Langour ・❥・Joost Klein・❥・

24.

Four sheets of paper sat on the dining room table. One after another, the apartment print-out advertisements showed a picture of the complex, their facilities, location and rent price.

Under their kitchen light, Fenne and Hanna sat in moments of silence. Their options were limited and they were three weeks from the final day of their lease. Hanna had been in for an interview with OLVG and was optimistic about getting a permenant position. Fenne was still set to film for the summer festivals and her cafe shifts were frequent, but only enough for the bare minimum.

Once their parents' financial help finished, Fenne and Hanna needed to start fending for themselves.

'I can't live in Eindhoven. I just can't,' Hanna shook her head, staring at the grey apartment complex. 'Not even for €210 a week.'

'Zeist wasn't... spectacular. But it was central.'

A knock sounded from the front door. Hanna got up wordlessly to let their visitors in while Fenne stared at their options. No matter what they did, something about their choice was going to have a crippling negative.

Eindhoven was cheap and had a direct trainline into Amsterdam, but was one of the most dangerous cities in the country. Zeist was close to Amsterdam, but the apartment was in bad shape. Nieuwegein was ideal and a great space for two young women, but was beyond their budget. And then there was Hellendoorn, which was cheap, but in the middle of nowhere.

Fenne heard Hanna open the front door and a jumble of greetings. The hallway echoed with the scuffs of sneakers before their visitors stepped into the kitchen. Hanna appeared in-between the two men and asked if they wanted anything to drink. Her own boyfriend asked for tea and followed her to the sink, while the other declined politely.

'Hey, liefje,' Fenne looked up from the print-outs and was met with Joost leaning over the back of her chair. He bent forward to peck her lips, which she straightened her back to receive, before eyeing the options in a quick sweep.

'This is it? This is all you've found?' Joost questioned.

'Hm-mh. It's so bad that we're considering being in Eindhoven.'

Joost picked up the paper with the apartment in Zeist on it to read closer. Fenne rested the side of her face against her propped-up palm and looked to where Hanna and Apson stood in the kitchen.

As the kettle boiled, Hanna leant back against the counter while Apson rested his hands on her elbows. Their conversation was hushed, but Fenne could see from Hanna's frown that Apson was attempting to bring light to their difficult situation.

'Shit,' Joost sighed and put the paper back on the table. 'The market is doomed.'

'Tell me about it.'

Before Fenne could launch into a rant about the state of The Netherlands' housing, she jumped at her chair being pulled back. A loud scrape of the chair's legs usually made Fenne cringe, but looking back at Joost made her resist the urge. He ushered her out of the chair and pushed it in, before putting his hands on her shoulders to steer her into the living room.

'Stop thinking about it for now. Appie and I have some news,' he said. 'Sit there.'

In confusion, Fenne lowered onto the sofa as Apson and Hanna stepped around her to do the same. She exchanged a look with her friend, who put a cup of tea down on the coffee table. Apson sat beside his girlfriend with his own drink and gave Joost the direction to start talking.

'So, this year's going to be big. We've got some ideas for my album and Appie's thinking of doing some stuff for his own career. The next five years, if they go well, will be massive, and I'm assuming that you two will be sticking around,' Joost motioned to the two women with raised eyebrows.