Page 111 of Where We Fall

“Wow. Well, you two need to come over for dinner soon. It’ll be like a little welcoming party,” Grace says.

“Totally. When we get settled in,” "Lexi tells her.

We talk for a few more minutes, then have to say goodbye since it’s too cold to stand out here and chit-chat. It’s still early in the season, and our bodies have not adjusted to this kind of weather yet.

The movers get everything into the unit and pull away. I tell Lexi to get warm in the car while I close up the unit. Once it’s locked, I jog back to the car.

“Ok. Where to now?” I ask. “I haven’t even asked if we have a place to live yet.”

She laughs. “This is insane. You’re insane. Yes, we have a temporary place to live. I rented a fully furnished two-bedroom home for a bit while the couple is on a European vacation.”

“Perfect. We can settle in and then start finding a home we want to buy.”

She shakes her head but gives me the address to punch into my phone.

“Are you sure we should buy right away?” she asks as we pull out of the parking lot.

“Of course. I never care to throw my money away on rent when it could be well spent in a long-term investment.”

“But neither of us even have a job, and you don’t know how long it will take to sell your home in Cleveland.”

I find her worry over money adorable. Not only am I a good saver, but I’m also a good investor. We can do just fine for years without a job.

“Money isn’t a concern. My house will sell when it sells. Don’t worry about any of it.”

“I don’t want to make you pay for all of this stuff,” she says as she fidgets in her seat.

“We’re a team now. You’re notmakingme do anything.”

When we arrive at the address, I’m surprised the home we are staying in is in such good shape. It’s the smallest house in the neighborhood by far, but we don’t need a ton of space.

It’s in a quaint little area with trees that remind me of home in Shaker Heights. The large branches hang over the street like they’re creating a little tunnel along the road.

I pull into the driveway.

“It’s cute,” she says.

“Home sweet home, baby.”

She turns to me in the car. “This is so wild. Are you sure this is what you want?”

It seems like words are not getting through to her. I lean in slowly and decide to show her the reason why I’m here.

I kiss her slowly and passionately, putting everything I have into it. My lips move against hers and start to get more demanding. I want her to know what I can do to her.

I feel her entire body melt into me as I take charge. It takes everything in me to pull away, but when I do, I see her droopy eyes and notice her chest moving up and down rapidly.

“Does that answer your question?”

“Yes,” she breathes heavily.

“Good. Now, let’s unload our things.”

It takes us about an hour to get all our suitcases in and unpacked in the master bedroom.

The house is updated inside with nice furniture. It’s a cozy little place for us to spend our first month living together.

I worked up a bit of a sweat carrying everything in. I need a shower. I walk over to Lexi, who’s currently moving around her clothes in the dresser.

---