Indulgence [h.s]

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We've been driving for about 5 hours so far and it's been nothing but open roads, until we crossed the border into New York. Luckily, my mom, who lives there, was born in the U.S. and married a Canadian man. She ended up moving to Canada once they were engaged and settled in Toronto. Once her and my dad divorced, she moved back to the U.S. and settled in New York. She always loved the bright lights and big billboards that wrapped Time Square and the scenery of the city.

For Kaia, her parents were originally born in America and moved to Canada for job prospects and received their citizenship through their jobs, and Kaia was born only a couple years after that. This means both her and I have dual citizenship in both the U.S. and Canada.

"Are we almost there? I feel like we've been stuck in this car for a century" Kaia grumbled. "We have about 2 hours left in this aluminum can," I say, letting out a big breath, sighing and adjusting myself in the driver's seat. My butt has gone numb a couple times already from sitting for too long, but I know the faster we get to our apartment in Manhattan, the faster we get to unpack and grab some food.

"Is there anything you're most looking forward to?" I ask Kaia. "Definitely going to Central Park, I heard the greenery of the trees is gorgeous in the spring and fall. What about you?" Kaia asks.

"I'm looking forward to trying all the types of cuisines and foods, especially the pizza. I've heard the pizza here is bomb and it's super cheap, which is good for our broke asses" I state, Kaia chuckling at my comment.

"I definitely want to drive to Time Square and look at all of the lights around us, it's been on my bucket list for a while now. I want to open the sunroof and blast music and be in this moment with you Kaia" I say out loud, her eyes starting to turn glassy.

"There is nothing else in this world that I would want to do besides that with you Jade" she says, getting choked up, knowing this little act of kindness means the world to her.

***

Approximately two hours later, we arrived in Manhattan and we were surrounded by high rises and honking cars. We didn't realize the pure chaos that fills the streets of the city during the day. We decided to drive through Time Square and see what the talk was about, both of us were giddy like two school girls on Christmas morning opening presents. We were beyond excited for what we were about to witness.

After driving through many blocks, we finally approached Time Square and it was a sight that you can't explain in words. The lights that covered the buildings and billboards lit up the surrounding blocks for miles and the advertising of so many different activities and visuals, whether it was a broadway show performing in two hours, a music artist that was at the top charts, or a movie that was just released in theaters.

When the lights hit my eyes, it was a feeling that hit me like a ton of bricks. My eyes started tearing up and my hand covered my mouth. My jaw was practically on the ground when I saw Time Square with my own two eyes. I can't describe that feeling I felt when I was there. I'm super fortunate to have parents who are supporting me through my first couple months of living with Kaia. We both still got to look for a job to pay for our rent and buy necessities for our apartment.

Once we reached our new apartment, it was like throwing a kid into the deep end of a swimming pool. Our senses were completely flooded and everywhere we turned, something new was happening. We almost ran into a couple people and you could hear any type of conversation happening when someone passed by you. It was a completely new experience that was crazy to see from a different point of view.

The movers arrived and we started to move our boxes up to our new apartment on the sixth floor. We were super lucky when we found this apartment because it has an elevator installed so we don't have to take six flights of stairs everytime we go to and from our home, it's about a 10 minute walk to Central Park and a 5 minute walk to the subway station, and the food options around us are endless.

Since we just arrived in the city and our boxes were brought up, we decided we wanted to get out and explore the city on foot and grab a bite to eat while the furniture was being assembled. We threw on our coats we packed with us as we walked outside and felt the chilly air grade our exposed skin, sending goosebumps over my whole body.

"Holy shit Kaia it's freezing outside I feel like my tits are going to freeze and fall off" I utter, seeing my breath escape my mouth into the cold air and dissipate into the night sky.

"I say we go run and get food, bring it back to the apartment, and eat while setting up our TV so we spend the least amount of time we can outside in the freezing cold. What do you think about that Jade?".

"That's perfect, let's do it. Let's just get a whole pizza so we don't have to do too much cooking." I say, Kaia nodding her head as we start to map where the closest pizza shop is to us, and we find one only a 10 minute walk away.

About 5 minutes after we got to the pizza shop, we received our whole pizza and rushed back to our new apartment. When we walked in the elevator, the smell of the hot pizza filled the small metal chamber we were standing in and my mouth was salivating. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into the cheesy slice of deliciousness.

Once we inhaled our slices of pizza after a long day of driving, Kaia and I decided to settle down and start to get ready for bed. We washed our faces, brushed our teeth, and I pulled Kaia in for a hug, her face shocked when I was showing an ounce of emotion towards her.

"Thank you Kaia for moving to a new city with me. It means more than you can think of and i'm so grateful to have you in my life" I thank her, a small grin starting to show on my face.

"Kaia I would do anything for you. You are my best friend and I love you to pieces babe", she pulls me back into a hug and squeezes me tightly, feeling her love surround me like a security blanket.

"Okay time for us to go to bed, we have a big day tomorrow. We have to go buy groceries and food for the week and unpack all of the boxes. If we're lucky, we may have time to go shopping tomorrow" she says with excitement. I've always loved shopping for clothing and finding new pieces to add to my collection, so hopefully tomorrow we can go purchase some garments after we finish our to-do list.

I get into bed and turn my lights off and set my alarm for the morning. Tomorrow is when the fun really starts.