Ghost

ch 5

Josh could tell Maya had something on her mind. She'd been out of it at dinner at his brother's house, obviously deep in thought as she had to ask people to repeat themselves multiple times when they tried to draw her into the conversation. She didn't seem upset, just…. Preoccupied. Now, they were in his bed, and she was slowly tracing something across the skin of his chest.

He reaches up to move some hair off her face before gently cupping her cheek, running his thumb back and forth a few times to pull her out of her thoughts before speaking. “What's going on up here, beautiful?” he asks, softly tapping his fingers on her head.

She began chewing her bottom lip, which he’d come to recognize as a sign of anxiety. After a minute, she blurted out, “What's your monthly housing budget?” in a way that sounded like she was trying to get the words out before she could stop herself.

Josh was a little surprised. She had decided on NYU to start school in the fall, and she had disclosed that, between the partial scholarship offered by the school, and all the others she had applied for, she was set financially for a 4-year degree, as long as she was smart about spending. Was she worried about living in the dorms and considering staying at home?

Josh tried to think back to the last payment that had gone to housing and divided to roughly by 3, quoting her the approximate monthly figure. “Are you worried about the cost of living in the dorms? I thought you had your budget figured out with that included?”

“I do….” Maya replied slowly, before shifting off him to prop herself up on her arms to look at him. “But… I was on the student forums, cruising around for general tips about professors and stuff, and came across a link for a building nearby that caters to couples who are in college but can't share a school dorm…. “ as she trailed off, dropping her eyes down to her hands, which are now tightly twisted together, and going back to chewing on her lip.

Josh took a moment to process what she was saying before breaking out in a grin. “Are you asking me to move in with you next year?”

Maya glances quickly up at his face and is obviously relieved that he isn't automatically rejecting the idea. “Well, since I'm not 18 yet, I can't be the main signer on the lease, so technically, I am suggesting you get a studio apartment next year and let me live with you.” Before he can reply, she goes into what he can only describe as a sales pitch. “They aren't much bigger than a double dorm room, but there's a kitchenette and we would only be sharing a bathroom with each other. No roommates or parents to work around, no RAs to answer to-”

Josh cuts her off by kissing her. As he pulls back, he says, “I would LOVE to live with you next year.”

The were touring the building the very next day. Josh had a final in the morning, while Maya had a shift at the bakery, but they had met there afterwards to look around. The building was nothing spectacular, about the same size as his current dorm building, but it was divided instead into apartments of various size, catering (as Maya had said the night before) to students wanting to live off-campus for various and sundry reasons. They were currently pre-leasing for fall. The apartments varied in size from studio to 3 bedrooms, but Maya indicated to the property manager that it would be a studio that fit their combined budget, and they were taken into one to look at. It was, indeed, not too much bigger than his current room, the general space being about the size of Cory's living room. One side had sliding closet doors covering half the wall, the property manager explaining that the next unit over had their closet in the other half of the wall. The opposite side of the apartment was evenly split between a bathroom that was approximately the size of a postage stamp which contained a shower stall, toilet, and pedestal sink, and a kitchenette that consisted of a sink, a half-size refrigerator under the counter, a 2-burner electric stove set into the counter next to the sink, and a 2-door cabinet above it all. The outside wall had big windows, letting in natural light and making the space feel less cramped.