Page 14 of Always Been You

Drew kisses me and makes his way to the front door after letting me know he’ll text me later today. Once he leaves, I settle in my usual spot on the couch and open my group chat with the girls.

Liv:We found a place!!!! It’s perfect, it’s a 2-bed 2-bath, great kitchen, amazing view, lots of closet space… we sign the lease next weekend and move in on June 30th!!!!

Zo:Yay! I’m so happy for you! Do you need help packing? You buy pizza and I’ll be there, lol??

Han:Where is this place??? I can’t wait to see it!!!

Han:And same as what Zo said, just let me know when!

Liz:So happy for you guys!!! Let me know when you need help!??

Liv:It’s on Pacific, not far from my place now. It’s right by the park, I should have taken pictures, but I was too excited!!!

Liv:I will buy the pizza and the wine??

Zo:Just let me know when!

Liz:Same!

I then text Matt.

Liv:Found a place, sign the lease next Saturday. It’s close to my current place, safe, 24-hour concierge, and close to work.

Matty:Happy for you Liv, when do you move in? Do you need help moving?

Liv:We move in on June 30th. If you could help, that would be great.

Matty:I’ll be there, I’ll see if the guys can help too. I remember all the shit you have??

Liv:It’s not shit.????

Matty:Sure sis, let me know what time to meet at your place.

Liv:Will do.

Settling into my spot, I decide to read for a bit before I make dinner. I turn to the side table where my most recent book is, and notice a gift wrapped in purple wrapping paper and a card on top. I grab the card and open the envelope. There is a small piece of paper outside of the card and I recognize the handwriting from the note beside my bed this morning. It’s Josh’s handwriting.

Open the gift first, then open the card.

I slowly peel the paper, opening the gift. He got me a Kindle, and a smile overtakes my face. It’s one of the new ones with 32 GB of storage and wireless charging. I then open the card.

Olivia,

I know how much you love your books and thought you might enjoy this. I hope the romance lover, in you gets everything you need from this. There is ayear subscription to Kindle Unlimited in here too so you can read as much as your heart desires. I hope that you have an amazing 25thbirthday and this year brings you joy and love. You deserve it all, Olivia.

Josh

Josh is one of the few people who uses my full name. Most people, including my friends and family, only really call me Liv. I kind of love it when he uses my full name. As a kid, I hated it. I wanted a nickname because it was super cool to have a nickname. As I’ve grown up, I’ve come to love my name more and more. I can’t believe that he got me this. He must have left it when he dropped me off yesterday. This is so unbelievably thoughtful of him; I have debated for some time about getting myself one. I grab my phone immediately and pull up Josh’s number so that I can thank him for this right away.

Liv:I just found the gift you left for me. It is so thoughtful. I love it. Thank you so much, Josh. I wish I could say thank you in person. Can we do lunch this week?

Josh:You’re welcome, Olivia. Yeah, we can do that. What day works for you? I’ll check my schedule.

Liv:Saturdaynoon?

Josh:Sounds good. I’ll make a reservation. I’ll text you the details.

Liv:Perfect. Again, thank you, Josh.

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