Page 86 of Catch Me If You Can

nathan

“To the left! Pivot!” Tony shouts. Caleb and I move the bedframe, tilting it into the service elevator.

We manage to fit it inside and stand back, panting.

“You know, since this is your bedframe, you could help a little,” Caleb shakes his head. He’s wearing a black bandana to keep his hair out of his face and no shirt. It’s taking everything in me not to claw at his sweaty body. I’ll have to deal with it later.

“I am helping. You need a director; you can’t just go flinging things down the hallway every which way,” Tony huffs. Caleb rolls his eyes at me, but all I can do is laugh.

These two bicker like brothers, but I know the love runs deep. This move is going to be hard for both of them.

Tony’s moving upstate to rent a place with his buddy, who’s in a tough spot and needs a roommate, while Caleb and I are moving in together. From uptown and downtown, we’re meeting in the middle, literally and figuratively. Luckily, we found asmall two-bedroom apartment, and we’ve decided to use the spare room as an office for my digital marketing agency.

Honestly, I’m really excited. This past year with Caleb has been more than a dream. He’s my best friend, so getting to spend more time with him without worrying about things like being too loud or walking around naked will be amazing.

Of course, I’m a little nervous about decisions like what to make for dinner every night or splitting the bills—yada yada yada. All that not-so-fun stuff. But we’ve talked about it all during our nights together leading up to this. I mean, we’ve been traveling non-stop to each other’s apartments since we got together, so we’ve had the chance to test it out. And the things we haven’t discussed? It’s just part of the fun of figuring it out.

I lean against the elevator wall as it carries us down.

“So, did I hear correctly that Theo’s going to visit Sarah in Australia?” Tony smiles, looking back at me.

I shrug and laugh. “She caught us up on their long-distance ‘friendship’ last night, yeah.”

Caleb smiles at me. “How long do you think before he’s buying himself a ring?”

“I’d give it another month,” Tony smiles at both of us.

The elevator dings, and the doors open. As a unit, we guide the bedframe out of the hallway and into the back of the moving truck waiting for Tony.

“Well, that’s about it,” Tony says, slipping a small box on top of all his stuff. Closing the doors, he stands back, hands on his hips, looking at us both. “This isn’t the end. I’m seeing you both next Wednesday at our gig on sixteenth Street.”

“The Cat’s Cradle, I’ll be there,” Caleb nods, wrapping his friend in a hug.

Tony closes his eyes, squeezing him back. Sighing, he looks at me before letting Caleb go. “And don’t let this guy get fat.He likes to eat sweet treats when he’s feeling lonely,” he says, throwing his arm around me.

I hug him back. “You definitely don’t have to worry about him feeling lonely.”

Tony rolls his eyes and steps back. “Yeah, what was I thinking? This is probably the longest you two have been upright since being together.” He huffs, shaking his head.

I laugh, scratching the back of my neck. Tony’s definitely heard way too much since living with us.

“Take it easy, buddy. Don’t be a stranger,” Caleb pats him on the back.

***

“That was amazing,” I moan, sitting back on the couch.

“Right?” Caleb brushes his fingers over his plate and leans back into his seat. “Who needs sex when you have pizza?” He folds his hands behind his head and sighs. I take a moment to look over his body—his V-lines pointing directly down to where I want to go. What a sight.

I lick my lips and sigh too. “Okay, I wouldn’t get ahead of ourselves with that one. Pizza’s great, but half an hour ago? Can’t compare.” I nuzzle my face into his neck.

He laughs, running his hands through my hair. “Okay, fair. But pizza is still pretty high up there.”

“That, I can agree with,” I smile into his neck, giving him a quick bite before sitting up straight.

The apartment feels empty without Tony. I look around, taking it all in. In a few days, we’ll be right behind him. Moving into a totally new place, starting fresh. Together.

“Does it ever shock you how far we’ve come? I mean… who would’ve thought we’d end up here?” I breathe deeply. My lovefor him is overwhelming. Even after all this time, I still can’t believe he’s here with me right now.He chose me.And I’d choose him again and again.

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