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MILES

Gabby was moving in today. She had brought some of her stuff the day before, but she had yet to spend a night in… our new apartment. It felt so weird to say that, but I liked the way it sounded too. We had agreed to take certain things off the table when Gabby had agreed to move in here. We had decided not to pursue a romantic relationship.

I had agreed to that only because I knew she needed a place to stay badly. If I were being completely honest, I had ulterior motives though. Living together provided me with a unique position in Gabby’s life. I would be there when she woke up; I would be there when she got home in the evenings. I would be her friend, her constant companion. We could bounce ideas off of one another; we could exchange views, thoughts, artistic vision, and maybe somewhere along the way… I could convince Gabby that I was perfect for her.

I knew it would be complicated since we were living together, but my attraction to her was impossible to deny. I thought about staying true to my word and setting aside any hopes of us ever starting a romantic relationship, but I knew a lost cause when I saw it. She was just too… interesting to me. She was just too beautiful for me to turn off my brain and let it go.

Of course, I knew I had to play the long game. She was obviously vulnerable. She had a lot on her plate, as did I. And I thought giving it some time was a good idea. That way we could build a foundation of friendship, and I could woo her when the time was right. Maybe I should have felt dishonorable concocting my diabolical plan, but I just felt wired. I was just so excited that Gabby had answered my ad and she was now my new roommate. It just felt right.

I kept checking the clock. I had to leave to report to community service soon, but I also wanted to be here when Gabby showed up with her last suitcase. I was moving around some of my work to make more room in the living room when I heard the knock on the door. I rushed to answer it.

“Hey, you,” I said, grabbing her suitcase and bringing it into the apartment.

“Hey.” Gabby smiled.

She was wearing a laid-back denim jacket over a white dress; just the right blend of edgy and angelic. Her hair hung loosely over one shoulder, but she had two thin braids hugging one side of her head. I wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked, but I stopped myself at the last moment. I needed to be subtle and commenting on her looks at this point would only weird her out and make her feel uncomfortable.

“Welcome to your new apartment,” I said. “Shall I take the suitcase to your room?”

“Please.” Gabby nodded.

I wheeled the suitcase in there while she followed close behind. I had managed to clear the room of all my art supplies and most of my paintings. There were still two that I had left up, mostly because I didn’t have a place to put them. They were larger paintings; one was a profile of a young woman bending her head down in prayer with a delicate veil covering half her head. The second painting depicted a lonely tree with low hanging fruit that stood in the middle of a large meadow. There was only the lone silhouette of a child reaching up to grab one of the fruits.

Since I had used the room as a workspace, there was no bed. I had set up a makeshift mattress for Gabby in the middle of the room until a bed could be sorted out.

“I can’t believe you did all this for me,” Gabby said, and I took that touched smile she gave me as a very good sign.

“You wouldn’t have had a place to sleep if I hadn’t put this together.”

Gabby smiled. “Thank you; this is really nice of you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I’m sorry about the paintings… I just haven’t had a place to put them yet.”

“You don’t have to move them out,” Gabby said immediately, turning to me with wide eyes. “I love both those paintings. I don’t mind keeping them here… in fact, I would actually really love it.”

“Yeah?” I said, thrilled that she liked my work.

“Are you kidding?” she said. “They’re absolutely beautiful. You’re a phenomenal artist. I was kind of wondering why you’d want to give up firefighting and now I know why. Creating images like this is what you’re meant to do.”

I felt a warm feeling spread through my chest. I had never received that kind of encouragement before. There were naïve moments when I was a much younger man when I had dreamt of presenting my parents with my work had having them turn to me with pride and tell me those same words. I had long since given up on that dream. They would never think that what I did was worthwhile… but at least Gabby did.

“Thank you,” I said. “Now all that’s left is for you to put on a private concert for me.”

Gabby laughed. “And I will.” She nodded. “Just not today… I have to head over to campus now, and then I start my new job right after.”

“You got the job!” I said. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Gabby said. “It’s all thanks to one of my professors. I can breathe a little easier now that I have a little money coming in.”

“Good for you.”

Gabby smiled. “I might be back a little late today,” she said. “I might have to stop by my mother’s place to pick up a few more things. I was moving between Mom’s place and my brother’s place so much the last few weeks that I have things all over.”

“Okay, no problem.”

We headed back to the living room, and Gabby paused for a moment and looked at me awkwardly. “Oh… one more thing,” she said. “I have a favor to ask you.”

“Oh, sure.” I nodded. “What is it?”