Page 97 of Let Leaves Lay Where They Fall

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“Thanks for letting me come by so early.” Brendon steps through the door.

“No problem. We’re still disassembling it. Come on in.” Jamie leads way up the hall to the first door on the left. The little bedroom is a shambles of boxes, piles of clothes and Nathan hunched over the bed frame, grunting while hand cranking screws loose.

“Thank you again for this.” Brendon glows.

“Thank YOU!” Jamie steps over a steel rail to assist Nathan. “You’re saving me hauling this off to the charity shop.” He laughs.

“When Molly told me your roommate has an open house scheduled tomorrow, I figured it was best to come grab the bed today. I’ve got to work at 11, so it’s the only time slot I have.”

“No worries. We’re early risers.’’ Jamie unfolds, back upright on his feet. “As you can see, we’ve been packing up for a while already.” He waves an arm over the scattered mess.

“I moved here with nothing. Starting over in a new place has been challenging.” Brendon knots his arms. “I got out of a bad situation back in Texas and this little city has been amazing, but it’s expensive.” He doesn’t know why he’s sharing so much, but these two strangers won’t be around to judge. He hasn’t shared his chaotic past with anyone here. It feels good getting the tiniest bit off his chest.

“We just got back from North Carolina. It was nice there." Jamie grunts, stretching down to gather loose screws.

"Portland is definitely special. You’ve landed in a good place.” Nathan adds. “Coming here last year was the best thing I ever did.” His eyes spark as he looks toward Jamie.

Jamie’s cheeks get pink and a crooked smiles creeps up his dimpled cheek. He drops the screws into a plastic zip sealed baggie. “Here you go,” and hands them off to Brendon.

“Thank you.” Stuffing the bag in his pocket.

“We’ll help you carry everything down.” Nathan gathers the two rails and bundle of wooden slats in his arms.

Jamie picks up the head frame and Brendon collects the foot frame, leading the parade down the stairs and out to his dark blue Subaru.

“I brought rope to tie the mattress to the roof.” He realizes the little hatchback wagon looks like a ridiculous vehicle for moving furniture. It's all he has. "I'm just going down the hill to the storage units on Marginal Way. I'm not moving into my new place until I get back from our retreat at Dennis and Robbie's." He open's the trunk.

"We'll go get the mattress." Jamie and Nathan head back inside.

Brendon loads the bedframe pieces into the back of the Subaru. The rails barely fit, even with seats turned down, poking out the front passenger's side window.

The couple help him tie the mattress down. Weaving rope through the luggage rack, in and out windows, until it feels secure.

"Thank you again." He feels like he can't say it enough times to express his gratitude. "I look forward to seeing you both, up at the cabin."

"Same." Jamie smiles, draping an arm over Nathan's shoulders. "We'll have so much fun! Nathan and I are going to my Parent's on Sunday, but we'll see you in July."

"I could use some fun!" Brendon could spill his whole story on these two. Another time. "I'll see you in July." He slips into the vehicle and creeps up the narrow street. His phone chimes a new message alert. Once he's settled at the end of the street, waiting for another car to cross, he opens it.

Unknown Contact. "Where are you Bren? You can't just ignore me. I will find you!"

He swipes the threat away with his thumb and blocks the sender. It's time for a new number again.

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