I want as well, even if I have only witnessed it in movies and books. I want to love and be loved until my last breath.”
“Til death do us part.”
9
Leo
Pulling up to my new place, I shut off the car. All my boxes had been placed inside my garage, making it impossible to park inside. My first goal was to place each box in the room they needed to be in.
The movers should have done that, but the guy from work who was there to supervise had to leave early, so he had them place all my stuff in the garage.
I was lucky all my belongings made it and hadn’t gotten lost along the way. It would have been bad if I only had the belongings in my suitcase. It wouldn’t have been a good look to show up on my first day of work in casual wear. From here on out, I’d be wearing a suit and tie from nine to five. It was going to take some getting used to, but that’s what life was like as an adult. You had to do things all the time that you didn’t want to do, or at least it seemed that way.
I watched as Everly parked beside me and then got out of her car. She stood staring at the house.
“This is the place your work set you up with?” Everly questioned after I came to stand beside her.
“It’s pretty sweet, right? I mean, I would have been happy to have an apartment. I only hope they don’t expect me to be hosting parties and get-togethers.”
Her eyes got big. “Do you think they will?”
“Nah, I don’t think so. It was never mentioned.”
“While I’ve never heard of them, I’d say they’ve done a good job of making their firm well represented. I mean, damn, this house has to be worth at least half a million and that’s what I’m getting from the front yard. Then they give you an Audi to drive. You’re living large right out of the gate.”
It did seem a little much and almost made me think it was too good to be true.
“Well, if they wanted me to be living large, they should have fully furnished the place. There’s no way I’ll be able to match what they’ve provided.”
Her big eyes landed on me. “It came furnished as well?”
“Most of it. There’s one bedroom that’s bare and there are no towels, pots or pans, or things like that.”
“Do they do this for all their employees?”
Shrugging, I looked down at her. “Maybe. I did tell them I didn’t have much. Plus, it would have cost an arm and a leg to ship furniture from Sweden to here. It probably saved them money in the long run.”
“Damn,” she breathed out.
I felt the same way. Never when I graduated, did I think I would be set up like this. Although it did take me almost a year to find the perfect job. It probably helped I’d found it in Stockholm at an architecture firm that was starting out but had landed some prestigious jobs. Then one of my projects had done extraordinarily well.
Linking our fingers together, I tugged on her hand. “Are you ready to go inside?”
“More than ready.” She answered like a kid in a candy store.
I liked that she was excited to see my place, even if I had nothing to do with it.
“Leo,” she twirled around the entry, “this place is amazing.” She stopped and placed her hands on my chest. “What did you think when you saw all of this, or did you already know what it looked like?”
“I had no idea. My first thought was that I’d been sent to the wrong house.” I laughed. “But I figured since the key worked and the house was empty, I was in the right place. Do you like it?”
“I more than like it. I can’t believe you had to see my place looking like a total shithole. I mean, it’s never been anything fancy, but it’s nothing compared to this.”
“Your place was fine. Now, it would be different if that’s how you kept your house. I might have rescinded my invitation for you to stay with me if that was the case.”
“Really?” She laughed.
“That would be an asshole thing to do, but I might have told you I like a clean house or something.” I shrugged, but it was true. “Please tell me you don’t leave stuff everywhere.”
Raising a brow, she tried to keep her lips from