Apartment 3B

27. Endings

Kabir

"Oh man, that was a great night," I told everyone in the morning. "What did everyone do?"

"Uhm, I came back a few hours ago from Derek's actually." Hayley nervously ran her fingers through her hair.

"Oh my god, you didn't," Luna replied in shock.

"For your information, I really didn't. We just talked." She replied sincerely before quickly adding, "and we made out a little. But that's all!"

"Ah, it's okay," Luna kissed her forehead from across the kitchen counter.

"What about you Lainey?" I asked.

"It was pretty damn cool, I'm so happy for you guys!" Lainey said while making us eggs for breakfast. "And what about you?"

"I can't believe it happened, it actually happened. I own a bar. This is insane! It hasn't even sunk in, this was everything I've wanted and to already have it, I can't wait to continue working there day in day out. C'est la vie, right?" I finished my nervously delirious blabbering.

After opening night, we decked out for the first regular day of work. The surreal feeling decreased to almost zero but Spirits continued to be paradise as the weeks went by. By the end of six months, we broke even and had enough to pay off the loans. We could finally start pocketing the profits.

A year passed by in a flash of mixing drinks and laughing at strangers' intoxicated stories.

Jess sat across me on a bar stool after closing one night. We chatted, eating peanuts and discussing how far we'd come. I asked Jess, "The studio apartment above the toy store two doors down just went up for sale."

He looked puzzled, "So what?"

"Well, I was wondering if we should y'know, move?"

"Wait what? Did you just say move? Move out of apartment 3B? Away from the girls? You're joking, right?" He lashed out.

"I think it's time, Jess. We really should. We can't share a room and live with 3 other people forever," I pleaded.

"I'll think about it but that's all I'm going to give to you. No more discussion about this right now, please," he begged.

There was no point beating around the bush, so I went out and asked, "Can we discuss what happened with Gabriel then? It's been three weeks. Just talk to me about it, will you?!" I was exasperated with his eerie quietness around the breakup. They had been doing the long distance thing pretty well till Gabriel accidentally sent a sext with the wrong name to Jess three weeks ago that led to a very messy breakup. Fiddling with the ring he had given him, Jess answered, "I'm not ready to believe it's real, why do you think I still wear his stupid ring?"

"Because you loved him, and that's okay. But you've gotta let him go now or at least start to."

"Yeah, you're right, come on let's go."

We biked to the park where Jess and Gabriel used to spend time together, he walked me to their swing. Jess sobbed quietly as he started to dig a hole under the swing in the middle of the chilly night.

I kneeled down and held him to my chest as he weeped the tears he had been holding in for weeks. I dug up a small hole where Jess buried his ring.

We squeezed ourselves on the swing and sat there swaying in the wind till his tears dried up.

After I don't know how long, he chuckled and whispered, "Let's do it."

"Do what?"

"Move out and live together, I don't think I can ever find anyone better than you to share a home with. Let's do it."

I wrapped my arm around him as we continued to sway under the stars. With our old demons buried, we were ready for the next chapter in our lives to begin

Lainey

"You're not serious, are you?" I asked the boys when we reached an apartment next to their bar. "I thought we were just going to hang out at the bar, but this, this is not okay, so not okay." I nodded in disapproval.

Kabir just kept walking till we were inside the house and sang, "Ta-da! Keep an open mind and just walk around here, okay guys?"

"I can't promise but okay," Hayley announced as she looked around.

"I cannot even," I said loudly and sat down in the middle on the empty living room. My insides were fuming with anger, they can't just move out like that.

Jess sat down beside me, "I'm going to tickle you if you promise not to panic on me?" He tried to joke.

"Ha-ha," I punched him in the arm, "you guys aren't moving here, so shut up and let's go."

Kabir came up and sat on the other side, "Lainey-"

"Oh, don't you Lainey me. You guys aren't going anywhere and that's final."

"We all can't live with each other forever, this will be a new beginning for us and maybe for you and Luna too. You'll have to let go someday," Kabir's voice consoling me.

"This is an ending, it's the end of an era that's wrapping up way before its meant to. You don't have to do this, we'll even re-convert the party room and you two can have two different rooms, don't leave okay?" I pleaded.

"We're not really leaving, this will never end. You're stuck with us for life." Jess nudged me with his shoulder.

Kabir continued where Jess left off, "Yeah, we're all going to meet just as much. You should be the happiest, you won't have to make the effort to prepare breakfast for all of us," he laughed.

"I love doing that, so, give me a reason that's not insanely stupid. Shoot." I asked furiously.

Jess chuckled and hugged me, "I'll miss you too, Lainey." He planted a kiss on my forehead.

Kabir reached out as they both squished me in a suffocating bear cuddle, "I hate you guys so much," I said as I finally let out the tears I had been holding in.

Luna and Hayley found ways to squeeze in and we all ended up in an awkward huddle on the floor when the realtor walked in on us, "Uhm, so I guess you guys are taking it?"

Both Kabir and Jess replied, "Hell yes!"

The next few days passed by in a flash of crying, laughing, and mostly packing up and moving them in to the new house.

"You little shits, you actually did it." Hayley shoved them when we finally went to their now-fully furnished apartment.

"Same feelings, Hayles, same." I jumped on Jesse's back. "You little shits," I ruffled his hair as we laughed.

"I'm really gonna fucking miss you seeing your faces everyday and listening to you two jabber about oh my bar this, my bar that." I said in my best mocking voice that invited laughter.

The day had finally come, more like the night. The girls' first night alone in apartment 3B. We drowned our sorrows in wine and sang to breakup songs on playing the speakers.

As the three of us continued to dance in a daze, we heard knocking on the front door.

Hayley went to open it and we heard her scream, "You've got to be kidding me!"

A/N

Sorry for the tiny chapter, I've been busy with finals. One more chapter to go!! I'm not ready to let go of them yet. But it's time for me to move out too I guess.

Love and power,
speck of dust~