Page 48 of Watching Ames

Alex didn’t let go of his grip on my hand, shrugging easily as he explained, “You said you were mine last night. So I hired movers to move all your stuff in. Everything that could fit is here, the rest is in a storage unit. You can either sell the stuff or we can get rid of what I already had and replace it if you’d prefer your furniture.”

He glanced down at me, fingers tightening around mine for a moment before relaxing, as if he were worried I might try to run again. And a few weeks ago, he would’ve been right. But I hadn’t lied last night, when I told Alex I was his. I wasn’t sure at what point he had won me over, convinced me that I deserved better - deserved him - but I was all in for whatever this was.

Whether it was a relationship or something more amorphous, I didn’t care. And I wasn’t going to pretend to be suddenly surprised that Alex crossed a few boundaries to surprise me, as if that hadn’t been how our relationship started. As if, ever since that first night spent here at the house, he hadn’t been brutally honest about every immoral thing he’d done involving our relationship.

So I just rose to my tip-toes, kissing him hard and fast, his arms immediately banding around my waist to hold my chest tight against his. “Good. Because I’m not planning on leaving any time soon.”

And it was the truth. I wanted to stay here, in this dream house that we had turned into a home together. I wanted to get to know Alex more and stay a part of the family unit he and Dev and Wren had created. I wanted to delve deeper into this life I had gotten a glimpse of the past week.

Dev and Wren whooped at my statement, giving us both hugs as if they, too, realized this was a big moment. It felt like Alex was asking me to go steady, only much less casual and much more long-term. And I found I didn’t mind the implication in the slightest.

Alex huffed out a relieved laugh after a moment, shaking his head at my easy response to him suddenly moving me in. “You responded to that a lot better than I’d hoped. I thought I might have to chase you down.” My blood heated at the thought, my cheeks pinking with arousal, but I quickly tamped it down when I heard my name being called by a familiar voice from the direction of the front door.

“Bex?” I called out, catching her in a hug when she rounded the corner, carrying a bottle of wine.

“Dev called, said you were having a housewarming party? I brought wine.” The question in her voice was clear, but before I could answer, Wren stepped close, her small frame dwarfed by my younger sister, who stood at least eight inches above her with her boots on.

“The lovebirds are moving in together, officially. And a Sauvignon Blanc? Perfect. I’ve been craving something blonde.” Wren took hold of the wine, but her eyes rested on the golden strands falling out of Bex’s ponytail. Bex froze at the innuendo, spine straightening while the rest of us laughed, used to Wren’s antics. But when Wren turned toward the kitchen, following the rest of us in, I caught a frown pulling at the corner of her lips.

When she caught me looking, she quickly shot me a smile, skipping ahead and motioning with a flourish at the kitchen counter. “And of course, I provided the floral arrangements for the christening of the home. You should have at least one per floor.”

There were two more bouquets on the counter, sitting alongside the one from Alex that she’d given me earlier in the week. They were each different, but they complimented each other perfectly. One had puffy, round white clusters of flowers coupled with white hydrangeas, the monochrome coloring contrasted with dark green eucalyptus woven throughout. The other was a combination of gray and black irises, interspersed with red-velvet-colored cosmos that almost matched the burgundy of the dahlias on the older bouquet.

I threw my arms around Wren, smacking a kiss on her cheek in thanks at the thoughtful gesture. She preened at my compliment, her earlier sullen attitude gone as suddenly as it appeared.

“Where’s my kiss? My ass was unpacking boxes of your shit for hours,” Dev grumbled half-heartedly. I rolled my eyes as I rose on my toes to reach him, a squeal escaping me as Dev wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me his height before proffering his cheek. “Much easier for you to come up to my level, A. I’m going to have a bad back if I come to your -” he pointed between me and Wren “- level all the time.”

“You unpacked two boxes, tops,” Alex interrupted with a scowl, pulling me back to his side and away from Dev.

“I can’t help that I got bored after the second box of band t-shirts and ripped black jeans, Xan. Honestly, I was hoping for something a little more scandalous.”

“Sorry to disappoint you with my lack of matching lingerie and garter belts.”

“I like your band t-shirts and ripped jeans,” Alex’s husky voice whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back into the cradle of his body. I felt the goosebumps skitter down my spine, trying not to shake with the intensity of how he made me feel.

I heard Wren and Dev bickering in the background as they pulled plates and bowls out of the cabinets, the dishware clattering on the countertop. But I was too focused on Alex’s gentle breathing in my ear, the warm air puffing against my lobe in a reminder of what he’d done to my ear the night before. It felt like it had been longer, like the universe - or Alex, really - had been pushing us together for so long that last night was always on the horizon.

“I have one more surprise before the food gets here,” Alex spoke up, getting the rest of the room’s attention just before he dropped a kiss to the crown of my head. Wren snorted out another burst of laughter but quickly swallowed it as we followed Alex out the back of the house.

My steps faltered when I realized where we were headed, toward the back of the yard where Alex’s ‘home office’ stood. I had never been inside, only watched from closer to the house as Alex and Dev went in and out with boxes and equipment I never bothered paying too much attention to. I began to regret that choice as Alex pulled me toward the structure.

As I stood next to it, I realized just how large it was, easily three times the size of the smaller shed I used to store my gardening equipment. It had a front door and a few windows, though the blinds were pulled shut so I couldn’t get a glimpse inside, and sprawled across the back edge of the property, likely taking up over 700 square feet.

When I looked at the rest of our merry group, I saw that I was the only one who would be surprised by what was inside. Dev and Wren wore wide, excited smiles, and even Bex looked like she had been looped in, reaching over to squeeze my hand in a show of stoic support as Alex unlocked the door. We all stepped inside, pausing just inside the doorway until someone turned on the lights.

When the lights flipped on, it didn’t illuminate a stuffy office space full of tech and computers and possibly some weapons - knowing Dev’s proclivities - which was what I had been imagining the past few days. Instead, it was a wide, open studio space pulled from daydreams I didn’t bother having, because they were too out of reach.

The floor was black vinyl, sleek but waterproof to withstand constant mopping. The walls were painted a muted gray, with shelving everywhere: attached to the walls, freestanding five feet high in a corner, covered in plastic to maintain moisture for when I would need it. A few of my pieces from my old apartment sat on a display shelf alongside the decorative pieces Alex made during his intensive week.

Two pottery wheels sat in the middle of the floor, aprons sitting on their matching stools, and a large kiln stood in the back corner. There were brand new tools laid out on the back counter next to a large freestanding sink and buckets ready for mixing glaze with bags full of clay already sitting on shelves, everything ready so I could begin working immediately. Overwhelmed, I just looked back at Alex, frozen in place as I felt my chin tremble, tears lining the edges of my eyelids.

Alex answered my questions before I could even speak them. “Dev and I have been working on the space for a while, converting this old mother-in-law suite into a studio for you. June made me a list of everything you’d need to start, and Wren and Bex helped with the final touches. Plus, there’s still a small bedroom and bathroom in the back, so we can kick these losers out of the main house if they ever need to spend the night.”

“I feel like I deserve credit for working on this place before Alex let it slip that it was a studio for you. I honestly thought it was some weird murder/torture room until he mentioned buying a kiln,” Dev threw out, but I couldn’t bring myself to laugh along with the rest of the group, eyes meeting Alex’s as he watched my reaction.

“How did you have the time to do all this? In a week?”

Alex shot me a smoldering look that curled my toes, affection for him almost overwhelming me as he said in a quiet voice, “Sweetheart, I don’t think you understand what I mean by ‘a while.’ Dev and I have been working forweekson this space, making it perfect for you.”

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