Every day while I was looking for flats, Harry came to meet me at my school so we could go to viewings together. It was such a simple gesture that it probably didn't mean anything for Harry, but for me, it meant so much. If I was by myself looking at all those flats, I think I probably would have broke down in my car afterwards because it was all so new for me. But with Harry by my side, he gave me comfort and reassurance that I so desperately needed without even meaning to. Though, it was weird when people kept thinking that Harry and I were together. We would just laugh it off and politely correct them.
Altogether, we saw six flats. The first five were either above my price range, too far from my school, had a layout I didn't like, or just didn't feel right. But for the sixth flat, as soon as Harry and I stepped in and had a quick look around, we both looked at each other with knowing looks.
After entering the door, the left side of the flat was the living room with a glass sliding door to a balcony. The right side was the kitchen with white counters and brown cabinets. There wasn't a lot of counter space, but that was understandable. There was also space against one of the walls to put up a pantry cabinet, which I really liked and made up for the small counter space. The other side of the kitchen led to a small dining room area. The flat had an open concept where the living room and the dining room area flowed together nicely. The back of the apartment was where the two bedrooms and washroom were. There was also a linen closet and another closet that had a washer and dryer.
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The flow of the flat immediately appealed to me because although it was a small flat, the open concept made it look so much roomier. The walls were also painted a colour I liked; they were a light beige colour. I also liked how the colour of the walls and the floors and cabinets made the flat seem so warm and comforting. I was able to imagine myself living there.
"And this room could be my study," I whispered to Harry as we looked around the smaller bedroom.
"Yeah, you could put your desk right here," he gestured to the area below the big windows. I nodded my head with a smile. "This flat is so you, Benny."
"It is," I agreed with an excited smile.
"You could also get those nice pullout sofa beds and put it along the far wall if a guest stays over."
"That's a good idea!" I was so excited that I was already mentally making a list of all the new decorations and furniture I needed to buy and placing them all over the house.
Once Harry and I finished exploring the flat, we went over to the landlord. He asked me if I was interested in renting the flat and I said yes. So we followed him out of flat and walked in his flat on the first floor of the six-story building. We sat down at his dining table and he placed the paperwork in front of me. I looked at Harry with surprise, not expecting to get it so soon. I read the contract, signed the lease, and gave him the deposit cheques. In return, he handed me the keys since it was already the end of the month.
