"I'm moving out, Mom," Charlie said with finality. She was standing on the threshold of the doorway, one backpack slung over her shoulder and a suitcase at her feet. Her parents were staring at her, incredulous by the fact that their straight-A student daughter would ever speak those words to them.

"I—I don't—" Rachel, her mother, began to sputter. Silent tears were streaming down her face as she watched Charlie roll her eyes at her mother's blotchy face.

"I'm tired of being treated like a child," said Charlie. She hiked the backpack further up her shoulder and walked out the door, slamming it in her parents face.

Her father hadn't said a word during the entire conversation; he just stared at her with a look that said she would regret setting foot out of the household. Charlie knew she wouldn't regret it though. The household was broken; her parents' marriage was falling apart, and Charlie had an inkling feeling that no matter how hard her father tried to repair it, Rachel would refuse to sort out their problems.

Charlie made her way down the sidewalk and peered into the garage. Her brother had his head bent into the refrigerator and was most likely poking around to see if they had any leftover soda. He looked up when she rounded the corner.

"Charlie?" he said. His eyebrows were raised at the sight of her luggage. "You're not… are you?" Danny didn't even need to ask for clarification, though, as moving out was something that she talked to him about daily.

"I am," said Charlie. "Take care of yourself Danny." Unlike Charlie, though, Danny didn't have any problems getting along with their parents.

Danny strode forward and wrapped his arms around Charlie, causing her to drop her backpack and reciprocate the action of affection. "I will," he muttered into her neck as he stroked her hair.

Charlie pulled away. Danny watched her as she picked up her luggage from the ground and unlocked her Honda. She dropped her luggage in the trunk, then rounded to the driver's side where Danny waited.

"Where are you headed?" asked Danny.

"Uncle Miles's place," said Charlie.

Danny nodded. The two of them always had a good relationship, and Miles would give her the freedom that she craved.

"See you," he said, closing the door once she settled in.

Charlie waved from behind the glass.

The drive to Uncle Miles's was from the suburban neighborhood she grew up in to downtown Chicago, and it was long enough to make Charlie rethink her decision. Her entire life had been centered around her family. After her parents lost their jobs when she was five for whatever reason, they had a hard time finding work. When Charlie was accepted into Georgetown after high school, she hadn't had enough scholarships to pay for the education, nor did she want to apply to the state university that she loathed after one visit. She settled for community college until she made enough money to pay for a better school.

Fifty percent of her earning wage went to her college savings, twenty five to the household income, and the final twenty five for some spending money. That was the way it was split, until now. Charlie would now be keeping fifty percent of her earnings.

Charlie pulled in to the parking garage located next to Miles's apartment building. She grabbed her luggage, locked her car and made her way down the sidewalk. The air had a nip to it, and Charlie pulled her jacket tighter around her waist to avoid shivering. She gave a sigh of relief when she reached the door to his building, and pressed the buzzer to his floor.

The buzzer rang, and a moment later came a voice over the intercom, "Nora? Is that you?"

Charlie hesitated, "It's Charlie."

"Charlie? What are you doing here?"

She bit her lip, "I… it's cold out. Can you let me in, and I'll explain when I'm up?"

The door gave a jolt to signal that it was unlocked, and Charlie ran to grab it. She let herself in and gave a friendly wave to the doorman that was watching her suspiciously.

Charlie rode the elevator up to the seventh floor and stepped out when it reached the landing.

"717," said Charlie under her breath when she reached his door, rapping her knuckles against the white wood.

Miles was almost immediate with answering her knock. The door swung open to reveal him in a white t-shirt and sweat, holding whiskey in one hand.

"Hey," whispered Charlie.

Miles raised his eyebrows at her luggage.

"Long story," explained Charlie.

"Well I'd love to hear it," called Miles over his shoulder as he walked away.

Charlie let herself in, taking in the décor around her. The walls were decorated in military portraits of Miles and some other man, along with family portraits of her own family. As she walked further into the apartment, she noticed a lone picture of her mom. Rachel was standing in a field, surrounded by flowers. She was turning and laughing as the picture was taken.

"I didn't know my mom used to have bangs," commented Charlie.

"What?" said Miles, coming back to where Charlie stood. "Oh. That picture." He walked right back away into the large living room, which was decorated with leather couches and a bar by the window that overlooked the city. A fire was roaring in the fireplace, casting an added glow to the already well-lit room.

"Who's this, Miles?" a voice came from the fireplace.

Charlie turned to find a man around her Uncle's age in a black t-shirt and gym shorts, holding a glass of whiskey himself. He had brown curly hair and sharp blue eyes with the makings of beard along his jaw. Charlie felt her breath catch at the mere appearance of him.

"This is my niece, Charlie," said Miles as he made himself another drink.

The man stood and made his way across the room. As he moved, Charlie notices the muscles that rippled beneath the fabric of his shirt and gulped. "Charlotte, that's right," he said. "Your Uncle talks a lot about you. I'm Sebastian Monroe," he held out his hand to her.

Charlie reluctantly took it, ignoring the spark that raced down her arm. "This is oddly formal," she remarked.

"Cut the shit, Bass," said Miles. "So, Charlie, why are you here on a Tuesday night at…" he checked his watch, "…9 P.M."

"I need a place to stay," said Charlie.

Miles scoffed, "And you assumed my place would be a good one, why? Bass is moving in with me, and I think Nora might start crashing here more often. I already got three people here."

"Please," said Charlie. "I can't… I can't deal with my parents any longer." Her voice broke.

Bass chimed in, "I think this is my cue to leave the room."

Charlie glared at him as he sauntered out, a smug grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"What do you mean you can't deal with them?" Miles asked, taking the glass away from his lips.

"They fight all the time. They're always home. They suffocate me. I'm 21 years old, and I'm still living at home because they can't afford to send me to an okay college because of some misstep in their job when I was five! And they won't even tell me what happened back then, but I can assume that they did something to piss off their super-important boss because they can't find work anymore! I'm basically holding this family up. Rachel and I fight all the time. She doesn't understand where I'm coming from with anything, and she's so over-protective. She doesn't even let me drink or go out with my friends. I am an adult, and I deserve to be treated like one." Charlie finished her speech with a huff and the crossing of her arms.

"For an adult, you sure do seem whiny," said Miles after a few moments.

Charlie glared at him with a locked jaw, letting him know that it was no time for joking.

"Kidding, kidding," Miles said. He turned and started making another drink. "Here," he said, handing the drink to her. "You can stay here. And I suppose that drink should signify the start to your newly found freedom."

Charlie took the drink from him. "Thank you," she said.

Miles shrugged like it was no big deal. "There's a spare bedroom down the hall. You can make yourself at home, I guess."

"Thank you," Charlie repeated, unsure of what to do with herself. She awkwardly took a sip of her drink, and then set it down on a nearby table. She gathered her things and made her way to the hall to her new bedroom.

The room was sparse with a large window over looking the lake. There was a single queen-sized bedroom with a large white comforter, and perhaps the most surprising decoration was Bass from earlier. He was standing with his own drink overlooking the water.

"Do I have the wrong room?" asked Charlie, dropping her backpack. She knew she didn't, but she need to make her presence known, and what better way to do that than with a snarky comment?

Bass turned, eyebrows raised to see her. "I was just making sure everything was ready for you," he said with a smirk.

"By doing what exactly? Having a glass of whisky and looking pensively out my window?" she asked sarcastically, dumping her luggage on the comforter.

Bass rolled his eyes, "The bed didn't have sheets, and I thought I would extend the courtesy."

"Thanks, but I think I can handle it."

Bass didn't saying anything. He just stood there and watched as Charlie unzipped her bags. "Aren't you going to help me?" snapped Charlie.

Bass walking quietly from his watching station and made his way to the side of the bed she was on, placing himself behind her. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, so softly she could barely hear it. "I think you can handle it." And with that, he left the room, leaving his half-full drink on the bedside table.

When the door closed, Charlie caught her breath, spinning to look at the closed door. She noticed the glass of whisky by the door and lunged for it, remembering that she left her drink in the living room. She downed the drink in one gulp, thankful that her vision became momentarily foggy. The night had been stressful so far, and a flirty conversation with her Uncle's sexy friend was the last thing she needed right now. She needed to focus on herself.

Charlie unloaded her clothes and deposited them in the dresser. She took out a picture of her and Danny when they were little and put it on her bedside table, letting her finger linger on his face. She put her toiletries in the adjoining bathroom that, she now noticed, was shared with the oh-so-sexy Sebastian Monroe. There was a door on the opposite side that connected to his messy room.

Once Charlie was done settling in, she heard a cheer come from the living room. She nervously exited the room and saw the door being opened by Miles to reveal a pretty girl with dark hair that looked only about ten years older than herself.

"Nora!" said Miles happily as he planted a kiss on her lips and took the large purse she was holding from her hands and deposited it by the doorway.

"Hey Miles," she reciprocated his hug and locked eyes with Charlie over his shoulder. "Who's this?"

Charlie walked down the hallway to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Charlie," she said. "I'm Miles's niece."

"Oh thank God," Nora said, placing her hand over her heart laughing, "I thought you were one of Bass's one night conquests, and I was worried because you looked so young. It's so nice to meet you!" Nora didn't extend her hand, which Charlie was grateful for. The action seemed much too formal.

"Drink?" asked Miles.

"Yes please," said Nora as she gave Charlie an extra smile, following Miles into the living room. Charlie did the same, spotting her drink on a nearby table.

Charlie noticed Bass sitting by the fire, engrossed in his phone. Miles and Nora were chatting by the bar, and she never felt more out of place. She took another nervous sip, followed by a larger gulp.

Watching Bass, Charlie realized just how much trouble she really was going to get into now. Her mother was right.