Chapter 87
Hunter made good on his promise, like he always did. 1 signed the lease contract the next day and, to my surprise, it was handled by Hunter’s friend Hector in person, I would have thought a man like that would have better things to do than sign lease contracts. But he was nice and helpful, he promised to be there on the day I moved in so he could introduce me to the house manager and make sure everything was up in standards. I could move in straight away, but I still needed to pack up my apartment and get things ready. I still got the key. Hunter pointed out that I would need some new furniture. I had nothing to put in my new office. At frit he insisted that he would buy it for me as a mming in gill. But for once, I put my feet down. He had done so much for me and I had plenty of money on my own. That Saturday 1 dragged him to IKEA and we spent almost the entire day looking at furniture and other things. Hunter’s car was fully loaded as we left. It made sense to just unload it into my new apartment. As we were there and needed to eat, Hunter ordered pizza which we ate sitting on the floor in the light of the new floor lamp I had bought. We get a second wind and decided to put the furniture together. It was a struggle and at one point we needed to stop or we would have ended up in our first real argument. Hunter solved the situation by lifting me up and fucking me on the kitchen counter until we both had worked off nur frustration. After catching our breath and laughing, we continued with the furniture and finally had everything put together. It looked bare with just the furniture in place, but I liked how it turned out.
“I think that’s one more relationship goal checked off,” Hunter told me as we were driving back to his place.
“We have had sex in the kitchen before,” I pointed out. He laughed
“And we will have it again. But I was referring to assembling furniture together without breaking up. I’m convinced that is a milestone in any relationship,” he said.
“Right. Yeah, we got that down then. I like your way of handling frustration,” I told him. He laughed again and I joined him. Even if we hadn’t talked about it, we both had agreed to do the best of the situation. I was more determined than ever to make the relationship with Hunter work. The thing we had between us was
unlike anything I had felt.
The following day we spent in my old apartment, packing my things into boxes. It felt strange being back there. Even stranger to be packing it all. I didn’t have that many things. When I left Simon I had only taken some clothes, my cookbooks and some things Wictor had given me. During the year and a half since then, I hadn’t had time to collect that many things
“The movers will be here on Wednesday.” Hunter reminded me as we finished the last boxes.
“I know, I think we are all done.” I told him.
“Did you get the day off?” he asked. I nodded. “Good, then we are all set.” 1 sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder. In three days, I would be living on my own again. Things were moving fast again and my brain and my emotions were doing their best to keep up with reality. “Is this too much for you? Do you need us to slow down?” he asked, as if he had read my mind.
“It’s a lot,” I agreed. “But I can do it. We will be fine.” I reassured myself just as much as him.
“Sure we will. We will still have each other and nothing about how I feel will change. No matter where you lay that pretty head down to sleep,” he agreed. I giggled.
“I love you too,” I told him.
Much sooner than I would have liked it, it was Wednesday and my alarm woke both me and Hunter. He had been up late with Jason the day before and he sighed as
I shut the sound off
“We could just stay in bed for the next two years and pretend the world doesn’t exist,” he muttered as he pulled me closer. I kissed him and thought about agreeing
“I would love to, but I think we will be missed and people will look for us.”
“We will hide in the panic room. They will never find us,” Hunter told me, wrapped his arms around me and rolled around so he was on his back and I was splayed out on top of him. I giggled and kissed him.
“I am not living in a closet for two years, going to the bathroom in a bucket. Not going to happen, my friend,” I said. He laughed and covered every inch of me he could reach in kisses. I couldn’t stop giggling until he finally stopped. “Thank you,” I told him and gave him a real kiss. He just smiled. We eventually made it out of bed and after I had showered and went to put on my clothes, I found the post–it note I had put on Hunter’s breakfast a week ago among my clothes. It had become a game to us. We took turns putting it in a place we knew the other one would find it, eventually. It was just a fun game but I loved it. I carefully took the note and put it under the covers, knowing Hunter would find it on his first night in a long time sleeping alone. We ate breakfast in the car on the way to my old apartment. The movess gut there about half an hour after us and I was baffled at how quickly they moved all my things into their truck. I felt bad for them having to carry everything down four flights of stairs.
“We are heading over to the new apartment. This is the keys, lock up when the place has been cleaned and turn it into the landlord,” Hunter told one of the movers. We went ahead to my new apartment and got things ready for the movers. It took them even less time to take my things off their truck and neatly place it in my new place. Not one thing looked damaged or scratched. As they left, it was time for lunch. Hunter took me to the Mexican restaurant we had gone to when we looked at the apartment. He then took me grocery shopping: When we returned, the apartment looked like a home with my things in it. I just needed to unpack my boxes and put up some curtains and place all my plants in their new places and it would even feel cosy. Hunter helped me the rest of the afternoon with unpacking. Hector had stopped by with the building manager. She was a woman in her mid forties and gave the impression of being a no–nonsense person. I liked her from the start and Hunter and I told her about situation.
Chapter B7
“No problem. We
the security of mir tenants seriously. The doorman will not let anyone that it not on the approved list in, unless peri zive a
estul content,” she told me. I thanked her and Hector for taking the
erme by. A couple of hours later beth Hunter and I were exhausted and were discussing what to do far.
the curse, I thought as Hunter went to look
dinner while laying on the couch. There was
who it was. After looking through the peephole, be opened the den.
“Surprise“” Wictor called as he and Anthony came walking in. I smiled and got off the couch. I got a hug from Wictor. “We come with a gift, food and moral support,” he said. He held up a gih bag and Anthony held up two been paper hags
“You are lifesaver,” I told them as Hunter joined us. “We have unpacked the kitchen stuff so we don’t need to use our fingers,” Ladded,
“We didn’t want to risk it, so we went for burgers,” Antony told me as he put the bags down on my kitchen table,
“Tingers it is,” I said.
“This place looks amazing. Wictor told me as he handed me the gift. The gift bag was filled with fruit, candy, a bottle of champagne and a cookbook I didn’t own.
“Thank you. Let me give you a quick tour of the chaos,” I offered and showed them around as Hunter set the table.
“It’s perfect for you,” Anthony said as we got back to the kitchen.
“I think so too. And I think, since you brought it, we will celebrate with champagne,” I told them. I didn’t own champagne flutes, but we made do with my usual glasses. Hunter opened the battle and we toasted and ate burgers. We talked for a while, but Wictor knew me better than anyone and he knew I was tired.
“We are heading home. I will text you and we can plan a sibling get–together,” he said standing up. Anthony followed his lead.
“Thank you both for coming. I appreciate it,” I told them and give them both a hug.
“And thank you for the food, we would have starved without you,” Hunter added.
“It’s our pleasure. Have a nice evening.” Wictor said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Sometimes I just wanted to kill him. Hunter just laughed. As we were alone, The apartment felt pleasantly quiet and Hunter poured the last champagne into our glasses and took my hand and led me out on the balcony. Somehow he had sneaked out and inflated my spare mattress and covered it with pillows and a pile of some of the blankets he had put down for me, which we had brought from his apartment.
“When did you have time for this?” I a
asked, amazed.
“When you unpacked the cookbooks and kitchen appliances. A bomb could have gone off and you would have been none the wiser,” he told me. He put our glasses on a chair he had put by the mattress as a table and helped me lay down. The mattress wobbled as he took his place beside me and pulled me into him before handing me back my glass. “To your new apartment, may it make you happy, safe and bring you everything you wish for,” he said, holding up his glass towards me. I dinged it with my own. Outside, the night was falling and the sky over the city was turning purple and pink.
“This i
is amazing.” I said.
“It is,” he agreed and kissed me. His usual tasted mixed with champagne and I was tipsy enough to ignore the fact that my upstairs neighbours could see us if they Tooked down from their own balconies. Hunter placed our empty glasses back on the chair and kissed me again as I let my hands find their way beneath his clothes I was happy we had already decided he would spend the night. We needed to inaugurate my new apartment.
