It takes Shaughna forever to leave. I eventually tell her what happened last night and she's worried, shocked and proud of me all at the same time. It takes all of my strength and smarts to keep her from going over to his place, curious to see him and decide whether or not she approved.
Finally, after I promise to call her later this week to tell her everything that might happen in these next few days, she takes off after lunch. I wave goodbye with a smile. It was lovely to see her, and I owe her for getting me back into my apartment, but I've never been so happy to see her go. This time, I make sure that I've got my keys before I shut the door behind me.
Nathan must have been spying on us, because he opens the front door just when I'm down on my knees, looking for the spare key under the doormat, that no longer seems to be there. I glance up and see his smug face far above me.
"Looking for this?" He holds up the key teasingly. "I like you in this position."
"Shut up." I smile and let him help me back up, following him into the apartment. He must have been packing all morning, since most of the living room is filled with boxes now. The furniture is covered with stickers in three different colors: yellow, red and green.
"The green ones are for my sister," he explains when he sees my curious glance. "I've been video calling with her and my mother all morning. It would be easier if they just drove up here, but Mom isn't doing so great, emotionally. It's too hard on her to be here right now."
"Yellow is for...?" I ask. It's sweet to hear the emotion is his voice when he talks about his family.
"Storage. My sister and I don't want it, but Mom can't stand the idea of someone else having those items. It's mostly the stuff my dad loves the most. His nightstand, his favorite chair, that kind of stuff. We'll just put it in my garage for now."
"And red is stuff for you?"
He shakes his head. "No, I'm not keeping anything. I already claimed some stuff when my parents sold my childhood home years ago. There's nothing here I want. The red stuff is going to a thrift store."
"Really?" I can't help but look around to see what stuff he's getting rid of. "Even the table?"
"Are we really gonna stand around talking about the table?" He cocks an eyebrow at me. He's in sweatpants again, blue this time, and they look just as good on him as the grey ones did. He's wearing a thin white shirt through which I can see the outline of some of his tattoos.
"What else do you have in mind?" I ask, trying to sound seductive. I wouldn't mind him bending me over that table right now, to be honest.
"I want to see your place," he decides.
Okay, not where I thought where this was going.
He follows me as I head outside and take out my keys to let us in. I hear a door slam right next to us just when I put the key in the lock and I glance sideways to see the woman from yesterday walking out of her apartment.
"Hi Annabel," Nathan calls out, smiling widely at her. "So nice to see you again."
"Nathaniel!" she replies, just as happy to see him. Her expression falters when she sees me standing behind him. "I heard about your dad," she says, recovering from the initial shock of seeing us together. "I'm so sorry for your loss."
"Thank you." He gestures to me. "Have you met your new neighbor yet? This is Caroline. She's been helping me out with packing since I've only got a week to clear out the entire place."
"Packing?" Annabel repeats, looking like she doesn't believe that for a second. "How nice of her."
I leave my keys in the door and move over to her, holding out my hand. "I meant to introduce myself yesterday," I say, trying to look as nice as possible. "Caroline Collins. I moved in three days ago. I rang your doorbell to say hi the first day, but you weren't home. I'm sorry if me moving in caused any inconvenience for you. Please let me know if I'm ever too loud."
"I will," she says, smiling now. "Nice to meet you. I'm Annabel Wilkerson. I was on vacation, only came back yesterday. Feel free to stop by for a cup of tea sometime soon."
She waves at Nathan before leaving, glancing back one last time to look at the both of us, shaking her head.
"You want her to let you know if you're ever too loud?" Nathan teases while he turns my keys to let us in. "Are you planning on screaming my name all night long or something?"
"I meant when I play my music too loud or something," I reply, feeling stupid. Does Annabel think I was referring to sex as well? She is totally onto us. I'm not sure how I feel about that. "Although..." I bite my lip and look at him. "I'm not saying no to whatever you have planned that would make me scream out your name."
He doesn't reply, because he has reached my living room and looks around in wonder. "Where the hell is your stuff?" He asks, frowning at the plants on the floor and the three lonely chairs. "Aren't you done moving yet?"
"I am, I just don't own anything other than this."
"What the fuck?" He doesn't even ask me if it's okay that he walks through the place, pulling open every door and getting more and more confused when he sees that I'm not joking. "This is all you own? Why don't you buy more stuff?"
"You need money to pay for things," I explain with a shrug. "Money I don't have."
"How are you supposed to live here without a table?" He shakes his head when he sees that my TV is on an old chair. "This is ridiculous. Come on."
I yell after him as he storms out, leaving my front door wide open, but he doesn't reply. He walks back into his parents' apartment and comes back with a rocking chair and carries it into my living room. I ask him what the hell he's doing, but he just leaves again, returning with a lamp this time.
"Help me with the table, will you?" he asks, his voice commanding.
"Nathan, you can't just give me your parents stuff!" He must be joking. He's not seriously going to move all the furniture with a red sticker into my place, is he? "Nathan, stop! I can't let you give this stuff to me! You barely know me and I just made it perfectly clear that I can't pay for any of this. Besides, it's you mother's stuff! Shouldn't she have a say in this?"
He pulls out his phone and glares at me. Before I can say anything else, he's talking to the person on the other end of the line.
"Mom? Hi."
"Nathan," I hiss, moving over to swat his arm.
He shushes me. "Remember old Mrs. Cobbs who moved to a nursing home a few weeks back? I just met the girl who is renting her old place. She just moved in and she still needs to buy some furniture. Would you be okay with me giving her the stuff we labeled for the thrift store? I would save me a lot of trouble." He grows quiet as his mother talked and smirked at me while he listened. "Of course, Mom. Yes, I'll tell her about the wobbly chair." He nods as his mother talks, his hand moving to rest on my shoulder, squeezing slightly. "Yes, she's nice. You'd like her. I'm sure whoever rents this place next will be lucky to have her for a neighbor." His hand moves down, cupping my breast and smiling at my surprise. "Yes, Mom, everything is going just fine over here." He grabs me by the waist and pulls me against him, hugging me close while he tells his mother goodbye.
The moment he gets off the phone, he lowers his face so he can kiss me. I willingly open my mouth to let his tongue enter, enjoying the way he tastes and feels. He pulls back way sooner than I would like him to.
"So, are you going to help me carry this table or do I need to ask Annabel to help us out later?" he teases, grabbing one end of the kitchen table.
"Did you sleep with her too?" I ask, feeling stupid the moment the words leave my lips.
Unfazed, Nathan shakes his head. "Now come on, Caroline, get moving."
I'm so happy that he didn't sleep with my new neighbor that I forget to fight him on giving me the table. I help him carry it into my apartment and instantly, the place looks a bit more lived in. I can't help but feel guilty and grateful at the same time. We spend the rest of the afternoon moving more stuff into my place, moving things around until we're satisfied with where things end up. He even moves the bed from his spare room into my spare bedroom.
"Where are you gonna sleep this week now that I've got your bed?" I ask him. "It must be weird to sleep in your parents' old bed."
"That one is getting picked up in an hour by a friend of mine who can use it." He is smirking at me again and he pulls his fingers through his messy brown hair. "Besides, why would I stay over there anymore?"
Oh. Of course. He only needs a few more days to clear out that place and he's got his own apartment, wherever that is. It was stupid of me to think for even a second that he'd be in the apartment next to mine for six more days.
"Don't look so sad," he tells me, still grinning. "Obviously, I'm staying in your bed."
My heartbeat races and I reach for him, wanting to be in those strong arms again. We kiss, but again he breaks it off just when I'm starting to get aroused.
"How about you go get started on dinner while I call my friend to check when he's gonna get here to pick up the bed. I still want to pack a few more boxes before calling it a day." The way he just assumes that I'm gonna cook for him should probably annoy me, but it doesn't. I'm glad that he's sticking around for a little longer and that I won't have to eat dinner alone tonight. It's still strange to me that I know nothing about him except for a few basic facts, but maybe that will change tonight. Or not. As long as he spends the night, I don't really care. I can't wait to have his hands on me again.
"I'll take your starry-eyed look and stunned silence as a yes," Nathan decides when I don't respond to him. "I'll see you in an hour." He gives me a peck on the lips and takes off, whistling to himself.
How did I get myself into this situation?
Not that I'm complaining, obviously, but I'm just not sure about what the hell is happening. I decide not to worry about it and just enjoy myself. My new job starts in a few days and I am surely going to start being a responsible grown-up from that moment on. Right now, there's no need for that. All I have to worry about right now is putting on some music and figuring out what to make for dinner.