Page 6 of Faithful

“You mean with me?”

“Uh-huh. But hey, you graduated.” She jerks her chin in the direction of a bright red door with a Leasing Office sign above it and we head over there. A small Asian woman greets us with coffee and cookies. She’s very insistent too because apparently she baked the goods herself and this is a new recipe. After we accept the offerings, she escorts us through the property and into a unit tucked all the way in the back by the tree line. It’s on the second floor and quite private and I instantly like that fact before I even see the inside.

Truthfully, I’ve been to Leigh’s apartment a thousand times and I’m intimately familiar with the complex. There are sixteen units with lots of greenery. Cozy. Essentially the opposite of where I live now.

The two-bedroom we enter looks almost identical to Leigh’s one-bedroom except it's bigger. There’s a washer and dryer, lots of closets, dining space, and plenty of windows. It’s nothing to scream about from the rooftops if you’re looking for grandeur, but since this is going to be the one place Gavin won’t have access to, I love it already.

The woman leads us through the unit, showing us all the amenities and both rooms and then leaves.

“She thinks I’m your boyfriend number two.” I laugh, taking a photo of the kitchen.

Leigh shrugs. “Who cares?”

I text the picture to Kai while she expertly looks through the cabinets.

We’re inspecting the balcony when my phone buzzes. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to respond, and my heart does a little jump when I see the preview of the message.

K: new pad?

Yes, I type back and add a few random emojis. Leigh’s style.

K: not too shabby

i have my own room

Kai sends a smug-faced emoji, and I can’t help it. I grin like a fool, forgetting where I’m at and who I’m with and what I’m doing.

“Dylan?” Leigh’s voice cuts through the blissful fog in my brain.

“Huh?” I shut off my phone’s screen and switch my attention to the task at hand–perusing the apartment I’m definitely moving into.

“You looked suspiciously happy just now, Watson.”

“Stop imagining shit and fuck off.” I jokingly punch her on the shoulder.

She punches back. “You seriously think I’m dumb. You’re finally wanting to move out. There’s someone, isn’t there?”

I can lie. Easily. I’ve been lying to my best friend for years, but I realize that if this thing with Kai continues, eventually she’ll find out. So maybe, just maybe, it’s best to start preparing Leigh for the truth now.

“It’s possible,” I finally say, shoving my phone into the pocket of my jacket.

Leigh’s eyes all but bug out. “Sucker!” She delivers another blow to my shoulder; this one is no joke. “When were you going to tell me?”

“I don’t… It’s still new and I’m not sure where it’s headed.”

“Do I ever get to meet this person?”

“We’ll see.”

“Hmmm.” Leigh folds both arms on her chest and studies me for a long minute as we stand on the small balcony that faces the abundance of green. “I want you to be happy, especially if we’re going to be roommates.”

“If this is your way of telling me not to bring drama into our new place, don’t worry.”

“Bring whatever or whoever your heart desires as long as”–she waves a fist in front of my face and begins unfolding her fingers one by one, starting from her pinkie–“I don’t hear you and your bae going at it like rabbits, as long as you don’t touch my stuff, and as long as you wash your dishes.”

“You got it, Farley.” I gently swat her hand away from my direct line of sight.

“Great. I’m gonna tell Mrs. Zhang we got dibs on the unit.” She spins around and heads for the door, pausing at the threshold and saying in a singsong voice, “Dylan finally has a sex life. Woohoo.”

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