bit taller than her, and a silver bracelet on her left wrist—yup, this was the girl!

The girl that Brandon liked had arrived!

“What’s your name, dear?” Mrs. Smith asked.

“I’m Karen.”

“Karen, I don’t have a place to rent, but I know someone who does. Let me take you there!”

Karen smiled happily, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. Finally, she’d be able to rent a place!

“Thank you!”

Following Mrs. Smith down an alley, they soon arrived at a house with a grand red gate, flower pots hanging on both sides.

“This is the place.”

Mrs. Smith pulled out a key and unlocked the door.

As soon as the gate opened, Karen was greeted by a row of colorful flowers lining the bottom of the porch.

“Ma’am, is this your relative’s place?” Karen asked, wondering how Mrs. Smith had the key.

“Closer than a relative! We’ve been neighbors for decades. He wants to rent out the place, but he’s always so busy with work, leaving early and coming back late, so I help him keep an eye on things.”

Karen nodded.

Mrs. Smith couldn’t help but like Karen more and more—this girl was just so sweet and lovable!

The house was spacious, with a bright and airy living room. On one side, a black motorcycle was parked, and sturdy boxes were stacked on the floor.

The boxes looked familiar. She had seen similar ones at Brandon’s place earlier.

“Come on, Karen, the rental rooms are upstairs.”

Karen followed Mrs. Smith to the second floor, which had a completely different feel from the first. It was much more lived-in.

She wondered if the landlord lived here or if it was another tenant.

The living room had a TV and a dark-colored sofa set. By the balcony was a reclining chair, and through the open kitchen door, she could see a fridge and countertops stocked with cooking supplies.

It was pretty tidy—her first impression of the place was good.

“Ma’am, does the landlord live here too?”

“Yes, he does.”

“Is the landlord a man or a woman?”

Mrs. Smith paused. “A man. But don’t worry, he’s not some old creep. He’s tall and handsome—there’s no one else on this street like him!”

Karen hesitated, but Mrs. Smith had been so kind in bringing her here, so she decided to at least check out the room before making a decision.