“Hmm,” he hums and looks at the numbers getting lower on the lift screen. “Believe me Jelly. I’m fed up with it too.”
While we wait, my phone buzzes again in my hand. I don’t look.
“You gonna keep doing that?” he asks.
“Doing what?”
“Pretending it’s not ringing.”
“I’m allowed to ignore people.”
“Yeah,” he says. “Just be careful you’re not doing anything else you’ll regret.”
I shoot him a look. “Don’t get insightful all of a sudden. Or I’ll ignore your arse next.”
He lifts his hands. “Alright. I’ll shut up.”
Now it’s my time to watch the numbers. “I’ll talk to Za… when I find the right words.”
“Okay.”
When the lift opens, we step inside and he presses the button for the top floor.
UGH! I hate that this turns me on! I’m supposed to still be mad at him.
The doors slide shut, and suddenly it’s just us and the hum of the lift.
I clear my throat. “So. You happy here?”
“Still unpacking,” he says. “But yeah. It’s alright.”
“Alright?” I repeat. “That’s all you got?”
He shrugs. “I don’t need much. A bed. A shower. A gym. Privacy. Space.”
I glance at him. “You take up space everywhere you go just fine so I’m sure it’s not an issue.”
“That’s only ’cause I don’t stop growing,” he says. Then, quieter he leans in, “You should know.”
The lift slows then dings. He steps out first, and waits while I follow. The hallway’s carpeted, thick, muffling our footsteps. He unlocks the door, pushes it open, and gestures for me to go in.
The flat’s big,but not empty. Clean lines. Neutral colours.
Big windows looking out over the city. Boxes stacked neatly along one wall, half-unpacked. A pair of trainers by the door. A jacket slung over a chair.
It feels lived in, even unfinished.
“This is… very you,” I say before I can stop myself.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “Simple. No clutter. Everything where it should be.”
He watches me walk farther in. “You don’t like it?”
“I didn’t say that.” I cross my arms. “Why’d you bring me here, really?”
He doesn’t dodge it this time. “Because I needed you to see that I’m not moving mad for fun. I don’t invest in things I don’t believe in. And I don’t show people my space unless I trust them.”
