I don't want to be your friend anymore

1| New college and... new friends?

It was the last day of September and 21-year-old Eli Spring had just moved to this city.

Mitchell, a CEO of a tiling company, and Layla, a paediatric nurse, were a 40 year old happily married couple who had decided to expand the tiling business to another city earlier that year. Eli didn't want to move away from his childhood hometown but he sympathised with the couple's plans for Mitchell's business. So, as saddening as it was, he left his friends and other family members behind to support his parents.

He was more than welcome to live with them while attending college but had asked if it was okay to move into his own place, somewhere closer to campus. His parents hesitated a little but, come on now, Eli was no longer a child. He knew how to take care of himself. He had always been interested in how his parents' dishes were so deliciously assembled, so he spent a lot of time in the kitchen learning. Surprisingly, he despised a dirty living space and often cleaned after himself and organised his bedroom in a way that anything was easy to find (cannot relate, by the way).

"Mom, I can put my own stuff away. Just sit down before you break your back" Eli said to his mother, who was huffing and puffing as she tried to move a heavy box.

"Oh, don't worry, son, her back will get blown later either way. Might as well let her start stretching" his dad offered, walking into Eli's new apartment with the last of his belongings. He looked over in Eli's direction and winked, suggestively.

"Woah! Don't forget, dad, TMI" Eli said, contorting his face in a disgusted and 'over with' expression.

"TMI..." Mitchell sounded like he was trying to figure out the meaning of the abbreviation as he set down a box full of kitchen stuff on the counter. "TMI... TMI... that a condom brand or something? Layla, is that the brand you got us on the way here?"

"I don't know, let me ch-" his mother was about to look in her purse when Eli's voice interrupted her.

"Okay, you know what? You two can head home, I'll be fine here. Thank you for your no longer required services" he said, ushering his parents towards the front door. Layla and Mitchell shared a knowing laugh and wrapped one of their arms around Eli's waist.

"Calm down, we're just kidding!" his dad said, patting Eli's back.

"Whatever. Mitch, come on honey, let's take this party home" Layla said in a playful tone. She looked at her son when they'd reached the front door and cuddled his face, which was now sporting a quizzical look at her earlier words. "Fix your face and call us if you need anything, baby. And make sure you come visit us often."

"Alright, Ma, I'll come home when I can. I love you guys" he rushed out as he pushed his parents past the threshold of the open door. They laughed at their son's antics and hugged him one more time before disappearing into the hallway.

Eli sighed when he was finally by himself and sadly looked around his new apartment. Even though he moved to this city with his parents, he still felt pretty lonely. He didn't know anybody around here and, at the moment, he wasn't interested in getting to know anybody. He missed his friends, his family, the spots he used to hang out at...

This place better start feeling like home soon, he thought.

He spent the rest of the day putting stuff away and making his almost lifeless apartment look like somebody actually lived there.

Plopping down on his bed tiredly, he grabbed his phone and opened the Maps app. He looked for places around his apartment he could visit and get familiar with. He could see a park, or a mountain, which was no more than a 15 minute drive from where he now lived. It was his favourite hobby to find a space he could destress and quietly spend time in, and to be honest, this nature-surrounded space wasn't looking too bad. So he made a mental note to check it out tomorrow. It was a Saturday after all, and he still had one more day before he had to start attending his lectures.