Seizing Freedom

Mike

As Ty settled into his new job I worked on getting ready to go back to classes. I got accepted at the local university and after getting some help transferring my credits was ready to go.

The campus here was a lot smaller than the one back home but I liked it, it didn't take twenty minutes to get from one class to the next. The class sizes were a lot smaller too. Instead of auditoriums filled with hundreds of students there was maybe fifty in a classroom and it felt a lot more personal.

There were a lot of bonuses I've found to living in a smaller city. It didn't take an hour to drive home after class everyday and when you ordered takeout it was actually still hot when you got it. Navigating the city wasn't bad once you learned the landmarks and where to go, heck I knew if Eddie could do it we wouldn't have a problem.

Andre loved his job and worked long hours but said it was worth it. Instead of working eight hour shifts five days a week he works twelve hour shifts and gets a lot more days off.

After three months on our own we kind of settled into a routine. Things were good, living with Tyler couldn't have been better. I don't worry about him as much when I'm with him now. We've made things work and found ways to keep him safe. Having a trained paramedic living upstairs is a huge relief too.

The fact that were splitting rent makes it a lot cheaper to live here too. Even though Tyler won't let me pay anything until I'm done my course. He insists that then I'll be making more money than him, and for not says it's the least he can do since I take care of him when he needs. I don't think of that as a job, I love him and would do anything to help him. While he does most of the cooking around the house I try do the cleaning. He's not much of a housekeeper but he tries, together we make it work. Most evenings we hang out watching T.V. or go for a walk, Tyler likes walking along the river at night when its cool. I think he likes that it goes straight to Vern's ice cream truck and we always make it our last stop before heading back. Eddie introduced us to Vern when we moved here. He's an older Italian man that runs his own ice cream truck that makes a killing. Probably because he sells home made ice cream, but I think a lot of the reason people come back is his personality. Vern's quite the character, we enjoy stopping to visit him in the evenings and usually see him at least once a week.

When Eddie drops off Ty after work he comes over to the couch to give me a kiss before going to the kitchen to start supper.

Being home before him I would love to have it ready and done by the time he got off work but I know how much he loves to cook and won't take that away from him now. Not after he was never allowed to before.

While he's cooking his mom calls to check up on him.

She's called every other night since we moved.

I think its sweet but I can tell it annoys the hell out of him.

As soon as he hangs up he tosses his phone on the counter with a huff.

"How's your mom?" I ask as I walk into the kitchen and grab the plates out of the cupboard.

"Same as she was yesterday. I don't know why she insists on calling all the time, its not like I have anything new to tell her." he grumbles and I smirk.