Page 94 of The Future Play

I unlock the door, but before I open it, I turn to her. “Please don’t hate me.”

Then I swing the door open and step inside, holding the door and revealing the beautiful two-bedroom apartment. It’s not huge, but it’s more than big enough for the two of us. It’s a semi-rustic style with some farmhouse vibes. Lots of wood tones and wide plank floors.

Originally, I’d been looking for places for Amanda and me to see together, but when my realtor told me this one would be snatched up quickly, I applied the day I saw it, because the moment I walked in, the place screamedAmanda.

There’s a small area to take off shoes and coats and a little closet by the door, then it opens into the living room, kitchen, and dining area. They’re all moderate sized, nothing massive, but plenty functional. Down a hall at the edge of the kitchen is a full bath and the guest bedroom—which will be for Amanda’s office—then the master bed and bath. Again, nothing huge, but it’s all her style. And hopefully decorated to her taste since it’s mostly her stuff.

“Jamie, what—what?—”

Tears fill her eyes, and I brace myself. She might yell at me or she might be happy. It’s hard to know for sure.

She looks at the furniture in the living room—one of the few things I bought new with the help of my mom, Penny, and Jace.

“This is beautiful,” she breathes.

I let out a sigh of relief and wrap my arms around her. “Good. Because it’s all ours.”

She lets out a laugh of disbelief. “When did you do this?”

I shrug. “Eh, I signed the lease last week. I explained the situation, and they’ll add your name whenever we stop by the security office for your key card to enter the building.”

“But the furniture…”

“Yeah, uh, maybe we should go on a little tour.”

“Okay,” she murmurs, letting me lead her down the hall where I already have some pictures hanging up.

First, I stop at the office and swing the door open.

“Oh my god. This is… perfect.” Her desk, her bookshelves, her giant beanbag chair, and a shelf of plants are perfectly positioned throughout the room along with twinkle lights strung around the top.

I owe Dani, Chelsea, and Mackie so many flowers. Or coffees. Chocolate. Something.

Dani is Jesse’s girlfriend and an interior designer, and after showing her the pictures of Amanda’s bedroom, she styled it all perfectly. She was here today doing that while the guys moved everything in.

I had lunch delivered and sent Aaron money for coffee, but nothing feels like enough. We have the greatest friends in the world.

“Oh my gosh. This is… perfect. I can’t wait to work in here.” Then she turns and runs to the room at the end of the hall and swings the door open. Her happy squeal has me dashing after her.

Again, Dani nailed it. She took the vibes of Amanda’s room and added some muted blues as well. She also added twinkle lights in here. All of Amanda’s wall hangings are blended with a few of my baseball ones. Somehow Dani made it all look seamless.

Amanda spins around and dashes over, leaping into my arms.

“This is amazing.”

The kiss she gives me proves how amazing she thinks it is.

“So it’s okay I surprised you?”

She cups my face, looking into my eyes. “As always, you see me. I had no idea my dream apartment existed until we walked in here. I always assumed any apartment would be bland or boring, but this… it’s all the things I love. And you took all the stress off me by having—well, I’m assuming you had our friends move all this in. I thought there was something mischievous in Rae’s eyes when she said Aaron was busy with the guys.”

I laugh as I set her down. “Yes. The guys moved things, Dani took the pictures of your room and created this?—”

“Oh my gosh, that explains the random questions about bedroom design she was asking in the group chat.”

“She’s good. Plus, Mackie and Chelsea were here helping to set up and organize everything.”

She slowly shakes her head. “Between setting up and helping move things, that accounts for pretty much all of our friends. They’re amazing.” She loops her arms around my neck and leans into me. “So are you.”

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