“You don’t need to cash in anything. How can I help?”
Matt sighed. “I can’t find an apartment and the internship starts the twentieth. I was hoping I could crash on your couch until I find a place.”
“Ofcourseyou can stay with me! What’s that? Hang on, Matt.” Olivia’s voice became muffled; her hand must be over the microphone. She spoke to someone else, probably Jake, for an awfully long time. He was starting to worry something was wrong when she came back on the line. “How’s this? I’ll do you one better. Jake asked me to move in, but we were going to wait until my lease is up in June. Why don’t you sublet my place? I’ll even leave the furniture for you. Just bring your towels and your sheets.”
Holy crap. This was perfect! He’d have a couch, a television, a bed …
His sister’s bed, where she and Jake had definitely had sex.
“If it’s all the same to you, Sis, I’ll bring my own bed.”
She chuckled at that. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Jake thinks mine’s more comfortable anyway. You can just help me move the rest of the big stuff out after your semester is over.”
“Deal. When should I come up?”
“Come up Saturday the eighteenth. Kusanagi and I should be out by then. I swear half my clothes are at Jake’s condo anyway. I’ll get some help to move you in, and then we can show you the city.” She paused. “Wait a second. Matt, what about your girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend?”
“When I was there over the summer, you were dating that girl from your business class.”
“You didn’t notice she wasn’t at the big Labor Day picnic, huh?”
“I was … a bit distracted.”
That was putting it mildly. Olivia had shown up with her boyfriend Jake, but she didn’t act like he was her boyfriend. Matt still suspected they hadn’t been actually dating at that point, but clearly Jake had worn her down.
“Tina didn’t work out. She wants a guy with a nine-to-five, so dating a restaurant manager who has to work evenings and weekends didn’t appeal.” Not to mention she was constantly dropping hints about what he could do to lose weight. By the end it was like dating his mother.
“How’s the squad?”
“We’re good. Mia is taking us out for her birthday. Oh, Nadia started dating Jake’s best friend. Whichno onesaw coming.”
A question sat on the tip of his tongue, but he changed it at the last second before he made a crucial mistake.
“So you’re not the only one with a boyfriend, then?”
“Nope, it’s nice.”
He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from asking if someone in particular was dating.
“You’ll see everyone when you get here; I’m gonna throw you a welcome party!”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Matt grinned like a lunatic when he realized he should have called her first all along. “Thanks a bunch, Sis.”
“No problem! This works out for both of us.” They said their goodbyes when Matt heard his mother calling him for dinner.
In all honesty, it was a good thing that Tina had let him go last summer. Seeing Olivia’s friend Rosie again would have been the final nail in that relationship. Ever since he met her nearly six years ago, she’d set the bar against which he measured all his girlfriends. And they always came up lacking. He took the steps two at a time, excitement pounding through his veins. Skidding to a stop in the kitchen, he blurted out the good news to his parents.
“I found a place to live!”
Mom looked up from her pot roast. “Wonderful, Matty! Come eat and tell us about it.”
He slid into his chair, bubbling over with excitement. “Livvy said I can sublet her place, and she’s going to move in with Jake early! Isn’t that great?”
His father choked on his asparagus and coughed. “What do you mean, she’s moving in with Jake?”
Uh-oh… “I mean, she’s letting me stay at her place. So, I don’t have to try and find a furnished apartment that doesn’t exist …” Matt’s attempt to backpedal didn’t work on his parents.
