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It’s almost summer here in Cali, and soon it’ll be a year living here. Where does the time go? I often wonder, the days passing by as if hours were seconds.
This year has been one of the best of my life so far. I have no regrets about moving here, and Lo and I are better and stronger than we’ve ever been.
I wish I could say the same for my family. While I followed Lo’s footsteps and went into therapy, trying to heal from my mother’s death and my dad’s shittiness, trying to keep myself from getting lost in a bottle, my dad and brother took a turn for the worse.
Yep. Both of them. Back in rehab.
Levi was a silent fall. Nobody knew exactly what was going on until it was too late, and he was in the hospital getting his stomach pumped.
With my dad, I’m sure there were signs. Signs my uncle hid from me when I would call to check in.
Levi’s doing better, but my dad, not so much. It’s like his will to fight the disease is gone. I’m afraid it’s going to take him sooner rather than later, an endless battle he’ll never win.
Chloe keeps me going. She’s what I live for. And with her by my side, I won’t touch alcohol. Because I don’t need to. Her love is enough. It always will be. As long as I believe it, it’ll remain true.
And so I put my plan into action. One I’ve been thinking about for a while now. I want to ask Lo to move in with me. The problem is Madison. I feel bad for imposing on their good roommate relationship, but I’m ready to come home to my girl every night. I don’t want to spend any more nights apart.
Madison is actually pretty cool about it. She understands and asks if she can help me look for a place. “I love apartment hunting!” Madison gushes as she brings up searches on her phone. “Oh! I know! You should totally surprise Lo! I can help you.”
“That’s actually a great idea. Let’s do it.”
And so we work together quietly, which isn’t an easy feat. But we manage to find a perfect place for us, and Madison agrees to take over my studio. “You sure you want to live alone?”
“Yeah, I think it’ll be good. If I hate it, I’ll find some poor sucker to live with next year.” She smiles. I love her optimism. Thank God she was so cool about it all.
With the apartment in place, I move my stuff into it, cleaning the studio from top to bottom for Madison to move in.
I set up a candlelight dinner and ask Chloe if I can pick her up for a date night.
But when I pull into the parking lot of the three-family home, she looks at me, confused. “Where’s the restaurant?”
“It’s across the street. You ready?”
We climb out of the car, and I steer her toward the house as she keeps looking toward the street. She’s smart, and it doesn’t take long before she starts putting things together.
“Ty, I don’t see a restaurant. Where are we going?”
When we make it to the front steps, I slide my key into the lock, and her mouth pops open. “You got a new place?” she asks with a puzzled look.
“Actually,wedid.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
I take her hand and lead her into the small hallway and over the first-floor apartment door.
Another key in the lock, and the door clicks open.
Inside, the apartment glows with dim lighting and fresh rose petals throughout. There are candles on the table waiting to be lit and a bag of steaming Chinese takeout.
“Whose place is this?” Lo asks as she walks in. “I love it.”
“It’s ours,” I say as I close the door and turn to face her.
“What?”
“It’s ours, Goody. That is, if you’ll move in with me.”
Her beautiful smile, the one that does me in, stretches across her face, and I pull her in for a kiss. “I take it that’s a yes?” I say against her sweet mouth.
