Before we leave, all the new couples are required to go to the main office of the Plaza to get our house assignments. I hang onto Alec's arm nervously, wondering if we'll get a nice, new house, or a dirty, rat-infested house. I've heard of people getting one or the other—I just hope we're lucky.
"Next," a grouchy old lady rasps in a loud voice.
Alec and I inch forward together, terrified of the woman.
"Names, please," she says, her voice completely monotone, but hoarse like a smoker's.
"Alec and Isabella Bentley," Alec says, suddenly smiling at the sound of our names together.
I try to hide my reflecting grin, but I fail dreadfully. Alec catches my smile and chuckles silently.
The nasty old woman places a piece of paper on the countertop, facing our way. "Sign here, young man."
As Alec grips a pen and writes his name neatly on the line at the bottom of the paper, the lady retrieves a pink slip of paper and writes on it.
Once Alec finishes signing, he hands the woman the signed paper, and then she thrusts the pink slip at us and two keys. "This is your house address and two keys to the house. It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. One floor. If you have more than two children, then the city will move you to a larger house. Until then, this one is yours. Take care of it."
Alec pockets both of the keys and then holds up the paper between us, gazing at it as if it is the most precious thing he's ever held. I nudge him out of the way of others so we don't hold up the line.
"This is it, Belle," he says excitedly. "This is where it begins."
Gently, I slip the piece of paper from his fingers and look at it myself.
Street 92, House 4
Well, that's a pretty boring title. I thought the Family District would be all happy and cozy... I'm probably just thinking too much into this.
Alec takes my hand and pulls me close to his side. "Ready?" he says gently.
The buzzing of the other couples around us in the main office is starting to make me nervous. Chance and Riah have already taken off, so nothing is keeping us here.
"Yes," I say with a smile.
***
We're definitely not in one of those happy family homes that Chance and Alec lived in with their families. All my life I had dreamed about having that perfect little paneled house with the white picket fence and all that crap, but then we get here, and all my dreams burst into violent flames.
The house is tiny, yes, but it is dark and depressing—boring if anything. The flat roof is bound to make leaks more susceptible in our ceiling (I would know since I lived at the Facility my entire life...a building with a stupid flat roof and water-damaged ceilings beyond repair), and the low foundation just makes me uncomfortable. A window is on each side of the rusty metal door. Bars line the windows, too, which does not make me feel any better about our shady neighborhood either.
Turns out, the Family District is its own little world. The place where Alec and Chance grew up was a form of middle-upper class. This is lower class for sure.
"I'm sure this is how all the couples start out," Alec says to me reassuringly as we stand outside the house beside his car parked in the gravel driveway.
I've always been fascinated by the fact that Alec even has a car. It's small and bright blue, rusty around the bottom. He never really talks about it, but sometimes the four of us will ride in it when we go on little trips around the city. Alec had parked his car in the back of the Plaza, so when it started to rain after we received our house assignment, he sprinted out to his car while I stood under the awning of the building. I was definitely charmed by his gentlemanliness... I can't believe that's a word... We drove to our new neighborhood talking enthusiastically about everything except for the relationship we're going to have to develop. I didn't want to worry about that at the moment. All I cared about was the present moment of finding out what kind of house we would have.
And I truly wish Alec and I could have a relationship discussion instead of this house.
"Maybe inside isn't as bad," Alec says weakly.
I know he's doubtful. But he offers me his hand, and I take it. He gives my small hand a gentle squeeze as we walk up the driveway towards the front door. Alec fishes into his pocket for one of the keys. "Ready?"
I sigh with a fake laugh. "No."
"Me neither," he says as he turns the knob and pushes the door open.
I gasp when I see the inside of what appears to be the living room. It's not that it's as horrible as the outside, because it's honestly very nice. However, it's filled with boxes upon boxes, packed full of things. I notice my simple black bag that all the Facility girls were given the day before. It rests on a gold and red plaid couch buried under boxes. That single bag contains all of my belongings. On the right is a hallway leading into what seems like a kitchen. Branching off of the hallway is another one.
"What's with all the boxes?" I ask.
"Oh, it's my stuff. I thought it would be nice to have some of it here," he says as he rubs the back of his neck. "I hope you don't mind... But it's both of our stuff now."
I smile at him excitedly. I've never been able to call so much stuff "mine", even if it's only half mine. "That's perfectly fine."
"We can unpack everything tomorrow," he says. "But for now, I'm ready to sleep."
"Me, too."
Then it dawns on me. What are our sleeping arrangements? Surely he wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in the same bed as me... Don't these relationship things take time? Of course they do.
"Do you want to check out the rest of the house?" he asks me.
I blink at him tiredly. That'd probably be a good idea, despite how exhausted we both are. I'd like to not get lost on my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. "Yeah."
So the kitchen is tiny, but it looks like it will be well lit. All of the appliances are newly upgraded, and the countertops are perfectly clean granite. Dark blue walls swallow the room whole, and it makes it seem smaller than it really is. Black and white tiles seem to scream at me when I walk across them to take in the whole kitchen.
"It's... nice," I say, forcing a smile.
"Yeah, it's kind of drab," Alec laughs. "But we can repaint the walls and redo some things if you'd like."
I take hold of his hand without thinking as we stand against the wall facing the room. I gaze up at him, beaming. "That might be a fun project to do together," I say.
He blushes.
I blush.
One big blush party.
We turn into the hallway that branches off of the main hall between the kitchen and the living room. On the right are two doorways, and on the left is one. We look inside each one very briefly because these rooms are simple and plain. The two doors on the right consist of a bathroom and a bedroom with two twin beds inside. The bedroom on the left is the cream-colored master bedroom, with a private bathroom in the far left corner. The bed is a queen-size with a dark brown comforter. It's sandwiched between two dark-wooded side tables, each holding a plain lamp.
"Well, I guess I'll take the room across the hall," Alec says after a moment's silence of staring at the pale room.
"What?" I say in surprise.
"Belle, I want to give you time with all of this. I want you to know for sure that you love me before we sleep in the same bed together."
"Alec, I..." I don't know what to say. I look down at our hands together, my fingers entwined comfortably with his.
How do I even know what love is after this day? Is love just picking someone off of a stage after knowing her for a split second? Or is it picking someone who you've wanted to be with since the day you first met? I want to know these things—hear them from Alec, but how could I even begin to ask such crazy things.
"I just—I don't—Alec, you shouldn't—ugh, I don't know what to say," I groan in confusion. I step further into the room, letting go of his hand. I sit on the edge of the soft bed, studying my hands.
Slowly, Alec approaches me and kneels down in front of me, his arms resting on my knees. He did this before one time when I wouldn't tell him the name of my crush years ago. I had sat on the ledge of the plaza fountain, crossing my arms, and looking away stubbornly. He had knelt down on both of his knees, crossed his arms over my legs, and pleaded to know.
I never told him, of course.
Because he was my crush.
This time, Alec looks at me with the most beautiful eyes and gentle smile. "Belle, I don't want to force this relationship. I already feel like I have, considering I chose you."
I laugh. "Technically, I chose you."
He grins. "True, and that made me feel like such a winner. But—"
"No 'but's! Alec, if I didn't want to be with you, I would have definitely told you by now." All my feelings start boiling to the surface. "Even though we're just now beginning a life together without having known previously that we both had feelings for one another, I want to start this marriage right."
"Okay..?"
"So you're going to sleep with me if it's the last thing you do," I say.
His eyes widen. "Um... I—uh..."
"No! Not that! Literally, sleep."
He chuckles. "All right, all right!" He puts his hands up in surrender. "But I'm sorry if I kick you or start talking in my sleep."
"I do both of those, too," I say, laughing in relief.
His eyes light up so brightly that I can't believe it's all for me. Without a second thought, I hug him, pressing my head into his neck. "Another thing... I've never slept alone before," I whisper.
"That's right...," he says, a tone of sudden understanding in his voice. "You've grown up in the Facility your whole life..."
I sigh. "I've always had Riah as my bunkmate. I've never spent a single night alone. I just don't want to start, especially on my wedding night."
Alec hugs me tighter. "And you won't. I'll be by your side the whole night, okay?"
"Thank you," I whisper.