Chapter 12.04

The next morning, I drove back early—we wanted to move in that same day. It wasn’t difficult; before the wedding, I had already moved all my things from the dorm to the apartment. Susy had packed up everything for Jenny, and Brian and Paul  had transported it, so I parked right in front of our building. But Jenny started walking toward Paul’s apartment.

“Where are you going, Babe?” I asked.

“To Paul’s—to get my stuff,” she said.

“It’s the next building over,” I laughed, heading in the right direction. Jenny followed, curious.

She nervously unlocked the door, nearly dropping the keys.

On the dining table sat a bouquet of roses with a note: “Welcome to our first home together.”

The apartment was smaller than Paul’s, about the same size as Brian’s, but newly renovated and beautifully furnished. Like Paul’s, it was decorated in blue, gray, and white, though while gray dominated Paul’s place, blue was the main color here.

The entrance led into a small hallway that opened into a cozy living room. Opposite the hallway door was an L-shaped blue-gray kitchen counter, with a matching dining table in front of it. To the left of the entrance, a gray couch faced a wall-mounted TV, which was visible from the dining area as well. Beside the TV, a few small cabinets lined the wall.

The living room connected to a spacious blue-and-white tiled bathroom with both a bathtub and a shower. Next to the kitchen was our bedroom, accessible from the living room. Inside, a large double bed sat beneath the window, with two wardrobes positioned opposite it.

A soft rug had been placed in front of the couch, and Jenny’s decorations—brought over from Paul’s—were already arranged in the living room. Her packed boxes were stacked neatly against the wall.

“It’s a beautiful apartment,” Jenny said, slightly flustered. “And the roses are lovely. I see you’ve been planning this for a while.” She saw right through me. “But I only agreed a few weeks ago.”

“I trusted my charm,” I laughed. “Are you happy?”

“Very,” she said, her face lighting up with a joyful smile.

“I don’t even deserve you,” she murmured, pressing herself against me in happy embarrassment.

“Oh?” I teased. “Does that mean I’m finally worthy of you?”

“It seems so,” she said, kissing me with the kind of heat that had been simmering between us for weeks. I lifted her into my arms, and she laughed softly against my neck as I carried her toward the bedroom—our clothes already forming a trail behind us.

It was still broad daylight, but that day, we barely left the bedroom—just long enough to grab a bite or stumble into the shower. Together, of course.

—

The next day, we made full use of the school break. Brian and Mayoko had thankfully done the grocery shopping, which meant we spent the entire day wrapped around each other like we were making up for lost time.

—

The following two weeks were chaos in all the best ways. Between classes and unpacking, Jenny tried to get the apartment in order—but I kept distracting her, and we often ended up in various rooms without any clothes. Even in the mornings, it was hard to part from her lips. I finally understood why Brian had insisted on pushing the welcome gathering back. 

One morning, after a particularly soft round of kisses and sighs, Jenny lay curled up in my arms, her head tucked under my chin.

“Messyhair,” she whispered, “maybe we should take a little break.”

I pulled back slightly, alarmed. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Are you unhappy?”

“No—no,” she laughed gently, kissing my nose. “I’m really happy. But aside from school, all we do is… this.” She blushed. “We haven’t seen our friends in days. They’re supposed to come over this weekend.”

“If I’d known this is what it would be like, I would’ve moved in with you months ago,” I grinned. “But you’re right. I’ll plan something with the group.”

“Thank you,” she said, kissing me tenderly as her arms slid around my waist again.

—

The next day, I messaged everyone, confirming our invitation and letting them know we’d be expecting them over the weekend.

At school, I spent my days with my former roommates. Dave didn’t have many girls around him, while Phil and Tom had a constantly changing lineup.

“Miss us, buddy?” Phil asked midweek during lunch when I sat with them. Jenny had cooked for me, so I was eating from a container in the cafeteria—she was having lunch with Uncle Steve today.

“Not really,” I said. “My girlfriend doesn’t snore.” I laughed.

“I’d be curious to meet her,” Tom said with a slight edge in his tone.

“Be curious,” I shrugged.