Chapter 10.06

The next morning, after waking up, I decided to get my girlfriend’s opinion without giving away too many details.

“What would you think if I moved in with you at Paul’s flat this spring?” I asked while we ate the sandwiches she had packed in her bag and stored in the fridge.

“Do you think it’s a good idea?” she asked calmly. “Nothing has changed since last year—you still can’t cook, and I work while you don’t,” she said, lifting her head to look at me. “Eventually, you’d start saying again that I wear the pants.”

“But this time, it wouldn’t be just you deciding—it would be us deciding together,” I smiled, running my fingers through her hair. “And you don’t wear the pants, even if you wanted to.”

“That was never the issue,” she said. “You just used it as an excuse. You were simply afraid. What’s changed?”

Her bluntness surprised me.

“I’m not afraid anymore,” I said seriously. “Believe me, Babe—those months without you made me realize a lot.”

“Like what?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“That I love you deeply, and I didn’t even realize how important you were to me until I lost you,” I let myself get lost in her eyes.

“Would you be moving in for your sake or mine?” she asked.

“For both of us,” I answered. “I just want to be with you.” I smiled, quoting her own words back to her.

“Let’s talk about it more, okay?” she said, closing the topic and kissing me as a distraction.

“Well, well,” I grinned, pulling her close by the waist “Could it be that someone else is afraid now?”

“I-I’m n-not afraid,” she stammered—I had been waiting for her to start. “I just—I just worry that you don’t really mean it.”

“Alright, we’ll revisit it later,” I kissed her lips, and she visibly relaxed.

“When do you need to be home, Messyhair?” she asked, changing the subject.

“By breakfast,” I said. “Kevin and Will aren’t coming back—they went straight home from Paul’s.”

“I’ll come over after lunch for the envelope before we head back, okay?” she asked cheerfully.

“Okay,” I said, pulling her close while she finished eating.

“So, Shannon and Kevin,” I said a little later. “I don’t see much of a future for them.”

“Yeah, Shannon definitely has some work to do,” she laughed, realizing what she had said. “Besides that.”

“It’s starting with a lie,” I said flatly.

“Hiding your shared past isn’t a lie. You did the same with me,” she was always smarter than me—I kissed her cheek.

“You know about it?” I asked, while I took a new sandwich.

“Yes,” she said calmly. “I told her to talk to you before it’s too late. Kevin would never speak to her again if he knew about the pool party.”

I nearly choked on my food, the sandwich slipping from my hand.

“How do you know about that? No one at school would have told you,” I said. “Practically only Brian knows.”

“Shannon told me after we broke up,” she said matter-of-factly. “She felt guilty, but while I was your girlfriend, she didn’t want to cause trouble, so she kept quiet.”

“Did she tell you everything?” I asked, surprised.

“I don’t know,” she said with a smile. “Just that she had a boyfriend at the time, so technically, you didn’t sleep together—you just entertained each other without clothes. And she did the same with you at the start of our year together, after you two were at Tony’s. When you didn’t go inside after the movie, she called her boyfriend the next day to console herself. The rest, you already know. If anything’s missing, it doesn’t matter.”

“You don’t care?” I knew the answer, but it still surprised me.

“Messyhair,” she smiled, running her fingers through my hair. “She was the only one who felt the need to tell the truth. But we both know she wasn’t your wildest adventure,” she teased, kissing me playfully.

“That I can’t deny,” I laughed against her lips.

“I’m surprised you went along with it, knowing she had a boyfriend,” she added, taking a bite of my sandwich.

“She was convincing,” I laughed. “I love you—you know that, right?”

“I know—that’s why I never had half-kisses,” she teased.

I leaned in and kissed her softly, but just as she started to return it, I pulled away.

“Now you have one, little girl,” I winked, and she burst into laughter.

“I love you too, Messyhair,” she said happily and handed me a box.

“This is your Christmas present,” she smiled.

“I thought I received it before the fireworks,” I teased her. She smiled, blushing. “But thank you, babe.”

Curious, I opened it—it was a document organizer.

“It might not be as exciting as the one from two years ago, but I saw your notes. I think you need this,” she laughed.

“You’re right, smart one—it’ll be useful,” I laughed, pulling a long, narrow box from my bag.

“This is for you, Babe,” I handed her the package.

She unwrapped it—it was a necklace matching her earrings.