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“No. Eli and I are on the lease, but Liv’ll stay here a lot. They’re together,” he says, nodding toward them both. “What about you? Who’s in your place?”
“Just me and Harlow. She’s at work, but I’m sure she’ll drop by to say hi soon.” These guys seem way nicer than our old neighbors, and it’ll be nice to have people our own age so close.
“So... together?” Liv asks curiously.
“Sorry, she’s nosy,” Eli says.
“Clumsy and nosy,” she confirms, spinning to face Eli. “You’re really selling me well, boyfriend dearest.” I smile at their gentle ribbing.
“No, not together. Just friends.” It kind of pains me to add the second bit, but it’s true, after all.
“Yes, a single guy! You’ll have to show me the best places to go,” Ezra says.
“For sure,” I promise. “I should go, though, I’ve got to get to work.”
“No worries. Thanks for the help. Hopefully we’ll be done by the time you’re back. If not, we’ll try to keep the noise down.” I wave away their concerns and leave to a chorus of thanks and goodbyes. I have a good feeling about them, and I can’t wait to update Harlow.
When I eventually see her that evening, she looks wrung out. I meet her outside the coffee shop to walk home with her, as usual, but especially important after seeing the news earlier.
“Hey,” she says with a strained smile.
“Everything okay?”
“Yep, busy day. You?” she asks.
“Wasn’t too bad. Our new neighbors moved in.”
“Oh, yeah? Better than the old ones?”
“Lots better. I think you’ll like them.” I look down at her, but I can see she’s only looking at the ground in front of her. She must be exhausted.
“That’s exciting. I’ll go and introduce myself tomorrow—I just want to crash tonight.”
“Movie night?”
“Sounds perfect.” I was going to talk to her about the news, but now I don’t want to stress her out. It’s not important right now. It can wait.
