Finding the Perfect Fit Pt. 23

July 27

Called Rustic Heights in the morning and got an appointment later in the day. Dad took some time off work and drove me there, talking about the first time he moved out on his own. I got a better look at the outside of the place, finding it was well kept and clean but it was approaching 100 degrees outside so we ended up checking out apartments.

I feel dumb for not knowing a studio apartment was just one big room with a bathroom being the only private space. A one bedroom cost only a little bit more and standing there in the empty living room, I looked around and found it was right. We barely have any furniture but still, the dull white walls and tan carpet didn't have the faded exhaustion of the college dorms. Dad was talking with the woman showing us around, asking about the local crime rate then nearby restaurants as I nodded.

"Yeah, this will work." The lady then took us to the office where I signed a bunch of paperwork while she said it would be a few more days until we could sign the lease as they had to do a background check. That alarmed me but she assured it was standard and wouldn't take long. Once that was done, we'd fill out the lease, hand over the down payment and then the place would be ours'. There was a good chance Friday was going to be the day and I nodded, struggling to comprehend life started anew in just four days

Even now, sitting here typing all of this I just, I can't believe it. I texted Jamie about it during the drive home and he freaked out. It's finally here, the end of this fucking summer. I wasn't sure it ever could be finished, that this was forever now and autumn was canceled but here it is.

Shit, tomorrow I'm going to have to tell Dick I'm done at his shop. I hated doing it the first time when I went off to college and I can't imagine it's going to be any better the second time around. But all the sudden I've got a whole bunch of shit to do, finally offloading the money I've been earning into things we now need really damn quick. Dick will understand, probably wishing me luck before shaking my hand and letting me know I always had a place there if I needed it.

I just zoned out for a while there, thinking about how I could be living with Jamie before the end of the week and we don't even own a trash can. Or dishes. And Jamie needs new clothes and we need to get swimsuits cause I can't find mine and AHH! Why does everything always happen at once?!

July 29

Moving in two days! Jamie's got Tom helping him and I got Friday off the gas station and Mom and Dad are helping me get my shit to the new place. Mom helped me make a list of shit we're going to need and we took a trip to grab it.

We left with a cart full of things to start a new life, having argued about color and style of plates before fighting over who was buying what. I wanted to at least pay for half but she insisted on paying for it all, telling me money went fast and I needed to hang on to what I had. Knowing Jamie needed new clothing, I sighed and let her pick up the bill.

Eventually we got all the stuff loaded in the car, the day wretchedly hot and we were sweating by the time I pushed the now empty cart into one of the metal stalls. I got in the car and sighed at the cool air washing over me. I thanked my Mom and only then noticed she was crying, lamenting she tried to keep it together but that obviously didn't work. I, meanwhile, was biting back my own tears.

"I can't believe you're already leaving but my Mom said the same thing about me." She sniffled and wiped her eyes, looking around the parking lot and sighing. "Are we ever going to meet this mysterious person you're going to be living with?"

"Yeah, Friday." Mom wiped away the last of her tears before getting the car in gear, not pestering me about Jamie but rather how to spend money, which involved cooking rather than eating out a whole bunch. I nodded along while wondering how Jamie was going to react to my family and vice versa.

Oh and things went like I figured with Dick, who told the rest of the mechanics that now I was leaving they were going to have to be big boys and pick up after themselves. The Room was already trashed again, with candy bar wrappers littering the floor and manuals piling up on the workbench. The last thing I did there was an oil change while Dad got to fight with a clutch before Dick took it from him, frowning down at the interlocking pieces of metal with a professional sort of loathing.

And there's where I left, with everyone else bent under hoods and Dick retiring to The Room to work on a thing no one else wanted to touch. Business as usual and it would go on without me. Maybe I'll end up going back there and working again but I'm not entirely sure. I have no idea what else I'm going to do for a living but I'm growing more sure it's not going to be working at the shop. Then again, I'd rather do that than be at the gas station the rest of my life. I've only held onto that job cause it's less messy than working on cars and it mostly works with my hours. And I get to be by myself in the cooler, that's a big plus.

Oh God, just two more nights in this room. Two more nights alone.

August 1

We did it, we're in our own place. And it was a fucking trip getting here.

Friday, yesterday, I woke up, downed some caffeine and splashed water on my face before doing the final round of packing. Ty and Brooke were helping and being annoying but I forgave them as they were bouncing all over the place, asking if they could visit. Mom helped me go down the list, making sure I had absolutely everything before Dad showed up in the truck he borrowed from Dick. I helped Dad load my bed in the truck, hoping this was the second to last time I had to wrangle this thing. With that done, I checked my phone and saw a text from Jamie informing me Tom was on his way.

In short order my life was packed up and as a family we drove towards Rustic Estates, with me in my own car and everyone else crammed in the truck. Looking back at the house I'd grown up in, became an older sister and cried over the first time my heart was broken in, I put my car in drive and left it behind.

The drive was uneventful, my music loud as I followed Dad to my new place. We parked and I went to the office, texting Jamie and getting no response as I checked in, letting them know we were here and I had the money order for the deposit. I signed my part of the paperwork and was happy when the lady who showed us around previously came along with me to unlock the door, if only to get the AC running but then a familiar truck pulled up and my heart jumped when Jamie came out of the passenger side, smiling slightly when seeing me.

His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, allowing the annoyance on his face to be clearly shown. Jamie had on a ratty old Metallica shirt and cargo shorts, not showing off cleavage like last time but clearly not hiding his breasts either.

"Oh that sonovabitch!" Tom slammed his truck door and paced around in an erratic circle, clearly upset. Without speaking I walked towards Jamie and he did the same, his mood appearing to lift slightly as we got closer then embraced. I held him close for a little too long but I needed it, needed to know he was with me here and now.

"Okay, it's good to see you but we had some... Trouble. Tom will explain it while I go sign the papers." I was aware of my family staring as Jamie started talking with the woman who had helped me through the process, the two of them heading to the office as Tom walked over.

"So, I nearly murdered a person today." I raised an eyebrow at that as Tom shook his head, blood still boiling. "I head over to Jamie's place with the couch loaded up and when I get there, his Dad's throwing a fit while I'm waiting in the driveway. Jamie comes out of the house with a bunch of stuff so I go to help him and his fucking Dad asks if I'm the faggot fucking Jamie." I had no reply to that, aside from my eyes nearly bugging out of my head, and Tom just nods, the scowl summing up my feelings on the matter.

"I tell him Jamie has a girlfriend and the fucker laughs! Then he says he's going to call the cops if we don't get off his property. Jamie was inside grabbing more stuff so I go to help him and then his Dad does it, he calls the fucking police. So we grab what we can and load up. Then I tell that asshole he can fuck off and die while he's still talking on the phone." My Dad had wondered over and was listening in while Tom finished the story.

"So Jamie's barely got any of his stuff and I'm fucking ready to tear that guys' head off and shit down his neck." Leaning against the truck, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as I worked on keeping my own temper. Of course this would be the case on what was suppose to be a very happy day.

"What got left behind?" I asked and Tom, still glowering, checked in the bed of his truck.

"Clothes mostly so it's not that big of a deal." He said, eyeing my father and then me, suddenly uncomfortable. "But it's the damn principle of the thing! He fucking kicked Jamie out!"

"I know. Believe me, I know but it's over. We don't have to worry bout him anymore." Tom sighed and shook his head, mumbling before I spoke again, this time slightly louder. "Dad, this is Tom, he's a friend of Jamie and I." Tom turned back to face us and he offered his open hand to my Dad, the two of them shaking as Jamie rounded the corner of the apartment building. He held up something in his hand and as he got closer, I saw it was keys.

Ignoring whatever my Dad said, I jogged over to Jamie and took the offered keys.

"It's ours." He said and I kissed him, not minding that we were being watched or the bastard heat. 'Ours', that word drove it home, the summer alone was over. "Lets get this done so we can get on with our lives." He whispered just for me and I nodded, blinking back the sting of tears. We walked side by side to the two trucks and I paused before my Mom, Dad, and siblings, Tom still leaning on his truck in the back, arms crossed before his broad chest. I took a moment to line up my thoughts, needing to get this right before speaking.

"Everyone, this is Jamie. We met last year at college, having been dating since and are in love. So don't ask stupid questions or ya gonna get stupid answers, okay?" Jamie gave a little wave, his face red. He didn't have any makeup on and was making no attempt to hide his breasts but Jamie was radiant with his shy smile as he looked up at me out of the corner of his eyes as my hand went around his shoulder and pulled him closer.

"But-" Ty tried to speak up but got silenced as my Dad strolled over, looking Jamie over before taking his baseball cap off and wiping his forehead.

"Well, at least you've got good taste in music." Jamie looked down at his shirt then at my Dad, smiling broadly and taking the offered hand.

"I wasn't expecting to meet anyone who listened to rock n' roll at college but Gen surprised me." My Dad cracked a smile at hearing that term, giving Jamie's hand a few pumps before turning back to the rest of my family. "Whatta standin' round for? Let's get this shit going so we can git out of this damn heat!" Ty and Brooke went scrambling while my Mom gave him a flat stare before joining in.

"We're in Apartment 217 so hold the door open while we get the bed." Jamie nodded as I walked with my Dad to the truck but Tom cut me off.

"I'll do the heavy lifting, I'm still pissed." I wanted to contest Tom but instead grabbed a box of plates while he and my Dad lifted the box spring and marched it inside. Slowly, the emptiness of the sweltering apartment was filling up with boxes, the AC running but not making a dent in the heat. A box fan got set up in the living room which helped some but we were all sweating in short order.

Once the bed got in, it took Tom, Dad and I to haul the couch to the door then twist it in such the right way to get it inside. It was pretty big, able to sit three people and when the couch was finally dropped, Tom fell on top of it and my Dad joined him.

"Holy shit." Tom nodded in agreement with my Dad, Brooke walking over and handing them both a cup of water. I glanced into the kitchen and saw Mom loading dishes into cabinets, open boxes all over the counter.

"No, hey, come on. Ya don't have to do that!" I walked over and began arguing with her, pointing out I didn't know where anything was and she kept telling me it was just like how she had it at home. Eventually I gave up and went back outside into the blinding heat and grabbed my computer chair out of the truck, Ty snatching the last box and we carried them inside. Dad joined me in the last trip, grabbing the bed frame and headboard then locking the truck. Jamie and Tom helped in hauling the heavy shit in, everyone's face glistening with sweat as the bed stuff was dumped in the bedroom.

With all our stuff finally in the new apartment, everyone ended up laying or sitting in the living room, panting as the AC and fan failed to cool the air.

"Where's the desk going?" Ty asked and I shrugged, too tired and hot to answer him.

"Just leave it. We'll figure it out later." Jamie said, sitting beside me and fanning himself with a book he'd pulled from an open box next to him.

"It's weird, seeing everything like this." Brooke said, looking around with her nose wrinkled.

"Well that's what moving is." Mom said, sitting on the armrest by Dad who was screwing around on his phone, her hair tied back and looking in higher spirits than anyone else. "Last time we moved was before you were born so yeah, this is what it's going to look like when it's your turn." Both Ty and Brooke got quiet as they looked around, probably seeing a vision of their own futures. All I saw was more work to be done.

I was startled by a knock at the door, trying to fight to my feet while utterly confused about who it would have been or what they wanted. Dad sprung up and answered it, signing for a stack of pizza boxes that he carried to my desk and began cracking open, taking a large, steaming piece for himself. I helped Jamie up and we all took our turns grabbing pizza and there was silence as the first meal in our new place was eaten.

"Thank you." Jamie said and Tom and I echoed him, Ty and Brooke following suit.

"No problem. It's too fuckin' hot to try and cook after haulin' all this." Silence fell once more and this time it was Tom that spoke up.

"Any chance we could go back for the rest of your stuff?" Jamie shook his head, swallowing before speaking.

"Don't bother. Just some clothes that don't fit anymore." Tom scowled and I didn't doubt he was willing to break Jamie's Dad's face.

"There was more stuff there Jamie. I saw it." Sighing, Jamie slumped against the wall, glancing over at me before turning his attention back to Tom.

"None of it mattered. I got my computer and books along with the clothes that still fit. Granted, I wish we'd have gotten the bookcase but that's no big deal. Just let it go man." Tom looked like he wanted to rip someone's head off but just nodded.

"So what's next for ya two?" Dad asked, leaning back, his hat hanging from a knee, forehead still shining with sweat.

"Pffft." Jamie made a noise and I snickered, wiping hair sticking to my face back. "Unpack, keep working then head back to school and do that until... I dunno, we get different jobs?" He faced me and I shrugged.

"We live?" I offered and Dad just chuckled, Mom giving Jamie and I a smile before Ty spoke up.

"Sounds boring." Laying flat on his back, Ty raised an arm and it fell back to the carpet with a dull thud. "How is it still so hot in here?!"

"Okay Jamie, Gen?" Tom said, wiping his forehead with a forearm. "It's hotter than the Devil's taint in here, I wish you all the best but I've gotta leave before I fucking melt. Call me when this place isn't an oven." With a nod to each of us, Tom stood and walked to the front door, opening it and letting in a furious glow of sunlight.

Dad stood and stretched, his face contorting as he rolled his shoulders. Mom joined him and I knew they were going to leave. And this time I wouldn't be going with this. They were guests in my place. That was a weird feeling and even still, a day later, it's strange.

"No offense but we're headin' out too. Ya got pizza to last a day or so and the air will eventually cool this place down." He wiped more sweat off his face before muttering under his breath. "My advice? Put ya bed together, take a cold shower and nap until night when it's cooler." Ty got to his feet, run down but still looking at Jamie with open curiosity he wasn't voicing.

"Thanks for helpin'." Jamie helped me get up and checking my phone I found nearly three hours had passed. "Jesus."

"Cool off, get some rest before unpacking, okay?" Mom gave me a quick hug, obviously tired and stepped back to extend a hand to Jamie. "Good meeting you Jamie. Hopefully next time we'll have a chance to talk when we're both not half dead." He shook her hand then Dad's again, aware that Ty and Brooke were staring holes in his back .

"Take care ya two, yeah? Call us if ya need anything." I gave Dad a hug, aware we were both sweating like pigs but this felt like goodbye. Sure, it wasn't a very long drive back home and living in the college dorm had been similar but came with the promise I was coming back. Unless something goes bad, this felt like the final step into adulthood.

"Glad Gen shacked up with someone with some taste." Dad said to Jamie and laughed when my boyfriend flashed him the horns. "Damn right!" He returned it as Mom opened the front door and with waves from Ty and Brooke, they were gone and we were alone.

I locked the door and then turned to Jamie, finding I had nothing to say. It was too hot and there was still so much to be done. There wasn't much happiness between us, only heat and exhaustion.

"Bed gets set up first, then cold shower? Right?" I nodded and Jamie sighed. "Okay, bring the fan and we'll get it together." I did as he asked and slowly, in the bare walled room we figured the frame out, then bolted it to the headboard. Even with the ceiling and box fan working together the room felt like the inside of an engine. Box spring lifted into place, then with a groan the mattress. Stripping off his shirt, Jamie yanked off the camisole and pulled the elastic tie out of his hair.

I wanted to sweep Jamie off his feet and throw him to the bed, to break in this new space and make it ours at once. But the usual fire was out, ironically the heat killing any possible mood. Jamie, topless and no longer having to worry about that fact, walked to the bathroom adjoining our room and I heard the shower running and it sounded like heaven.

"Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck!" Stripping off my clothes, they were sticking to me, I walked naked and joined him in the bare bathroom, the shower didn't even have a curtain on it yet. Jamie was shying away from the spray of water, shivering as I stepped directly under it and my brain shut off. It took too many seconds for me to remember how to breathe and I joined him on the opposite side of the tub, shivering and gasping for air.

"G-God it's so cold..." It was the least sexy shower ever taken by a couple, with each of us going under the spray for a few seconds then coming out shaking. I held out my cupped hands and watched them fill up before splashing the water over my face.

Jamie, very carefully, stepped out of the tub and turned the shower off, still shivering. He reached for the towel rack and found it had nothing to offer.

"Where are the towels?!" He asked and I shook my head, not having any idea. We walked out of the bathroom and began looking about in boxes but within minutes the very idea of ever being cold faded once more, the heat banishing the shock of the shower with shocking speed.