No really, I'm okay. I'm also a great liar.

streetlights and golden smiles in the middle of summer

And that's how it starts.

True to her word, Bonnie loads me and Annabelle into her pale blue Jeep and takes us around the apartment buildings a ways away from our town.

She opts to not look at them with us, stating that Annabelle knows how to buy an apartment and retreating to the nearest coffee shop.

The first house that, according to Annabelle, is an option, comes up. It's brownstone on the outside, with an iron gate and rail.

We meet with the landlady, who seems perfectly lovely. She smells like Cheerios and coffee, and is wearing a woolen sweater covered in brooches. Her hair is short, curly, and streaked with gray.

"My name's Frances," she says, shaking both of our hands. "So, you're looking to rent here? Normally I meet with realtors, but y'all are just not for them. I get those people all the time," she says in a rich accent, waving her hands as if to tell us not to worry.

"Yeah, I've had some ... iffy experiences with realtors," Annabelle admits. She wraps an arm around my waist as we follow Frances up the stairs.

The warm wood of the stairs creaks a bit underneath our feet. It's a three-story building, and we'd have our own floor. The second floor's occupied, so we'd have the top. It sounds good to me, but I know nothing about choosing a place to live, so I wait.

When we reach the landing, Frances opens the door and lets us inside. The inside is stunning in an old-fashioned, homey manner. The floor's still wooden and the walls are a pretty blue. There are a couple large windows in the room, letting light stream through and offering a peaceful view of the city around us.

There's a pretty fireplace and a pretty kitchen and a pretty bedroom. I know you're not supposed to decide after the first choice, but I really can see Annabelle and I living here.

I daresay I fell in love with it, as none of the places we visited afterward clicked with me.

"So, what'd you think?" Annabelle asks me. We're walking back to the café to meet with Bonnie swinging our intertwined hands between us. It's getting pretty late, and the sun is setting on the buildings around us. I rest my head on her shoulder.

"I think ... I love you."

"Oh, Hazel Ava! Ever the romantic," she says bringing my face to hers and pecking my nose.

"The first one," I sigh. Annabelle perks up so drastically that her curls bounce, and her chocolate eyes sparkle.

"Really? I loved that one. Like, I walked in and I could see you curled up on the couch or singing in the kitchen or yawning in the bed."

"Is buying an apartment usually this simple?"

"Well, we've not bought it." She hip-checks me. "We've just fallen for it."

"Very true. But I think that this shouldn't require any other choice for the actual place. You like it and I like it. What's to second-guess?"

"Well, you know me, love," my girlfriend drawls, tapping my hip. "I enjoy second-guessing things."

"Low rent, Frances said. Good for out-of-schoolers like the two of us."

"Can we go to IKEA once we've finally decided? I know we've agreed, but I'd like to have Momma look at it too."

I smile at her, and what little worry seemed to have flitted across her features dispels. "Of course, bub. After all, if we were to decide now, we'd have two amateur opinions on our place of residence for the next who knows how much of our life!"

"Um. Excusez-moi? I am no amateur. I am an experienced veteran in the field of looking at apartments."

The sun's finally fallen down, and the streetlamps are casting a warm golden glow over Annabelle's flushed cheeks. The warm summer air surrounds us as we walk through the streets I hope to become familiar with.