“I remember,” Avian responded, passing Eri a stack of sleep shorts.
“You were right. You know, I told him a month ago, and subconsciously, I was waiting for things to change, even though he said they wouldn’t. Consciously, I believed, and it hasn’t. Now, I feel guilty for thinking the other shoe would eventually drop.”
“I don’t think you should feel guilty about that. Given the circumstances, it’s only human nature. It isn’t like you actively doubted him.”
“That’s true. Anyway, I wanted to say thank you. I don’t think I would have given in to what I felt for him, or opened up if it weren’t for you.” Eri pulled Avian into a hug. “You’re a great friend. I love you.”
Avian squeezed her tight. “I learned from you. Of all the friends I made freshman year, everyone got irritated with me for never going out with them or being too busy studying. But not you. You were always understanding. Always there, pulling me away to get me to live my life and encouraging me to challenge myself. Hell, if it weren’t for you taking me to get my first tattoo, I wouldn’t have met my husband. I love you, too.”
Eri squeezed her a little tighter, and then the two returned to what they were doing.
It didn’t take them long to finish unpacking and putting away her clothes. They broke down the boxes and put them against the wall by the front door. They were unpacking her dishes and putting them away when there was a knock on the door.
She answered it, stepping aside to let both men enter. Elias set a bag from The Grove Cafe & Market on the counter while Marco carried a drink holder. Eri made a mental note to go to the grocery store that afternoon. Once they each had food, they stood around the counters eating.
“When is the rest of your furniture coming?” Avian asked.
“Everything will trickle in over the coming week. The last thing scheduled for delivery is the desk I ordered for my office,” Eri replied.
“You’ll be in the house for most of the week then,” Avian pointed out.
“You’re right. They gave me delivery windows for everything, but they’re so wide. It gives me time to work on my portfolio and set up freelance gigs on sites. Maybe I’ll get a few clients from them.”
“Once the event happens, and your name is on all the promotional items as the designer, you’ll have people and businesses running to contact you,” Avian replied.
“She’s right, Amate.”
Eri appreciated the confidence they had in her, and she was putting out good vibes that was what happened. She’d applied for a couple of other positions and was waiting to hear back, but she wasn’t hopeful. Eri knew her salary request for both positions was higher than what was listed in the job post, but it was lower than that of competitors for the same position, and she wanted to be fair to herself.
When they finished eating, Eri grabbed a trash bag from under the kitchen sink, where she’d placed all her cleaning supplies the previous afternoon.
“Micio, we should go. I still have to take you home before getting ready for my client.”
“I’m going to stay and help Eri unpack. You don’t mind taking me home later, do you?”
“Of course, I don’t mind,” Eri responded.
“Alright. I’m leaving then,” Marco said.
“Thanks again for the help.”
“It was no problem,” he responded.
“I’m going too, but I’ll be back after my appointments,” Elias informed. “I’ll mount the televisions when I come back. Don’t try to do it.”
Eri knew he not only had a few tattoos to do, but a motorcycle consultation as well. She wasn’t in a hurry to get them mounted. She didn’t even have furniture in her living room yet, and they weren’t coming to hook up her Wi-Fi until Monday. So if he was tired when he came back, he didn’t have to worry about it.
“I won’t,” she assured him, and she got the feeling that he wouldn’t let her touch anything that needed to be put together when it was delivered. Eri wouldn’t complain.
“Call or text me if you need me to pick up anything on my way back,” he instructed.
Eri nodded, and he kissed her before heading towards the door. She followed him, locking it behind the two men.
“Let’s get the rest of this unpacked, and when we finish, we can imagine how all your furniture will be set up.”
Eri had a general idea of how she wanted to set everything up, but another perspective wouldn’t hurt.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
