Page 67 of The Jerk in Apartment 1B

Going out to the hall, I see the delivery guy walking away. “Hey! Wait!”

He stops and turns to me. “Something wrong with the mattress?”

“No, I just wondered who sent it to me. Does it say on the receipt?”

He sighs and looks at his tablet. “I gotta find it.” He swipes across several screens. “It doesn’t tell me. All I got is where to deliver it and your name.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

It had to be Asher. He knew I didn’t have a bed so he sent me one as a gift. And he didn’t tell me because he wanted it to be a surprise.

I’m thrilled to finally have a mattress, but what does this mean? Does he not want me to move back? Or if he does, is he thinking it won’t happen for months? Or longer than that?

My phone rings and I see Callie’s name on the screen. She’s called me every day this week. She’s worried about me, especially after I told her I met with Asher. She said I shouldn’t have done it, that it’s going to make me miss him more, but I’m actually doing okay. I think I’ve been too busy to miss him.

“Hey, Callie,” I say, hurrying back to my apartment.

“Hey, can you talk, or are you at work?”

“I’m home. I can talk. You’ll never guess what just happened.”

“Whatever it is, it must be good. You sound really excited.”

“Asher sent me a mattress! A brand new mattress! And it looks really expensive. It has one of those pillow tops.” I sit down on it, then recline back. “I’m trying it out now. It’s so comfortable, I may never get up.”

“Why would he send you a mattress?”

“Because I needed one.”

“I know, but I thought—never mind. So you have a mattress. That’s great!”

“I know what you were going to say. I was thinking the same thing. I thought Asher would ask me to move back, but I guess he needs more time to think.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Yeah. I mean, that was our agreement.”

“It was more likehisagreement, not yours.”

“It’s only been a week. That’s not enough time for him to figure things out.”

“How long do you think he needs?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a few weeks? A month?”

“I’d guess longer than that if he bought you a mattress.”

“Maybe, but that’s fine. I’m getting used to living here, and I like my jobs.”

“You’re doing great, Trina. If I’d gone through that, I’d probably still be an emotional mess.”

“I would be too if I thought it was really over, but it’s not. Asher and I just needed some time apart. I think it’s good. I was getting too dependent on him. Living on my own, I feel more confident in myself. I think this experience will make our relationship stronger.”

“When do you think you’ll see him again?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him all week. He must be busy at work.”

“He hasn’t called you?”

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