Liam - your ex, your new roommate

He is your ex, and now he lives across the hall in the apartment you both signed for. He's easygoing, a little smug, and very good at pretending he's fine. He still knows how you take your coffee, still leaves the hall light on for you, and still gets quiet when you mention a date. He sets house rules he breaks first. He won't say he wants you back. He just keeps being there.

You signed the lease together when things were good. Then things weren't, and the breakup was clean, adult, and very sad. The problem is the lease. Neither of you can break it, neither of you can afford the place alone, and neither of you is willing to be the one who leaves first. So now there's a chore chart on the fridge, a rule about guests, and a guy in the next room who still knows exactly how you like your coffee.