Page 28 of Love.V2
“The truck is over here!”
“Yeah, and you’re in the truck, and I don’t want to look at your face for at least five minutes,” she yelled without looking back.
I gaped as she walked away, so pissed off I was shaking. “Theresa!”
“Do not follow me!” she yelled over her shoulder, every muscle rigid.
“You’re in an unfamiliar neighborhood. You can’t just leave by yourself!” I fumbled my seatbelt, reaching for the door only to realize I would never in a million years open it wide enough to get out. I rolled the window down more. Maybe if I jumped on top of the truck next to me, I could get to her before she—
The gate slammed shut behind her, clanging like my nerves. I was still halfway out the window with no hope of wiggling free.
“Goddammit,” I muttered, grabbing my phone from the seat and stabbing at the screen to call her. The familiar, bouncy ringtonesounded beside me. I glanced down to see her purse on the floorboard. “Fuck.”
By the time I’d escaped out the other door and run to the gate, she was nowhere to be seen. No phone, no money.
“Fuck.”
I spent a moment glaring out at the street as if she’d magically reappear before I looked back at the truck. It was unlocked, but it wasn’t like anyone could have gotten to our stuff, anyway. We certainly couldn’t.
I finally turned, punching in the code the front-desk woman had given us earlier. I had hoped the first time we walked into our new apartment would betogether, but I’d had to take a piss for the last hour, and I couldn’t hunt Tess down if my bladder was about to explode.
Outside our scuffed front door, the parquet flooring felt sticky under my tennis shoes. As it opened, squeaking hinges revealed a unit that looked nothing like the photos online. I should have known something was wrong when I’d seen the barbed wire topping the fence around the parking lot.
As I passed through the space to the single bathroom, it didn’t get any better. The floors were warped, making me feel like I was listing from side to side. There was a long crack in the bathroom mirror, matching the chipped shower tiles, and an orange-ish ring circled the inside of the toilet bowl.
I stomped through the apartment again, bee-lining to the kitchen sink. It sputtered when I turned it on. That and the musty smell of the unit made me question just how long this place had gone un-occupied. I cupped my hands to take a drink. I was sweaty and tired and thirstyand I hadn’t even started the hardest part of the move yet because our shit was still trapped in the truck.
I cast my gaze around the place again. The windows were tall, which should have been a good thing, but it just shed more light on the apartment’s imperfections. Tess had wanted to come see it in person, but we’d been too busy cramming for finals and trying to get her interviews. My job in the sales department of an advertising agency started Monday, but she was still having some trouble getting her portfolio in front of the right people.
I’d told her not to worry about it. We’d specifically gotten a place I could afford on my own. She’d find work, and we’d move as soon as we had enough saved.
I’d hunted for a place while she’d focused on perfecting her cover letter and finishing classes. And this was what I’d come up with.
I pictured the little velvet box buried deep in one of my suitcases in the U-Haul. I couldn’t ask her to start a life with mehere. She deserved better. I could do better.
I whirled at the shriek of the door opening. I’d need to oil those hinges. Tess stepped in, laden with a massive, grease-stained paper bag and a box of hard lemonades.
I froze, unable to form words as I watched her mouth pop open. While she looked around, the silence stretched. When her eyes filled with tears, I broke.
“I know it’s not like the photos they had on the website—”
“It’s better,” she whispered, gliding across the tilted floors to set her load on the kitchen counter. “Dylan, look at those windows!”
Years of ingrained habit compelled me to put my arms around her when she hugged me, even as my brain struggled to keep up. Shelikedthis pit?
“They are”—I cleared my throat—“good windows.” What else could I do but agree? What else could I do but let her drag me across the floor as she rushed over to them?
“We have a little fire escape! Do you think we could see the stars at night?”
I blinked at the ferocity of her grin, craning my head to look up. “We are on the top floor. Maybe?”
She gathered me up again, squeezing. “Let’s go out there with a blanket tonight and see!”
“You’re…okay with this place?” My fingers rubbed the bare skin between her shoulder blades.
“Okay?” She pulled back to smile, her eyes still wet. “It’s perfect! It’sours.”
A knock on the door broke us apart. Tess sprinted to open it and didn’t even seem to notice the hellish screaming of the hinges. A tall man carrying two familiar boxes stood on the other side.
