The very next day, Summer contacted him about choosing her apartment, and permission to bring along her parents. After a quick check of the rules, Ashton sent her an okay and awaited their arrival. How was he meant to face her after what had happened at the end of the interview? No, he couldn’t let that hold him back. All he needed to do was be professional.

He worked on some of his own unpacking while he waited, and heard a car pull into the lot after a while. Remember, everything would be fine if he kept it professional. As long as he maintained his work persona he would be able to interact normally. He stepped outside just in time to see the Aster family exiting their car.

“I’m glad you made it alright,” he greeted, “You are the first to arrive to choose an apartment.”

“Is the one next to yours available?” she asked.

Ashton glanced back at the apartment in question. He reminded himself that he must remain professional and leave personal feelings aside. If they were to be on the same team, he couldn’t let her every move get to him. “If that is the one you would like. Did you want to take a look at it first?”

Summer hesitated, but Mr. Aster stepped forward and had Ashton unlock the door so he could scope out the place properly. He was glad someone was taking the situation seriously, especially since it helped him maintain his professional persona. He was able to answer all of the questions Mr. Aster asked as they waited for the ladies to join them.

All of the apartments were exact replicas of each other. One bathroom, two small rooms, and a living space that went from small kitchenette to dining room to entryway with no real separation. Ashton had made his spare room into an office space to make paper and computer work easier. What Ashton had not done was taken exact measurements, but Mr. Ashton was prepared with his own tools.

The ladies stepped in and took a look around while Mr. Aster started on the simpler measurements. Summer poked her head into various rooms, stopping in the bathroom.

“It’s so small,” Summer mentioned

“Is it?” Ashton asked, a little perplexed. Was she talking about the bathroom or the whole place? He probably should have just agreed with her, though he thought this was rather nice for an apartment he didn’t have to spend a dime on.

“It’s the perfect size for me,” she backtracked quickly, “If I think of it more like my own personal room than a house it is almost big?”

Almost? No, it was probably best not to comment. Summer’s father was wealthy enough to donate to SI on a regular basis and she had never left her family home. She would probably get used to things eventually. He felt almost invisible as the family enjoyed their time inspecting and measuring every nook and cranny of the place.

It was a relief when he got a message that the Smith twins had arrived. One quick explanation and promise to return and Ashton was able to excuse himself from the awkward environment. Hopefully once he was done helping Levi and Kai he would be prepared to face Summer and her family.

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The twins had arrived on a special transport bus used by the facilities. Ashton recognized from his first outing before Mr. Wyndart had taken him in. The driver watched them with narrowed eyes but drove off once Ashton showed them his badge and proof of paperwork that they needed. Levi had a large duffel slung over his shoulder and Kai was dragging a single backpack by the handle.

“So this is where we will be staying,” Levi muttered.

“Are they sure about giving us this much freedom all of the sudden?” Kai scorned, “We could do anything.”

“If you do, the consequences will be on your own heads,” Ashton reminded, “You may not be trapped behind walls but they are always watching us. We’ve just moved to a bigger cage.”

Kai winced, but didn’t argue. “So which one of these is ours?”

“You can both choose one if you would like,” Ashton told them, “They weren’t really designed for two people to share.”

The twins shared a glance. “We’ll take a look and decide,” Kai told him, “Are any of the ones on the second floor open?”

“All of them are,” Ashton replied, “All of the apartments should be the same, but maybe you should take the middle one just in case you change your minds and want your own apartment later.”

“So we can be next to each other even if someone else moves in upstairs,” Levi concluded, “Perfect. Let’s do that.”

Ashton led them up the stairs and let them into the apartment, a perfect replica just like the rest. They took a quick look around but there was one problem that was made immediately apparent. Those two bags were everything the twins owned, but there was no furniture here for them. He couldn’t just leave them to sleep on the floor, but it wasn’t like Ashton just had any spare furniture laying about either.

“Let me see what I can get you for tonight. If nothing else I should be able to borrow a couple cots or an air mattress,” Ashton promised them.

“It seems like it will take some time to get this place set up properly,” Levi realized with a sigh, “Thank you for giving us this chance and helping us settle in.”

“He should help us settle in,” Kai argued, “It’s his responsibility after convincing us to come here. Our lives are in his hands now.”

That was a weighty sentence, but Ashton had to admit it was true. Luckily, Gale Research was already equipped to handle just this situation and two collapsible cots were delivered for them. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. He gave them a few spare blankets and set up their new lock and key before returning to check in on Summer.

Luckily they had finished with the measurements and approved of the apartment. Her lock and key was easy enough to set up after that. Summer was too busy with moving preparations to attempt to flirt any further, which was both a relief and a disappointment. Ashton couldn’t decide how he felt.

After Summer left Ashton tried to finish up the rest of his work. He needed to make sure he had all the appropriate paperwork to show when Kayla showed up. Given the high level of her facility, he doubted they would hand her off without a thorough check. While he was finishing that up, he heard the distinct sounds of Summer moving in, furniture and all. How had she gotten so much already? No, knowing them, they must have just bought it.

After he ate and cleaned up dinner, there was a knock on his door. He opened it to see both Summer and Kayla standing there. Kayla had nothing with her and there was no sign of the transport. How had she gotten here? And more importantly, why were both of them so on edge?