“Right,” Brooke shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She quickly stepped through one of the archways and into her entryway to retrieve the key. She’d spent the better part of the day trying to figure out what she’d say when she handed it to Anna. She still hadn’t really landed on anything. Most of what she had come up with was either way too sappy, or too passive.
She held the key out.“It’s um, to my apartment.” Brooke swallowed nervously.“I love it when you’re here. And some nights you don’t come because you get out too late from work, or when I have to actually go to an in-person meeting the next day and there’d be no way for you to lock the door. I’m not saying you have to be here every night. I know spending time in your own space and with Nick is also vitally important, but I wanted you to have it. Just so you coming and going as you please is an option.” Brooke smiled, feeling a bit more confident when Anna reached up to take the key.
Anna sat there staring at it for a second. When she looked up, there were tears in her eyes.“Brooke, this makes me so happy.”
“Yeah?” Brooke’s anxiety finally broke and she was able to smile a real smile for the first time all night.“I’ve been a nervous wreck.”
Anna launched herself from her seat, leaping from sitting into Brooke’s arms without really any warning. Brooke hadn’t needed any warning. She’d grown accustomed to Anna’s pounces, she’d gotten pretty good at catching her.
“I love you,” Anna squeaked, kissing every inch of Brooke’s face.“I’m sorry you were nervous all evening.”
Now, Brooke was sitting with Nick, in the kitchen he still technically shared with Anna, giving him a heads up that she was going to ask Anna to officially move in with her.
She knew that Anna would never leave him if he wasn’t fully on board. But Brooke wanted this. And she knew that Anna did, too. They were both starting to test the waters of all those serious conversations that people have at the start of relationships, where you’re scared to jinx it, but also, ready to start getting some of the real answers. Things that had been established: they both wanted to get married one day, they were both open to the idea of a kid, they agreed cats and dogs would be pets they would be interested in having one day, but neither of them were up for a habitat creature like a snake or a guinea pig.
They had even had a really high level, brief conversation on finances. Brooke knew that she’d really never need anyone’s help with that regard. She had been raised in a social sphere of money and had always known what to do with it and how to invest. She’d done that, and had done well for herself in terms of work. But Anna had also done really well with her restaurant, and while a lot of her money was still tied up in that, it wouldn’t always be, and when it no longer was, she would be set for life in her own right.
In Brooke’s mind, they could live together in her apartment for a year, and if that went well, they could consider buying a house together. It was the kind of thought that made her wonder why books always ended with the couple right as they got together. She was living proof that the happily ever after was, in fact, the best part.
Nick cleared his throat, pulling Brooke from her train of thoughts.“So, you’re finally doing it. You’re stealing my baby sister away.”
A small smile tugged up at the corners of Brooke’s lips.“She’s technically older than you.”
“That’s never been important.” Nick scratched at the stubble on his chin. He had been‘trying something’with his facial hair for a few weeks now, much to all of their friends' amusement. It made the moment almost comical.“You know my opinion doesn’t matter, Brooke. This feels oddly antiquated, especially for you.” His voice was teasing, but the sentiment rang true.
Brooke’s small smile widened into something warm and real.“Well, first, if you’ve noticed, I didn’t ask for your permission. This is me giving you an emotional courtesy to process this information before Anna hopefully squeaks it at you.”
“She does tend to get a little squeaky when she’s excited,” Nick conceded.
Brooke nodded once, acknowledging.“Right, but that doesn’t give you time to sit with your feelings about it. And I want moving in with Anna to be a happy moment for us both. I know it’s going to be bittersweet between the two of you. And if you need to process or mourn that together, like without me there, I understand. If you want a few days just the two of you hanging out here, that’s fine. Nick, it’s fine. You are such a lovely bonus to loving her.” Brooke’s eyes watered unexpectedly.
It was the truth. All of Anna’s friends had been such genuinely wonderful additions to her life. In ways she had yet to even fully realize, but Nick especially. Brooke and Nick had become friends in their own right. He had joined her for a few Judo classes recently, and she had gone to several cycling classes with him. They would also go hang out at La Fourchette when they couldn’t think of anything better to do and they wanted to bug Anna.
Nick wiped at his eyes.“Dammit, B. Don’t start crying because I will, too.”
She let out a watery laugh.“You’re right. You’re right. Sorry. I just meant that I don’t want our next steps to make you feel excluded. Or like I’m how’d you put it? Stealing her away?”
“So, you’ll rent a three bedroom and let me have one?” Nick teased.
Brooke knew he was only making jokes to lighten the moment.“I would agree to a garage apartment.”
He snorted out a laugh.“You know, your sense of humor has vastly improved since you started dating Anna.”
“Everything in my life has vastly improved since I started dating Anna,” Brooke corrected.
“You are so obnoxiously charming.” Nick groaned.“You’re the only person in the world who can say shit like that and not make everyone around them cringe.”
Brooke blushed. She’d been told this before. Her reason for why that might be hadn’t changed. Words landed differently when she spoke them because of the levity in which she meant them.
“Fine. You make her deliriously happy. Her life has vastly improved, too,” Nick grumbled.
“Fine?” Brooke asked, trying to clarify what he was saying fine to.
He sighed.“Yes, fine. Fine. I accept that all the next steps are going to happen. I think I’ve known that since the first night you came over and watchedLord of the Rings. Well, you two really didn’t watch any of the film, but I think that’s why I knew. Because you are a total nerd, and you couldn’t keep your eyes on the screen.” He quickly held up his hands.“Please do not say anything achingly beautiful or sentimental about only wanting to watch Anna. I will either cry, scream, or vomit, and I don’t feel like doing any of those today.”
Brooke bit her bottom lip and nodded once to agree. If she said anything at all, she probably would make some sort of hopelessly cheesy remark about Anna being better thanLord of the Ringsand then she, too, might cry, scream, or vomit.
“I just mean to say,” Nick continued,“I’ve known this was coming.” He sighed.“Maybe not six months into your relationship.” He raised an eyebrow.“You know there’s a lesbian joke I could make about this. But in all seriousness, B, I knew on some molecular level.” He smiled. Itwasa bittersweet smile.“It was going to happen eventually. Hell, she spends ninety-nine percent of the time at your place already. I’m not sure any of her clothes are even still here. This might be the world’s easiest move.”
