Page 132 of Hypothetical Heart
1.5 years later
After living next door to each other our entire childhood and then a floor away for our first two years of college, Winnie and I are finally moving in together.
We’ve spent the last two years splitting our time between the two of our apartments, hardly ever apart. It made enough sense to us and to our parents that we share an apartment going into our junior year of college.
“What else do you need help with?” I ask Winnie from the kitchen. She’s busy in the living room in front of me, folding blankets and placing throw pillows.
“I’m going to start putting away clothes next if you want to help,” she replies.
I nod. “Of course.” A majority of the boxes spread out through the living room and the hallway are full of Winnie and I’s clothes, so getting those out of the way will make this place feel less like a storage unit and more like our apartment.
Our apartment.Getting to say that is one of the best feelings in the world.
Our parents left last night after helping carry all of our boxes up, but not after Winnie’s dad pulled me aside to give me a very uncomfortable talk about how not to get his daughter pregnant while we’re living together.
I’m trying to block the conversation from my memory. It was painful, with a lot ofyes, sirsand glares in return.
Eloise also tagged along to help. Her apartment at Yale won’t be ready until tomorrow. At least that was what she said, but I have a feeling she just wanted to spend as much time with us as possible, even if it involved the treacherous act of moving all of Winnie’s boxes into our apartment.
“Have you heard from Gen and Jameson?” I ask once we’re in the closet of our bedroom. She’s sitting on the floor folding while I’m standing and putting things on hangers.
“Yeah, it sounds like they’re getting settled at their place.” They found an apartment in the city too, only about thirty minutes from where we are. “Evie called this morning to tell me Jameson’s already making a mess, and she might not survive the entire lease.”
I can’t help but laugh. I lived with Jameson for two years myself, and while he was many things, messy was not one of them. “Every apartment is messy when you first move in.”
Winnie smiles. “Well, yeah, but you know how she is.”
“I know, I know.” If there’s anything for sure, it’s that our place will always be more messy than anywhere Genevieve lives. “I wonder how Luke is doing.”
“Hopefully getting a nice tan,” Winnie grumbles like she’s jealous.
After his freshman year at NYU, Luke transferred to Stanford all the way out in California. It’s been quite an adjustment for our friend group, only getting to see him on long breaks and over the summer when he isn’t busywith football.
“We’ll have to visit him sometime,” I tell her, dumping a bin of socks over her head. “From what I’ve seen, his place looks nice.”
“Hey!” she shrieks at the onslaught of socks.
“They go in that drawer down there.” I smirk.
She picks up a pair, throwing it back up at me before laughing.
It takes us a few more hours to completely organize our closet, and once we’re back from taking all the boxes down to recycling, we both collapse on the couch.
“Please tell me we have no plans for the rest of the night,” Winnie says, inching closer toward me.
“You’re looking at them.” I motion to where we’re lying.
We both take a deep sigh of relief, looking toward our TV, which isn’t even mounted on the wall yet. “We should really hang that up,” I say.
Winnie covers my mouth with her hand, yawning. “Later.”
Then, the sound of paws tracking along the hardwood floor moves from the kitchen into the living room. Oh, yeah, Suzie also came to New York with us.
Winnie wanted her here with us badly. So, her dad conceded to giving up his dog-sitting duties, and now we pay an insane amount of money in puppy rent.
But we wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, we’re already planning on getting Winnie’s dad his own furry friend for Christmas now that he has an empty house.
Suzie now looks the part of a full-grown golden retriever. Her fur has turned from an almost white-golden to a darker honey color. To us, she’s still the same puppy we picked up from the shelter almost three years ago.
