"That's enough, Emily. I know you don't want to be away from home, but I'm tired of all these excuses. First it was not wanting to leave the house at all, now it's three guys living in the condo with you?" I could hear clear irritation and skepticism in my mother's voice.

"Mom, I'm serious." I groaned. "I can take a picture! No, I can do better! You can talk to Logan."

"Logan? As is Jesse's little friend?"

He's not so little anymore, I wanted to tell her, but decided it was aside from the point I was trying to get out. Plus, the last time she'd seen the egotistical ass for longer than a few minutes, he was fourteen.

"Someone's trying to get through, Em. Please try to bear with the separation anxiety, all of this will get easier, I promise, sweetie. I love you."

Before I could the line went dead and I was left with my phone still pressed against my ear in silence. It wasn't really a surprise my mom didn't believe me, I had been throwing out every excuse that came to mind in hopes they'd finally cave and let me come back home before I had even stepped outside the door. It didn't help that the thought of my brother leaving me in the hands of his three male roommates sounded so far fetched that I was still trying to wrap my own head around it.

"Any luck?" Adam's soft voice questioned from the doorway. I set my phone on my lap and squeezed my eyes shut, massaging my temple.

"She doesn't believe me." I muttered bitterly. "Thinks I'm just making up another excuse to get out of living on my own."

He ran a hand over his buzzed head, lips pursed. "I mean, the idea of Jesse not telling you about us is a little fantastical when you think about it."

"If you're trying to comfort me, it isn't helping." I shot him a dark look. He shrugged, hurling a balled up t-shirt into an empty white hamper in the far corner of the room. Missing, he huffed out a annoyed grunt and crossed the room to pick it up.

Adam was quite possibly the most organized and cleanest man I'd met, which was refreshing as I'd spent seventeen years with one of the messiest people in the world. Jesse's room had always been a tornado of piles of dirty laundry, empty beverage bottles, and half-eaten snacks. I'd always made it part of my daily routine to force him up and help me clean the room every Friday, but somehow it'd look as if we hadn't touched a thing not even three days later. The few times I'd tagged along to Logan's house, I'd found very much the same thing in his own room. I'd chalked it up to it being a teenage male thing.

That assumption quickly faded when I'd stepped into Adam's room at the end of the hall last night. His room was the very opposite of what my brother's had been. All his clothes were in two hampers pushed against the wall at the far side of the room, separating whites and colors. There was a trash can beside his desk facing the door, and a small blue recycling can at the foot of his bed. All blankets and sheets were perfectly folded into a neat pile in front of his closet, with the except of the two spread across his bed. I had never felt so at ease inside someone's bedroom.

"I'll crash at my best friend's place until I get this all figured out." I said, brushing my bangs out of my eyes when he didn't say anything. "Thanks for all the help and for being so hospitable."

"You can stay here, Emily." Adam tried to reason, trudging back to the doorway, as if it were an attempt to block my exit. "We don't bite. Well, I don't, I can't exactly speak for the other two idiots who live here."

"Maybe you don't." I agreed, standing. "But you're also three horny, egotistical twenty-one-year-old men who know absolutely nothing about women."

"Stereotyping a little, aren't we?" Adam quirked his dark brow. "I think I'm pretty good at reading women. And I definitely know how to treat them."

"You may." I had to give him the benefit of the doubt after all he'd done. He'd even slept on the hard ground so I had his bed last night. "But Logan sure as hell doesn't. And the other guy, Collin, doesn't seem much better."

Adam sighed, pressing the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. "Jesse knew all three of us, Emily. He still sent you here knowing we all live here, so that's something."

"Jesse worshipped the ground Logan walked on." I deflected with a grimace. "He could never believe that Logan decided to stay friends with him, especially throughout High School where Logan helped him climb the social ladder, even if it was only when he was at his side. My brother didn't who he really is."

Adam snickered. "Or did you think maybe you didn't really see who he is? They were close, Emily. As much as I hate Logan, it's safe to say that your brother knew him better than all of us."

I wanted to both smack and admire Adam for the words the honesty in his words.

"Regardless," I started toward where he stood in the doorway. "I don't want to stay here, Adam. You're incredible for everything you did for me last night, but I still don't know you. Nor do I know Collin or Logan enough to feel comfortable here."

"I've got a proposition for you." Adam stated, blocking the doorway completely. Even being five seven and a little above average in height for a woman, he was still a couple inches taller and his stocky stature blocked my escape entirely.

"What is it?" I already knew I wasn't going to like it.

His lips twisted slowly into a malicious smirk. The pulsating gray in his eyes was something I'd seen in my brother's for years. It was a taunting, slightly intimidating look that couldn't possibly mean anything good.

"Stay tonight. If you still feel uncomfortable in the morning, I'd be more than happy to drop you off at your friend's place." He said softly.

I considered his words for a minute before responding. If I were being entirely honest with myself, it wasn't exactly on the top of my list to spend tonight, and God only knows how many nights after, with a house full of rambunctious little kids with nerf guns and markers with no discipline.

But the alternative wasn't great either. Having to spend another day with Logan's rude ass behavior wasn't something I was keen on agreeing to either.

It came down to if I wanted to spend over an hour throwing every little detail of what happened on to my best friend, who I hadn't spoke with for more than a few minutes since graduation, or if I wanted to allow Adam to play bodyguard and ensure Logan kept his big ass mouth shut.

"So?" Adam prompted.

"Okay." I caved. "But if any of you so much as insinuate anything of any sort I'm out the door. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, Ma'am." he saluted me with a crooked smile. The hormonal teenage girl in me couldn't stop my eyes from wandering his face. He had a light case of acne, nothing like what Jesse had gone through a few years back though, that had been a nightmare.. Where my brother and Logan had always been all brawn, Adam seemed like he had the tendency to fall into the more logical side of the brains category.

His gray eyes were glistening with excitement, thin lips turned upward. A light stubble resided along his jawline.

"When you're done checking me out," he leaned forward on the balls of his feel, "I can give you an actual tour of the place."

The jumbled mess of words escaped me was embarrassing to say in the least. "Check you out? You're definitely not my type."

And what exactly is your type, Em?

I'd never really had the chance to pinpoint exactly what my "type" was. Jesse had made my high school life miserable in regards to boys and relationships. He made sure no guy would step within a hundred feet of me, and those who did, always fell victim to being scared off after the first date.

Flushing, my hands found my cheeks and cupped them as warmth spread throughout. I was relieved to see that my rude comment hadn't affected Adam much. His expression didn't waver in the least bit, stormy eyes still roaming my own for an answer to his offer.

"That'd be great." I eventually answered. His head moved a curt nod before he disbanded from the frame and made a gesture for me to follow him. I fell into step beside him, listening as he explained the schedules the boys had created as we headed down the hall and to the kitchen.

Collin was lounged on the sofa when we walked in, one of his arms draped over the back of the couch, the other deep in a bag of Cheetos as he screamed profanities at a football game on TV. An image of my father in the exact same position flashed before my eyes for half a second before Adam led me in the other direction.

"This is probably the cleanest spot in the house." Adam joked, stopping into the kitchen.

"Why is it so clean?" It was miraculously clean in comparison to the rest of the condo. The walls were white enough to see any sort of speck, the counters and oven wiped clean of any dirt or food residue. The tile under my spotted pink socks even glistened under the direct light.

"I spend most of my time in here." Adam grumbled, giving me a gentle nudge further into the kitchen so he could open the fridge.

A quiet, husky chuckle broke through the momentary silence. "In other words, he'd kick our asses if we left a mess in here."

I rubbed my clenched fist, contemplating whether it'd be worth breaking my hand over punching the smug look off Logan's face.

"Maybe that's what you need." I retorted with a dark look in the taller boy's direction. "A good ass kicking."

Logan laughed, Collin tore his attention from the TV and looked toward us, clearly more invested in how the scene in the dining room was about to play out.

"You know, I think all us men can agree on something when it comes to women." He paused, earning a disgusted look out of me. I knew I was going to hate whatever left his mouth. "You all look better when you keep your mouth shut."

I lurched forward, ready to slam my fist against his chest, but Adam caught my waist and yanked me back before my hand could come in contact with any part of Logan. Collin, sometime in the midst of his roommate talking had stood, already knowing the outcome.

Angry with Adam for holding me back, and disgusted and furious with Logan, I pushed out of Adams grip and walked to the front door, flipping Logan off before slamming it behind me.

***AN***

Hope you guys enjoyed! 

Are you liking any of the guys so far? Do you think there's more to Jesse than any of them are talking about? 

Let me know what you guys thought/think! I'd love to hear it! 

~ChasingMadness24