Hired To Love

Chapter Thirty-Five

Naiya Parker-Wyatt

This place was perfect. Not too big, not too small. Just enough room for me and someone else if I wanted to have a roommate. With school starting in a few weeks, I thought about the friends I would make since my apartment is close to campus. Earlier this morning when Keon and I arrived here first to check things out before everyone else helped us move my stuff in, I saw signs in the lobby that welcomed students from Spelman, Morehouse and Clark Atlanta. This morning I was terrified but I was slowly but surely getting excited to start college now.

But not so excited about being apart from Keon.

"You like it?"

I shook my head, "I love it."

Keon was setting up the bar stools in the kitchen area at the counter. It was in the same big room as the living room with granite tops. The living room furniture was already here still wrapped in the plastic that it arrived in yesterday. I wanted to get up and do something but I was still kinda shocked that I was moving in here.

"You okay?"

I nodded.

"Positive?"

I nodded.

Keon put the last stool together and came over to where I was sitting on the window sill in the living room looking down at the streets. Fact is, which I'm sure Keon has already figured out, I wasn't okay. Even though I was getting excited to start school and I was slowly processing the fact that I was on my own now,  the one thing that I wasn't over and probably would never get over is the fact that I would be apart from Keon. I tried to prepare myself for a long time now but it wasn't real until we packed up the cars and left for the apartment.

Just the thought of him leaving later made me nauseous.

"I'm fine." I claimed, hoping he wouldn't push me.

Keon pushed himself sightly between my knees, careful to not go further than that, "You forget that I know when you're lying. But I also know that you'll break sooner or later. Just as long as it's when I'm here."

And it was dropped there. The doorbell rang which I was thankful for. I didn't need a heart to heart right now with company arriving.

Three hours later I was just about moved in. Kyle, Brianna, Shanelle, Torrence and Brendan all chipped in by helping me set up my new place. Torrence and Kyle brought over some of my belongings in their trucks. Hanging up shower curtains, putting down rugs, making my bed, unpacking my clothes, putting up dishes, pots and pans, hooking up my television in the living room to the cable; all within those three hours. Afterwards we sat around and ate a bunch of food and until around ten when everyone started to leave.

One by one.

Everyone kept beating Keon to me to say goodbye, leaving him as the last one. Brendan gave me a big hug and left, closing the front door even though Keon told him that he was right behind him. As he walked up to give me a hug, that's when my water works started.

"I miss you already."

He smirked at me and pulled me into his arms. "I knew what was wrong with you earlier girl. You can't hide shit from me. I know you Naiya." His hands rubbed my back soothingly, coaxing me out of breaking down which I was sure was about to happen. But Keon had hands of persuasion and it actually calmed me down from going any further. "You okay?"

I nodded. As we pulled away from each other he kissed my cheek, my forehead, and lastly my lips.

"You forgetting that I'm half an hour away?" He teased me, poking my left dimple and wiping tears from my cheeks.