Keeley's heart nearly stopped when she heard her father coming home. Maybe if they stayed very quiet, they could sneak out unseen. "Screw it," she muttered. She'd tell a partial truth—Aaron was helping her move.

He thought they were friends; he wouldn't question it. As long as Aaron remained discreet, everything would be fine.

"Follow my lead," she hissed, as they left her bedroom, boxes in hand.

She set her box down on the kitchen table and hugged her father. "Hi, Dad! How was work? I'm moving my stuff to my new place today, and Aaron offered to help."

Robert smiled, utterly unsuspicious, as he released her. "Work was the usual. Good to see you, son. It's awfully nice of you to help."

"My pleasure, sir," Aaron replied respectfully.

"Need any help bringing things downstairs?"

Keeley shook her head. "Nope, this is it. We're on a tight schedule, but I'll see you Sunday, okay?"

"You better," he said, in a mock-stern voice. "We have important things to do."

Though teasing, his eyes were sad. Sunday was the anniversary of her mother and Kaleb's deaths. He didn't want to be alone; they always visited the graves together.

She hugged him tightly. "I know. I'll be here bright and early. Love you."

"Love you too."

Keeley breathed a sigh of relief once they were back in the car. That was close. She wiped her forehead after setting her box in the back seat.

"What's on Sunday?" Aaron asked.

She avoided the question. "I always see my dad on Sundays."

The drive back was silent. They struggled to bring the boxes upstairs, but eventually, everything was in the apartment. The doorman was definitely suspicious, if he hadn't been already. Keeley wanted the floor to swallow her whole when their eyes met.

Keeley unpacked the kitchen first. To survive eating there, she needed her electric mixer and baking tools.

She frowned, staring at the remaining items. What to do with her plates, bowls, cups, and silverware? Aaron had his own. Would there be enough space?

She decided to deal with that later. For now, she'd put what he didn't have in the cupboards. Everything else could stay in the box in the guest room closet.

"Need any help?" he asked.

"No, thanks."

This was getting awkward. Should she establish ground rules? It was his house, and she didn't want to overstep, but she also didn't want to be taken advantage of.

"Hey, Aaron? Should I pay rent?"

"Don't insult me," he said coldly.

How was offering to pay rent insulting? Rich people were weird. She didn't want to take advantage of his guilt, so she wanted to balance things.

"Then what do you want in exchange? I won't do anything weird, but I should do something."

He thought. "Whenever you cook something, I want some. That's all."

Seriously? Keeley had cooked consistently over the summer, but during the school year, she'd eat sandwiches, takeout, and microwave meals—definitely not what he wanted.

"You sure? That seems small. I mean, I get your TV and amazing bathtub."

"You said you'd help me decorate. That's something too."

Right, she'd forgotten. She felt better about the deal.

"Just let me know if there's anything you want—or don't want me to do. This is your house; I'm a guest."

He frowned, but didn't say what he'd initially planned. A minute later, he spoke, but it wasn't what she expected.

"Justdon't bring any guys over. That's all."

Keeley snorted. That wouldn't be a problem. Her only male friend was history.

"That won't be a problem."

"I know you've had Ryan over before," Aaron said darkly.

Was he jealous? Seriously? Had their awkward wedding encounters been due to mutual jealousy? It was obvious in hindsight. She should have realized it sooner.

She sighed. "Ryan and I aren't friends anymore. I recently found out he likes me, and I can't continue knowing that. I'm too busy this semester; I doubt I'll even invite Valentina over."

He stared at her with an unreadable expression. It made her self-conscious.

"What?" she whined.

"You dropped someone you've been close to for six years just because he told you he liked you?"

"Well, it sounds terrible when you put it that way…"

What other option did she have? She'd felt too awkward around him. His recent strange behavior had been uncomfortable. Now that she knew his feelings, it made sense.

Aaron was still scrutinizing her. "What about me then?"

"Huh?"

"You know I'm in love with you, so why are you here?"

He was an odd exception. She couldn't shake him. Hadn't her motto regarding Aaron always been, 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'?

"It's different with you…we're the only ones who remember our past life. We have to look out for each other," Keeley explained.

His posture relaxed. "Right. Anyway, you still have unpacking to do…I'll leave you alone. Let me know if you need anything."

That was it? He let it go surprisingly fast. She thought he'd keep hounding her.

"Okay. Once I'm done, I'll start dinner. I was thinking fettuccine Alfredo."

Aaron showed a soft expression, though not quite a smile. "Sounds good."

He left, leaving her alone. Living here was going to be stressful. Keeley was already stressed.

(The promotional text at the end was removed as requested.)