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He smirked but didn’t say anything more as I unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The apartment was still empty, save for a few pieces of furniture that came with it. The living room had a couch and a small coffee table, and the bedroom had my new bed already set up, but otherwise it was a blank slate. My new blank slate.
“Looks nice,” Alex said, setting down a box. “Good light for your stream setup.”
I shook my head. “Not that I stream during the day.”
Casey and Ryan moved past us, heading to the living room to drop off the boxes. They were talking again, more casually now. Whatever tension there’d been seemed to be fading.
The four of us spent the next hour or so getting everything into the apartment and unpacking the boxes. My desk was set up in a corner of the living room where I’d have a nice backdrop for my streams. We stacked the plushies on the new shelves Alex had helped me pick out, and I plugged in the Red Bull fridge next to my desk.
Alex was quiet through most of it, but every now and then I’d catch him looking at me with this thoughtful expression. It made my heart ache a little, but I knew he was just processing. This was a big change for our relationship.
By the time we finished, we were all starving. Ryan suggested ordering takeout and we ended up getting a little bit of everything—pizza, Chinese, and some sushi for good measure. We sat on my new couch, balancing paper plates on our laps.
The mood was lighter now. I leaned back into the couch, feeling a bit of the tension leave my shoulders. Alex was sitting close beside me, his hand on my knee. I looked over at him and he gave me a small smile. We ate, small talk flowing. Ryan and Casey stayed for a little while longer but eventually they stood up to leave.
“Thanks for the help, guys,” I said, walking them to the door.
Casey hugged me tightly. “Anytime. And congrats on the new place. It suits you.”
Ryan nodded, giving me a small smile. “Yeah, what she said.”
I waved goodbye. “You two take care.”
After they left, the apartment felt a bit quieter, a bit emptier. Alex and I stood by the door for a moment, neither of us saying anything for some time.
“Are you okay?” I asked gently.
He nodded slowly. “Yeah. I mean it’s weird. But I’m okay. I can totally see you making this place your own now.”
I reached out, taking his hand. “Thank you for today. I know it wasn’t easy. And I know this isn’t how normal relationships go.”
We moved back to the couch and I could see how tired he was. He shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I’d do it a hundred times over for you. And I think I can do this if it’s just for a year. You’re really happy to have this place, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I am. It’s a fresh start. And this apartment is exactly what I always wanted; small enough so it is easy to keep up with the cleaning, big enough to invite people over, and the windows make it really cozy.”
He nodded back, though I could see the bittersweetness in his eyes. “Then that’s all that matters.”
I rested my head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of him beside me. “Look at us, we’re talking as if I’ve moved two hours away or something. I’m still here, just a few floors up. I will still have to come over to your place to use the kitchen.”
I felt Alex's hand tighten around mine, his thumb brushing over my knuckles in slow, soothing circles. It sent a warmth up my arm, spreading through my chest. His touch was always like that—comforting, steady, but there was an edge tonight. A little bit of something extra that made my skin tingle.
I glanced up at him. Those deep, searching eyes that always seemed to see right through me. He had that half-smile on his lips, the one that was equal parts cocky and cute.
"Hey," I said softly, feeling my own smile forming. "What's that look for?"
His grin widened and he took a step closer, pulling me against him until I could feel the steady beat of his heart through his chest. "Just thinking about how different it’s gonna be without you in my bed every night," he murmured, his voice low and teasing.
I pressed my forehead to his, closing my eyes for a moment tojust breathe him in. "I’ll be back. We can still have sleepovers, you know," I said with a soft laugh, my fingers curling into his shirt.
"Sleepovers, huh?" he chuckled, his lips brushing against my ear. "I like the sound of that."
Before I could reply, his mouth was on mine. It wasn’t slow or tentative like our usual kisses—it was deep, hungry, like he was trying to pour all his unspoken feelings into it. His hands slid up to cup my face, holding me to him as if he was afraid I might disappear.
I melted into him, my arms winding around his neck, pulling him closer until there was no space left between us. My heart was racing, every nerve ending alive with the feeling of him. God, how did he always make me feel like this? Like nothing else mattered in the world except us.
When we finally broke apart, both of us breathless, he rested his forehead against mine, his eyes searching mine in that way he always did. "I don’t want you to go, I don’t want to lose you," he whispered. The vulnerability in his voice surprised me.
