Numbered

Chapter Thirty-One

The plans were set in motion for the temporary move to Topaz and Kylie agreed to sort the transfer of boxes from their house to the new apartment while Jared got settled in there.

She didn't realise what amount of work she'd be doing, from phoning up several companies to let them know their change of address to packing a lot of essentials and clothes into a few square cardboard boxes.

She couldn't keep her head straight when Jared called her from Topaz as she was in the middle of a change of details form.

"Coping?" he asked, his voice a little crackly on the other end of the line.

She sighed. "Just about. This is so stressful. I'm glad you took care of everything last time." She couldn't have dealt with that much stress after her grandmother's death. Her brain was fried now as things were.

"What's your Driver Number?" she asked. "God, I need to take a course on filling in application forms."

He laughed and read off the number after a few minutes of silence where he was searching his bag for his licence.

"I kinda feel guilty for piling this all on you," he said. "I never realised how much paperwork there was."

"I'm snowed in with letters," she said. "And I'm getting lonely without you." It had only been two nights without him but she hated not having him there beside him.

"I'm off at the weekend so I can see you then," he replied. "I'm counting down the days."

"So is it fun?" she asked. "The training? What exactly are you training for?"

She heard a long sigh from the other end of the line. "Fun? Not so much. We have to learn all this objective stuff. And apparently I'm a trainee Community Officer."

She whistled. "Is that the new name for an Official?" She laughed. "I can't wait to see you in your uniform."

She could imagine his smirk on the other end. "I don't have one yet, unfortunately. But when I do, I'll let you know so you can fantasize about me."

She laughed. "Cocky much."

She heard another male voice on the end of the line and the shuffling of papers. "I have to go. Or people will think I don't do any work at all." He laughed nervously. "I'll call you later. Love you."

"Love you too," Kylie murmured. She blew kisses down the phone. "Bye."

The phone cut off and she put down the receiver, sighing.

There was a knock on the door and she threw down the pen she'd been drawing aimlessly with.

She opened the door and was surprised to see Will

"Hey," Will said. "I thought you might like some help packing up."

"Really?" she asked. "You really don't have to. You've done more than enough for me."

"I've got nothing else to do. Max is at his grandmother's. My girlfriend isn't coming over tonight," he shrugged.

Her ears perked up. "Did you say girlfriend?"

Will's cheeks reddened. "Yes." He refused to say anything more, his lips sealed.

"Come in and tell me more," Kylie replied, ushering him inside.

She put on the kettle and sat on the counter.

"Well, spill the beans," Kylie said, smiling.

"She's a regular at the coffee shop and she wrote her number on the bill and that was that," he said.