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Dating is hard. Dating during a pandemic was harder.
The living situations were...strange. With Zoe working in the hospital she wanted to keep herself separated from her sister and friends. So Buck offered his apartment to her and he moved into her and Jane's apartment with Jane. As if it wasn't awkward enough to move in with a fairly new relationship, Chimney moved in with them.
"I feel like a teenager," she groaned burying her face in the pillow. "Sneaking around in my own apartment. It's like we have a live-in chaperone."
"I agree," Bucked sighed. He was sitting up against the headboard scrolling through his phone. "It's like every step we make is being scrutinized by everyone in our lives right now. I know he gives Maddie a report about us."
"To be fair they want to make sure we're not going to get into another fight that ends up with you being punched in the face," she mused. It wasn't her proudest moment but it had been over a year ago now and a running joke between all of their friends. Jane pushed herself up and stretched her arms above her head. "Working from home is great, but I feel like I'm getting lazy." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and moved towards her closet. "I don't think I've worn real pants in months. Just my nice sweaters and pajama shorts."
"Hey, I'm not complaining." Buck flirted as he got out of bed. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and moved to the door. "I'm going to go make some breakfast."
"Okay I'll be out in a moment, I just want some coffee. I'm gonna talk to Zoe for a little bit."
After Buck left the room, Jane finished getting dressed and called up her sister, hearing the phone ring and ring before it went to voice mail. Confusedly she replayed her calendar; Zoe was supposed to be off today. She called again, and after the fourth ring, her sister finally answered.
"...hey." Her voice was muffled like she was still in bed.
"Hey yourself, what's up?" Jane knew her sister was struggling with her time on the Covid floor at work. She'd spent the first few months of the pandemic working 20+ hours at a time and even though she hadn't opened up about what she saw during that time, it was evident to everyone around her that it had worn on Zoe.
"I'm fine." Zoe cleared her throat and Jane heard the sound of sheets rustling as she sat up in bed. "Yesterday was my last day on the Covid floor, I'm back in the ER starting next week, so it doesn't matter anyway."
"If you say so." Jane wanted to pry more but knew that wouldn't help anything. With her phone on speaker, Jane brushed her hair and did the rest of her morning routine. "Does that mean you can come home soon?"
Zoe didn't respond right away but eventually answered. "Yeah, I can give Buck his loft back soon. I'm tired of these stairs anyway. But wait, does this mean Chimneys moving back in with his girlfriend, I don't think I can live with a man who is that neurotic. I completely understand his fear, but at this point, some antibodies may help her if he moved back in. Plus she's five months pregnant, she's probably tired of face-timing her baby daddy every night."
