Prologue
Lyra had planned every detail of her new apartment. Her first space alone, finally a place she could control completely—where everything would be neat, tidy, and exactly as she wanted.
So why, then, was a man standing in the middle of her living room, surrounded by boxes, papers, and a suspiciously spilled coffee cup?
"I… can help you with that," he said casually, flashing a grin that made her chest tighten against her better judgment.
"You… live here?" she asked, disbelief making her voice tremble.
"I do now," he said. "Well… technically, the lease says I do. The landlord insists we're both officially tenants until the mix-up is fixed."
Lyra's jaw dropped. Months of planning. Every detail. Gone. Stolen by this… walking disaster named Adrian.
"And you're fine with this?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice calm.
"Absolutely," he said, leaning against a pile of scattered papers. "Ambiance, right?"
Lyra wanted to scream, cry, or throw something—preferably at him. Instead, she took a deep breath and realized: sharing her apartment with Adrian was the beginning of a very long, very chaotic… and very interesting chapter of her life.
Lyra had spent the last few months planning this day down to the smallest detail.After graduating college and landing her first job in the city, she was finally leaving her small town behind
-a place where everyone knew your business before you did and moving into her very first apartment
Her life had always been orderly: schedules,lists, color coded planners and neatly arranged bookshelves.Chaos was something other people dealt with.And she liked it that way.Everything was going according to plan until she opened the door to her new apartment
Lyra crossed her arms and stared at
Adrian like he was the embodiment of every nightmare she'd ever had. "So… what happens now?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Adrian shrugged, clearly enjoying her frustration. "Now? We live here. Split the apartment, figure out a routine, survive each other. Easy."
Lyra blinked. "Easy? You call this easy?" She gestured around at the mess—papers on the floor, half-packed boxes, and a coffee cup teetering on the edge of the table.
"That," Adrian said, picking up the coffee cup and balancing it carefully in one hand, "is ambiance. You'll learn to appreciate it."
Lyra groaned. She should have packed an entire week's worth of stress balls for this move.
"Look," she said, trying to regain control, "we need rules. Clear rules. No mess on my side. No loud music. No… whatever this is." She pointed at the chaotic stack of papers he'd been using as a makeshift chair.
Adrian's grin widened. "Rules. Got it. But maybe we can compromise on the music?"
Lyra groaned again, running a hand through her hair. Compromise? She wasn't even sure she'd survive the next hour.
"You know," Adrian said casually, leaning back against the counter, "this isn't so bad. I think we'll get along just fine."
Lyra wanted to scream. Or cry. Or both. Instead, she took a deep breath and reminded herself: this was her apartment now, and no chaotic man would ruin it… at least, she hoped.
Lyra snatched her phone from the counter and dialed the landlord's number before Adrian could say anything else. She needed answers. Now.
"Hello, this is Mrs. Keaton," a calm, slightly weary voice answered.
"Mrs. Keaton, this is Lyra Marshall," Lyra said, trying to keep her tone professional. "I just moved into 3B, and there seems to be a… situation." She glanced at Adrian, who was leaning casually against the wall, smirking as if he were in on some secret.
"Yes, yes," Mrs. Keaton replied. "I'm aware of the mix-up. Unfortunately, due to a clerical error, both you and Mr. Adrian Vale are listed as tenants. The lease cannot be adjusted immediately. The apartment must be shared until the paperwork is corrected."
Lyra felt her blood pressure spike. "Shared? You mean I have to live with him?"
"That's correct," Mrs. Keaton said gently. "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, but there's nothing I can do for at least two weeks. We've contacted the rental platform and are waiting for them to resolve it."
Lyra's jaw dropped. Two weeks. Two long weeks. And she had been so proud of moving out and having her own space… now she was stuck with Adrian, who was currently lounging on her couch as if he owned the place.
"Fine," she said through gritted teeth, hanging up. She turned toward him, trying to summon authority. "Two weeks. That's all. Two weeks, and then this nightmare ends."
Adrian tilted his head, grinning mischievously. "Two weeks? Sounds like we have plenty of time to get to know each other… intimately."
Lyra's cheeks flushed—not entirely from anger. She narrowed her eyes, her hands tightening into fists. "Adrian, do not—"
"Relax," he said, hands raised in mock surrender, though his smirk remained. "I'm just saying, living together could be fun. You might even enjoy my ambiance."
Lyra groaned. Two weeks. How was she going to survive two weeks with Adrian Vale?
.....
Lyra slammed her bedroom door and flopped onto her neatly made bed. Finally—her space. Well, mostly. Adrian's random boxes and rogue coffee stains still invaded the corners, but at least she could breathe.
She grabbed her phone and called her best friend, Milan.
"Lyra! How's the big move? Did you finally escape that small-town nightmare?" Milan's cheerful voice rang through the speaker.
"Funny," Lyra snapped, sitting up and grabbing a pillow to hug. "You're not going to believe this. My apartment… it's not just mine. There's a man living here. A man named Adrian Vale. Chaos incarnate. He's spilled coffee on my rug, turned my papers into confetti, and—oh, Milan, I swear—he called it 'ambiance.'"
Milan laughed so hard Lyra could hear it echo. "Ambiance? What is he, some kind of artsy disaster guru?"
"I don't even know!" Lyra groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "He's lounging on my couch like he owns the place, humming like it's a musical, and don't get me started on his 'system' for organizing his stuff. There is no system! None! Chaos! Pure chaos!"
Milan snorted. "Sounds like you've got your hands full. So… what are you going to do?"
Lyra pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do? Milan, I have to live with him for two weeks! Two weeks! I've spent my whole life avoiding chaos, and now it's right here, laughing at me!"
Milan laughed again, almost hysterically. "Oh, Lyra. You and chaos… I can't wait to see how this turns out. At least it'll make a great story later!"
Lyra groaned, but a tiny smile crept onto her face. "Milan, I swear… if he makes it through the next hour without me throwing something at him, I might actually survive this."
Milan snickered. "Or… maybe you'll find out you don't hate him as much as you think."
Lyra rolled her eyes so hard she was sure she strained a muscle. "Milan! Don't even say that! I have rules, and boundaries, and lists!"
"Lists," Milan teased, "that Adrian is about to completely ignore."
Lyra buried her face in her pillow and muttered, "I hate this"