Alycia and I packed as much as we could fit into the Taurus and drove to my new apartment complex. As we were unloading the car, a red F-150 pulled up. The truck bed was low with boxes, a round table, four chairs, and a small chest of drawers. Wesley got out and Jeremy Read came around the side of the truck. Wesley greeted me without a kiss and I was grateful; I felt awkward around Jeremy. Alycia ran down the stairs from the second floor, ready to take up another load. I noticed Jeremy’s eyes lingered on her a little too long.
“Hi! I’m Alycia, Toren’s little sister,” she said, extending her hand to Jeremy.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Jeremy said with a smile.
Wesley and I looked at each other. Alycia blushed and I wondered if she temporarily forgot about Mike. She wiped her brow with the hem of her shirt and smiled at Jeremy again. It took a moment for Jeremy to tear his eyes from her tanned stomach and sapphire belly ring. Wesley and I glanced at each other again.
Wesley and Jeremy carried the table, chest of drawers, and boxes to apartment 204. Alycia and I took the chairs and the rest of the stuff from the Taurus. We put the boxes in the appropriate rooms and then sat down at the table in the kitchen nook to rest for a moment. I glanced around at the white, empty apartment. It was amazing to think that this was my new home. My home with Wesley. I grinned stupidly until Alycia kicked me under the table.
After a short break, Alycia and I went home to load up the car again. Wesley and Jeremy followed us to get the sofa and end tables. Then we returned and sorted the boxes according to room. Alycia left again to get the last of my things, letting me stay behind to start unpacking. I sat in the bedroom and started to put away clothes in the dresser and closet.
The doorbell rang and Wesley was already at the door, talking to two men in light blue shirts and blue jeans. He looked over some papers on a clipboard, then signed at the bottom. The two men walked away and Wesley looked at me and smiled.
“Who was that?” I asked, brushing my hand across my forehead.
“It’s your present to me,” Wesley answered, moving boxes and stuff away from the door.
“Wait. What?” I asked, following him into the bedroom, where he pushed boxes and laundry baskets against the wall.
A moment later, the two men reappeared carrying a large bed frame. Wesley told them where to put it and I stood by with wide eyes while they assembled the metal frame. Then they left and returned with a queen-size mattress wrapped in plastic. They stripped the plastic, positioned the mattress on the frame, and then left.
I stared at the large bed that took up two-thirds of the wall it was placed against. Wesley slapped my behind and I jumped, looking up at him. Jeremy stood at the bedroom door, and I blushed.
“What… what is this?” I asked.
“It’s a bed, dummy,” Wesley teased. Then he leaned closer. “I already told you, it’s your present to me.”
“But… what? My present to you?”
“Yeah,” Wesley said, “for all the stuff you’re gonna let me do to you on it.”
I felt hot and blushed head to toe, then glanced at Jeremy, who still stood at the door. I stepped back from Wesley, my mouth flapping, though no words came out.
“But… but… my mom’s coming over in a little while!” I said, all flustered and unable to think of anything else to say.
“Don’t worry. It’s not like I’m gonna throw you down right now,” Wesley answered with a laugh.
I glanced at Jeremy from the corner of my eyes. He was grinning and leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded. “But… there’s only one bed and… what’s she gonna think?”
“She knew you weren’t taking your bed. She obviously knew this was part of the deal when she agreed to let you move in with me,” he said calmly.
“You didn’t say that to her when you asked her, did you?” I asked, still frazzled and embarrassed.
“What? She told you I…?” Wesley asked with wide eyes. “Oh man,” he groaned and slapped his forehead.
“You guys are too funny,” Jeremy commented, then straightened up and walked into the living room.
Wesley and I both looked at Jeremy and then at each other. He stepped close, wrapping his arms around me and pushing my head to his shoulder. I slid my hands up his back and hid my face.
“He knows?” I asked in a muffled voice.
“Yeah, I told him,” Wesley said with a chuckle, ruffling my hair. “God, you’re so cute.”
Wesley and Jeremy continued unpacking boxes while I fitted the bed with sheets that Wesley had bought. Not long after, Mom and Alycia arrived with the rest of my stuff. Mom came up carrying a large box and put it down on the kitchen counter with a grunt.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Mom turned to me with a large smile. “It’s a housewarming gift.”
I stepped closer and looked at the box. Inside was a set of stainless-steel cookware. I looked up at Mom with an open mouth.
“It’s ’cause you’re such a good cook. You deserve only the best,” she said and patted my back. She walked toward the door and smiled again. “C’mon, this stuff’s not gonna move itself.”
The five of us emptied the car quickly, and we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening unpacking. Alycia and Jeremy worked side by side, flirting blatantly, while Mom and I worked in the bedroom. When she saw the bed, my face flared, but she didn’t say a word about it.
Around eight, we ordered a pizza and sat in the living room watching the 25-inch TV Wesley brought. We talked and laughed while Wesley and Jeremy yawned. They had moved all of Wesley’s stuff out
