Page 55 of Fall of Us
Daniel had driven the moving van, and we loaded all the boxes inside, saving the bed for last to hold everything in. Thanks to Brandon helping me the day before, even with the delayed start we had everything loaded up to take to his place by early evening.
We all stood outside as I handed the keys over to the landlord. The wind blew some leaves along the ground and it smelled like rain. I felt like I’d always remember this moment. This apartment had been my first home away from home and now I was moving onto bigger and better things. Moving on to being with Brandon in a more permanent capacity.
“Come on! Let’s get moving. I’m freezing my ass off.”
Daniel shoved Shawn, shooting him a glare before hopping in the front seat of the van. The engine roared to life, and it hit me then that I was really leaving this place behind. There would be nomore late study nights. No more shoving all my friends into the tiny space for good pizza and a movie.
“An end to an era...”
Brandon threaded his fingers with mine as we stood there and stared at the building. Our friends argued behind us, but I drowned them out. All I cared about was standing here with the man I loved and the future we were about to embark on.
“You can take the bed into the other room. That’s fine.” Brandon led Shawn down the halls, helping him carry the other end of the mattress.
My arms were full of a heavy box with what I assumed was stuff for the kitchen. We really should have labeled what went into them, but it would be fun figuring it all out later. The box clanged loudly as I set it on the counter, only furthering my suspicions that it held something like pots and pans.
Our friends came in carrying a few other odds and ends, and that feeling of rightness settled in again.
“You look like a lovesick fool.”
Nathan made me jump as I turned to face him.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, look at you guys, becoming all domesticated and shit. I get it. Moving in with Chase was scary as fuck, but I couldn’t imagine being without him.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck as I looked around the apartment, while Daniel and Chase made another trip out to the van, stacking more boxes in a corner.
“I don’t know, man. It’s not like I didn’t practically live here to begin with.”
Nathan grinned, patting my shoulder. “Whatever you say, man.” He turned and walked back out the front door to grab more boxes.
It hadn’t felt like a lot of stuff when we packed it all up, but combining it all into Brandon’s apartment made it feel like more.
Brandon and Shawn came back out of the room, and Brandon lifted the bottom hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead. It was getting late, and we had the van for another day. The guys had all offered to help us again tomorrow, so there was no hurry to finish this all tonight.
“Why don’t we take a break?”
Brandon grinned, walking over and collapsing on the couch. “I think that sounds like an amazing idea.” He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and tipped his head against the back cushions. His eyes were closed, and I suppressed my need to laugh at how easily he threw in the towel.
When Daniel, Chase, and Nathan came back up, they dropped their boxes. I told them what the plan was and Daniel hurried down to lock up the van for the night. When he got back, we ordered Chinese food from down the street.
The apartment filled with laughter as everyone dug into the food. Having our friends here on such an important day meant something to me, even if they didn’t know what all was going on. At the rate everything was going, nothing could bring my mood down.
“So when are you going to tell us that Andrew isn’t really staying in the other room?” Shawn asked around a bite of cashew chicken.
Brandon froze. He looked at everyone before looking at me. My ears rang and my heart pounded hard enough to burst free from my chest. This was the perfect moment for us to tell them.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Brandon went back to eating and my lungs seized. Why couldn’t I breathe?
I thought nothing could ruin the day. Except for maybe that.
Chapter 34
Brandon
“That’s bullshit.”
