Harlan
Thanks, Darío. I’m staying with Pen and L&L is handling the move again, thank god. I’m selling all the big shit here since I won’t need furniture until I find my own place.
Me
Well, the offer stands. Good luck with the move.
Harlan
xx
I don’t know what I was expecting from that conversation, and admittedly, the tone is hard to read in text, but it felt very formal. I consider asking to see him when he gets here, but that’s probably unfair to him. I’m the one who demanded no contact, and if he’s happy with Oliver, I don’t want to get in the way of that. Also, who names their kid Oliver? It’s a fucking dog’s name.
Speaking of dogs, I pull up a browser and search for corgi rescues near me. There are a lot of results, but one near Albany catches my attention. I scroll through their adoptable dogs and stop on a puppy named Craig. Craig is six months old and was surrendered by a breeder when an infection caused him to lose an eye. I immediately pull up their application and fill in my details. I’m already envisioning dressing Craig as a pirate for Halloween, which makes me smile.
With that accomplished, I head inside to an empty house, and it hits harder than it has in a while. There are still so many pieces of Harlan here. I can hear the excitement in his voice as we perused every home goods store within a fifty-mile radius while he looked for the perfect wall decor, throw pillows, and coffee table books—whatever the fuck those are. Idly, I wonderhow much puppy proofing I’ll have to do in order to bring Craig home.
When I open the door to the spare room, I’m hit with the smell of stale air and a layer of dust on the furniture. My stomach sinks at the sight of the unmade bed, knowing the last time anyone was there, I was holding Harlan in my arms for what ended up being the last time. The fact that it wasn’t in our bed has me thinking about the last time wewerein our bed. I can’t even recall the details at this point. The weeks leading up to my trip to LA were filled with tears, sex, and avoidance. I’ll add regret to that list.
Stripping the rumpled sheets from the bed, my eyes catch on the pillow Harlan had used. Bringing it to my nose, I inhale deeply, trying to find the smell of ripe strawberries, but it smells like nothing at all. I don’t allow myself time to dwell on this, instead tossing the pillowcases into the pile with the sheets by the door. Once the bed is clear, I open the windows to allow some fresh air, despite the stifling August heat. Clearing out this room feels like closing another chapter with Harlan, but holding on hasn’t gotten me anywhere. Perhaps it’s time for me to let him go.
“Harlan,the movers will be here soon. Please tell me you’re not still packing,” Penny shouts from somewhere in my flat. I cringe, because I am, in fact, still packing. It’s been a whirlwind since I got the call about my visa. Pen and I wrapped up the project for L&L, and I’m project-free until I’m settled in Brooklyn. Shawn already has me booked for several campaign shoots later in September and October, so I won’t be designing much for the rest of the year. I’ve missed the photoshoots so much since returning to London.
“I’m pretty much done,” I shout back. I tape up the last box and move it to the hallway. I only have to worry about my hand luggage, which has a few outfits and toiletries to deal with when we fly out the day after tomorrow. Penny appears in my doorway, just as I fall back on my bed. “I’m never fucking moving again. Two international moves in less than a year are out of control.” If I never tape up another moving box again, it’ll be too soon.
“Yes, well, you will be moving out of my apartment. I love you, but that shoebox is not big enough for both of us long term,” she jokes as she climbs into bed with me. “You know you can stay as long as you need to, though, babes. I’m just happy that we’ll be together again. I was sad thinking about leaving you.” I will absolutely be moving out of her flat as soon as I find a place of my own. The majority of my things will stay in storage, since they won't fit in Penny’s place. Living out of luggage and boxes is going to suck.
A loud knock at the door has us scrambling off the bed in a race to be the one to answer. Penny overtakes me, so I wrap my arms around her waist and spin her backward. By the time we get to the door, we’re out of breath and cackling, earning us alarmed looks from the movers. We giggle as we let them in and show them where everything is waiting.
Oliver’s face lights up my screen just as the last box is loaded on the van, so I leave Pen to handle any last-minute things with the crew and fold myself onto the sofa. I’m going to miss the hell out of this furniture. The armrests have wireless chargers and speakers that sync with the TV. There is also an insane amount of storage. Maybe when I get my own place in New York, I’ll invest in something similar.
“Hey, babe,” I answer breathlessly. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too, baby. I’ll see you in a few days, though. How did it go with the movers?” After a lot of therapy sessions and giving a lot of thought to what I want, I decided to give a relationship with Oliver a fair chance. He’s been good about following my lead, and the longer time has gone on, the more comfortable I feel with him. Our relationship looks and feels so different than what I had with Dare. It’s less intense in a lot of ways, but he grounds me in ways that I’ve never had with a boyfriend before. I’m not sure I’ll ever find the passion or matchthe chemistry I had with Dare, but different doesn’t have to mean bad.
A bit of guilt plagued me after Darío texted me a few weeks ago, but I couldn’t keep putting my life on hold in the hopes that we’d be anything more than what we are. Which is nothing. Maybe friends? His reaching out was new, and he hasn’t since that day, but I didn’t give it much thought. Learning to forgive myself for one mistake, albeit a big one, made it easier to focus on the present. Oliver is staying in New York with me for a few weeks. This will be the longest we spend with each other since we started dating.
“It went well. I packed until a few minutes before they arrived, but it got done. It’s so empty here. I have buyers for almost all the furniture, and whatever I didn’t sell, I’m donating. I just can’t wait to be back home,” I say. “Are you settled in the hotel?”
“Yeah, I’m all situated, but it’ll be better when you’re in bed next to me.” His voice drops a bit, and it does inconvenient things to my dick. I’m so horny, it doesn’t take much lately.
“Not fair, I’m in the sitting room, and my nosy roommate won’t appreciate what you’re doing to me,” I whine. Absently, I press the heel of my palm against my growing erection. “I can’t wait until I’m filled with you. I swear, you better be ready to live in this arse for a few days.”
“Don’t worry, beautiful boy. I’ll take good care of you, I promise. It’s been too long since I’ve been inside you. Make sure you don’t have plans through the weekend, because you’re not leaving my bed,” he promises, making me groan.
“Gross, at least go to your fucking room.” Penelope appears in the entry to the sitting room, and I flip her off. “Getting cum on a couch you’ve sold would be really fucking rude, Lan.” She’s not wrong, of course.
“I guess I should get going. We’re going out for dinner with some people from the office. I’ll call you before I go to sleep tonight,” I tell Oliver as I make my way to my room to get dressed.
“Ok, baby. Have fun tonight and be safe. I can’t wait to kiss you.” I swoon a bit when I hang up with him. In my room, I change into black shorts and a bright pink T-shirt before sliding on my favorite pair of Vans. Quickly running my hand through the mess of curls on my head, I go in search of Penelope.
Penelope and I land in New York just after midday. I am buzzing with the anticipation of everything Brooklyn has to offer. The first thing on my mind is getting real pizza and bagels. I’m probably going to gain so much weight from all the carbs I intend to consume. Thankfully, we don’t have to deal with baggage reclaim, so we can leave as soon as we clear customs. Pen told me she was going to arrange an Uber for us when we landed, so I follow her lead to the exit. The moment I’m outside, I inhale deeply. Obviously, I’m hit with the smell of exhaust from all the vehicles, but there’s something particularly New York about it.
I’m so focused on soaking in the chaos all around us, I don’t notice the vehicle my best friend is leading us toward. When I finally pay attention, I see Oliver leaning against a black SUV with his arms crossed. He’s dressed in a pair of jeans that fit him like they were made for his body specifically, with a fitted black T-shirt. So simple but so fucking hot.
Before I realize it, I’m running to him and leaping into his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist and kiss him moreaggressively than is appropriate for the pavement at the airport. I give zero fucks, as he returns the kiss just as enthusiastically. When we finally come up for air, he lowers me to the ground but doesn’t let go of my waist. “Hey, beautiful boy,” he purrs in my ear before giving me a chaste kiss. His voice has a direct line to my dick, and I whine, making him laugh.
“Not funny, I’m very deprived, Oliver,” I pout. “I will not be held responsible for the indecent exposure charges we get hit with if you do that again.”
