Just pay him now

"F-fine! I can pay now, just give me a minute", you say quickly as you step back into your apartment. Maybe if you hurry and fork over the cash you will still be able to catch your bus; it's been late before. You notice your landlord seems to follow you into the doorway, perhaps half expecting you to slam the door on him otherwise.

You retrieve your purse from your bag and grab all the money you can find inside. You return to him, counting out the bills before handing them to him. "T-this is for last month", you say as you hold out the bills. You don't think you have quite enough yet to pay for the entirety of next month as well, but hopefully another day of working at the studio should resolve that problem. Still, this leaves you with a rather meager sum of cash remaining for now. "I'll have the rest for you tomorrow", you promise.

He snatches the bills from your hands and quickly counts them. He doesn't reply, instead glaring at you. "Mh-mhm. Is that your promise?", he asks, not looking altogether content despite having received the money you just handed him.

You sigh softly. "My promise is that I will pay on time from now on", you say through clenched teeth, sincerely hoping that you'll be able to, and that he'll back off and leave you alone. Your next month of rent is only due tomorrow, so you really feel like he has no more right to complain at the moment.

But he simply bursts out laughing as he pockets the cash. "Yeah, right", he says, wagging a finger at you. "If I don't have your next payment by the end of this week you're out of here, Marlow", he warns you, taking a step back outside your doorway. "I also have my own bills to pay, and I'm not running a charity here", he reminds you sternly.

You nod in quiet annoyance as you also proceed to step outside your apartment. Your landlord turns away from you and walks up the stairs while you close your front door behind you. At least you've managed to appease him for today, even if it did cost you most of your earnings. You took cocks for that cash. And you'll likely be taking even more today if you wish to keep your newly made promise.

You hurry outside to try and catch your bus, only to arrive just in time to see it drive away from the stop. You curse your landlord under your breath as you pull out your phone from your pocket. Half an hour of mobile browsing later you manage to catch the next one, and you ride it towards the other end of town.

You exit the bus and head towards the studio. You have to admit you're curious, perhaps almost excited to learn what today will bring.